People Are Sharing Stan Lee’s Powerful 1968 Anti-Racism Editorialhttps://junkee.com/stan-lee-racism-editorial/181923In light of the passing of Marvel co-founder and pop culture behemoth Stan Lee overnight, memories and highlights from the comic-book legend’s lengthy career are being shared far and wide.
One moment in particular has stuck out for many of his fans — a 1968 editorial penned as part of his monthly column, ‘Stan’s Soapbox’, which boldly and succinctly stands against bigotry and racism of any kind.Published during America’s civil rights movement, which commenced in earnest a decade earlier with Rosa Parks’ bus seat protest and culminated in 1968 with the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and the enacting of the Civil Rights Act, Lee’s piece holds back zero punches in its assessment of the evils of racism.
“Let’s lay it right on the line. Bigotry and racism are among the deadliest social ills plaguing the world today,” Lee opens the article. “But, unlike a team of costumed super-villains, they can’t be halted with a punch in the snoot, or a zap from a ray gun. The only way to destroy them is to expose them—to reveal them for the insidious evils they really are.”
The editorial delves into the irrationality behind the hatred of others because of their race, firmly stating Lee, and by association Marvel’s, outright condemnation of bigotry. “Although anyone has the right to dislike another individual, it’s totally irrational, patently insane to condemn an entire race—to despise an entire nation—to vilify an entire religion.”
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Stan Lee’s legacy is undeniably one of equality and justice for the disenfranchised with many of his most famous comic creations still praised today for their status as allegories for the downtrodden and the marginalised.
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The original soapbox, from 1968:
below, from Twitter:
Brianna Wu
✔@Spacekatgal
1/ With #StanLee’s death, I hope many fans will take a moment and consider his life’s work - and ask if you’re living up to it.
More than any other theme, Lee tackled organized hatred and our duty to fight it.
X-men is a barely disguised allegory about racism and homophobia.2/ If you look at the 90s classic Xtinction Agenda, this is about a government turning fascist and putting people they fear into camps.
Unless, of course, they could use them - in which case they were enslaved. pic.twitter.com/HNCE4jmSVk
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He was born Stanley Martin Lieber and knew something about prejudice. Like so many Jews, he changed his name to, you know, "sound more American".
Yes, he should be remembered for creating some memorable characters whose movies are taking over cinemas. I would argue, though, that Brianna Wu is right -- Stan always thought these characters shouldn't be saintly do-gooders that the audience couldn't recognize. They were human, vulnerable, prone to infighting, addiction, and all the other human weaknesses. He challenged the Comics Code in the 70s, that ridiculous code of censorship that mandated that in every story, and this was part of the code, ""law and authorities could never be portrayed negatively".
I happen to like many of the Marvel films, not just because they are empty canisters of CGI and explosions. There's a lot of deeper stuff going on in these stories, and I think Stan was one of the people that always tried to weave that in. The superhero genre doesn't have to be vapid (just as not all science fiction is, either).
And from early on, he also felt comic books and their stories could and should contain social commentary. Definitely in the pages of the X-Men, but also other comics, as well.
Stan tried to leave the comic book field many times - go into other areas, write the infamous Great American Novel. He never did. He stayed with what he did best, and I praise him for that. People may stop reading comics after their teens but his characters are now being watched by all generations at the cinema. He did a cameo in every Marvel film released. One of my favorites, BTW, is Dr. Strange, where his cameo has him reading a very interesting book on the bus.
Stan said his signature catchphrase "excelsior" meant "onward and upward". And so, again, "excelsior."
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