The Jim Jefferies Show went down to San Diego Comic Con to interview attendees about ComicsGate, and it went about as well as you’d expect. The Australian comedian ran into several fanboys who complained about “the diversity issue.” One guy said he used to be a fan of comics, but not anymore. THEN WHY ARE YOU AT COMIC-CON, BRO?!
Another man bitterly complained about the possibility of a “gay Superman or transgender Aquaman” saying, “I don’t parade around who I am, don’t go around and parade what you are.” Interesting take from a man who just publicly paraded himself as an idiot.
Jefferies then sits down with Richard C. Meyer, host of a YouTube show where he routinely whines that female superheroes don’t have big enough breasts and that people of color are ruining his favorite comics. In addition, Meyer encourages his followers to harass and target women in the comics industry on social media. So you know, just a normal, well-adjusted man with no entitlement, anger issues, or a yawning chasm of insecurity that will swallow him whole. Good times.
Jefferies then interviews a team of diverse cosplayers (and Doug) about their perspective on Meyer and why comics can inspire such possessive outrage. The cosplayers point out that once we identify with a character, we feel a certain ownership over them, which gets threatened when the character we love no longer resembles us. They discuss the political identity of comics, and how storylines reflect the world that the creators live in.
Finally, Jefferies pitches some new characters, the best being a white female Killmonger who calls the cops when Black Panther is having a BBQ. The best part of the video is Jefferies acknowledging that the same anger and resentment white men feel over not seeing themselves reflected in (a tiny amount) of comics is nothing compared to what marginalized people have been feeling in comics and popular culture at large for decades. I can only agree with Jefferies when he says, “Wake the fuck up, Richard. The comics you don’t like aren’t written for you.”
(image: Comedy Central)
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