It's darkly funny how Richie's dad thinks he and Virgil "act like hoods" when they're the dorkiest guys you'll meet. Man said "Time to get minty fresh".
@patrickzalatoris3206 He's based on a character who was gay in the comics, but back during that time it was unheard of to have an openly gay character in a kids show. McDuffie said that the show version of Richie IS gay and that he tried to throw in subtle nods that would get past the censors.
fun fact, apparently the reason there are so many black superheros with electric powers is because comic and cartoon writers kept trying to get the license to use black lightning, and being denied because they didn't wanna pay enough for it, so they just went "ok, we'll make our own" and it pretty much became a tradition
I never gave it much thought, myself. I guess I thought part of it might have been that electricity-based superpowers made a better color contrast than fire-based ones with a comic's artwork.
Invincible has a character who’s black and really ashamed of having electrical powers because it’s such a cliche and I admit when I first saw Black Samson I initially thought he would be electric.
Not gonna lie, when Richie called Virgil's dad "Pops" without a second thought it melted my heart. I used to love this show as a kid but don't ever remember seeing this episode. Seeing that Richie was that comfortable with Virgil's family is incredibly endearing to me :)
Worth noting that Mr Hawkins took up a fatherly role in the community at large. He treated every kid in Dakota with the same fairness and understanding that he did his own kids.
"That joke was really mean to blind people...oh well. I doubt they'll see it that way". I may not be blind, but as a mute person, there's nothing I can say in protest.
@@tylertarasuik I would say that i feel the same way but there's people born with no fingers who would think that was some bad joke. Those people are really out of touch.
This show was how you make a black character and show life as a black teenager. It's not pandering. It's realistic for the time. And it shows real racism. In a kid's show. Early 2000's was awesome. Never held back
If the show wasn't cancelled, they planned to have Ritchie come out as gay too. I respect the hell out of the writers for that, again, in the early 2000s.
@@kingofgrim4761 Hard to know, really, since it didn't end up happening. On one hand, even now sometimes creators have to fight for any representation in cartoons, let alone good representation, and I'll give you we were far from having examples like Steven Universe, The Owl House, The Loud House, etc. as trailblazers in western animation, but some shows were already starting to tackle those themes, The Proud Family notably having an episode about bigotry against a gay character where they all but outright said "he's gay", but the subtext was pretty obvious. And given how they were already able to make the episode discussed above, not shying away from racism, who knows if CN would've let them have gay Ritchie or not.
In my opinion, one of the BEST things about this episode that I've seen pointed out is this: Richie's Dad isn't confronted by Vergil or Richie on his racism. Not really. It's ROBERT. Another ADULT MAN. HE'S the one who calling Shaun out on his behavior throughout the episode and stands strong, confident, and calm in the face of Shaun's hostility. And even moreso, Robert goes out of his way to help Shaun find his son because that's what's actually important to the situation. Richie is his priority. A child is missing and possibly in danger. For all the frustration and hurt that Robert might have been feeling at Sean's prejudice towards him and "his kind", he still shows Sean through ACTIONS how not so different they both are. They're both fathers, hard-working men who provide for their family. You can't tell me that Robert hasn't gone through a time in his life when he was faced with the temptation of falling into the same kind of hatred that Shaun has with the way he repeats back the words "your kind" to Shaun. But unlike Shaun, he's looked inside himself and those around him and come to the conclusion that such hatred would not only harm him, but those around him that he cares for. I will always love that Robert is a social worker. That's not a job you can do well if you're not strong in spirit, patience and love for your fellow human beings. I really wish we had more shows - kid's cartoons or otherwise - that would include scenes with two ADULTS talking like this when it comes to serious things like this. I saw this episode in middle school and it's still rings true with me.
I also like that Robert calls Shaun out by showing kindness. Because despite his actions, he clearly sees that he's raise a good, hardworking family. Yet, Shaun has let his prejudices ignore this fact which is why his wife and son kept quiet about Richie's friends. Goes to show that Robert does see that there's some sort of good in everyone, even the ones that are xenophobic.
@osmanyousif7849 , the power of humanity's inner empathy. Imagine if people saw the truth. We are distant, we are isolated, and we have lost our capacity to truly understand empathy. I refuse to fall, I refuse to slander, and I will not let my anger turn to hatred..
don't ask me to back this up but its been shown that one of the best ways to counter racist conditioning is frequent interaction / working with lots of different kinds of people. happened in unions a lot.
@@freshbread4039, which is what we need to push more. We put aside our prejudices, work hard together, make mistakes that we can grow from, and so much more. We have the power, we have it in us, what’s so hard for people to understand? A simple question with a not so simple answer. For sure, but if you recognize it and wish to learn, that’s what you do..
That makes sense it's like having a gay best friend and knowing you're family is homophobic, so you want to keep them as far away from each other as possible
The really sad part is if this episode were made today by the woke crowd, that's exactly how it would play out. Virgil would end up viewing Richie as no different than his father and would cut ties with him, and the episode would make Virgil out to be right for doing that, and the episode would force Richie to have to redeem himself for his father's views.
You really wanna know what the bang babies are like, you just watch the episode with the Joker. The Joker terrifies all these punks, and when most of them are confronted with someone who is actually evil, they fall to pieces. They're just teens, and that's really important to the show.
It really shows how most of the people who got caught in the Big Bang were mostly troubled kids, homeless people, and gangbangers because who else would be around an industrial plant at 2 in the morning.
My favorite part of that episode is at the end once he's defeated Joker uses his Joy buzzer on Static thinking he's Batman only they realize too late that he was wrong and getting a massive electric shock from the young hero
I'm white as a ghost, but my best friend growing up is black as night. We never had issues with our parents, but both of our extended families would tell us to stick to "our own kind". We didn't care but this hit a bit too close to home in that way.
It was different in my family because as a Puerto Rican the important part was what their ethnicity was. Centuries old rivalries remain, so there were group I could not be friends with. The erosion of those rivalries because of common enemies is scarier than keeping them to be honest though.
My mentor was a black man that actively fought in the civil rights movement in the 60s. He was deeply troubled by the way people were "spitting in the face of all they had worked so hard to get ". Younger blacks openly complained about him helping me and hiring me because I was white. It was blatantly racist and my mentor knew that. He would talk about how the racism needed to stop and was being held on to not by the whites but by the younger blacks who wanted something to attack people with. I'm just glad he never saw what has happened the last few years, it would have killed him.
I think it's because he's a Milestone holdover that DC only has CO rights to. That's why he hasn't been in shows, movies, or really many comics outside his original run and cartoon. He really has the Spider-Man potential but they keep putting that on Blue Beetle
So in a recent interview Phil Lamar shined a bit of like on why this may not have happened. One of the biggest reasons cartoons are made is to sell merchandise, usually toys to the children that watch them. The creators of the show went to manufacturers to pitch the character for a toy line but it was rejected. This was a big reason as to why the show did not get a longer run. A cartoons life span is alot of times very dependent on how much money it can generate outside of what the actual show makes. Though it was great and very well received because they couldn’t make “extra” money off of it, it was basically left out to dry. So in the case of WB it’s hard to see them wanting to invest time or money into pushing a character that already had been rejected for merchandising.
@@ThePlasticBowl the big issue is a lot of cartoons arnt profitablle to begin with without something like a toy line to make them money. Without that toy line the studio is likely losing money.
I'm blanking on any episode of Fillmore that dealt with racism...that being said, one that covered Folsom's "three strikes and you're expelled" policy might make for a good review.
I want to add that in the Christmas episode, Richie’s dad (and mom) sits next to Virgil’s family at church. I think that’s character development, even if it’s in the background.
I love how mature and logical Robert was being with that statement. Instead of getting into a heated argument and writing Shaun off as a irredeemable bigot, like today's shows would likely have him doing, he gives him sound advice to help him rethink his life. Robert is being patient and respectful instead of trying to ostracize and permanently condemn Shaun, THIS is how racism should be fought against.
@@christianjohnson5379 Tell that today's leftist. They see these People are the equal to Nazis and are irredeemable. Problem is they exist. How do you solve THIS KIND OF PROBLEM!?
Except I’ve seen this exact thing said to people like Elon Musk and they don’t care. There are people, vocal influential people who have been given these same lectures and lessons and don’t learn anything. And when you see them voting for and supporting people turning their bigotry into law, patience goes out the window.
I like that Richie's dad wasn't the main villain. It was Ebon. They left room for Richie's dad to become a better person, and he did by showing that his son mattered to him more than anything else. Also, I just love that Ebon is always focused on his goals no matter the context of episode.
