this post was submitted on 05 May 2025
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Don't be mean. I promise to do my best to judge that fairly.
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IMHO, it works better as an allegory for disability. Some people (higher-functioning autists) need acceptance, but I don't think people with debilitating pain or immuno-defficiancy see their struggles as an inseparable part of their personality.
If it's all just an allegory for racism, it's definitely not great. "I can't touch other humans without killing them" isn't some stereotype or metaphor for discrimination, it's just a literal disease. She was basically born as an asymptomatic carrier for ebola. What the hell does that have to do with race?
I agree as a disability allegory it's better, but still off in this scenario. They are just too capable/cursed for it to be an appropriate metaphor. Storm lecturing Rogue would be like Daredevil lecturing a random blind person not to get eye transplants because they'll hear better if they live without eyes. It's pretty messed up.
That's not an argument why it's a good metaphor for racism or homophobia. You're just saying "it's a metaphor."
For what? What - specifically - about Rogue's condition maps to an experience that occurs in the real world? That she was born that way? That makes it an equally valid metaphor for, like, ugliness.
I know what a metaphor is. I'm asking what is the metaphor? What are we supposed to see and learn from Rogue's condition? That humans treat each other poorly because we have trouble reconciling our differences? That's the same metaphor as all the X-Men.
Having examples like her just muddies the waters, because people like her and cyclops are actual living proof that some mutants genuinely are inherently dangerous to others.
A mutant baby can kill its entire family. Humans are at least partially justified in fearing them, or fearing having a child that's one of them. Not because they're bigots, but because a mutant child has a much greater chance of causing harm.
That can map to disability - childhood, adolescent, and adult behavioral disorders are a very real issue - but that's a gross thing to intentionally associate with race.
Lol I'm not taking it literally, I'm taking it analytically. It's entirely valid to dissect a metaphor and analyze what it means and why. An allegory is itself an argument - a way of using fictional elements to deliver non-fictional ideas. It's normal to argue for or against the allegory as being a useful delivery system for those ideas.
If it's not a good metaphor.. well, that's exactly what the rest of us are talking about when we critique the Rogue/Storm thing. You are the only one in the room that doesn't understand that we are all calling that a bad metaphor.
We know the forest is there, we just think there's a big stupid tree that is actually blocking our view.
Edit - and for the record, I'm not critiquing the entire forest! The rest of the metaphor is pretty good. But those examples really do undercut their own delivery of the idea.
Storm's comment was directed at Rogue. The one who was excited about a cure for her horrible condition that makes it so she can't touch another human being without fucking them up. If literally anyone else had asked if it was true there was a cure then your point would make sense but Rogue actually does need the cure. It was shitty writing to have it be Rouge that got that lecture and people are right to call it out.