The Fantasy That is Black Panther
Black Panther just broke the $1,000,000,000 world-wide box office, and people are loving it. It is an incredible visual achievement that has a ton of heart, and eye popping action sequences. But director Ryan Coogler has embodied it with a much more stark message about the world than you might see at first glance. The world in which it fantasizes about.
With any superhero movie, the joy of the audience can be derived from the wish that they too had the superpower that the lead character has. We want to swing on webs like Spiderman, fly through the air and stop bullets like Superman, or be super rich and have tons of gadgets to fight crime with like Batman. But the fantasy of Black Panther is much more poignant. In the film, the nation of Wakanda is shown to be an uncolonized paradise, fueled by a hidden mountain of a precious medal, that has been shielded from the outside world and never forced under the boot heel of the white man by being colonized. It has been allowed to flourish on it’s own and has done so with incredible vigor.
At the conclusion of the film, the nation decides to step out of the shadows and offer aide and assistance to the rest of the world, starting specifically in a poor neighborhood in Oakland, CA and then at the United Nations. And while this is awesome, and a comment on the western world’s quick dismissal of what Africa has to offer, it’s also heartbreakingly sad. That there ISN’T a country untouched by colonization, outsiders, and war is all the more sad by comparison to this fantasy. It’s sad we can’t fly or swing on webs, but how much sadder still is it that this reasonable, worthy and wonderful culture doesn’t exist, and isn’t there to do the good that Wakanda is shown to be doing at the end of the movie.
What are your thoughts?
Fun, great post! Well done
It's an amazing movie ..
You know, really brings back childhood feelings
Makes you excited Haha
To me it's just a fantasy superhero movie. It doesn't even follow the laws of nature or physics, so I refuse to see it as anything but idealistic yet unrealistic sci-fi.
But it's the first movie ever to give black audiences a super high-budget, high quality piece of entertainment where they own the whole stage and narrative. And I can understand how this is eliciting emotions in a group of human beings who have been fucked over for centuries and are still getting fucked over all the way into the 21st century. Because Africa is still colonized and raped this very second.
Black American? Best possible scenario for a black person to be born into. Freedom and justice for all, lol. Yet the systematic oppression is clear for all to see around the world.
But Wakanda is fantasy. Not even Jeff Bezos plus Bill Gates together or any of the insanely wealthy white fat cats could establish a Wakanda. It's a fantasy like Avatar was a fantasy and it's affecting people in the same way emotionally.
Who do you think financed and made an absolute killing with this film? Africans? Black Americans? No, white people just sold you an impossible dream and took your money because this was the perfect time for this movie to blow up.
Racial tensions, fed-up black people the world over, the current overtly politically correct fashion by the white kids to try and play saviour to the blacks from behind their iPads and $2 000 laptops but achieving sweet fuck all.
Don't be fooled. Let the movie make you feel good in the moment. But it is not a what-if scenario and there can be no link between Wakanda being a viable prospect just because colonization hadn't taken place.
They have colonized your wallets long before " the decolonization". This movie was carefully engineered to affect people like this for the sake of profits.
Whilst you are correct they have sold an impossible dream...You really have to ask yourself if Africa had of been left alone as a continent to develop naturally would it really be unified or would their still be tribal and regional rivalry as there has been for thousands of years? It's a pretty derogatory statement to say white man is the primary cause of all the worlds suffering and misery...It would be fairer to say that the inherent human nature of corruptible power and the blind support of such corruption is the cause of all suffering and misery on the planet...Black, white, these are just social constructs. It is the foundation of emotions (positive, negative) that define us as humans therefor is indistinguishable by a certain physical appearance.
There will always be people that don't like and bigot other people for they way they look this is another fundamental minority inherent flaw among the entire population of the planet. But we really need to see the divisive tactics of Hollywood the media and their corporate master to socially engineer race as some ongoing issue which inadvertently makes it an issue...There really is no need to discuss racial inequality in the current western world because it really only exist culturally within the media...To base such cultural discussions off of individual victimization cases is extremely counter productive considering that individuals of all races are victimized for their appearance probably everyday..I'm sure there are white people who are beat up by black people simply because they are white and vice versa...But per capita this is happening in an extreme minority and is no way justifiable to label an entire group based on their appearance. To do so is to become the very thing you seek to destroy, a racist.
