From Mikey Walsh to Miles Morales
Sniffling, Nate, my five year old said, “I want to be Spider-Man for Halloween but I can’t.” Even though
it was the middle of June and I have no idea why he was thinking about Halloween, I responded. “Of
course you can. Why couldn’t you?” He went on to explain that Spider-Man, the new one from the
movie, Into the Spiderverse, has dark skin and fuzzy hair and, unless Nate can change his skin color
and hair texture, he can never be Spider-Man.
it was the middle of June and I have no idea why he was thinking about Halloween, I responded. “Of
course you can. Why couldn’t you?” He went on to explain that Spider-Man, the new one from the
movie, Into the Spiderverse, has dark skin and fuzzy hair and, unless Nate can change his skin color
and hair texture, he can never be Spider-Man.
I will let that soak in for a minute.
People of color have been having conversations like these with their children for years but for me, a
White guy raised in the 80s and 90s, this is new.
White guy raised in the 80s and 90s, this is new.
My childhood was a good time to be Mike Walsh. From the Life Cereal commercials starring a kid
named Mikey who looked a lot like me that “likes it,” to Mikey Walsh, the main character and saver of
the neighborhood in The Goonies. There was even the Walsh family in Beverly Hills 90210. I was
well represented. I don’t remember ever wanting to be anyone for Halloween that didn’t share my
physical features. Superman, Indiana Jones, Freddy Kruger, Elliot from ET, Rambo, Maverick and
Goose, Beetlejuice, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, Karate Kid, the Terminator, Marty McFly, Ferris
Bueller, etc… all White. That is White privilege at its finest. So much so that it went undetected by me
and pretty much all other White people as far as I could tell.
named Mikey who looked a lot like me that “likes it,” to Mikey Walsh, the main character and saver of
the neighborhood in The Goonies. There was even the Walsh family in Beverly Hills 90210. I was
well represented. I don’t remember ever wanting to be anyone for Halloween that didn’t share my
physical features. Superman, Indiana Jones, Freddy Kruger, Elliot from ET, Rambo, Maverick and
Goose, Beetlejuice, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, Karate Kid, the Terminator, Marty McFly, Ferris
Bueller, etc… all White. That is White privilege at its finest. So much so that it went undetected by me
and pretty much all other White people as far as I could tell.
We’ve made some strides since then. There is a lot more representation of people of color now than
there was a generation ago. Case in point: a dark skinned, fuzzy haired Spider-Man. Yet, we are far
from done and too many White people don’t see that. If my son, who still lives in a very White
dominated world, thinks he can’t be Spider-Man because of one movie he saw then imagine the
lasting effects of White supremacy compounded in all aspects of life for hundreds of years, not just
solely within the superhero business. We’d be fools to think that we can erase hundreds of years of
oppression in one movie or even one dark skinned and fuzzy haired president.
there was a generation ago. Case in point: a dark skinned, fuzzy haired Spider-Man. Yet, we are far
from done and too many White people don’t see that. If my son, who still lives in a very White
dominated world, thinks he can’t be Spider-Man because of one movie he saw then imagine the
lasting effects of White supremacy compounded in all aspects of life for hundreds of years, not just
solely within the superhero business. We’d be fools to think that we can erase hundreds of years of
oppression in one movie or even one dark skinned and fuzzy haired president.
That said, this moment I had with my son was a bit of an epiphany for me. Not because I realized my
White privilege, but rather because I began to understand what is fueling the fight to maintain it. As a
parent it’s upsetting when your kid thinks that they are inferior because of their physical features. This
is not news to people of color but for us White folks, this is new. We say we want equality but then
when we perceive that our kid is being discriminated against or at some disadvantage all that equality
crap goes out the window. It’s sad, really. We want equality so long as we stay on top, which is the
opposite of equality, of course.
White privilege, but rather because I began to understand what is fueling the fight to maintain it. As a
parent it’s upsetting when your kid thinks that they are inferior because of their physical features. This
is not news to people of color but for us White folks, this is new. We say we want equality but then
when we perceive that our kid is being discriminated against or at some disadvantage all that equality
crap goes out the window. It’s sad, really. We want equality so long as we stay on top, which is the
opposite of equality, of course.
One of my favorite quotes about difference comes from an American poet, Audre Lorde. It reads:
It’s not our differences that divide us.
It is our inability to recognize, accept and celebrate those differences.
I like this quote because I do see this as a process for us White folks. People of color, bare with me. As
pathetic as it may seem, it’s difficult for us to step down off of the pedestal. The first step is recognizing
that we are on the pedestal in the first place. When I was a kid, I didn’t realize how good it was to be
Mike Walsh. Now I do. That’s step one. Next, we have to accept the diversity and equality that we all
say we want. I took my son to go see a dark skinned and fuzzy haired Spider-Man, so I guess I accept
the difference. But do I celebrate it? Going into the movie, I loved the idea of a non-White Spider-Man
but then when my kid was crying because he “could never be Spider-Man” I was taken aback. That’s
the difference between acceptance and celebration. This little incident taught me that I’m not at the
celebration stage Lorde is talking about just yet. Too many of us White Americans aren’t there yet. We
want to be there but we struggle to climb down off the pedestal and let someone else shine.
pathetic as it may seem, it’s difficult for us to step down off of the pedestal. The first step is recognizing
that we are on the pedestal in the first place. When I was a kid, I didn’t realize how good it was to be
Mike Walsh. Now I do. That’s step one. Next, we have to accept the diversity and equality that we all
say we want. I took my son to go see a dark skinned and fuzzy haired Spider-Man, so I guess I accept
the difference. But do I celebrate it? Going into the movie, I loved the idea of a non-White Spider-Man
but then when my kid was crying because he “could never be Spider-Man” I was taken aback. That’s
the difference between acceptance and celebration. This little incident taught me that I’m not at the
celebration stage Lorde is talking about just yet. Too many of us White Americans aren’t there yet. We
want to be there but we struggle to climb down off the pedestal and let someone else shine.
How do we get there? We get there by working on recognizing and accepting differences. The creation
of White supremacy was a purposeful process. The dismantling of it is a purposeful process as well.
We need to continue to examine our history both personally and collectively. How did we have an
advantage over others as we were growing up? How did that impact our lives and the lives of others?
Almost half of our country is non-White now. Do we accept that? If so, then we have to support
representation across the board. This goes beyond superheroes. We need to look at the choices we
make on a daily basis; in things like entertainment, housing, schooling, dining, etc.. and we need to
ask ourselves, are these choices reflective of today’s America or are we allowing ease and familiarity
to shape our reality? Lastly, we have to celebrate the differences. When our kid is sniffling because
they don’t see themselves in a superhero we need to resist the urge to get angry and take that as
an opportunity to teach our kids about the value of difference.
of White supremacy was a purposeful process. The dismantling of it is a purposeful process as well.
We need to continue to examine our history both personally and collectively. How did we have an
advantage over others as we were growing up? How did that impact our lives and the lives of others?
Almost half of our country is non-White now. Do we accept that? If so, then we have to support
representation across the board. This goes beyond superheroes. We need to look at the choices we
make on a daily basis; in things like entertainment, housing, schooling, dining, etc.. and we need to
ask ourselves, are these choices reflective of today’s America or are we allowing ease and familiarity
to shape our reality? Lastly, we have to celebrate the differences. When our kid is sniffling because
they don’t see themselves in a superhero we need to resist the urge to get angry and take that as
an opportunity to teach our kids about the value of difference.
It’s not our differences that divide us.
It is our inability to recognize, accept and celebrate those differences.
-Audre Lorde
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