Growing up, my mom saw me get too addicted to action movies, unlike some of my cousins who loved cartoons, especially American superhero movies like Superman, Wonder Woman, and the rest.
One thing about some of these popular U.S. movies is their ability to tell the world their stories in their own language. Usually, in many of these movies, the villain is often one of these: a Russian guy, perhaps from the Soviet Union; an Italian gangster, popularly known as the Mafia; or a Black American.
One thing about a well-told story is that when it is told over and over again, it subconsciously registers in the minds of people.
Let's even start with the storylines of movies that make the Black man appear as a criminal. Well, this stereotype started after the Civil War and the fight for Black freedom. The media, newspapers, and reporters often portrayed Black freedom as violence, disorder, criminality, and an inability to be governed.
Now, let me tell you what this did: it created a stereotype about Black people, and even law enforcement, particularly the police and the entertainment industry, including Hollywood, were influenced by it.
See, I'm not disputing the fact that crimes were committed. But crime is greatly influenced by factors such as age structure, poverty, neighborhood conditions, inequality, exposure to violence, policing, criminal justice practices, socioeconomic conditions, and historical discrimination not by the color of someone's skin.
Now, let's talk about superheroes.
When I was doing research for this, a thought came to my mind: HAS THERE EVER BEEN A MOVIE THAT SHOWED THE DARK STORIES OF AMERICA BEFORE AND AFTER THE DISSOLUTION OF THE SOVIET UNION?
Maybe there were, but Hollywood tells its own stories very well to the world. They present their actions using the language of freedom, democracy, or national security, while presenting the Soviet Union, or Russians, as evil.
I'd like to clarify that there were indeed policies and actions by the Soviet Union and the Russians that were not necessarily okay. But there were also many things that were good. However, because the stories were told by another group, maybe because of power or to appear more legitimate to the world, the entertainment industry became a tool.
It's just like when a gossip tells other people their version of your story. Of course, you may be painted black.
It's time to create your story and tell it the way you want.
I firmly believe that, just the way many organizations in the world have dark histories they don't always want to tell, individuals also have skeletons in their cupboards. It's left for you to either reveal them or tell the beautiful sides to the world, because if you leave it for others to tell your story, you may regret it.
Before I conclude this article, I would love to remind Nigerians of something Chimamanda Adichie said in her TED Talk: when a story is told over time, it can become a single story for many.
You know the insurgency in Nigeria by Boko Haram. At times, the actions of extremists have made it seem as if every Muslim is evil. But just as among the disciples of Christ there was a Judas, and in Christianity there are both good and false prophets, the same applies to Islam. The actions of extremist groups such as Boko Haram have sometimes led people to associate Islam itself with violence. But the actions of extremists should not be used to judge millions of Muslims, just as the actions of a criminal Christian should not be used to judge all Christians.
So, never judge an entire race, religion, or group based on a single story.
