#Make April O'Neil white again! - Page 5

*CyberCubed* · 11-08-2020, 09:52 AM

For some reason white Baxter slips my mind, but it was 1987, and back then having a cowardly black man take orders from Shredder probably would have been seen as even *more* racist, so that was probably the mindset of the staff when they changed him to white.

I honestly wonder had Baxter been black in the original toon but written the same way as he was, how people would have taken it to see a black man verbally and physically abused by Shredder, then Krang was basically going to execute him and disintegrate him but he got accidentally mutated with a fly instead.

Maybe it would have been seen as more racist to see a black character treated like that.

*sdp* · 11-08-2020, 10:06 AM

I like to think that FW Baxter is black, he just happens to be albino or had vitiligo, that's my headcanon and no one is changing my mind. Also Rise of the TMNT Casey Jones is actually trans, so technically he's still a man and not a woman.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Has there ever been a black character turned white in anything?

I think it happened plenty of times in the 90s but can't think of many examples rightnow, for TMNT besides Baxter we also saw the Beebop Mutating figure get turned to white. The Spawn movie changed Wanda's new husband Terry to white but that was because they didn't want to make people think it was a movie only for "blacks" and instead featured an interracial couple which was also controversial, so it wasn't done for racist reasons, still a dumb move.

superstaff · 12-06-2020, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

For some reason white Baxter slips my mind, but it was 1987, and back then having a cowardly black man take orders from Shredder probably would have been seen as even *more* racist, so that was probably the mindset of the staff when they changed him to white.

I honestly wonder had Baxter been black in the original toon but written the same way as he was, how people would have taken it to see a black man verbally and physically abused by Shredder, then Krang was basically going to execute him and disintegrate him but he got accidentally mutated with a fly instead.

Maybe it would have been seen as more racist to see a black character treated like that.

Yeah, I was actually discussing this with my husband recently. I think this is exactly why they made him white. That, and they possibly didn't like the implication of both of the sole black characters on the show being villains (the other is Bebop).

*Shark_Blade* · 12-06-2020, 08:11 AM

But Shredder isn’t even white. So a Japanese man abusing a black man would be ... less racist? *shrug*

They seem to be okay with him abusing a white man tho.

newhire13 · 12-11-2020, 06:44 PM

This post is pretty disturbing.

*CyberCubed* · 12-11-2020, 07:21 PM

I made this thread before I watched all of Rise, but now that I have, I still don't really care for her much. By the end of the show they also made her into the same fighting April all the other incarnations do so April isn't a damsel in distress all the time, so it really wasn't anything new.

At the very least "black April," was an experiment in a short lived incarnation that will probably have no impact going forward.

aprilbound · 12-13-2020, 06:48 AM

She wasn't really an atypical damsel in the 80/90's show though. She was a little to headstrong not straight up helpless.

~~Cake-Monster85~~ · 12-15-2020, 11:14 AM

The person who created this post... why? Sorry, I'm new here, but... are you like offended by darker skin color OR?

I don't mind April being black, but I know her best as a white woman.

*Prowler* · 02-15-2021, 08:29 PM

Changing an established character's race is a dumb idea. There's been lots of revisionist history getting spread online in the last few years about April "having been black all along!". Maybe that was just a prototype April. But the actual April drawn on the comic wasn't black. That's like saying Michelangelo should have Krang in his stomach from now on because in his original prototype draft that's what he looked like. Why don't we see the same sunset of the fandom pushing that narrative? I think we all know why...

"BUT HER HAIR!"...do you not remember the 80s or seen photos from that era or something? Women of all races sported that kind of hairdo. Don't give me that BS.

*Leo656* · 02-15-2021, 08:42 PM

That's the kinda dumb sh*t people cling to when they absolutely refuse to concede an argument.

There's long been a vocal subset of fans who insist that Superman/Clark Kent is "obviously Jewish", on account of two Jewish guys created him and his story is partly a Moses allegory (it's also a Jesus allegory, but I digress). The argument goes, "Obviously" these two Jewish guys would naturally want to see themselves represented in the character they created, and at one point things like men having dark hair were *occasionally* seen as being more of "a Jewish thing", therefore in their own minds, "Superman must be Jewish".