"It didn't shove anything down your throat" ...what the fuck? the episode literally says "STOP BEING RACIST YA DUMBASS". how much more "shoved" can that message be?
And thing is, it shows Richies Dad's racism wasn't born out of a vacuum. He was extrapolating his disdain of the criminal gang activity that has caused major problems in Dakota City. Especially so since Bang Babies started showing up. The thing is his disdain, fear, and frustration were extrapolated to far too broadly and unfairly. Toward many individuals he didn't even really know much about or considered could exist. He let his resentment and ignorance get the better of him, even hurting his relationship with his family. That's part of why Virgil's dad response and interaction was so appropriate and apt. Robert was putting him on the right path.
6:41 I really love how Virgil doesn't automatically assume Richie's dad is racist, and instead just gives him the benefit of the doubt. It's a small detail that I think speaks volumes of Virgil's character
Not to mention it goes to show how much progress on racial equality had been made in society up till that point. There were plenty of white people that Virgil had interacted with at school as well as other places, and he clearly has never experienced racism until he met Richie's dad. Sadly old wounds have been reopened today all for the sake of political divisiveness. Pretty much openly racist people would have been rarer.
@@christianjohnson5379But, like an old wound, it was still there. We are only seeing a side effect of our society starting to boil over. These old wounds are reopening, showing the continuing presence of the ugly underneath. We never solved racism, we just put a bandage on it.
@@Ijustusethistocommentstuff You're exactly the kind of divisive people he's talking about. All he stated was that progress was made. Nobody said racism was "solved".
@@vsfirebullet8716 The problem with that statement is, if true, we would see a decline of modern talking points in regards to racism after the 60s, and that simply isn't true. The problems were still there, potentially with the same exact intensity, we just didn't see that due to our lack of access to information at the time. Now, the entire truth is pretty much laid bare: We may have solved legal/racist laws, but the type of people those laws were made by still exist. We are still far from truly healing as a nation, as our history has been so tied to the persecution of other people. Our eras are even defined by the lack of rights African American people had during them. We are seeing that old wound open because our modern world still hasn't moved on. We even see that with the rights of LGBTQ+ people. Their rights are constantly challenged across the world, and, in the US, with a fervor from both sides of the political spectrum. Political divisiveness, also, is the backbone of our modern world. So much of what we take as normal was probably just an attempt to distance themselves from the Soviets. As a society, we have never had an era where everyone was treated even remotely equal. 60s'? African Americans were the main target of bigotry. 70s' to 00s'? LGBTQ+. Post-911? Muslims. You can point to any era of US history, and I can tell you who the government mainly decided wasn't going to have equality that period.
@@Ijustusethistocommentstuff Even in that long-winded response you admit that things have improved. So I don't know what you're even trying to say. The world isn't perfect so we're basically still at square one? The bigots of yesterday are the same as the bigots of today. Prejudice is prejudice. That won't change, no matter how much progress we make. The difference between now and the 60s is that back then, these problems weren't even seen as issues to begin with. If things were truly the same, we wouldn't even be having these conversations.
I like that richies dad values his son more than how he was raised at the end. Gives the idea that he could come around to being a better person over time hopefully
@@DDarkestKnight yeah it's a kids show. Steven Universe also shows a fascist getting redeemed because Steven does a witty comeback. You really shouldn't expect deep complex multi seasonal character arcs from this kind of show.
@@CantusTropus There's nothing wrong with idealistic portrayals, I just wish there was more variety back then. Nowadays cartoons would show that it's not so simple, dedicate multiple episodes to it or at least there's a timeskip.
It's crazy to see a cartoon written better and more realistically than most live action shows. The creators knew that you can still write intelligently while appealing to kids (and adults).
7:25 "I still don't get how a guy like Richie has a father like that." Somehow I relate to this quote in the exact opposite context. Used to have a best friend who was a total douchebag in hindsight... but his parents were incredibly kind people whenever I bumped into them while I was out and about. Weird to think about.
That’s something I’ve always wanted to say but could never bring myself to say out loud because honestly I don’t know that many people who would know what it’s like being different from their parents. I personally am the oldest daughter of a family of four siblings and a single mom, and I am very close in personality to my mom in some aspects, including a convenient case of selective short-term memory loss. Like I said, I don’t know how to relate to being different from your parents that much, except for the fact that I am a fanfiction lover and really internalizing any petty anger I could manifest. Regardless, yeah, it’s true that not every child will be the exact same as their parents. You see multiple times how characters who are the children of villains go against their evil parents (look at Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader for example, ignore the sequel trilogy and it’s convoluted place in the timeline), so why not the opposite be true? It’s a good thing that this show came out decades ago, can’t imagine what horror it would’ve been in this decade..
@@darylchua2168 what makes you think they are? Not every bad person is a result of bad parents. There are so many more factors that go into what a person grows into than just their upbringing.
What the hell was in that tear gas?!(ik there were chemicals, something way different from would have happened if there was REGULAR tear gas and not that)
Honestly, Robert is a great example of what a good dad, and what a good social worker is. As someone who’s going into the field of social work, he’s a big inspiration of how I want to be in the field. He’s employing the concept of “calling in” vs “calling out” in terms of Shaun’s behavior and beliefs.
i miss when every 'black show' had a fantastic dad, setting a good example. naturally those were the #1 target of modern character assassinations. How dare they have integrity.
All the more impressive when you realize he's a rolemodel while taking care of two kids following the tragic death of his wife. A wife who killed trying to save lives during gang violence. Robert is made from the sternest stuff.
Social workers are under appreciated and underpaid just keep that in mind. It's why a lot of them are miserable. I used to do it and I actually care about people so it was no bother to me but just keep that in mind
What I love about Mr. Hawkins in the episode, is that he laid down the facts and logic about Richie's dad's behavior, without resorting to being inflammatory.
Static Shock was like watching Spider Man. He was so relatable and actually went through real issues. What makes him different from Peter Parker is that the problems he faces are unique to him and his community because of issues like poverty, gang violence, and prejudice. He had a strong father figure in his dad, especially since his mom died, and because of that, he always approaches his problems with optimism. It was a unique experience from watching Spider Man and is such a good show.
I praise this show for tackling delicate issue without coming off as preachy or condescending. Not just racism, it tackled poverty, abuse, bullying, gang violence, even family. And it’s not afraid to put the main hero in a negative light without butchering his pre-established character to show that he’s still learning, just like everyone else. One of my favorites is the episode tackling homelessness with static showing empathy to a ice meta human, that’ll hit you in the heart.
Yeah I saw a short of that episode and when the girl’s talking about how people treat her Static admits he’s been guilty of acting that way too. I believe she was voiced by Starfire’s VA as well.
This is why I love this show. It's a street level superhero fighting street level crime. He's not up against some mad scientist or super rich bad guy. He's up agasint random normal people who just happened to have gotten super power and continue to do things they were doing before or normal people like Richies dad. The closest he came to more standard super heroes villains not counting cross overs was the metahumans who wanted to blanket the entire city in darkness because they can't survive in the sunlight. And in the end it was just their leader who was the real villain while the rest were just people trying to survive and wanting to stop living in the sewers.
Yeah that episode got so much wrong Black slaves didn't make America not to mention California where the show is set had never had envolvement with the slave trade and finally their is no way a slave wrote a diary as they Would have been confiscated on site not to mention the slaves were all illiterate because they weren't given education
No it does not. Did you fail to remember that Dwanye arrested Vergil for armed robbery? The guy was a cop who hated gang members and thugs and Vergil was both. That hot head using the fire power yea he was in the same gang as Vergil. The only real reason Vergil get not go to jail for 25 years was Vergil turned rat and ratted on his entire gang to stay out of prison. Vergil was a thug and a rat. In reality people like you see racism instead of reality. The 1980s and 1990s were so full of gangs and I remember perfectly because I barely survived that time and the guy you call a racist was a cop who was having trouble dealing with gang killings and gang crimes and violent thugs. That guy you call racist arrested Vergil who was literally robbing elderly white shop owners with a gun. Vergil was a thug and a gang member. The reason so many people wanted Vergil dead is because Vergil did more crimes than the rest of them and got away with his crimes because he ratted out his entire gang. Vergil aka Static was a fucking asshole piece of shit. In truth I hate him and hate how people always go towards calling that over worked guy who literally was trying to keep the streets safe from criminals a bad guy. Hell the guy did not like Vergil's father who literally was a convicted murderer who shot 3 people and killed 1 when he was younger and in a gang and then became a defense attorney spewing crap calling the police racist just because they arrest a black person who was actually committing crimes and spewing racist bullshit when in reality it had nothing to do with race at all. Hell Vergil's father would never defend a white person ever and Vergil's dad actually was racist and never changed. Vergil's dad hated Vergil having a white friend yet no one ever says a fucking word about that but spews anti white racist bullshit.
