This is intense. (Courtesy of YouTuber Danielle King.)
A while back, I wrote about my frustrations with Inglourious Basterds. I won’t retread my points, as I don’t agree with some of them anymore, but Hollywood fetishizing Nazi hunting porn is disturbing. The US, for one, wasn’t guiltless in The Holocaust, supplying equipment for marking Jews and turning down The MS St. Louis. And two, while it eventually turned the tide post-Pearl Harbour bombing, it only got involved because of that. Hollywood routinely “atoning” for its actions in a milquetoast way, without actually atoning for its complicity, is tone-deaf, quality of its films aside.
But we’re not talking about Inglourious Basterds. Instead, I’d like to focus on “The Magneto Problem” and why it bugs me. I won’t delve into why idolizing Magneto is a problem too extensively, but there are three issues I have with this scene. And yes, some feel pettier than others, but I don’t care. I need to get them off my chest.
The first is incredibly-subjective: this isn’t the only scene in X-Men: First Class. It’s a great moment, but the movie has more. It has the moment where Charles and Erik interrogate Emma Frost, and how Erik’s determination for answers almost shatters her neck. It has the moment where Sebastian Shaw murders Darwin, something that, while interesting, raises questions of racism. It has the moment where Erik shoves a coin through Sebastian Shaw’s forehead, while Charles tries-in vain-to convince him not to. And it has the moment where Erik and Charles fight on the beach while missiles from The Soviets and The American Navy dance in the air.
These are great, but the movie also feels lopsided. Moments like Hank’s transformation into The Beast feel forced and rushed, while Raven’s love-triangle with Charles and Erik is awkward and creepy. It makes sense that the movie’s messy, it was rushed into production, but even a well-made mess is still a mess. And that these moments are talked about less-frequently shows that, like Up’s opening montage, the movie as a whole can’t compare. Except that, unlike Up, I actually think that’s true here.
The second issue’s more obvious and troubling: Magneto’s not played by a Jewish actor. It’s the same issue I had with Moon Knight, in that Michael Fassbender’s not even remotely Jewish. He’s German-Irish of Catholic upbringing. That’s a form of Christian Supersessionism, and it’s upsetting that Hollywood keeps doing this with characters who are Jewish-coded. It makes being Jewish look performative, and Jews deserve better. True, you can convert if you so desire. But as a minority consisting of roughly 14.5 million individuals, that so much of our on-screen representation is shown through a Christian/Christian-esque lens says less about Jews and more about the rest of the world.
These are great, but the movie also feels lopsided. Moments like Hank’s transformation into The Beast feel forced and rushed, while Raven’s love-triangle with Charles and Erik is awkward and creepy. It makes sense that the movie’s messy, it was rushed into production, but even a well-made mess is still a mess. And that these moments are talked about less-frequently shows that, like Up’s opening montage, the movie as a whole can’t compare. Except that, unlike Up, I actually think that’s true here.
The second issue’s more obvious and troubling: Magneto’s not played by a Jewish actor. It’s the same issue I had with Moon Knight, in that Michael Fassbender’s not even remotely Jewish. He’s German-Irish of Catholic upbringing. That’s a form of Christian Supersessionism, and it’s upsetting that Hollywood keeps doing this with characters who are Jewish-coded. It makes being Jewish look performative, and Jews deserve better. True, you can convert if you so desire. But as a minority consisting of roughly 14.5 million individuals, that so much of our on-screen representation is shown through a Christian/Christian-esque lens says less about Jews and more about the rest of the world.
The third and final issue I have is the most-telling, but also the hardest to appreciate if you’re not Jewish: The Holocaust isn’t where Jewish identity stops.
Jews have a multifaceted and complex history. We’ve been around longer than Christianity and Islam, making us the oldest surviving monotheists. We have a national homeland with a rich history, a national language (Hebrew) and diverse interests. We’ve been valuable contributors to Western history for as long as it’s existed. We’ve seen the best and the worst, and we’ve even suffered at times. The Holocaust is part of that, but it’s one part.
