The Black Panther: A Discussion (or A Monologue, if no one
comments)
I have now seen The Black Panther twice in the last week. There’s so much about this movie that’s ripe for discussion that it could
be a college course unto itself. Cultural significance. Feminism. Colonialism,
past and present. A binary view of the world. It’s a cornucopia of ideas and provocations for
introspection, so much so that it should be on the Oscars list for 2018 movies,
and that doesn’t even factor that it’s so big that it’s going to be a world
culture touchstone. Better still, it’s highly entertaining in its milieu.
But I want to talk about two aspects of the movie. One is
the question of Wakanda’s place in its fictional world. The other is the harm
that damaged little boys can do as men.
There’s been some discussion that N’Jadaka
(Killmonger),and by extension W’Kabi, is correct to bring Wakanda to the world
by force, overthrowing its tradition of isolation and secrecy, and installing
itself as (benevolent) ruler over all. More, including director Ryan Coogler, support
Nakia’s vision of Wakanda as a diplomatic, financial, and technological force
for improving the lives of the downtrodden, particularly those descended from
Africans taken from Africa as property.
Klaw describes Wakanda as El Dorado, hidden in Africa rather
than South America, but the real world analogy to Wakanda is Switzerland. Both
are small, mountainous nations formed from the joining of once warring tribes
that have developed great wealth and comfort for their people by leveraging
their resources and talents while maintaining neutrality and secrecy. Different
sorts of secrecy, but secrecy nonetheless.
In recent decades Switzerland has been pressured to open
its banking secrecy to benefit the wider world, particularly in pursuing criminal actions. No one argued that Switzerland
should take over the world as a benevolent invader, though. No one even
suggested that Switzerland owed the rest of the world any wealth or technology
that other parts of the world might not have.
Wakanda, operating quite similarly to Switzerland, is
under a different burden that reflects the African diaspora and the fact that merely being black in America and the world is a political statement. There is no
European diaspora that is the result of forcible relocation to other
continents. Yes, the Irish fled in great numbers to America due to English
oppression and famine, but they weren’t sold to America. On the whole the
spread of Europeans around the globe is voluntary, often opportunistic at best
and repressive or murderous of others at worst.
For The Black Panther, both the movie and the character,
the Switzerland model is simply a non-starter for Wakanda. While that’s been
the way for centuries, it can’t be the way of the future. The plight of other
Africans and African descendants is not the same as the status of Europeans and
European descendants. Is it fair to put that on Wakanda? The movie doesn’t ask
if it’s fair. It asks if the balance between Wakandan safe borders and the health of the rest of the world should be changed and in what way.
A corollary question can be asked why those who advocate that Wakanda owes the world a more active, if not interventionist, existence don't advocate that the Jabari owe the world the same. They're within Wakandan borders, but they're separate from both the world and the rest of Wakanda. They're not so wealthy as the rest of Wakanda, but they're secure and prosperous. Do they owe the world as well?
Coincidentally, a movie that started before anyone
conceived of the regime now running the US is talking about the wealthiest
fictional nation having an obligation to help the rest of the world without
imposing its will on the world by force, while the US regime abdicates any form of
help in the world that isn't granted via the recipient becoming a vassal state and exponentially expands the resources for forcing its will,
albeit ineffectually implemented. Not so coincidentally, the border force of Wakandan is as trustworthy with power as the border forces of the US.
Which brings us to damaged little boys. N’Jadaka is
damaged by the loss of his father, N'Jobu, when he’s about 10 and by his subsequent
childhood in Oakland. He carries that loss and the lessons of inequality that
his father imparted before that loss to fixate on revenge for the slights the
world has inflicted on him. But his revenge is directed to the whole world,
regardless of culpability. He doesn’t seek justice for a wrong that may have
been done to him or his father. He seeks revenge against everyone and cloaks it
in a righteous mission to lift up the true people. He lies about Wakanda and its history. It’s all very Trumpian.
Trump is a damaged little boy, too. He wasn’t damaged in
the impoverished streets of Oakland but in the wealthy skyscrapers of New York.
He didn’t work and fight to achieve from little resources. He didn’t have the
least intelligence. But he arrived on the stage of adulthood similarly self
absorbed and willing to do anything to satisfy his desires for power,
acceptance, and glory. He adopted a similar story of aggrieved righteousness
for himself and the true people. He adopted the same martial mania. He lies more prolifically than Gretzky scored goals.
The result with both men is that they become destabilizing forces in the world, seeking the oppression of others to satisfy their own inadequacies. Large scale death is just an acceptable collateral damage. Both are willing to turn on an ally in an instant if it serves his own moment.
Much to ponder in The Black Panther. That makes it art, politics, and entertainment of the highest quality. That makes it worthy of honors from its industry. But if those honors aren't forthcoming, they don't diminish The Black Panther. They diminish the industry.
Batman – yes, Batman is dark and brooding, especially in
contrast with Superman. However, Batman is still supposed to be a hero. Not
only has this version of Batman been spending too much time in the Frank Miller
universe, he also has a scene with Wonder Woman that is disgusting. The best I
could do was use it as a teaching moment and explain to my son that Batman
deserved to get hit in the face by WW after forcibly kissing her (after running
across her bathing in a stream…). I had a lovely time using one of my son’s
heroes as an example of what he should never do to someone. Matt Wagner vaguely
states Batman was overcome by the “island’s enchantment” and then fails to
explain what that is. Furthermore, this in no way contributes to the actual
plot or even to character development.