That's why I mention that there can be no link between colonization never happening and Africa ending up a utopia because of that. Humankind, every last culture, even including Buddhists, is a warring species. When the first Europeans landed in Africa, the tribes were slaughtering each other and have been forever. Like everyone else in the world. At the same time Europe was at constant war with itself, but Europe is a continent of scarce resources, so they came to Africa because there is/was an abundance from which to grease their war machines and amass colonial power.
During WW1, there were actually German and English gunships on Lake Malawi.
The French, Dutch and British fought battle after battle on the shores of what is now South Africa, all trying to capture this strategic and resource rich corner of the earth. While this was happening and before he ever set eyes on a white man, King Shaka Zulu played his role as the Genghis Khan of Africa. He overpowered and slaughtered every tribe he came across, took their land and property and forced all captured able bodied men into his army.
We've been at war since the first groups of humans started bumping into each other. Every culture, every colour, every religion. From China to the Americas, Europe to Africa. War has shaped everything about us. We are brutal, opportunistic and power-hungry by nature. And fearful and xenophobic. A psychotic combo for The Crown of Creation to have hanging around its neck.
Some may ask, why does this white guy have so much to say about these things? Because I am 45 years old, born in Africa, my body as it stands 100% constructed from the minerals of its soil and have been surrounded by millions of black people all my life. I have never seen the West. As a kid, I saw the horrors of apartheid with my own eyes and the long term aftermath of brutal and dehumansing occupation by imperialists.
So my perspective is a grassroots one, something I live and breathe. And I grew up dirt-poor by white standards, so my empathy with the downtrodden of any race is pretty strong. But I'm also realistic. Individuals and small groups of people are usually kind and even altruistic, but within a bigger group context or as a species as a whole, we are a bunch of assholes.
I would add one thing that we are more like a bunch of followers with a few assholes leading the way.
You left no stone unturned in giving details as to how colonialism raped Africa without mercy. It is only who witnessed firsthand and felt its long drawn adverse effect can be this empathic. It's sad memories my friend.
Its as if you read my mind
such a true statement
You have said nothing but the truth. I never even looked at it from this angle. Well done
nonsqtr I commend ur take on Black Panther - well said my dear chap and I hope everyone take note of your point, "white people just sold you an impossible dream and took your money because this was the perfect time for this movie to blow up"
We need more people like u sharing your worldview to help transform people's perspective on race. IMHO, there is ONLY ONE race, HUMAN, and our visual differences are merely biological and climatological.
writesbackwards excellent post my friend and I absolutely enjoyed Black Panther, cinema was completely packed and we all knew this was gonna be a box office killer :) I absolutely loved the movie and fell in love with so many of the characters - and the token white dude was pretty awesome ;) ... I was probably 1 of the few people laff'n soOOo HARD at the jokes which eluded many!!
Why did I go see Black Panther?
I have 2 be honest, my 1st reason was to support my West Indian brother and sister;
CREDIT: Let's give some credit to Marvel Comics' Stan Lee and Jack Kirby who created the character, Black Panther that 1st appeared in Fantastic Four #52 in July 1966
Great post love
.......
I agree Good Job Broo
i agree good job broo
That is the sad reality. Wakanda is our fantasy. Most times I wonder if we were not colonised, if there was no war, if we were more United how we would have been. Colonisation rubbed us of our dreams. I watched black panther and I watched again the second time. The director tried his best to portray Africa in a very lovely way. With thier own tech and all. Nice post.
I think the fantasy of this film is inspiring others around the world. The message was one of hope and that will get people to do things they thought was not possible. I have seen this film twice and may go again. Loved it.
Great read!!! You touched on so many great and important points. I also think the film is important because it paints a world in africa seperate of the ruined colonised view point of the west.
Seperate from their tired ideals of them as heroes to a dying land with backwards people who can do nought for themselves. Like we were never builders or creators.🤔🤔🤔
A lost erased history.
This film is so IMPORTANT and poignant for black people across the diaspora on so many levels that many people can't even begin to understand.
We can all grow and build from this.🤔
Great read!!! You touched on so many great and important points. I also think the film is important because it paints a world in africa seperate of the ruined colonised view point of the west.
Seperate from their tired ideals of them as heroes to a dying land with backwards people who can do nought for themselves. Like we were never builders or creators.🤔🤔🤔
A lost erased history.
This film is so IMPORTANT and poignant for black people across the diaspora on so many levels that many people can't even begin to understand.
We can all grow and build from this.🤔