Ironically, addressing those topics wasn’t even all that in the 90s/2000s. Fresh prince for example has episodes addressing it that became what was considered pop culture gold for a while. Even Mr. Rodgers neighborhood regularly addressed hard issues (and generally didn’t talk down to children while doing so).
@@youthoughtaboutit6946 Which one the Fresh Prince had a bunch of golden special episodes. Back in the day shows had walk a thin on talking about serious topics or face the wrath of the FCC or moral guardians.
Robert is one of the best dads in TV history. And clearly one of the reasons Vergil became Static. He does eventually confront Vergil about being Static, but only after he gets kidnapped to force Vergil into helping a villain. And he was just proud of his son.
Funnily, a lot of black dads in tv are great dads... Robert, Philip Banks, Carl Winslow, and I am sure there are more, I just havent gotten to watch a lot of american shows as my country just gotten a few.
@@GeneralDragon011 it’s sadly like, the second to last episode. They were clearly setting up another season where the dad supports him but nope. Show got canceled :(
@@GeneralDragon011 I think it's like a two part if I remember? One episode if I remember his dad figured it out but it wasn't until later that he confirmed he knew when he got kidnapped.
@@morpheusFromZion naw, he was alluding to the strange tendency to cast traditionally red headed characters as black in reboots, especially live action adaptations. Obviously, given Richie's dad, this would be an odd choice.
I really love these early 2000s cartoons and how they addressed these issues- they teach people how to reconcile rather than just condemn people for their bad beliefs (racism). Now a days it's so heavy handed and villainizes the one in the wrong that it forgets the point that the real solution to racism is to help the other person see why they are wrong. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted all races to get along, to build connection rather than use social bullying to "make" people change which never really works.
Exactly. You risk only validating their prejudice by trying to bully or treat them like outcasts. Yet so many people literally do believe outcasting bigots, and even KILLING them, is completely justified. And when we try to suggest ANY other route, we get accused of defending their beliefs or sympathizing with their bigoted beliefs.
The entirety of Captain Planet had it's messaged of "save the environment" shoved in the viewer's face. Tiny Toons had an episode about "the evils of alcohol". People forget that with every Static Shock, you got stuff that failed to tackle subject matters with nuance.
@@Stew91 I mean, protecting the environment is a good message, really the only thing I disagree with is making that message synonymous with climate change. I believe you can be protective of the environment and not believe that climate change i s man-made. Also no matter what side of the political aisle you're on you can believe in protecting the environment, a common narrative is that Conservatives hate the environment and often depict them and works of fiction as being careless, apathetic and greedy to the point of wanting to benefit on the suffering of others. I'm very Conservative, and even I am in favor of protecting the environment...it should be done without raising taxes or over regulating businesses, but everyone would believe the less nuanced message and believe but I'm evil for my political views and that I don't care about the environment. A more nuanced message would encouraging everyone regardless of their views or beliefs to do their part to keep the environment clean, and actually showing the benefits of having a clean, unpolluted environment.
This one episode of static shock was truly unique. We're never gonna get this stuff again because So called "writers" these days. Can't use creative or critical thinking.
It's not that they can't use creative or critical thinking, it's that Studios won't let them because they would much rather keep rebooting the same stuff over and over instead of creating something new.
@@herooflight7931 Don't blame writers, blame the studio. I've heard that many writers are trying to push original ideas to the studios, but Studios keep rejecting it in favor of more soulless reboots. Also make sure to support original good ideas, and avoid going to see reboots, remakes, and sequels. Don't let that bug inside your brain let you go watch those reboots just so you can complain about online.
@heroofight7931, Too often, people act like everything sucks nowadays and that 20+ years ago didn't have its share of shows that failed to tackle subjects well. The entirety of Captain Planet had it's messaged of "save the environment" shoved in the viewer's face. Then there was the Cartoon All Stars to the Rescue drug special. And Tiny Toons had an episode about "the evils of alcohol". Besides - the fact that something like Arcane exists nowadays, shows that we still have writers who care.
The whole Static/Static Shock name confusion is definitely not helped by the fact that just saying Static is a pretty logical nickname, kind of like Spidey.
Except shows don't fully show the racism from black people, but they always do white man(racist) vs black people, when we know the truth is something else.
@@shippoiHollywood for the last couple of decades has a history of blackwashing white characters and especially gingers. There is that one picture that went somewhat viral that lists like 30 examples of red headed characters being turned black
Honestly, what I appreciate about Troq is that it acknowledged how some racist minds can't be changed. It's the fact that Val Yor said "you must be one of the good ones" that likely made the Titans shun him. Shawn from Status Shock interacted with an African American, saw that his racism effected his son, and was willing to try and have an open mind. But there is the fact that some racist minds cannot be changed. And that's what I saw in Troq
Thank you so much for the distinction around 6:20 between rap and hip hop! I always knew there was a difference, but as a midwest kid who just got into hip hop/punk/ska i never really knew how to differentiate anything
Man this show seriously led by example. The way it portrays real-life issues never felt like talking down OR indoctrination. It just felt understandable.
Heck, you could even undrestand from where Robert's bigotry stems. He grew up in the same part If the city, he is social worker now. This IS the city with gangs, there ARE bad people of color here. Heck, Static was pulled into a gang war and it is supposedly "2000s nowadays" - meaning Richie's dad living in the same part of the city had a front seat to a ghetto life of the second half of 20th century which clearly wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Of course it is not everyone, of course it is more fault of "vocal" minority tainting his worldview... But the same can be said nowadays about groups of people on Twitter and how "vocal" activists only soil reputation of a group as a whole.
What impresses me is that it doesn't even feel like it was made to spite white people. The writers just said "Here is an issue that hurts these people. It is a problem, and we'd like it to be solved." Some writers nowadays seem so bitter about the topic of inclusivity, to where they feel the only way to be accepted is to shame the "enemy" into silence and point out how selfish they are. I'm not saying the problem isn't there, but I'm saying cynicism isn't the way to fix it-- it's just replacing it with a differently perceived divide.
@crimsoniaxx , you can feel the positivity radiating off this show, don't ya? Even when it's depressing, it pulls off being positive too. Oh, I wish I was that talented a writer, so I can make my passion and dreams come true while also working to address issues that need nuance. I can try, I am no writer yet, but I feel the power here is necessary to fulfill a duty this critical..
@@ShadyDoorags FMA 2003 ep.36 The Sinner Within. What are your thoughts on how the topic of Ishvalen racism was discussed in FMA; specifically the 2003 series.
1:56 That is one thing I noticed, how it addresses both positive aspects of black culture like music and community and more negative ones like all the stuff with gangs. The show really tried to be neutral when it came to the subject matter rather than either being overly positive or overly negative.
That's one thing the show praised for, and that sadly probably will not happen again. It told stories about social issues, kept them realistic and individual, then ended them without trying to be political or have you judge a character by anything other than their actions. Another good example Ebon and Rubberband Man.
I feel that Hip Hop music was the same way back then. The songs spoke out against things plaguing the bl_ck community like r__ism, classism, police brutality, the cyclical nature of gang culture and violence, etc. Nowadays, those running mainstream entertainment would rather the larger populace in the U.S. either forget or remain ignorant of these issues and just chalk it all up to "wh1te people bad".
@@ShadyDoorags, you speak the truest words, my friend. I will always be grateful that despite everything that has happened back in 2022, me and my family was still able to come out on top together. We were hurt by my traitorous jerk of a stepfather, and it took us filing a restraining order against him the way he did to my poor mother for something she never did to finally get rid of him, so now we are happy, we are healthy, and we have a lot to look forward to in the future. So gratitude? Yep, the powers above us all be watching us and seeing to it that everything is going well for us somehow.
This show was everything Twitter WISHES it could be. Static Shock was not only a really fun Superhero show, but it tackled a ton of real life issues, and handled most of it beautifully.
