Hey people of ResetEra I've got alot of thoughts bouncing around in my head and I don't really have anyone to message this late at night so you guys drew the short straw. Anyway I have to talk about Black Panther for alittle bit because I feel the importance of the movie and the importance of inlusion is sometimes lost in the debates of quality on this board. Though I myself am not a expert in film criticism or film theory in anyway I just needed to get this out of my head. And this is going to be somewhat of an emotional appeal so know that in advance of reading.
I am a black nerd, or geek, or dork. Whatever you want to call it. Point is I've consumed nerd culture for my whole life. They first show I ever watched was power rangers back when I was a kid. Yet the first thing I can actively remember building a fandom over was Dragon Ball Z. I like many on here grew up with this show and loved watching the show. All my friends at school loved it and I felt an innate since of pride when I knew so many facts about it when talking about it in lunch lines and whatnot with friends.
I remember rushing home to the TV putting off hours of homework just to catch another glimpse of Goku's fight against Vegeta or their travels to Namek or them wishing piccolo back to life (DBZ spoilers I guess?) And then one day something amazing happened. Goku transformed into a Duper Saiyan and I experienced what I believe to my first nerdgasm. I was so excited to talk about what happened with my friends at school. I walked up to the at recess and we all were excited as hell about it but something happened that kinda stuck with me. One of my friends commented on how they were surprised I liked Super Saiyan so much. Because my hair was not like Goku's hair. Now being a kid I didn't think much of it at the time but it did stick with me. Why was I so different then the coolest character on TV at the time? Why couldn't I be like my friends and be able to imagine myself a Super Saiyan?
Well time moved on any life with it. I continued my nerdom with other stuff. Mostly white main characters but I never thought about it critically. I was and still am a big fan of Spider-Man. But it wasn't until I was in college did I actually think about the characters in nerd culture.
Anyway that's when we get to Black Panther. As a character I've known about him for a while. I knew he existed back when I was in high school and I knew his movie was coming before I graduate college but I still didn't care that much. Because the character never seemed to get as much of a push as the likes of Captain America or Iron Man. So I was excited but ultimately didn't care that much. Anyway I eventually I find myself in the movie theater watching the movie and I am enjoying the hell out of it. But it wasn't until killmongers last line did something happen to me emotionally. "Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors" I don't know why but it hit me like a ton of bricks. I teared up in the movie theater as memories of family discussions shifted through my mind. It hit me so hard because it was something from my core. From my home. I cried because those words from killmongers mouth felt like something my grandmother would say in all honesty.
And then I get to the end of the movie when T'Challa builds a community center for black young. And we see a small black boy looking up to T'Challa asking "Who are you?" And this is another moment that floored me. In that moment I was a kid again. I thought about that moment when I was different from all my other friends discussing Dragon Ball Z. That I couldn't be like them because my hair was different. In a way this movie felt like it was reaching out to my childhood self and saying "I want you to be like me" and that was something that brought me to tears.
I know the movie isn't perfect. I know there are things to critic and poke and prod at but for me it will always be an important movie. Because no matter where you grow up in America. If you are black and happen to be a nerd you can never just be a nerd. You are a black nerd. Little things will always pop up like "Why am I playing as the billionth white guy in this video game?" Or something similar. In a way nerd culture will always have us in the black community feel alittle different. But this movie it helps. It makes the little black boy inside me growing up on Power Rangers and Dragon Ball Z feel alittle less different.
TL;DR:
Black Panther is awesome. Don't hate on it. It means alot to us black nerds damnit. Also sorry for possible spelling errors. On my phone.
I am a black nerd, or geek, or dork. Whatever you want to call it. Point is I've consumed nerd culture for my whole life. They first show I ever watched was power rangers back when I was a kid. Yet the first thing I can actively remember building a fandom over was Dragon Ball Z. I like many on here grew up with this show and loved watching the show. All my friends at school loved it and I felt an innate since of pride when I knew so many facts about it when talking about it in lunch lines and whatnot with friends.
I remember rushing home to the TV putting off hours of homework just to catch another glimpse of Goku's fight against Vegeta or their travels to Namek or them wishing piccolo back to life (DBZ spoilers I guess?) And then one day something amazing happened. Goku transformed into a Duper Saiyan and I experienced what I believe to my first nerdgasm. I was so excited to talk about what happened with my friends at school. I walked up to the at recess and we all were excited as hell about it but something happened that kinda stuck with me. One of my friends commented on how they were surprised I liked Super Saiyan so much. Because my hair was not like Goku's hair. Now being a kid I didn't think much of it at the time but it did stick with me. Why was I so different then the coolest character on TV at the time? Why couldn't I be like my friends and be able to imagine myself a Super Saiyan?
Well time moved on any life with it. I continued my nerdom with other stuff. Mostly white main characters but I never thought about it critically. I was and still am a big fan of Spider-Man. But it wasn't until I was in college did I actually think about the characters in nerd culture.
Anyway that's when we get to Black Panther. As a character I've known about him for a while. I knew he existed back when I was in high school and I knew his movie was coming before I graduate college but I still didn't care that much. Because the character never seemed to get as much of a push as the likes of Captain America or Iron Man. So I was excited but ultimately didn't care that much. Anyway I eventually I find myself in the movie theater watching the movie and I am enjoying the hell out of it. But it wasn't until killmongers last line did something happen to me emotionally. "Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors" I don't know why but it hit me like a ton of bricks. I teared up in the movie theater as memories of family discussions shifted through my mind. It hit me so hard because it was something from my core. From my home. I cried because those words from killmongers mouth felt like something my grandmother would say in all honesty.
And then I get to the end of the movie when T'Challa builds a community center for black young. And we see a small black boy looking up to T'Challa asking "Who are you?" And this is another moment that floored me. In that moment I was a kid again. I thought about that moment when I was different from all my other friends discussing Dragon Ball Z. That I couldn't be like them because my hair was different. In a way this movie felt like it was reaching out to my childhood self and saying "I want you to be like me" and that was something that brought me to tears.
I know the movie isn't perfect. I know there are things to critic and poke and prod at but for me it will always be an important movie. Because no matter where you grow up in America. If you are black and happen to be a nerd you can never just be a nerd. You are a black nerd. Little things will always pop up like "Why am I playing as the billionth white guy in this video game?" Or something similar. In a way nerd culture will always have us in the black community feel alittle different. But this movie it helps. It makes the little black boy inside me growing up on Power Rangers and Dragon Ball Z feel alittle less different.
TL;DR:
Black Panther is awesome. Don't hate on it. It means alot to us black nerds damnit. Also sorry for possible spelling errors. On my phone.
