What if the Animorphs were racist?

[Aquilai]

I know racism exists in every time frame to some degree but 10-15 years ago I never really imagined it (as a kid) to be too large an issue in media/fiction. It's only after 9/11 that terrorism became a more horrific thing for Americans thus restarting the whole racism and prejudice thing. If anything during the Animorph's years I would consider it a more stable and peaceful time. It's been about 30 years since Martin Luther King's time (relative to Animorph books) and you would expect for people to have grown up and gotten along with each other in 3 decades some more than others in different areas. So really whilst racism still exists in the Animorph's time, it really depends on where they live/how they're brought up than when. It doesn't seem at all unrealistic to me that they aren't racist.

On a slightly different note, as it has been mentioned already, I'm more bothered that in most tv shows/books etc Asian/Chinese aren't shown. The African-American/Latino character is almost mandatory in American media to appear less racist but the Asian community is mostly ignored. Perhaps this represents size of ethnic groups. Maybe it shows there are more black people in America than Asian that or they're more vocal.

In terms of after Elfangor gives them the cube, it really brings a new world to them. Colour/race is no longer such a large issue if you consider human DNA is human DNA. A whole universe of different aliens are brought into their lives. I think KAA did a good job by specifically mentioning through Elfangor that Hork Bajir are to be pitied. It puts into the reader's mind very early on not to judge by appearances. If you take morphing as a theme this is even more important. It's the person behind the body, their intentions, their actions that define who they are, what should be valued in them.

[LisaCharly]

^I think the lack of Asians is partially due to the size of our ethnic group (I believe the US census puts us at ~5% of the American residential population, as opposed to the ~12% black and ~15% Hispanic populations) and partially because Asians are accepted as 'the other white', because we face racism in a different way than Hispanics and blacks do. People conflate racism with thinking someone is a criminal or poor, and the stereotypical Asian is economically successful. So people don't see racism against Asians as such a big deal, since a lot of the stereotypes are complimentary (good at math, hardworking, scholarly, quiet, professional) rather than the derogatory racism aimed at other racial groups (dirty, poor, loud, criminal, lazy). What they don't realize is that this is still racism with its own set of barriers and frustrations, that also needs to be combatted.

[Chad32]

That's called positive discrimination. It does have its own problems.

[LisaCharly]

Well, we have some negative discrimination too. I'll come up with an Asian driver joke for you.

[Baranth]

Well, we have some negative discrimination too. I'll come up with an Asian driver joke for you.

You don't need to. Megamorphs #1 does it for us.

[LisaCharly]

It does?

[Chad32]

Do you hate trash cans, Marco? Is that it? Do you just hate trash cans!?

Granted Marco is hispanic...

[Shock]

Racism in Animorphs doesn't really come up. i remember seeing something akin to it in one of the MM books (the time traveling one) but other than that, it rarely comes out.

of course, Racism in the animorph universe doesn't really make sense since you deal with morphing.

it would basically reenacting this story by Seuss:



anyone who thinks something else is superior would have to face the fact that everyone can now morph into something.

you can turn your self black, white, red, green, etc. this undermines the fundamental "eliteness" that racial overtones usually have.

now, there could be a crazy guy out there who thinks everyone should be white/black/hispanic/etc and try to force them to be but that's unlikely to get major support given the first point.   

[LisaCharly]

Do you hate trash cans, Marco? Is that it? Do you just hate trash cans!?

Granted Marco is hispanic...

I'm still not sure how that's an Asian driver joke?

[Chad32]

Well, it's the only one in that book.

[LisaCharly]

Only driving joke?

I'm sorry, I'm just entirely confused as to what anyone's talking about anymore.

[Baranth]

Do you hate trash cans, Marco? Is that it? Do you just hate trash cans!?

Granted Marco is hispanic...

I'm still not sure how that's an Asian driver joke?

I believe that somewhere, Marco says one of his ancestors is Asian.

[AniDragon]

Really? I don't remember that at all. o_O You sure it wasn't from a fanfic? There are tons of lines that I thought were in the books but turned out to be from fanfics.

[LisaCharly]

I'm pretty sure you're incorrect. The only background we really get on Marco's ancestry is that his mother's side is Hispanic, Spanish-speaking and not from the US. Not Asian.

[Serraph105]

Well, I doubt they would have handed the morphing power over to the handicapped kids, no matter how justified the idea was. (Racism doesn't just end with race, just saying)


Can you cite examples of times you felt they were too open?

or perhaps they would in hopes of their death or under the rationale of, "Well if they die they are just crippled." Could go either way really.