The conversation between Robert and Sean makes me think about something. When Shady mentions that the former treats the latter like a person (one whose beliefs affects others and himself, but a person nonetheless), he gets the message. Sean has to force his attention to what Robert is truly saying which is "your attitude caused YOUR son to get away from you", instead of starting a fight because Robert isn't throwing a flurry of insults at him. I believe it contrasts with most shows and movies nowadays, because in practice, both men are used to say things face to face, and in Robert's case as a social worker, he learned to pick his words in a conversation; unlike how things have been been since a few decades, where most people hide behind a screen and can spit out whatever comes through their minds without any major "consequences" to their wellbeing, other than receiving more insults. I think that could explain why most current shows and movies can't address bigotry properly: if you find yourself at the receiving end of an online racist/homophobe/whatever, typically you'd either engage in an insult battle with them, or just shut them down; and I feel that is reflected in nowadays media. Sure, I'm aware not everyone acting like a bigot in real life will stop, listen and change their mind; but they'll certainly won't mock you or disrespect you like if they were risking a potential beatdown...unless they're reckless or bought their impunity, but that's not the mayority of people.
What's also dumb today is the stupid narrative that only white people can be racist. I've seen racism and the n word thrown around so casually by the people in my Hispanic community and family. That clip from Malcolm in the middle about the cardboard janitor is dead on.
I would also argue that is why a lot of people are surprised by cancel culture. I was talking to someone and he said “I don’t get why you have to ruin a person’s life over their opinion.” Which by itself is a fair argument. But his idea of “ruined life” was his friends and acquaintances avoiding him for his “opinion” which was basically excusing slavery as a “net positive to society and black people should get over it.” He argued that he was being oppressed and his free speech violated. I think the internet has made people forget that words mean something and that while you are free to say anything, others are also free to react to you and that your words have consequences.
@@Soy_boi The problem with "cancel culture" is that it started as something that affected public figures: celebrities, politicians, etc, who said or did (sometime were caught doing or saying) something deemed as immoral or inappropiate, and suffered the scorn of their community and/or the general public for that, sometimes to the point of ruining their careers. Eventually, with the rise of social media and how easy one could upload a post about, let's say, something racist or sexist and have everyone and their cat to see it and share it, the concept of "cancel culture" went down to someone being harassed online for something as innocuous as saying that they don't like a certain celebrity, or being framed for something they didn't do IRL. However, I don't believe Robert and Sean would let themselves being dragged into that cesspool, the two of them look like people more used to not hide behind a screen.
@@leashlor Cancel culture isn't about what you did. It's about how you act about it now. 99.9% of people getting attacked over something they said or did who apologize everyone moves on with their lives. Then you have the people who double down or continue to act like jerks. Those are the people who face the consequences because clearly they are the same person they were back then.
It's funny how in China, they put a mask over Black Panther and shrank John Boyega's Star Wars character because they didn't want to see their black face.
I’m an elementary teacher and I show both this episode and Troq to my class as part of a character education through cartoons unit. Been LOVING these video essays and the thoughtful, well-crafted perspective you bring.
Fun fact the idea of a scapegoat comes from the Old Testament because it was originally a cleansing ritual where two goats were taken one sacrificed and the other run out into the wilderness that one was the scapegoat taking the sins with it
People are talking how amazing it was for shows like this/these to tackle such topics (which is true), but I’d say it’s even more amazing that they addressed the topic in an a mature way and thoughtful way (much like that Teen Titans episode did), which in the present day seems difficult (to put it one way) for a lot of creators and at times people in general to do. It’s actually sort of confusing in some ways to try to figure out why exactly that seems more and more the case these days. (I do agree about the pacing issues though, including the quick change issue on top of the a plot/b plot issue.)
Back then they were actually trying to find solutions to the issue and get people to realize their common humanity. Now they want that to remain cause its worth power and money to them.
Always thought it was miraculous how open minded Richie's father became. Even to the point he's hanging out in a black church with his family for Xmas a few episodes later
God I miss Static so much. The golden age of cartoons this was. The one that always makes me cry is the one where he travels back in time just to see his mom. Poor kid…
I wish more shows would tackle issues like this. The conflict it creates feels real. And it feels satisfying when the issues are addressed and sometimes dealt with.
15:41 Don’t feel bad Shady. I be forgetting about Juneteenth too. But yeah Static Shock was my jam as a kid. My favorite episode is when Braniac shows up and mind controls the Justice League
8:46 This specific line is always so painful and great to me. Most of my friends came from not great families and this is how I feel about their parents. I pity them. They’ll never know how amazing their kids are
I like to think his dad didnt really get over his ignorance straight away but he realises its wrong and activily triest to change his world view by catchinh himself in moments of ignorance abd pushing himself to do better
I think you're right; a gradual paradigm shift would have been more rewarding versus an impulsive one. He sees over time that Virgil has his son's back, would always do right by him, and eventually warms up to him.
@@saltyk9869 Agreed. Even through the negative things he spewed out, you can tell overall that he does love Richie and doesn't want to lose him. Vergil's Dad helped him on the right path, but it'll be his love of his son that will keep him on it.
Episode really doesn't feel preachy but down to earth. Also doesn't make Ritchie's dad a total scumbag as we see he does genuinely love his son and even if he has a bigioted view of the world, he's willing to change if it means he won't lose his son or possibly his wife in the future. How novel and it doesn't beat you over the head with the message like so much stuff today, looking at you Loud and Prouder.
Oh no this was preachy. Mr. Foley walked into the show a rockist, Mr. Hawkins giving the talk to the "upstanding bigot", Mr. Foley stops being rockist in the end, it's preachy. But all black cartoons are preachy by nature. They're called upon to talk about the hard stuff.
@@DDarkestKnightby "preachy" we mean being shoved in our faces and being guilt tripped for things that we didn't do. Also the upstanding bigot line didn't come up until the subject of what Richie's dad actually said came up. Robert didn't lay into him and make him out to be irredeemably evil, he respectfully, yet firmly informed him how his views could affect those he cared about.
Also... an important thing this episode does that modern writing has forgotten. Virgil and his dad do not start to become vengeful. Their response to racism ISN'T to get angry and vengeful, their response is to prove him wrong by BEING a better person than he is. Do not succumb to the anger that racists accuse you of having, that is just proving them right. What so many BLM activists are doing today, is PROVING the racists right... That's horrible. Virgil and his dad in this episode, proves him WRONG! Starfire in her episode, proved the racist WRONG! That's a much stronger and better message, don't succumb, don't become the thing the racist thinks you are... Prove them wrong.
You know I think Robert knew how to deal with Sean’s dad is because like he said he seen his kind everywhere. Maybe when he was growing up, he dealt with a lot of racism through his entire adolescent, and no matter how hard he got mad and fight them They would never change so he realize that the only way to beat them is to befriend them
That's the other reason shows like this have gotten worse. This takes place in the 2000s, so a guy Robert's age saw real racism. Racism Classic (TM). Not this watered-down stuff today. Depending how old he is, he might even have been shooed away from a drinking fountain, or seen his dad get firehosed down the street for trying to eat at a restaurant. That gives you _perspective._ If they made it today, a middle-aged father of teens would have, at best, seen the 80s. A time when movies like Trading Places and The Jerk made it clear that racism, where it still lingers, is not tolerated anywhere, and has effectively been mortally wounded if not killed. He probably wouldn't be completely cracked like people Virgil's age, but he wouldn't have the perspective and direct experience to shut him down when he started talking about modern oppression and other nonsense he got off the news. The boogeyman is a lot easier to believe in when you haven't met any real monsters face to face. Yeah the real ones exist, but you hear about them in stories, the same as the boogeyman. So you get used to just believing stories.
@@KairuHakubi, that just makes it sad doesn't it? To think that the oldest people still alive who lived through those experiences would already be old wrinkly grandparents who might be too stubborn to trust most white people because of their experiences. And even if they're not hardened as cracked stone but are still compassionate, they'd be at the mercy or lack thereof from people too young and privileged to see things from their point of view and understand where they're coming from. I will not let that stop me though. I'm working as a trainee at Publix, primarily as a bagger, so no stupidity nor bitterness on me, only doing my job and being a sunshine they'll see every time they walk through that aisle in need of help. If I could make a bigger difference, that would be great. After all, being a bagger at Publix is only a small part of what I can do, and who knows if it will work. But if being compassionate, showing enthusiasm for my work, and saying 'have a nice day' in both English and Spanish as bright as I can is enough to brighten up the lives of others, well then more power to the sunshine. At the end of the day, we need compassion, not shame, to make a bigger difference, even when the world stands against..