This despite the fact that Clark Kent 1. Eats pork, 2. Doesn't keep Kosher, 3. Doesn't observe Shabbos, 4. Has been seen in flashback stories going to church - not Temple - with his parents, 5. Has been known to still attend church services as an adult from time to time, 6. Married Lois in a Christian church, 7. Celebrates Christmas, and 8. Has met Santa Claus, who's apparently real within the context of the DC Universe.

So we can safely and definitively say that while there is nothing at all wrong with being Jewish, Clark Kent is 100% NOT Jewish. And the only reasons anyone ever even suggested that he was were very circumstantial. Frankly, it IS possible that very, very early on, Siegel and/or Shuster maybe wanted to imply that he was, but they never said so out loud or put evidence towards it into any stories, so even if that was at one point their intention, all we know for sure is What We Know For Sure.

Frankly, for all the guilt he carries around with him about never being able to save everyone, or whether or not he's doing TOO much (or not enough), Clark is almost certainly Catholic, if anything.

But that's a whole other can of worms.

Point being, if people want to believe something, and they're hellbent on convincing others to their way of thinking, they'll grasp at some pretty flimsy straws in order to do so, whether or not it makes any sense in reality. That's just the way people are. Superman isn't Jewish, and April isn't (generally) black. And neither of them were most likely ever created to be.

*Prowler* · 02-15-2021, 08:52 PM

Exactly.

"Kevin Nash played Super Shredder. Therefore Shredder must actually be white!" Michael Bay logic

*neatoman* · 02-16-2021, 05:27 AM

... How...

Spoiler:

... I mean... If people thinks he's jewish and all...

~~mrmaczaps~~ · 02-16-2021, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leo656

Frankly, for all the guilt he carries around with him about never being able to save everyone, or whether or not he's doing TOO much (or not enough), Clark is almost certainly Catholic, if anything.

But that's a whole other can of worms.

I'd argue this one point being that the writer behind that story wanted him to be seen as Catholic.

I always saw him more Baptist & I really want to say there was a line somewhere in the late 80s about him attending a Baptist church service or saying the Kents went to/belonged to a Baptist church.

*CyberCubed* · 03-08-2023, 08:59 AM

Time to bring this back, I can't believe this is from 3 years ago now before we knew we'd have the second black April in a row.

I guess I must be nostradamus and predicted the future.

*Coola Yagami* · 03-08-2023, 11:29 AM

Have to hand it you, you were right.

TMNT is cooler than MOTU · 03-08-2023, 06:14 PM

“Goddamn darkies are getting uppity again!”-TMNT fanboys

02-15-2021, 08:42 PM	#90
Leo656 The Franchise Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nWo Country Posts: 27,696	That's the kinda dumb sht people cling to when they absolutely refuse to concede an argument. There's long been a vocal subset of fans who insist that Superman/Clark Kent is "obviously Jewish", on account of two Jewish guys created him and his story is partly a Moses allegory (it's also a Jesus allegory, but I digress). The argument goes, "Obviously" these two Jewish guys would naturally want to see themselves represented in the character they created, and at one point things like men having dark hair were occasionally* seen as being more of "a Jewish thing", therefore in their own minds, "Superman must be Jewish". This despite the fact that Clark Kent 1. Eats pork, 2. Doesn't keep Kosher, 3. Doesn't observe Shabbos, 4. Has been seen in flashback stories going to church - not Temple - with his parents, 5. Has been known to still attend church services as an adult from time to time, 6. Married Lois in a Christian church, 7. Celebrates Christmas, and 8. Has met Santa Claus, who's apparently real within the context of the DC Universe. So we can safely and definitively say that while there is nothing at all wrong with being Jewish, Clark Kent is 100% NOT Jewish. And the only reasons anyone ever even suggested that he was were very circumstantial. Frankly, it IS possible that very, very early on, Siegel and/or Shuster maybe wanted to imply that he was, but they never said so out loud or put evidence towards it into any stories, so even if that was at one point their intention, all we know for sure is What We Know For Sure. Frankly, for all the guilt he carries around with him about never being able to save everyone, or whether or not he's doing TOO much (or not enough), Clark is almost certainly Catholic, if anything. But that's a whole other can of worms. Point being, if people want to believe something, and they're hellbent on convincing others to their way of thinking, they'll grasp at some pretty flimsy straws in order to do so, whether or not it makes any sense in reality. That's just the way people are. Superman isn't Jewish, and April isn't (generally) black. And neither of them were most likely ever created to be. __________________ "I left some words quite far from here to be a short reminder... I laid them out in stone, in case they need to last forever..." "But hey... I'm not telling you anything that you don't already know." nWo Tech: The Official Thread Poison of the Technodrome Forums https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxr...awnHgDz1ceDcfA https://theroxxshow.blogspot.com/

