I'm confused about calling clones feral. And first, I'm really sorry if I've ever offended anyone with this term, but I'm very white and I've been called feral by white people and hispanic people. To me it's the same as calling someone wild or crazy, it's not a reference to race, but personality. And I get that it's generally used for animals, but I've also been called an animal and compared to a cat, and not found it offensive. To me, it's a reference to personality. Please help me understand!
Hey! Thanks for asking. Calling the clones "feral" (or other words that compare them to animals) is racist and fetishizing. Other creators have spoken about this, so I'm linking their posts below. They explain this better than I, a white woman, ever could.
Examples of how the clones are fetishized
Fetishization as a form of micro-aggression
How fetishization impacts poc's self-worth
Why Wrecker's portrayal as violent and animalistic is racist
Here are also some articles about this stereotype outside of fandom.
Professor Brendan Hokowhitu discusses how toxic masculine stereotypes are still used today
This article outlines how the media portrays Māori as being inherently violent.
This article outlines the history of the Brute trope in Western media.
And from one white person to another, please remember that just because we do not find a term to be offensive doesn't mean that it isn't offensive.
If someone calls us feral, it's harmless. We may not like it, but we can brush it off. There isn't centuries worth of racism behind it. Our experiences as white people does not negate or diminish the experiences of poc. You may not take it as bad, but not everyone will. It’s important to understand that.