@@KairuHakubi , that’s just real sad to think about, isn’t it? Like, the oldest people alive who would have experienced this and made it out alive to tell us about it are people who at minimum would be in their 50s or 60s if not older than that, and worst of all, will never have anyone to relate to them because what they experienced is something we’ll never undrrstand. Poor folks, we have regressed, we have fallen, and there’s very little hope in recovering from knowing we are in fact not at all united..
Richie was an interesting character. I thought he was just awkward around girls when i was younger. But to find out when i was an adult that not only was he gay, but he proclaimed how much he liked girls when they were around because he was closeted.
I dunno, I found that one really melodramatic and impossible to take seriously. I'm not really surprised the anti-bullying movement came so late, so weakly, and then quickly *reversed entirely so now people like us are called bullies* because the PSAs were always about as easy to swallow as anti-drug ones.
@@chrismdb5686 the ones who got bullied before. for being different. for daring to go against the mainstream and say something about mob mentality. who bother thinking for themselves.
Static Shock did a lot of good things that still hold up to this day. Static's relationship with Anansi, Rubberband Man's whole arc, the (in)famous Gun Episode. You could mine this series for a while.
I never knew the difference between rap and hip hop, actually. You taught me something new that broadens my worldview, and by extension I taught it to my AI. Wild.
I also love that static talks about real issues affecting realistic people. They don’t shy away from tough subjects and they don’t sugarcoat things. Watching this really brings me back to my middle school days growing up in a town similar to the one in the show. Too bad it didn’t get more episodes and too bad it didn’t get a revival and barely gets mentioned nowadays in DC media.
I think that this handles racism well because it discusses prejudice on an individual bases. On the other hand, some shows like Velma and The Loud Family try to lecture the audience on a "Group Basis". It's about saying "Oh... You're white? Well, you’re guilty of Racism for being white. You just don't wanna discuss racism because you're fragile." But with this episode of Static Shock, it shows an individual who does something racist and tries to make things right with the individual instead of just trying to throw an entire group of people into the discussion. Trying to push discussions of racism to an entire group of people based solely on the race of the members of said group is actually quite racist. It would be the equivalent of deciding to make a lecture about crime and looting in general to an audience of only black people. Not only is it racist, but it causes resentment. Individuals don't like being blamed and lectured for things that they aren't individually responsible for.
It's ironic because the shows try to show racism is bad...by being racist just in a different direction. Static was a bit more neutral in that Ritchie's dad is racist but that doesn't mean you should just condemn them like is how things see to be today.
This episode always hit me at home because of the whole hard working dad blaming all problems on others point. It just resonated with what I went through for my entire life with my parents and only recognized fully later in life
0:52 just one tiny correction: Even though Static was published by DC, it was created by Milestone Comics and it had nothing to do with the DC universe at that time; The magazine DC actually put out was named "Static Shock" from the New 52 event from 2011
10:34 - The Weekenders reference. Also, Virgil and Richie are voiced by Phil Lamar and Jason Marsden respectively. Carver and Tino are voiced by them respectively as well.
Heads up!!! At 7:36 in the video when shaddy talks about certain stereotypes and there being one about (conservatives within the black community and gays) I think that's a reference to the fact that Richie in the comics is actually gay!! I don't know if that was intentional but I do think it's funny it got brought up
Shady Doorags remains as one of my favorite channels on RUclips and I found him only a few months ago. And that's a REALLY high compliment coming from me!
I'll say it. No I don't just care about skipping to the "rockism" I actually enjoy when you review and discuss EVERYTHING about the episode or show or whatever. Well yes your view and opinion on the "topic" is very interesting I do love when you cover everything it truly feels special in that regard. I just hope you continue enjoying producing this content because I love it! Above all else though aside from the memes and nudges... I really and truly appreciate how much you actually put into these videos, seriously you are amazing and I wish you good times only.
"Better on the human aspect than the superhero." Pretty much true for the entire show. Static shock was an awesome show because it absolutely nailed the human side.
For those who don’t want to look it up, Umbrakinetic means he can control the darkness, much like a pyrokinetic controls fire, or an electrokinetic controls electricity.
My respect for you has grown so massively for what you said at 6:20. Caring enough about the culture to take the time and educate people who don't know is such a W. It's gotten me through a lot in life so seeing others care about it as much as I do is so awesome to see
I remember watching this as a kid and it hit me hard. I came from a real conservative family and my best friend and still is my friend jon who is from Ethiopia. Funnily enough the racism was the other way around his father hated me for the longest time and it wasn’t political differences it was my race. I’m white even though I have Dominican heritage, and it took a long time for him to come around. I can only say that it usually stems from past experiences and trying to move past them and go forward. It wasn’t until that we entered high school and graduated that his father came around and treated me with respect. His mom is an absolute sweetheart but his dad always abrasive and blunt, he’s lightened up in recent years but he still holds that grudge.
This video really makes me hope you make some content on gargoyles one day. They went into so many complex things and didn’t shy away because the main audience was kids. The compare and contrast between Goliath, and Demona’s perspectives on humanity has so many layers to it.
when Shady did those reviews centering around accountability and blame and all that stuff, all I could think the whole time was that Gargoyles nailed this point harder than any. We got to see a 1000-year-long vendetta from someone who hated a race of people for something that was *completely her own fault.* Like, several times over. Each of the key aspects was her own doing, and when confronted with that, she breaks just long enough to give up the passcode to undo her genocidal plot. And then afterward? Riiight back to blaming them.
It’s not prejudice about someone’s race, but there was an episode of Recess that taught us that sometimes people just won’t like you, no matter how nice you are to them and it’s okay. It’s not anything you did and you can’t always change it. Just move on.
I still remember that episode as well as the episode with the "perfect kid" who everyone thought was great until they disliked how he was just better than them and he actually wasn't a bad person but their feelings of inferiority caused them to go against him.
Static Shock was honestly such a great show, it wasn't even afraid to tackle serious issues and things that aren't talked about as much. An episode I think would be worth reviewing is "Where The Rubber Meets The Road", where the show talks about learning disabilities, and how they're not something to be ashamed of.
That's what I love about static shock. They kept it real. They address racism, bullying and gang violence.
it was ahead of its time
And then the reboot ruined all of that
@@conspiracyspider What reboot?
@@conspiracyspiderreboot? Like comic reboot?
@@conspiracyspider I think you're confusing this with Proud Family louder and prouder
It's darkly funny how Richie's dad thinks he and Virgil "act like hoods" when they're the dorkiest guys you'll meet. Man said "Time to get minty fresh".
Apparently Richie was meant to come out gay in the show, but it never came to be
@patrickzalatoris3206 He's based on a character who was gay in the comics, but back during that time it was unheard of to have an openly gay character in a kids show. McDuffie said that the show version of Richie IS gay and that he tried to throw in subtle nods that would get past the censors.
"time to get minty fresh" is a pretty gangsta thing to say.
@@spadinnerxylaphone2622that...didn't really work
Tim Drake said "it's been a real slice" to Virgil. Everybody was dorky
fun fact, apparently the reason there are so many black superheros with electric powers is because comic and cartoon writers kept trying to get the license to use black lightning, and being denied because they didn't wanna pay enough for it, so they just went "ok, we'll make our own"
and it pretty much became a tradition
And it just... STUCK
Honestly it's an awesome power to have
That's kinda funny, I really like that that's the reason
I never gave it much thought, myself. I guess I thought part of it might have been that electricity-based superpowers made a better color contrast than fire-based ones with a comic's artwork.
Invincible has a character who’s black and really ashamed of having electrical powers because it’s such a cliche and I admit when I first saw Black Samson I initially thought he would be electric.
Not gonna lie, when Richie called Virgil's dad "Pops" without a second thought it melted my heart. I used to love this show as a kid but don't ever remember seeing this episode. Seeing that Richie was that comfortable with Virgil's family is incredibly endearing to me :)
Worth noting that Mr Hawkins took up a fatherly role in the community at large.
He treated every kid in Dakota with the same fairness and understanding that he did his own kids.
That’s how you know he’s as much a son to Robert as Virgil is
The transition to "I'm black y'all" had me laughing pretty hard.
Me too 😂
He's blacker than black, and he's black, y'all
For me it was the,"HE'S BLACK?!"
I had to pause the video for a few minutes because I was laughing so hard.
CB4 thank me later 😂that movie is hilarious
"That joke was really mean to blind people...oh well. I doubt they'll see it that way".