03-08-2023, 11:29 AM	#95
Coola Yagami Overlord Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 14,009	Have to hand it you, you were right. __________________ "I was down with TMNT once, but then they changed what TMNT was. Now what I was down with is no longer TMNT and what TMNT now is seems weird and scary. And it'll happen to YOU." Check out my blog for Comic Reviews and other things. https://markepicblogofrandomness.blogspot.com/ I also started The AEW Crew, the All Elite Wrestling Fan Club! https://www.facebook.com/groups/637508120044168/

11-08-2020, 09:52 AM	#81
CyberCubed Overlord Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 41,050	For some reason white Baxter slips my mind, but it was 1987, and back then having a cowardly black man take orders from Shredder probably would have been seen as even more racist, so that was probably the mindset of the staff when they changed him to white. I honestly wonder had Baxter been black in the original toon but written the same way as he was, how people would have taken it to see a black man verbally and physically abused by Shredder, then Krang was basically going to execute him and disintegrate him but he got accidentally mutated with a fly instead. Maybe it would have been seen as more racist to see a black character treated like that.

12-06-2020, 08:11 AM	#84
Shark_Blade Emperor Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 7,902	But Shredder isn’t even white. So a Japanese man abusing a black man would be ... less racist? shrug They seem to be okay with him abusing a white man tho.

12-11-2020, 06:44 PM	#85
newhire13 Hench Mutant Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 447	This post is pretty disturbing.

12-11-2020, 07:21 PM	#86
CyberCubed Overlord Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 41,050	I made this thread before I watched all of Rise, but now that I have, I still don't really care for her much. By the end of the show they also made her into the same fighting April all the other incarnations do so April isn't a damsel in distress all the time, so it really wasn't anything new. At the very least "black April," was an experiment in a short lived incarnation that will probably have no impact going forward.

12-13-2020, 06:48 AM	#87
aprilbound Mouser Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 13	She wasn't really an atypical damsel in the 80/90's show though. She was a little to headstrong not straight up helpless.

12-15-2020, 11:14 AM	#88
~~Cake-Monster85~~ Banned Join Date: Nov 2020 Location: United States Posts: 43	The person who created this post... why? Sorry, I'm new here, but... are you like offended by darker skin color OR? I don't mind April being black, but I know her best as a white woman.

02-15-2021, 08:29 PM	#89
Prowler Emperor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Portugal Posts: 8,909	Changing an established character's race is a dumb idea. There's been lots of revisionist history getting spread online in the last few years about April "having been black all along!". Maybe that was just a prototype April. But the actual April drawn on the comic wasn't black. That's like saying Michelangelo should have Krang in his stomach from now on because in his original prototype draft that's what he looked like. Why don't we see the same sunset of the fandom pushing that narrative? I think we all know why... "BUT HER HAIR!"...do you not remember the 80s or seen photos from that era or something? Women of all races sported that kind of hairdo. Don't give me that BS.

02-15-2021, 08:52 PM	#91
Prowler Emperor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Portugal Posts: 8,909	Exactly. "Kevin Nash played Super Shredder. Therefore Shredder must actually be white!" Michael Bay logic

03-08-2023, 08:59 AM	#94
CyberCubed Overlord Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 41,050	Time to bring this back, I can't believe this is from 3 years ago now before we knew we'd have the second black April in a row. I guess I must be nostradamus and predicted the future.

03-08-2023, 06:14 PM	#96
TMNT is cooler than MOTU Stone Warrior Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Southern CA Posts: 842	“Goddamn darkies are getting uppity again!”-TMNT fanboys