Autistic Inertia is an autism experience that makes it hard to start, stop, and switch tasks.
It somehow doesn't get talked about enough - so I made this comic!
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Also, if you want to read the research study I based this comic on, it’s right here!
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What is White Washing and What Does It Have To Do With Star Wars?
Even if you’re not a Star Wars fan, this post is for you. Whitewashing is a problem that goes beyond just fans. It’s something that must be acknowledged by everyone in order to make change.
Today, Disney’s show The Bad Batch was renewed for Season 2. This is an animated show centered on Clone Troopers. These troopers and the original character that’s been Cloned, are played by Temuera Morrison in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith as seen below:
The Bad Batch are a group of genetically modified Clone Troopers, with desirable battle skills.
The leader has keen senses, one is super strong, one is a genius, one is a sharp shooter, and one has joined the Batch after being held as a prisoner of war.
So how does this all tie into white washing? Well! Let’s first ask ourselves what white washing is.
Webster defines it this way:
Whitewashing • to alter (something) in a way that favors, features, or caters to white people
Whitewashing is used to make things more Eurocentric. In media, whitewashing is often used to ignore, speak over, or disregard characters of color.
The most famous example of whitewashing is in the 2017 movie “Ghost in the Shell”. Where Scarlet Johansson plays a Japanese character. Everyone remembers how shocked and disgusted the internet was when this was announced. Not only did this casting choice ignore Asian actors, it also made the character more eurocentric, erasing her identity, and the representation she gave.
Wiki has a full article about white washing in film which you can read here
But bringing it back to animated Star Wars. The Bad Batch are genetically modified clones. They’re often seen as “better” than regular Clone Troopers, and are called in for missions no one else can do. Imagine the A-Team. But this brings us to what the Bad Batch look like:
These are supposed to be Clones, exact copies, of the man I showed you earlier. The large one, Wrecker, is the only one who actually looks like a Man of Color. And guess what. He’s the dumb one. The light one with the glasses? He’s the smartest one.
Whitewashing doesn’t stop at skin tone. This show has a very angular style, but art style is not an excuse. This art style CAN animate round features as seen on the background character Captain Typho:
The Bad Batch faces are thinned, with high cheek bones. They have round eyes, as opposed to hooded almond eyes, they’re thin, as opposed to a solid frame and build. Here’s a quick side by side comparison:
As noted by the red lines and color pallets, these designs are clear examples of white washing. We know they CAN animate round features, but they CHOSE not to. Captain Typho, is hardly in one episode. So what conclusion does this draw?
Star Wars has a history of being white centric. Finn was the only lead Black character and he was tossed aside. Lando is a side character. The main cast is all white.
Disney and Lucas Film will not allow POC to be the center of Star Wars. Even when they have no choice, they instead whitewash to make the characters more eurocentric. They do everything in their power to ignore and disregard POC and characters of color.
So what can you do?
Say something! Tweet about it! Make a post on Tumblr or Instagram! Tag Disney, LucasArts and anyone associated.
Use tags to spread the word! You can tag it #RacismInStarWars #StopStarWarsRacism #UnWhiteWashTBB
Sign the petition! Unwhitewashtbb has a petition and an open letter to Star Wars, I encourage you all, fan of Star Wars or not, to sign! If you want to make a stand against Racism, this is a great place to start.
https://www.change.org/p/the-walt-disney-company-unwhitewash-star-wars-the-bad-batch-unwhitewashtbb
This issue is bigger than fandom drama. This is a problem that effects real people. Whitewashing is harmful, it makes POC feel ignored and disregarded. It makes us feel insecure in our identity. Personally, white washing always makes me feel ugly. All I can think is “If Star Wars, my childhood favorite, thinks my features are undesirable, what does that make me?” That runs around in my head like crazy. And I feel worthless. Like garbage. This is beyond who you like or don’t like in a fandom. It’s beyond one person.
This is about standing up for all people. Always.
Mahalo,
Ivy
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The more despair I endure in life, the more I love Frodo. I'm just. I'm so glad that Tolkien wrote him like that. He was a hero and it broke him. He was given too much to carry. The circumstances were dire, everyone was doing the best they could, and Frodo tried so hard, for such a good cause, and he...broke. And the narrative has pity for him, the characters show him kindness. Even after victory, his hurts did not heal, and it isn't considered his fault. He must go to the undying lands, to seek out peace there. In universe, he is forgiven for being human - don't be pedantic - and his great torment is recognized. He fell. He could not have done it alone. He is still a hero.