I may not be blind, but as a mute person, there's nothing I can say in protest.
i was looking for this comment and man, it speaks volumes.
@@oaktutor1154I’d say I hear you loud and clear but I don’t think the deaf people would like that very much. They would hate to hear that.
@@tylertarasuik 😂 😂 😂
@@tylertarasuik I would say that i feel the same way but there's people born with no fingers who would think that was some bad joke. Those people are really out of touch.
EYO 😂
Static undeniably had some of the best drip to ever come out of animated superhero shows that coat is sick asf.
AND THAT'S A FACT!
Right? So good he still rocks it even when he’s an elderly man in the time travel episodes of Justice League Unlimited.
@@Hyper_Drudwas gonna say that exact thing. He looks even more badass too
His timbs in the intro in the second and third season was hard too
Undeniably. But second coat is even better.
This show was how you make a black character and show life as a black teenager. It's not pandering. It's realistic for the time. And it shows real racism. In a kid's show. Early 2000's was awesome. Never held back
raven next they also did a eip shows about ppl like this
If the show wasn't cancelled, they planned to have Ritchie come out as gay too. I respect the hell out of the writers for that, again, in the early 2000s.
@@gregvs.theworld451well Ritchie was gay in the comic it was going to be inevitable.
@@gregvs.theworld451yeah back then you’d get cancelled for including a gay person in media…
Oh wait 😅
@@kingofgrim4761 Hard to know, really, since it didn't end up happening. On one hand, even now sometimes creators have to fight for any representation in cartoons, let alone good representation, and I'll give you we were far from having examples like Steven Universe, The Owl House, The Loud House, etc. as trailblazers in western animation, but some shows were already starting to tackle those themes, The Proud Family notably having an episode about bigotry against a gay character where they all but outright said "he's gay", but the subtext was pretty obvious. And given how they were already able to make the episode discussed above, not shying away from racism, who knows if CN would've let them have gay Ritchie or not.
In my opinion, one of the BEST things about this episode that I've seen pointed out is this:
Richie's Dad isn't confronted by Vergil or Richie on his racism. Not really.
It's ROBERT. Another ADULT MAN.
HE'S the one who calling Shaun out on his behavior throughout the episode and stands strong, confident, and calm in the face of Shaun's hostility.
And even moreso, Robert goes out of his way to help Shaun find his son because that's what's actually important to the situation. Richie is his priority. A child is missing and possibly in danger. For all the frustration and hurt that Robert might have been feeling at Sean's prejudice towards him and "his kind", he still shows Sean through ACTIONS how not so different they both are. They're both fathers, hard-working men who provide for their family.
You can't tell me that Robert hasn't gone through a time in his life when he was faced with the temptation of falling into the same kind of hatred that Shaun has with the way he repeats back the words "your kind" to Shaun. But unlike Shaun, he's looked inside himself and those around him and come to the conclusion that such hatred would not only harm him, but those around him that he cares for.
I will always love that Robert is a social worker. That's not a job you can do well if you're not strong in spirit, patience and love for your fellow human beings.
I really wish we had more shows - kid's cartoons or otherwise - that would include scenes with two ADULTS talking like this when it comes to serious things like this. I saw this episode in middle school and it's still rings true with me.
Why does Shaun become Irish for a bit?
I also like that Robert calls Shaun out by showing kindness. Because despite his actions, he clearly sees that he's raise a good, hardworking family. Yet, Shaun has let his prejudices ignore this fact which is why his wife and son kept quiet about Richie's friends.
Goes to show that Robert does see that there's some sort of good in everyone, even the ones that are xenophobic.
@osmanyousif7849 , the power of humanity's inner empathy. Imagine if people saw the truth. We are distant, we are isolated, and we have lost our capacity to truly understand empathy. I refuse to fall, I refuse to slander, and I will not let my anger turn to hatred..
don't ask me to back this up but its been shown that one of the best ways to counter racist conditioning is frequent interaction / working with lots of different kinds of people. happened in unions a lot.
@@freshbread4039, which is what we need to push more. We put aside our prejudices, work hard together, make mistakes that we can grow from, and so much more. We have the power, we have it in us, what’s so hard for people to understand? A simple question with a not so simple answer. For sure, but if you recognize it and wish to learn, that’s what you do..
‘Man, that joke must have been mean to blind people.’
‘Eh, they probably won’t see it that way.’
My god that is the best joke I’ve ever heard.
What makes it more impactful is how personal this is as Ritchie is concerned his father’s beliefs will ruin his friendship with Virgil.
Understandably so, but Virgil is a good kid who understands that people can only be responsible for themselves.
That makes sense it's like having a gay best friend and knowing you're family is homophobic, so you want to keep them as far away from each other as possible
The really sad part is if this episode were made today by the woke crowd, that's exactly how it would play out. Virgil would end up viewing Richie as no different than his father and would cut ties with him, and the episode would make Virgil out to be right for doing that, and the episode would force Richie to have to redeem himself for his father's views.
@@christianjohnson5379 Based woke Virgil?!?!
@Christian Johnson
My guy, you’re just making stuff up completely out of nowhere. Believe it or not, this episode WAS made by the woke crowd
You really wanna know what the bang babies are like, you just watch the episode with the Joker. The Joker terrifies all these punks, and when most of them are confronted with someone who is actually evil, they fall to pieces. They're just teens, and that's really important to the show.
Oh shit that sounds interesting! I've never heard of this show but I'd love to watch that lol
It really shows how most of the people who got caught in the Big Bang were mostly troubled kids, homeless people, and gangbangers because who else would be around an industrial plant at 2 in the morning.
the fucking joker shows up?
@@maritofuentes8937 Twice
My favorite part of that episode is at the end once he's defeated Joker uses his Joy buzzer on Static thinking he's Batman only they realize too late that he was wrong and getting a massive electric shock from the young hero
I'm white as a ghost, but my best friend growing up is black as night. We never had issues with our parents, but both of our extended families would tell us to stick to "our own kind". We didn't care but this hit a bit too close to home in that way.
It was different in my family because as a Puerto Rican the important part was what their ethnicity was. Centuries old rivalries remain, so there were group I could not be friends with. The erosion of those rivalries because of common enemies is scarier than keeping them to be honest though.
I lived in nyc which was multi cultural and everyone was racist but I think new yorkers just hate everyone.
Ebony and Ivory🎶
@Al S Understandable, and you can be the start for the healing process. Even the smallest steps can be a ripple effect later on.
My mentor was a black man that actively fought in the civil rights movement in the 60s. He was deeply troubled by the way people were "spitting in the face of all they had worked so hard to get ". Younger blacks openly complained about him helping me and hiring me because I was white. It was blatantly racist and my mentor knew that. He would talk about how the racism needed to stop and was being held on to not by the whites but by the younger blacks who wanted something to attack people with. I'm just glad he never saw what has happened the last few years, it would have killed him.
Always thought it was a huge misstep that WB didn’t push more for Static and position him as their Spider-Man.
I think it's because he's a Milestone holdover that DC only has CO rights to. That's why he hasn't been in shows, movies, or really many comics outside his original run and cartoon. He really has the Spider-Man potential but they keep putting that on Blue Beetle
@richborn6700 it's only recently that DC made a deal that allowed them to fully use the Milestone characters.
So in a recent interview Phil Lamar shined a bit of like on why this may not have happened. One of the biggest reasons cartoons are made is to sell merchandise, usually toys to the children that watch them. The creators of the show went to manufacturers to pitch the character for a toy line but it was rejected. This was a big reason as to why the show did not get a longer run. A cartoons life span is alot of times very dependent on how much money it can generate outside of what the actual show makes. Though it was great and very well received because they couldn’t make “extra” money off of it, it was basically left out to dry. So in the case of WB it’s hard to see them wanting to invest time or money into pushing a character that already had been rejected for merchandising.
@@richborn6700 i mean dont get me wrong i personally live blue beetle more than static but why cant they both be the "Spidermen" of dc together?
@@ThePlasticBowl the big issue is a lot of cartoons arnt profitablle to begin with without something like a toy line to make them money. Without that toy line the studio is likely losing money.
I love how they gave Richie's dad a mini redemption arc where he lets go of his hatred.
And at least the worst he was doing was being rude. There are unfortunately people who go too far in their hate.
Yeah. Some episodes later, he was even attending church alongside his son and the Hawkins family. Showed his own growth subtly.
Well Shady. By 90's law you're now required to do the Fillmore episode LMAO.