So why does The West constantly use The Holocaust in storytelling? I get that Holocaust stories are important, but even tying us down to Nazi hunting is a manifestation of that. This isn’t to downplay hunting Nazis, they’re scum, but why stop there? Better yet, why only focus on our vengeful rage? Don’t we have other stories to tell? (I’m looking at you too, Munich! Don’t think you’re guiltless!)
I’d be less salty if Jewish representation didn’t end at Nazi hunting/surviving Nazis. And even when it involves fighting Nazis, fighting them with aggression. Yes, Jews stood up to Nazis during The Holocaust frequently. But it wasn’t only through Partisans, much of it was more subtle. Some of it didn’t involve violence, but rather maintaining Jewish beliefs and customs. That’s something Maus would teach people if there weren’t attempts at banning the book.
Jews have a multifaceted and complex history. We’ve been around longer than Christianity and Islam, making us the oldest surviving monotheists. We have a national homeland with a rich history, a national language (Hebrew) and diverse interests. We’ve been valuable contributors to Western history for as long as it’s existed. We’ve seen the best and the worst, and we’ve even suffered at times. The Holocaust is part of that, but it’s one part.
So why does The West constantly use The Holocaust in storytelling? I get that Holocaust stories are important, but even tying us down to Nazi hunting is a manifestation of that. This isn’t to downplay hunting Nazis, they’re scum, but why stop there? Better yet, why only focus on our vengeful rage? Don’t we have other stories to tell? (I’m looking at you too, Munich! Don’t think you’re guiltless!)
I’d be less salty if Jewish representation didn’t end at Nazi hunting/surviving Nazis. And even when it involves fighting Nazis, fighting them with aggression. Yes, Jews stood up to Nazis during The Holocaust frequently. But it wasn’t only through Partisans, much of it was more subtle. Some of it didn’t involve violence, but rather maintaining Jewish beliefs and customs. That’s something Maus would teach people if there weren’t attempts at banning the book.
While Magneto killing Nazis is fun to watch, not to mention satisfying, I wish movies would show Jews in other ways. I want to see Jews having weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and funerals. I want to see Jews celebrating Jewish holidays. I’d even settle for Jews discovering/rediscovering their roots! And all of this without Christians as catalysts.
Non-Jews, and even some Jews, need to treat us as more than vehicles for violence. Because we’re more than that. It doesn’t help that idolizing Magneto, a character who believes in a form of eugenics called “Mutant Supremacy”, because he murders Nazis is weird and disgusting. Think about it: he disowned Mystique when she lost her powers because she wasn’t a mutant anymore. How thick can you get?
This is a tough line to walk, especially when it comes to presenting Jews equitably. It doesn’t stop at Jews either, and I have my own blind-spots with other minorities. But it’s an issue regardless. Making us bloodthirsty killers essentially ignores our other attributes, leading to the world making unfair assumptions. And having us played by non-Jews, well…that speaks for itself.
Non-Jews, and even some Jews, need to treat us as more than vehicles for violence. Because we’re more than that. It doesn’t help that idolizing Magneto, a character who believes in a form of eugenics called “Mutant Supremacy”, because he murders Nazis is weird and disgusting. Think about it: he disowned Mystique when she lost her powers because she wasn’t a mutant anymore. How thick can you get?
This is a tough line to walk, especially when it comes to presenting Jews equitably. It doesn’t stop at Jews either, and I have my own blind-spots with other minorities. But it’s an issue regardless. Making us bloodthirsty killers essentially ignores our other attributes, leading to the world making unfair assumptions. And having us played by non-Jews, well…that speaks for itself.
As a side-note, I wish people wouldn’t clump Holocaust trauma together. Survivors aren’t monolithic, and not all of them were saints. Ignoring the creepy obsession Antisemites have with George Soros, the namesake of The Simon Wiesenthal Centre and the founder of Barrick Gold were both Holocaust survivors. One of them also has blood on their hands. I’ll let you figure out which one…
That said, I’d definitely be down for a Magneto movie where he hunts Nazis. So long as his Mutant Supremacy eventually gets called out, it’d make for a really interesting experience!
That said, I’d definitely be down for a Magneto movie where he hunts Nazis. So long as his Mutant Supremacy eventually gets called out, it’d make for a really interesting experience!
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