samson1701
Well-Known Member
Not going to lie, at first, I felt some kind of way about it. I wasn’t outraged or anything like that. I just kind of gave his casting a lil’ side eye. But, then I thought about it and came to a different understanding.I was recently made aware of a controversy surrounding the casting of John Stewart in an HBO Green Lantern show. Some people are upset that he isn't dark-skinned. I myself was a little apprehensive about the casting but I'm unsure if it's colorism or something else about him.
It’s not like we haven’t had any dark skinned male superheroes. As a matter of fact, just about every black male, live action superhero has been, at the very least, dark brown. And, it’s not even like Pierre is hi-yellow. He’s light brown. Seriously, he’s not passing for anything else other than a black man, anytime soon. As a matter of fact, the first time I saw the trailer for “Ruby Ridge” the first thing I said was, “It’s great to see a brother leading this type of film.” So, when did he suddenly get not black enough?
Also, there are very few if any, that I know of, light skinned black male superheroes. So, does that mean our yellow brothers don’t get to swoop in, fight supervillains and save the day? Maybe, that’s a broader conversation for a different day? But, for right now, at this time, I had to open my mind, examine my biases and admit that thinking anything other than, “Good for that brother. He’s a great actor with the charisma and gravitas to pull off the role.” says more about my issues with color, than it does about him getting the role.