OMG yes Fillmore was amazing
That show needs to be on D+
I'm blanking on any episode of Fillmore that dealt with racism...that being said, one that covered Folsom's "three strikes and you're expelled" policy might make for a good review.
Oh that show was amazing and underrated!
Oh yes such a cheesy show but it was so fun good memories.
I want to add that in the Christmas episode, Richie’s dad (and mom) sits next to Virgil’s family at church. I think that’s character development, even if it’s in the background.
I like that honestly
Wow. I forgot about that little detail. Nice catch!
That's awesome
Background character development, but character development nonetheless.
I like that Robert is basically telling Shaun, "if you don't change the way you see the world and people like me, you'll lose your son forever."
I love how mature and logical Robert was being with that statement. Instead of getting into a heated argument and writing Shaun off as a irredeemable bigot, like today's shows would likely have him doing, he gives him sound advice to help him rethink his life. Robert is being patient and respectful instead of trying to ostracize and permanently condemn Shaun, THIS is how racism should be fought against.
@@christianjohnson5379 Tell that today's leftist. They see these People are the equal to Nazis and are irredeemable. Problem is they exist.
How do you solve THIS KIND OF PROBLEM!?
@@christianjohnson5379and I believe he cares for Richie if he can make his relationship with his dad better he would and he did
Except I’ve seen this exact thing said to people like Elon Musk and they don’t care. There are people, vocal influential people who have been given these same lectures and lessons and don’t learn anything. And when you see them voting for and supporting people turning their bigotry into law, patience goes out the window.
@@pjsmith97 ok you wanna do this come on am waiting what did musk do
I will take Static Shock's way of addressing racism over The "Prouder" Family's claims any day.
Agreed
“Do something!! Use your White Privilege!!”
-actual line from the Louder and Prouder Family
@@Nathan-ti9pmNgl if a kid says that, that would be pretty funny
@@gavo7911an adult said it
@@Nathan-ti9pm Solve racism with racism!!!!
I like that Richie's dad wasn't the main villain. It was Ebon. They left room for Richie's dad to become a better person, and he did by showing that his son mattered to him more than anything else.
Also, I just love that Ebon is always focused on his goals no matter the context of episode.
This episode was a great episode about prejudice. It didn't shove anything down your throat. It just showed you how ignorant hate can make you.
Okay racist.
@@renmcmanus Real surface level racism. But hey super villain unhinged plots have the same solution. So they're not that different.
"It didn't shove anything down your throat"
...what the fuck?
the episode literally says "STOP BEING RACIST YA DUMBASS". how much more "shoved" can that message be?
And thing is, it shows Richies Dad's racism wasn't born out of a vacuum. He was extrapolating his disdain of the criminal gang activity that has caused major problems in Dakota City. Especially so since Bang Babies started showing up.
The thing is his disdain, fear, and frustration were extrapolated to far too broadly and unfairly. Toward many individuals he didn't even really know much about or considered could exist. He let his resentment and ignorance get the better of him, even hurting his relationship with his family.
That's part of why Virgil's dad response and interaction was so appropriate and apt. Robert was putting him on the right path.
@@DeusExAngelo
Uhh... Wow. That's the take away you got? 😆
6:41 I really love how Virgil doesn't automatically assume Richie's dad is racist, and instead just gives him the benefit of the doubt. It's a small detail that I think speaks volumes of Virgil's character
Not to mention it goes to show how much progress on racial equality had been made in society up till that point. There were plenty of white people that Virgil had interacted with at school as well as other places, and he clearly has never experienced racism until he met Richie's dad. Sadly old wounds have been reopened today all for the sake of political divisiveness. Pretty much openly racist people would have been rarer.
@@christianjohnson5379But, like an old wound, it was still there. We are only seeing a side effect of our society starting to boil over. These old wounds are reopening, showing the continuing presence of the ugly underneath.
We never solved racism, we just put a bandage on it.
@@Ijustusethistocommentstuff
You're exactly the kind of divisive people he's talking about. All he stated was that progress was made. Nobody said racism was "solved".
@@vsfirebullet8716 The problem with that statement is, if true, we would see a decline of modern talking points in regards to racism after the 60s, and that simply isn't true. The problems were still there, potentially with the same exact intensity, we just didn't see that due to our lack of access to information at the time. Now, the entire truth is pretty much laid bare: We may have solved legal/racist laws, but the type of people those laws were made by still exist. We are still far from truly healing as a nation, as our history has been so tied to the persecution of other people. Our eras are even defined by the lack of rights African American people had during them. We are seeing that old wound open because our modern world still hasn't moved on.
We even see that with the rights of LGBTQ+ people. Their rights are constantly challenged across the world, and, in the US, with a fervor from both sides of the political spectrum. Political divisiveness, also, is the backbone of our modern world. So much of what we take as normal was probably just an attempt to distance themselves from the Soviets. As a society, we have never had an era where everyone was treated even remotely equal. 60s'? African Americans were the main target of bigotry. 70s' to 00s'? LGBTQ+. Post-911? Muslims. You can point to any era of US history, and I can tell you who the government mainly decided wasn't going to have equality that period.
@@Ijustusethistocommentstuff
Even in that long-winded response you admit that things have improved. So I don't know what you're even trying to say. The world isn't perfect so we're basically still at square one?
The bigots of yesterday are the same as the bigots of today. Prejudice is prejudice. That won't change, no matter how much progress we make.
The difference between now and the 60s is that back then, these problems weren't even seen as issues to begin with.
If things were truly the same, we wouldn't even be having these conversations.
I like that richies dad values his son more than how he was raised at the end. Gives the idea that he could come around to being a better person over time hopefully
Well the episode ends with his dad no longer being racist. He's already a better person, easily defeated racism.
Yeah, I think he wasn't full on racist by his own ideals and rather... Well, as you said, how he was raised.
@TheTyl1234 It's an idealistic portrayal but what's wrong with that?
@@DDarkestKnight yeah it's a kids show. Steven Universe also shows a fascist getting redeemed because Steven does a witty comeback. You really shouldn't expect deep complex multi seasonal character arcs from this kind of show.
@@CantusTropus There's nothing wrong with idealistic portrayals, I just wish there was more variety back then. Nowadays cartoons would show that it's not so simple, dedicate multiple episodes to it or at least there's a timeskip.
It's crazy to see a cartoon written better and more realistically than most live action shows. The creators knew that you can still write intelligently while appealing to kids (and adults).
7:25 "I still don't get how a guy like Richie has a father like that." Somehow I relate to this quote in the exact opposite context. Used to have a best friend who was a total douchebag in hindsight... but his parents were incredibly kind people whenever I bumped into them while I was out and about. Weird to think about.
That’s something I’ve always wanted to say but could never bring myself to say out loud because honestly I don’t know that many people who would know what it’s like being different from their parents. I personally am the oldest daughter of a family of four siblings and a single mom, and I am very close in personality to my mom in some aspects, including a convenient case of selective short-term memory loss. Like I said, I don’t know how to relate to being different from your parents that much, except for the fact that I am a fanfiction lover and really internalizing any petty anger I could manifest. Regardless, yeah, it’s true that not every child will be the exact same as their parents. You see multiple times how characters who are the children of villains go against their evil parents (look at Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader for example, ignore the sequel trilogy and it’s convoluted place in the timeline), so why not the opposite be true? It’s a good thing that this show came out decades ago, can’t imagine what horror it would’ve been in this decade..
What makes you think they're not terrible to each other and their kid at home
@@darylchua2168 It's a possibility I've thought of. That being said... generally, I don't like to make assumptions that I don't have any proof for.
@@darylchua2168 what makes you think they are? Not every bad person is a result of bad parents. There are so many more factors that go into what a person grows into than just their upbringing.
For the record, Umbrakinetic means having control of shadows.
If you know Ebon you can figure that out based on the context. lol. Glad to know I was right. :)
@@Stargazer_LeyDon't forget Umbreon, a Dark-type Pokemon.
And then there's the man eater youkai rumia from touhou project
So, Shikamaru from Naruto.
What the hell was in that tear gas?!(ik there were chemicals, something way different from would have happened if there was REGULAR tear gas and not that)
Honestly, Robert is a great example of what a good dad, and what a good social worker is. As someone who’s going into the field of social work, he’s a big inspiration of how I want to be in the field. He’s employing the concept of “calling in” vs “calling out” in terms of Shaun’s behavior and beliefs.
i miss when every 'black show' had a fantastic dad, setting a good example.
naturally those were the #1 target of modern character assassinations. How dare they have integrity.