And, I think that's important.
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I did your survey a while back and idk of I said this there but I'll say it again: TBB was already a dumb concept from its conception since it came from a show whose partial purpose was to humanize the clones and show that they already had individuality and are unique people in their own rights. Then you throw in some weird shit where these clones are "better" (and also whiter but they don't like us saying that part out loud) and even more unique. Then you decide to give them a show that really just doesn't seem to accomplish anything except for maybe two scenes and rewrites your own canon. Then you make Omega (who I honestly think I would have preferred to be a Palpatine clone with how she looks lmao) who is supposed to be another unaltered clone but she looks nothing like Boba (or Jango obviously). Like was this just a case of throwing shit together or what?
This show is literally what happens when you keep coming up with ideas and right before you slam into a wall (labeled common sense/canon) you add ANOTHER detail on top to make it seem less bad.
You want a CooL Group Of Clones who are Totally Unique and Special because they're MuTaTeD. And rather than admit that Kaminoans generally do away with mutations so they technically shouldn't exist, you say "oh actually the kaminoans took advantage of the mutations")
okay. You don't want them to look the same and so rather than changing their appearances normally you make them whiter and also make one of them British because you're REALLY attached to the concept of the Four/Five Man Band and you like tropes in general. AND these guys also don't work well with anyone AND they have a 100% success rate. Just like the typical "team of specialists" in action flicks.
Except wait they're way OP and now they sound incredibly dull. WELP better make it that the normal clones who have literally 0 reason to HATES these guys guys because they're so "different". That covers them being rude from the jump (which was only added because you needed conflict since these guys are really boring otherwise), but that destroys the collective characterizarion of the clones. Oh well.
You also want them to be sympathetic. You need them to have a Problem because you realize that being a perfect team of super soldiers is not something that folks are interested in seeing. so in addition to that you make them have a kid they need to take care of despite being unfit to do so (ring a bell?) but they can't just like. Kidnap a normal cadet bc a) they hate normies and b) they're special so they need someone who's special. There HAS to be a special clone. We'll make her a girl (helps w diversifying the cast since the previous show has multiple female characters and rn urs is what some would call a "sausage fest")
So she's a girl. But the girl part isn't the special part. U wanted diversity and u got it but u also didn't want it to be obvious that she's a clone so you make her blonde BUT she's actually Secretly Special because she's an unaltered Jango clone. You know. Despite being a blonde girl. And the Kaminoans are/were after her because she's also really special.
Buuuut there's still the issue with timing. You were so excited to put in your self inserts team of Uber special heroes that you did it last second and now the audience has no connection to them and they have no history within the war. We saw Rex Ahsoka and co grow and change. You can't do that in the final season. Welp since they're so so special they get to explore the immediate aftermath of the war! Since they have nothing better to do.
Have you actually thought out the rise of the empire? Nope. Bc despite the ~unique time period~ you shot yourself in the foot by saying the bad batch doesn't care about the Republic OR the empire and thus you can't actually write about the political changes that necessitate a fascist regime change. Because they don't care.
Well to fix that you could split the team along the most obvious division in the world and have the guy that left sorta kinda hunt them down across the galaxy, but remember how the team is super tropey and cliche? The leader doesn't have a personality. So he hardly reacts to what's going on. Meaning that hardly anyone else brings up The Guy Who's Hunting You Across the Galaxy.
Fucking hell.
Sorry to make this so long 😭 but if I haven't been clear before the bad batch is a terrible fucking show JDKANDKANDK
I've seen fans come up with better fixes to all the shit that goes on here. Someone said that they should have been min maxed: hunter, good at sensing things, can go into sensory overload. Wrecker is super strong and big but his metabolism is shit. Crosshair has good long distance vision but he's basically blind when it's up close. Tech can hyper focus on math and tech but when it comes to basically anything else, he can't. Idk what to say about Omega tho bc she's the "normal" one among them.
God I could have wirtten a better team of weirdos than this. My mutuals could. It's a mess.
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