Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site qubix.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!decvax!decwrl!sun!qubix!steven From: steven@qubix.UUCP (Steven Maurer) Newsgroups: net.comics,net.religion.jewish Subject: Re: Marvel Comics, Jews and Other Ethnic Groups Message-ID: <975@qubix.UUCP> Date: Mon, 9-Apr-84 09:16:47 EST Article-I.D.: qubix.975 Posted: Mon Apr 9 09:16:47 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 11-Apr-84 01:39:21 EST References: <395@ihuxt.UUCP> Organization: Qubix Graphic Systems, Saratoga, CA Lines: 104 > Dear Mr. Gruenwald: > > Marvel's treatment of Jews distresses me greatly. Marvel writers > show some awareness that there is a Japanese culture which is > different from American culture and which possesses its own beauty. Gosh, Mr. Martillo, are you sure you read the same comic books I did? The last time I saw Japaneese culture, as portrayed in Marvel, it was when Wolverine was chopping up Ninja-clones in an old "samuri-western" type mini-series. I highly doubt that this is the image that the Japaneese would be most complemented by..... > Marvel has tried to be sympathetic to Russians. Marvel has tried > to project an awareness of the losses American Indians have > suffered. > Yet, Marvel has never shown an awareness that there is a Jewish > culture which is different from American culture and which > possesses its own beauty. Please tell me again where Marvel is more "sympathetic to Russians" than it is sympathetic to jews. I personally feel that simply because Marvel has a Russian and Indian as Super Heros, does not mean that they are showing any "culture" in a sympathetic (or any) light. In fact, I don't particularly see even WASP culture shown in much light either (you know -- Hamburgers, French Fries, Movies, and Saturday night necking). Most of the X-men, for instance, seem resigned to spend their time off planet saving the earth from alien monstrosities..... > Marvel has never portrayed a Jew who > knew the least little bit about Judaism. This is perhaps, because of the fact that orthodox jews are not so common on the American scene, which is what Marvel most commonly portrays. > Marvel has been almost completely unsympathetic to Jewish issues. They are not supposed to be. They should be non-political. > Next to the Germans, Hispanics, Persians, and Greeks, Russians > count as perhaps the worst anti-Semites and most severe persecutors > of the Jews. Yet, Kitty Pryde casually develops a crush on Pyotr > Rasputin, and the issue of Russian anti-Semitism never even comes > up. I am only glad that almost all jews are not as predijuced and bigoted as you have just shown yourself to be. How can you believe that simply because Pytor Rasputin is a russian, he has any control of his general society?? You seem amazingly willing to condemn someone (even a comic book character) just on the basis of national origin. I shudder to think what you think of people who happen to be born with Hispanic skin tone...... > Marvel is probably not consciously trying to be insensitive. But > Marvel writers are most likely only to have contact with the > ignorant assimilated type of Ashkenazi Jew who are the majority in > the U.S.A. However, if Marvel is going to treat Jewish subjects, > Marvel writers must familiarize themselves with a more genuine > Judaism. So now you are insulting the same people you say you are trying to protect. I would say more, but I feel nothing I could say could explain more fully the self-indicitiveness of that statement. > Personally, I do not think comic books are the proper > forum for some of the issues with which Marvel Comics deals. Some Marvel > comics have verged on propaganda for the author's pet political ideas. No, they appear to be unbiased. Which is what you seem to be complaining about. > I received no reply to my letter. But many fewer stories dealing with > Jewish issues have been appearing lately. I wonder why?? Steven Maurer p.s. I did not believe up until now that there were any Jewish bogots, being unfortunately sheltered by meeting only the "ignorant assimilated type of Ashkenazi Jew who are the majority in the U.S.A.". I believed, that the Arab accusations about forms of Zionism approaching racism, were totally unfounded and basically nothing but a propaganda ploy. That feeling, I now see is quite wrong. Now the biggest question in my mind is this: how powerful is this racist faction in Israel??? Are they stronger than the KKK in the USA??