About the recent blog drama; @mentallyunawareofpapaya didn't bring up anything about Duke's race in the original post, it was literally them joking that the fandom treats Duke like he's the "calm" one and wouldn't it be funny if the Bats think Duke is the "most normal" one too because he's just the most competent at covering for his whacky comic book adventures.
They came up with an offhand example of standard Bat-level comic nuttiness where Jason would see Duke undercover at a club, dressed in club wear, with a gun, handing a suspicious bag to a gang leader. The joke being that Jason and Duke would recognize each other as being undercover and silently agreeing not to mention this to the others.
Literally, something nearly every other Bat has done. You yourself have joked about Tim using guns. Dick had the entire Grayson run. Jason goes without needing explanation for using guns, suspicious bags, and interacting with gang leaders. Bruce's Matches Malone identity practically started the tradition.
The bag? People calling the post racist are assuming it's a bag of drugs because they're projecting. The bag is undefined. The bag is whatever the reader interpreted it to be and apparently a lot of people think that a black vigilante working undercover must be connected to drugs.
Genuinely, it feels like this is one of those times when a TikTok person goes out looking for a thing to make into a social activist post so they can boost their views. They know full well that little to none of their viewers are going to read the og post or realize that the blog treats Duke with the exact same irreverent fondness they treat every other character.
But being righteously angry is addictive and people want to feel like they're doing something noble and good as they brigade a Tumblr blog on the word of someone who was farming them for views. It makes people feel powerful and as if they're actually doing something meaningful.
It would be like if a TikTok personality called you homophobic and problematic for writing Tim and Bernard as being freaky because that implies that all queer people are into dangerous sex practices and stalking. And then all their followers started sending you hate or trying to tell you why your idea of timbern being freaky is harmful and fetishes the queer community. And wouldn't you just not engage with that level of mob mentality?
Their blog isn't the place for serious discussions about race in comics. Especially when the people trying to discuss it are coming in with aggression or condescension and assumptions.
Idk, sorry this got long. I've noticed a lot of virtue signaling all day and it's frankly been embarrassing. I saw your "What happened?" and decided to answer.
Okay, I'm gonna address this piece by piece for my moots and anyone else that might defend this user, and then kindly ask you to block me. I'm sorry.
1.) Duke as the calm "normal" one
Of course Duke isn't the calm normal one, none of them are because you gotta be a little wild to be a vigilante. Any vigilante? Slightly wild to be a vigilante.
Now, I won't go around and say I haven't, in prior posts, mischaracterized Duke Thomas, said offensive things, or even fuel racial stereotypes that I didn't realize until after I did it. The only difference is nobody called me out for it. And I think it's time I apologize for that.
Carrying on, no Duke isn't the calm or normal one, of course not! The problem with the post @mentallyunawarepapaya made was that they stated a Black Man had a gun and was working with or supplying something to a gang leader at a lounge / club setting as a minor (OOC, by the way. Unlike something Tim, Dick, Jason, and Bruce have participated in in the past, yes.)
Something people need to understand is that you can headcanon a white male as something and it wouldn't be offensive, because white men don't have a stereotype like that! You wouldn't see Tim Drake, a high class rich white male and think "Haha, he probably is in a gang."
But society, if it saw a young black man who came from a poorer / middle class background? I can tell you from personal fucking experience, cops and society doesn't care. You know what they do if they see a black man? They hurt them. They shoot and don't care and they'll be violent and aggressive.
So, yes, I am gonna be offended if I see a headcannon about Duke Thomas having guns and working with gang leaders or being in a club setting or "having a secret second life where he participates in criminal activity that isn't to help or better his community."
2.) "You yourself have joked about Tim having guns, Dick had the entire Grayson run. Jason..."
Yes. I have made jokes about Tim having guns. He, in canon, has used those. Yes, in canon DICK has been violent and had guns. Yes, in canon JASON has had guns and been a crime lord. Bruce has went undercover as a crime boss / gang leader.
White men, three of four who came from middle to high class backgrounds that aren't fueling BLACK stereotypes. And I can literally just tell you that DC was classist with Jason since the moment they rewrote his backstory till today but his being a Crime Lord is a major part and consistent and widely accepted part of his character. Duke being a gang leader isn't. Jason, also, can use his to HELP his community, Crime Alley, and help kids like him. Like Duke wanted to when becoming Signal and with the We Are Robin movement. Meanwhile, in the "Joke" made? Duke wasn't helping anyone. He was, likely, a young black man in a party setting, in club wear, participating in secretive and criminal activities that didn't help his community or assist anybody besides himself.
Duke Thomas was in a MOVEMENT called "We Are Robin" and was an ACTIVIST.
There's a little bit of a difference.
3.) Freaky Timbern
Actually, I wouldn't get angry and write 3k words defending my actions immediately.
Is it inherently problematic that I headcanon two young gay men as being into BDSM? Yes and no. There is a stereotype as well as fetish for gay men, and I know a few of my followers probably follow me because they fetishize gay men. How do I know this?
I have asks asking me specifically to write TimBern with specific kinks, asking for extremely sexual content.
ex: "Write TimBern with a feeder kink." "Write Bernard with a breeding kink." And yes, I do write freaky Timbern and enjoy it because it's not as harmful to me as making a joke about a young black man in a club dealing anonymous things to criminals.
Also, this "freaky TimBern" thing came from comic panels I laughed about being suggestive.
ex: Bernard telling Tim he was gonna sneak into his bedroom and tie and gag him and sell him to organ pirates.
No canon material I know of ever suggests or implies that Duke Thomas would be comfortable dealing things behind anyone's backs and be in a lounge with a gun strapped to him.
With all this said though, if LGBQTIA+ people called me out and stated that I was being offensive, transphobic, and or homophobic for writing Tim Drake an Bernard Dowd as being into hardcore BDSM? I wouldn't write thousands if words saying I don't care about others feelings. I would:
Explain the reasoning behind the headcanon, NOT make excuses, but explain the reasoning behind the headcanon, I'd hear people out on WHY it was offensive and understand better, and I would APOLOGIZE for hurting people.
Yes, it is fiction, it doesn't have to he deep or harmful. I'm not for purity culture or anything like that. But, I understand that stereotypes hurt people, and I understand that hurting people is wrong. And the least I could do is apologize if my headcanons ever hurt people, indirectly or not.
But, my headcanon and posts have yet to hurt anyone that I know of. Tim and Bernard being freaks in my head hasn't harmed anyone that I know of. I haven't had anyone tell me that I'm being homophobic or transphobic or pushing gay stereotypes. But, this post they made HAS.
Their following post HAS.
Do you think MY BLOG is for this kind of stuff? I have Jason's naked ass as my profile picture!!!
But I'm not gonna shy away from these discussions just because my blog isn't for serious stuff. Because closing your blinds doesn't mean there's not fire outside.
That user? They are racist. They are even classist, assuming a place full of crime and poverty naturally makes people "psychopaths" and criminals???
They are racist. It was racist. It is racist. And they refuse to acknowledge that or care or hear anybody out because they don't want to acknowledge their own racism and cruelty.
And with that, if anyone is gonna get angry at me or throw a tantrum or argue, I don't care. I stand firmly on the grounds and, again, block me if you read all of this and still disagree, I don't need to interact with racists. Thank you! :)
