Hubster and Princess love watching super hero movies together. Princess is a big fan of Marvel movies and has been excited about “Fantastic Four” since she first saw the trailer.
I was going to send them off to see it on their own like I did with “Ant Man” recently.
(Side note: Princess actually saw “Ant Man” twice. Watching it with her daddy was her second time. She watched it with her auntie and PAUL RUDD the first time. Yup, WITH Paul Rudd. We were invited to a premiere hosted by Ant Man himself in New York City. I had another engagement so my sister took her.)
Anyway, I decided to go with them after I started hearing such a big freaking deal being made over the fact that Sue and Johnny Storm are siblings of different races. Johnny is black and Sue is white.
From shock jock radio guys to Jimmy Kimmel, this is blowing people’s minds. People are freaking out over the “Fantastic Four” adoption storyline.
Michael B. Jordan and Kate Mara play Sue and Johnny. These two young stars have done a great job addressing the obnoxious questions during interviews.
“How can they be brother and sister?”
It made me realize all the times we’ve been asked about our family dynamic. Transracial adoption really does blow people’s minds.
And that makes me sad.
Kimmel jokingly (ha ha) pointed out to Jordan that Mara is white. Jordan shared that lots of people have siblings of different races and there’s a “thing called adoption.”
“It’s kind of self-explanatory. It’s one of the things I don’t like drawing attention to — the ignorance sometimes. You gotta let it be what it is.” – Michael B. Jordan
Wise words. But I’m having trouble ignoring it. And not drawing attention to things isn’t one of my strengths.
People. Transracial adoption isn’t a big deal. Families come in all sorts of ways. They are built in all sorts of ways.
Hubster tells me the Storm family are all white in the “Fantastic Four” comic books. There’s no adoption story. But like most films, this isn’t an exact retelling of the comics. It’s a new spin on the story.
And this spin happens to have a black father with a black son and white daughter.
Sue and Johnny Storm of “Fantastic Four.” Yes, they’re “real” siblings.
They are a family.
So what if they look different?
My family does, too.
Oh, and we get asked why all the time, too.
I told Princess I was going to write about this and asked her a few questions.
What do you think about the Internet being confused because the Storm family doesn’t have matching skin?
“I don’t know why they’re so confused. Adoption is a really obvious answer.”
Did you want them to explain it more?
“It wasn’t important in the movie. Johnny could be adopted, too. Just because he’s black, doesn’t mean he’s not adopted. How they became a family doesn’t matter to the movie, though.”
Do you get tired of people asking you why your parents are a different color?
“Sometimes, but I just say, ‘I’m adopted.’ It doesn’t take long to answer. It’s not a bad thing to be adopted, so I don’t mind answering.”
My kid is awesome.
The transracial adoption isn’t addressed until about half way into “Fantastic Four.” Reed casually asks Sue, “So Dr. Storm adopted you?” She just as casually confirms it. And then they move on. That’s the only mention of adoption or race in the entire movie.
Princess turned to me with the biggest smile on her face after those lines. Sue is okay with being adopted. She doesn’t match the rest of her family. And it’s okay.
One of her beloved Marvel super hero movies playing on one of the big screens in the theater is telling people it’s okay. That it’s no big deal.
So I really wish people would stop making a big deal of it. I’m talking to you, Jimmy Kimmel.
My husband and I are white. Our daughter is brown. (Hispanic/Native American.)
Doctor Storm is black. His son is black and his daughter is white.
So what?
By the way, “Fantastic Four” is being shredded by the critics, but all three of us really enjoyed it.
The post “Fantastic Four” adoption: Stop asking stupid questions about race appeared first on Last Mom.