Latest / Obnoxiously Pleasant / Why Marvel's Sabra is NOT a superhero
Transcript
- 0:00SPEAKER_00: The last couple of days on social media, there is that story that's been circulating about the new Marvel superhero Sabra, right?
- 0:06SPEAKER_00: Sabra.
- 0:07SPEAKER_00: Um, who is supposed to be Israeli, right?
- 0:09SPEAKER_00: Like Israeli super.
- 0:10SPEAKER_01: And a Mossad agent.
- 0:11SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
- 0:12SPEAKER_00: So I I think it she was created, like supposedly, right, by the Mossad to serve like Mossad purposes.
- 0:17SPEAKER_00: Um, now there's a huge problem with and like Marvel just kind of just was like did something like super cool and now they like ruined it with this whole with this whole Sabra character.
- 0:28SPEAKER_01: Like Miss Marvel was pretty yeah, was pretty cool.
- 0:31SPEAKER_00: But my issue isn't that my issue is you're creating a character that is working for an agency or a superhero.
- 0:40SPEAKER_00: Isn't a superhero supposed to like save lives and be like good for all of mankind?
- 0:44SPEAKER_01: So But this one is apparently fighting Arab terrorists.
- 0:48SPEAKER_00: I mean for me, that's not like like why is Marvel going to it's one thing if like I guess if it was like if she just was just somebody created by the Israelis for an Israeli audience, yeah, that's one thing, but this is so but this is like for an international audience, and you're telling them that it's okay to one see all Arabs as terrorists, two, that it's okay to have somebody that dehumanizes Palestinians, and not just to mention her name, her name is after like she's named like my guess is like Sabra after like Sabra and Shatila, right?
- 1:21SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that does not bring good memory, like it's not it's not even about has a very negative connotation in history, and that's just connotation, it's it's it's like really awful in history because of the Sabra and Shatila massacre that was basically sanctioned by the Israeli government, so the name Sabra by itself alone is very like triggering.
- 1:38SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm thinking?
- 1:39SPEAKER_00: Like, forget all I'm just like does Marvel not have like a public relations person?
- 1:44SPEAKER_00: It's like, hey guys, this might not be the best look.
- 1:46SPEAKER_01: No, I mean it's just this it's like there's so many things that are.
- 1:50SPEAKER_00: Again, I don't mind, sorry, there's a hair, I don't mind if there is a an Israeli superhero.
- 1:55SPEAKER_00: I really don't.
- 1:56SPEAKER_00: That's not my issue.
- 1:57SPEAKER_00: No, I know, but that's not my issue.
- 1:59SPEAKER_00: My issue is like, like, think about it.
- 2:00SPEAKER_00: If it was created for an Israeli audience, whatever.
- 2:03SPEAKER_00: Like, do you, right?
- 2:05SPEAKER_00: I guess.
- 2:05SPEAKER_00: But if it's like an international thing, I have a huge problem with that.
- 2:09SPEAKER_00: I mean, think about it.
- 2:10SPEAKER_00: That's like me being, um, I I don't know.
- 2:13SPEAKER_00: Like, if we had like an American superhero that all he did was kill Muslim Americans, I would have a problem with that.
- 2:20SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
- 2:20SPEAKER_01: So I kind of feel the same way.
- 2:21SPEAKER_01: Um am I making sense?
- 2:22SPEAKER_01: Yes, you're making absolute sense.
- 2:24SPEAKER_01: And I think a lot of maybe we should better explain like I I think we're trying to explain to people why it's offensive and it's very triggering uh for people, especially who are, you know, Palestinian and Arab in general, because part of the description is fighting Arab terrorists, really.
- 2:38SPEAKER_00: Well, in like one scene, she is supposedly like is fighting off this like Hulk character who has like a murdered Palestinian child or something.
- 2:48SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm not really sure, but like, because I you don't actually I haven't seen the actual comment comic.
- 2:53SPEAKER_00: I've only seen snippets that like other social media outlets like have shared um or other outlets have shared on social media.
- 3:00SPEAKER_00: Um, and so I don't know exactly what the storyline is.
- 3:03SPEAKER_00: I just know that apparently she only sees the child as a human when she's fighting the Hulk.
- 3:08SPEAKER_00: So I don't know.
- 3:09SPEAKER_00: I I don't know if that's supposed to make it okay.
- 3:11SPEAKER_00: Like, is this the only time she sees was she responsible for the death of the child?
- 3:14SPEAKER_00: Was the Hulk responsible for that?
- 3:15SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure.
- 3:16SPEAKER_00: You know?
- 3:16SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, it just doesn't look I mean like I said a lot of problems with that.
- 3:21SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and there's like whitewashing involved and like the name, the name is triggering, like the first thing I'm like, Sabra, what what is this?
- 3:31SPEAKER_01: And then I'm looking at it, I'm like, okay, and then like the whole I don't know if you saw the description, like I said, fighting Arab terrorists.
- 3:36SPEAKER_01: Like that is so like what what does that even mean?
- 3:39SPEAKER_01: Like, so are we all terrorists because we're we're Arab and she's fighting?
- 3:42SPEAKER_01: Like, are you gonna talk about the Palestinian-Israeli uh uh situation?
- 3:47SPEAKER_01: Like, what do you like how do you how do you write a script to this?
- 3:50SPEAKER_01: Like, what are you gonna include?
- 3:51SPEAKER_00: What are you not gonna include?
- 3:52SPEAKER_00: So, like, uh like my hope honestly is that like whoever is doing like PR for Marvel kind of gets their head on and is like, yeah, well, maybe the backlash is not like what we were looking for or what we'd hoped for.
- 4:03SPEAKER_01: But do you really think they're gonna actually change their plans to do this?
- 4:06SPEAKER_01: I think they might.
- 4:06SPEAKER_01: You never Yeah, I hope so because it is not does not look promising.
- 4:11SPEAKER_01: I'm like, I think so.
- 4:13SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I don't know.
- 4:14SPEAKER_01: I mean, like, it's just so offensive and triggering, especially for like it's not just Palestinians, but Palestinians in particular, yeah.
- 4:21SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm just offended by this this whole idea.
- 4:23SPEAKER_00: I just think it's a very um it's it not even so much offensive as much as it is just like weird.
- 4:31SPEAKER_00: Like why is it's not okay to have a superhero that only saves some people, like right?
- 4:40SPEAKER_00: That's my problem.
- 4:42SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they only save some like Captain America saves everybody that's in need.
- 4:45SPEAKER_01: But that that's the thing.
- 4:47SPEAKER_01: That's the thing.
- 4:47SPEAKER_01: Like, you're talking about someone that part of the description is Israeli Mossad.
- 4:51SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
- 4:52SPEAKER_01: Okay, Israeli Mossad has killed and murdered, not just killed, murdered countless numbers of people.
- 4:57SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
- 4:58SPEAKER_01: Okay, so just that alone.
- 5:00SPEAKER_00: So, like, in short, in short, because it's very political.
- 5:03SPEAKER_00: It is very political.
- 5:03SPEAKER_00: Like, that was my whole thing.
- 5:04SPEAKER_00: Is like this is not fun anymore.
- 5:06SPEAKER_00: Like, is this this is isn't this geared towards children?
- 5:09SPEAKER_00: Like, anyways, yeah.
- 5:10SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
- 5:10SPEAKER_00: So I just thought we'd bring it up.
- 5:11SPEAKER_01: Like, how do you how do you write, like how do you just like how do you justify that?
- 5:14SPEAKER_01: Like, you're part of an agency, and and this is supposed to make her look seem like you know, she So like here's here, you know what?
- 5:20SPEAKER_00: I have a perfect way to explain this.
- 5:21SPEAKER_00: Okay.
- 5:22SPEAKER_00: Perfect way to explain this.
- 5:23SPEAKER_00: So the reason I'm like I find this weird is because you're talking about one specific group of people and this superhero is fighting, like, you know, I'm I mean it because I'm sure somebody is gonna be like, you guys are racist, right?
- 5:37SPEAKER_00: Like you guys don't want to.
- 5:39SPEAKER_00: Why?
- 5:39SPEAKER_00: But but just just wait, just wait, hear me out.
- 5:42SPEAKER_00: Somebody's gonna be like, you don't want an Israeli superhero.
- 5:44SPEAKER_00: That's not what I'm saying.
- 5:46SPEAKER_00: What I'm saying is that if you are gearing something towards kids, right?
- 5:50SPEAKER_00: If you're gearing something towards kids, um, it should be like really inclusive, right?
- 5:55SPEAKER_00: Everybody should be able to see themselves in this in this fictional character, kind of like the little mermaid.
- 6:00SPEAKER_00: You know how they cast that.
- 6:02SPEAKER_00: Yeah, how they cast Halle Bailey as um, not Halle Berry, Halle Bailey, um, as the Little Mermaid.
- 6:08SPEAKER_00: And people are like, oh my god, the little mermaid can't be black.
- 6:11SPEAKER_00: I'm like, Yeah, people are losing their minds over that.
- 6:14SPEAKER_00: But that's what I mean.
- 6:14SPEAKER_00: Like everybody can now see themselves.
- 6:17SPEAKER_00: There's two versions of the Little Mermaid, right?
- 6:19SPEAKER_00: Disney made one early on where Ariel is white and she has red hair, and then there's this new live action one where she is black and she's beautiful and she still has red hair.
- 6:27SPEAKER_00: Yeah, reddish, kind of.
- 6:28SPEAKER_00: That's a whole topic altogether.
- 6:29SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I get what you're saying.
- 6:30SPEAKER_00: But you know what I mean?
- 6:31SPEAKER_00: Like every child should be able to see themselves in this fictional character.
- 6:36SPEAKER_01: Not an Israeli Mossad Asian.
- 6:38SPEAKER_00: But yeah, like that's not a fictional character.
- 6:40SPEAKER_00: They these things mermaids don't really exist.
- 6:42SPEAKER_00: Okay, and I don't have a Mossad Asians do.
- 6:45SPEAKER_01: But just to respond to this whole us getting accused of being racist, which we're not, but like if you wanted an Israeli so much, you could have easily done it without having this description, this name, yeah, this background for the character.
- 6:57SPEAKER_00: But honestly, but that's what I mean.
- 6:59SPEAKER_00: Like, it's a supposed to be fictional.
- 7:00SPEAKER_00: Superheroes are fictional, mermaids are fictional.
- 7:03SPEAKER_00: Like it's it's Cinderella is is not real.
- 7:06SPEAKER_00: Like cleaning beauty is not real.
- 7:08SPEAKER_00: But if you're creating something that where you're targeting an audience of children, and Marvel, I don't care what you're telling me.
- 7:13SPEAKER_00: Yes, maybe sometimes the movies are PG 13 or whatever.
- 7:17SPEAKER_00: The audience is children.
- 7:19SPEAKER_00: It needs to be inclusive and like full of like tolerance and love, and not like a Mossad agent that's like out to kill Arab people.
- 7:27SPEAKER_01: It's not a normal person, it's not a normal character.
- 7:29SPEAKER_01: It's somebody who's associated with a government agency that has murdered innocent people.
- 7:34SPEAKER_01: So, like, yes, has murdered artists, yeah.
- 7:38SPEAKER_00: It's like cartoonists.
- 7:39SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I know exactly what you mean.
- 7:41SPEAKER_00: For me, honestly, my my my whole thing is like this is a fictional character, right?
- 7:45SPEAKER_00: Like, and there's so many fictional characters out there that kids look up to.
- 7:49SPEAKER_00: This is gonna be geared towards children.
- 7:51SPEAKER_00: If you're gonna gear something towards kids, I feel like kids should be able to see themselves in this character.
- 7:57SPEAKER_00: Right?
- 7:57SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's that's how I see it.
- 7:59SPEAKER_00: Like, I would not want my kid to see themselves as that.
- 8:02SPEAKER_00: I don't want a character associated with a government agency that is like known to like carry out like horrendous acts against civilians, right?
- 8:11SPEAKER_00: I don't want to delve into detail.
- 8:13SPEAKER_00: I don't want to make it seem like I am one-sided or the other sided or this or that.
- 8:18SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I just if you're going to point something towards kids, like, shouldn't it just be inclusive?
- 8:27SPEAKER_00: That's it.
- 8:28SPEAKER_00: That's all I care.
- 8:29SPEAKER_00: It's inclusivity.
- 8:29SPEAKER_00: It should be inclusive.
- 8:30SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but there's also responsibility.
- 8:32SPEAKER_01: You have to be responsible enough.
- 8:34SPEAKER_01: Not like this, just this topic, and we don't even like getting political.
- 8:37SPEAKER_01: No, just this topic alone, just mentioning this, you're automatically like thrown into this stray.
- 8:44SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
- 8:45SPEAKER_01: Like, you're automatically gonna get political, no matter how hard you try to avoid it.
- 8:49SPEAKER_01: Because this is a sensitive issue, and it's it's it's very hurtful.
- 8:54SPEAKER_00: You know, if you're gonna make a fictional character that's supposed to like save the world, like let's include everybody that lives in the world.
- 9:00SPEAKER_00: That's it.
- 9:00SPEAKER_00: Let's not make them kill other people.
- 9:02SPEAKER_00: Like, bad guys can't be people who are like innocent civilians.
- 9:09SPEAKER_01: And let's not glorify there you go.
- 9:12SPEAKER_01: Let's not glorify um the killing of innocent people.
- 9:15SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and by by watching the show, if they actually produce this show or movie or whatever it is, this character, you're glorifying uh violence and killing little kids.
- 9:25SPEAKER_00: Without continuing to dive into this any deeper, I do what I am gonna put a poll on Instagram and I want to find out on Instagram from you guys, like how you feel.
- 9:34SPEAKER_00: I really do, I am really interested in finding out how people feel.
- 9:37SPEAKER_00: Like looking at and I'm I'm I'm taking all and even like on on TikTok and you know, I just want to know, and on YouTube, leave comments.
- 9:45SPEAKER_00: I wanna know like how it is that you feel.
- 9:47SPEAKER_00: I wanna, I wanna hear the view from the other side.
- 9:50SPEAKER_00: If somebody can explain to me logically how this makes sense, I'm willing to hear you out.
- 9:54SPEAKER_00: I have no problem with that.
- 9:56SPEAKER_00: I just need an explanation of how this is like going to be good.