By: Ian Dosland
The conservative website and radio station, Council of Conservative Americans, stated recently that Marvel Studios has, "Declared war on Norse Mythology" (cofcc.org/2010/12/marval-studios-declares-war-on-norse-mythology/). This group feels that this attack by Stan Lee is yet another attempt to undermine conservative values. Lee has been accused by the site of, "leading attacks on conservatives, the Tea Party, and European Heritage" (hiphopwired.com/2010/12/17/white-supremacists-oppose-idris-elba’s-role-in-the-movie-“thor”/). They have even created a website in protest: boycott-thor.com/. The website argues the following:
'Well, they have a point, to a point. Norse mythology was white because the people using it were white. But I do find it insulting to black people. I mean, why not make a film based on African mythology with black people? Throwing a black guy into a mythological white role is a little patronizing, kinda like when someone claimed a black man invented the first ‘clothes dryer’, when in fact all he came up with was a hanger next to the stove. But I don’t give a sh*t because I’m not watching this trash. And yeah, Marvel has always had a very annoying liberal, mult-cultural, politically-correct slant, but that’s old news. But it is one reason I can’t stand their comic books, as I consider them an insult to my intelligence. They’re like one rung above Image in all respects."
And in a letter to Marvel they stated this:
"Dear Mr. Klein,
I am writing to express my deep concern over your company’s depiction of the god Heimdall in the movie “Thor”.
Heimdall was revered by generations of my ancestors, and continues to be central to the culture of tens of thousands of Asatru believers, as “hvítastr ása” or the “whitest of the aesir”. Like the millions of Northern Europeans who once made Heimdall central to their daily lives, Heimdall has historically been depicted as Scando-Nordid, with fair hair and skin.
While Marvel likely intended Mr. Elba’s casting to be a gesture of harmless irony, choosing an African actor to portray “the white god” displays a profound and acerbic disrespect both for people of Germanic descent and history itself. Whatever the motive behind the decision, it appears to be an intentional and racially charged slap in the face.
I urge you to practice a single standard and afford the same respect to ethnic Europeans that you would offer to any other ethnic group.
Sincerely,
Ian Huyett"
Elba issued the following retort in an interview with TV Times:
“There has been a big debate about it: can a black man play a Nordic character? Hang about, Thor's mythical, right? Thor has a hammer that flies to him when he clicks his fingers. That's OK, but the colour of my skin is wrong?” (hiphoptimes.com)
It seems that there is a real issue here with the claims being made by all sides. The CofCC has been citing the hypocrisy of statements by members of movie media (specifically, Moviefone). But the question is, are they making a valid argument? Can a group made up of conservative Christians be so offended by an "attack" on a religion they do not even ascribe to?
This has less to do with Christianity and more to do with white supremacy. Why? Because for some years now white supremacists have been hijacking Norse religion to bring a more inconspicuous imagery to their hateful cause. Even white supremacist bands like, "Thor's Hammer" draw imagery of a god like superior white race.
This is less a case of, "we conservatives are offended by your changing a white god into a black one," and more of a, "we white supremacists are...blah blah..." If these people are supposed to be the voice of the conservative right (on their AM radio station that plays on a few stations in the US), and a voice of traditional conservative Christian values, how can they expect to be taken seriously? Even more so, how will this negatively affect the image of non-Christian, non-white-supremacists, who do ascribe to Norse religion, or at least wear it's history (e.g. clothing and tattoos)? You want to talk about a provocation? Start there. Also, I am pretty sure that this white "master race" was responsible for the massive and indiscriminate killing of Christians and other white people all over Europe. I'm surprised that this group has chosen to defend a historical enemy. (PS: Thor was a red head, or at least red-bearded. This was looked down upon by Christians most likely because Judas was a red-head. They have an old saying, "Red beard, devil steered.)
Here's the movie preview:
