Mary Jane Watson Isn't A White Girl #SpiderManHomecoming #VEDA 16.08.23 | #withcaptions @paulidin

Vlog Every Day in August, whoo!

Los Angeles!

A year and a half ago, it was announced that
Sony and Marvel had gotten into an agreement

so that Spider-Man could finally join the
Marvel Cinematic Universe and I did a video

about that, which I'll link to in the doobly-do.

Basically it was that Spider-Man doesn't have
to be a white guy and, in fact, I thought

it made more sense if he weren't one.

Here it is August 2016 and there are rumors?

Has it been confirmed?

That Zendaya will be playing Mary Jane Watson
in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

And my response to this is: Delight!

I'm so happy about this possibility, it's
gonna be awesome!

But there's been a lot of backlash on the
internet and I want to speak to that backlash.

Back in February 2015, I talked about how
the aspects of Peter Parker as Spider-Man

that mattered had nothing to do with the color
of his skin.

Ah, and so now, I could, potentially, argue
that the characteristics of Mary Jane that

matter have nothing to do with the color of
her skin.

But if I were to make that argument?

I would be saying that the premise of the
backlash on the internet is valid.

That there is something of substance to people
saying that Mary Jane Watson should not be

Zendaya for x, y, and z reasons.

I would say to you that because she's a made-up
character, there are only a few reasons why

you would want her to be specifically the
white, redheaded character from the comics.

And I wrote down some bullet points for myself,
so I wouldn't forget.

The first reason why you might be upset that
Mary Jane in the movie would not be white

with scarlet red hair is: You don't realize
that Mary Jane Watson isn't real.

I...

If you have some sort of mental illness that
makes it difficult for you to understand what

is real and what is not, then I feel bad for
you.

I'm very sorry!

But that still doesn't change the fact: she's
not real.

Second possibility: Your demand for MJ to
have red hair is actually disguising your

racist distaste for anyone who is not white.

I mean.

Check yourself.

Is that what's going on?

Reason 2B: Your demand for MJ to have white
skin is a not very disguised sign of your

racist distaste for anybody who's not white.

Again, check yourself.

Is it that you want Mary Jane to be white?

Or is it that you want everybody to be white?

And the last reason that I could think of
for you to protest this so hard?

Is that you are so used to having an unequal
representation in your favor, as a white person,

that anyone who looks at all different from
you getting any representation feels like

it's an attack on you.

It's not.

It's making one character in a very white
franchise not white.

And if that upsets you so much, think about
why that is.

Is it because you've had so much representation
of white people that that's what you're used

to?

And any change against that freaks you out?

Makes you feel uncomfortable?

Makes it seem like all of a sudden, you are
not the centered audience for this story?

Maybe you shouldn't be!

Maybe you've got a million other representations
in media that are for you.

And this one character in this one product,
showing one part of a story, doesn't have

to be about you.

And I would say, "It's time for us to have
fewer people representing white people in

media and more representations of other types
of people in media."

It's time.

If we get to a point where every single movie
is majority or exclusively not white people?

Then, you'll have been put into a disadvantageous
position and I'll expect you to protest.

It'll be very reasonable.

But until that time?

As long as people who look like you make up
the vast majority of films?

You can just choose not to go if you like,
and the rest of us will enjoy it.

So, as I said, I specifically wasn't going
to try to justify MJ's potential non-whiteness

in Zendaya to any of the flipping out fanboys,
because their flipping out is inherently

unreasonable.

Zendaya is a fun and excellent actor who looks
like she could portray a model who has confidence.

She's a great Mary Jane Watson character.

Why would I have to defend that?

Tell me in the comments your thoughts on WHY
people are so upset about a potential not-white

Mary Jane Watson.

Are you one of those people?

Feel free to give me your reasons.

Perhaps I missed something.

Or tell me anything that matters to you, because
I want to know what matters to you.

And we've come to the end of my video, thank
you so much for making it this far.

Here at the end is where I always say:

Tomorrow

will be even better!

Hopefully not for racists.