All the more impressive when you realize he's a rolemodel while taking care of two kids following the tragic death of his wife.
A wife who killed trying to save lives during gang violence.
Robert is made from the sternest stuff.
Please be a good social worker. All the ones I have seen have all been monsters.
I agree. It's a travesty that he barely made it on any top 10 dads lists.
Social workers are under appreciated and underpaid just keep that in mind. It's why a lot of them are miserable. I used to do it and I actually care about people so it was no bother to me but just keep that in mind
“I wonder if Virgil’s dad knows”. My god shady, that was an absolutely masterful nod to the comics.
It kind of went over my head as I don't really read comics. Does Static or Richie turn out to be gay?
Replying so I also get a notif for the answer, haven't read the comics either
@@dakotasan8719 I think Richie was.
@@dakotasan8719 Richie was gay in the comics. But there's no gay characters in 2000s cartoons!🤪
@@DDarkestKnight we don’t need that bullshit everywhere in media
What I love about Mr. Hawkins in the episode, is that he laid down the facts and logic about Richie's dad's behavior, without resorting to being inflammatory.
Static Shock was like watching Spider Man. He was so relatable and actually went through real issues.
What makes him different from Peter Parker is that the problems he faces are unique to him and his community because of issues like poverty, gang violence, and prejudice. He had a strong father figure in his dad, especially since his mom died, and because of that, he always approaches his problems with optimism.
It was a unique experience from watching Spider Man and is such a good show.
Spiderman TAS was a great cartoon
Virgil’s dad: do your parent know where you are young man
Static: (mumbles) wish they’d get off my ass
Vigil’s dad: Excuse me, what?
Static: What?
LMFAO
Gasp Spider-Man across the spider verse reference I must be dreaming
I understood that reference
Honestly Richie is one of the best friends static could've had, he's def invited to the cookout 😂
Man survived a school shooting , he earned that invite
Based reference
Richie is the first and only person Virgil showed his identity to XD. He was like "DUDE I HAVE SUPERPOWERS- I gotta tell Richie!"
@@adamk.7177funny cause they met Batman
@@adamk.7177 More like an underpaid Alfred for the first two seasons. XD;
I praise this show for tackling delicate issue without coming off as preachy or condescending. Not just racism, it tackled poverty, abuse, bullying, gang violence, even family.
And it’s not afraid to put the main hero in a negative light without butchering his pre-established character to show that he’s still learning, just like everyone else. One of my favorites is the episode tackling homelessness with static showing empathy to a ice meta human, that’ll hit you in the heart.
Yeah I saw a short of that episode and when the girl’s talking about how people treat her Static admits he’s been guilty of acting that way too. I believe she was voiced by Starfire’s VA as well.
@@Hyper_Drud she was, actually
Did we watch the same clips?
It also tackled neurodiversity with an episode about Rubberband Man & his dyslexia
yup it was a one of a kind.
This is why I love this show. It's a street level superhero fighting street level crime. He's not up against some mad scientist or super rich bad guy. He's up agasint random normal people who just happened to have gotten super power and continue to do things they were doing before or normal people like Richies dad.
The closest he came to more standard super heroes villains not counting cross overs was the metahumans who wanted to blanket the entire city in darkness because they can't survive in the sunlight. And in the end it was just their leader who was the real villain while the rest were just people trying to survive and wanting to stop living in the sewers.
This episode confronted racism a million times better than the Louder and Prouder show ever did.
Yeah that episode got so much wrong Black slaves didn't make America not to mention California where the show is set had never had envolvement with the slave trade and finally their is no way a slave wrote a diary as they Would have been confiscated on site not to mention the slaves were all illiterate because they weren't given education
Man this show was so ahead of it’s time. It really touched on a lot of real life topics. Wish we had something like this today.
No it does not. Did you fail to remember that Dwanye arrested Vergil for armed robbery? The guy was a cop who hated gang members and thugs and Vergil was both. That hot head using the fire power yea he was in the same gang as Vergil. The only real reason Vergil get not go to jail for 25 years was Vergil turned rat and ratted on his entire gang to stay out of prison. Vergil was a thug and a rat. In reality people like you see racism instead of reality. The 1980s and 1990s were so full of gangs and I remember perfectly because I barely survived that time and the guy you call a racist was a cop who was having trouble dealing with gang killings and gang crimes and violent thugs. That guy you call racist arrested Vergil who was literally robbing elderly white shop owners with a gun. Vergil was a thug and a gang member. The reason so many people wanted Vergil dead is because Vergil did more crimes than the rest of them and got away with his crimes because he ratted out his entire gang. Vergil aka Static was a fucking asshole piece of shit. In truth I hate him and hate how people always go towards calling that over worked guy who literally was trying to keep the streets safe from criminals a bad guy. Hell the guy did not like Vergil's father who literally was a convicted murderer who shot 3 people and killed 1 when he was younger and in a gang and then became a defense attorney spewing crap calling the police racist just because they arrest a black person who was actually committing crimes and spewing racist bullshit when in reality it had nothing to do with race at all. Hell Vergil's father would never defend a white person ever and Vergil's dad actually was racist and never changed. Vergil's dad hated Vergil having a white friend yet no one ever says a fucking word about that but spews anti white racist bullshit.
It was not ahead of its time. We've regressed. We've been regressing ever since people made self victimization their plea instead of one of equality.
We got a lot of shows that talk about real life topics but yeah I would love for Static to come back.
Ironically, addressing those topics wasn’t even all that in the 90s/2000s. Fresh prince for example has episodes addressing it that became what was considered pop culture gold for a while. Even Mr. Rodgers neighborhood regularly addressed hard issues (and generally didn’t talk down to children while doing so).
@@youthoughtaboutit6946 Which one the Fresh Prince had a bunch of golden special episodes. Back in the day shows had walk a thin on talking about serious topics or face the wrath of the FCC or moral guardians.
Robert is one of the best dads in TV history. And clearly one of the reasons Vergil became Static. He does eventually confront Vergil about being Static, but only after he gets kidnapped to force Vergil into helping a villain. And he was just proud of his son.
He eventually finds out? Dang, I need to find that episode.
Funnily, a lot of black dads in tv are great dads... Robert, Philip Banks, Carl Winslow, and I am sure there are more, I just havent gotten to watch a lot of american shows as my country just gotten a few.
@@GeneralDragon011 it’s sadly like, the second to last episode. They were clearly setting up another season where the dad supports him but nope. Show got canceled :(
@@tuiteyfruity5010 What?! Are you kidding me?! Nooooooo!!
@@GeneralDragon011 I think it's like a two part if I remember? One episode if I remember his dad figured it out but it wasn't until later that he confirmed he knew when he got kidnapped.
You killed me with the joke about the live action adaptation of Richie's mom.
Never change, Shady!
Was he talking about Amber Herd?
@@morpheusFromZion naw, he was alluding to the strange tendency to cast traditionally red headed characters as black in reboots, especially live action adaptations.
Obviously, given Richie's dad, this would be an odd choice.
@@riatsila144Jimmy Olsen cough cough
@@byronrush9802woah, yeah.
@@riatsila144Wait, is that why they casted Jim Gordon as a black man in The Batman because it would make Barbara Gordon black?
I really love these early 2000s cartoons and how they addressed these issues- they teach people how to reconcile rather than just condemn people for their bad beliefs (racism). Now a days it's so heavy handed and villainizes the one in the wrong that it forgets the point that the real solution to racism is to help the other person see why they are wrong. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted all races to get along, to build connection rather than use social bullying to "make" people change which never really works.
Well said
Exactly. You risk only validating their prejudice by trying to bully or treat them like outcasts. Yet so many people literally do believe outcasting bigots, and even KILLING them, is completely justified. And when we try to suggest ANY other route, we get accused of defending their beliefs or sympathizing with their bigoted beliefs.
The entirety of Captain Planet had it's messaged of "save the environment" shoved in the viewer's face. Tiny Toons had an episode about "the evils of alcohol". People forget that with every Static Shock, you got stuff that failed to tackle subject matters with nuance.
@@Stew91 I mean, protecting the environment is a good message, really the only thing I disagree with is making that message synonymous with climate change. I believe you can be protective of the environment and not believe that climate change i s man-made. Also no matter what side of the political aisle you're on you can believe in protecting the environment, a common narrative is that Conservatives hate the environment and often depict them and works of fiction as being careless, apathetic and greedy to the point of wanting to benefit on the suffering of others. I'm very Conservative, and even I am in favor of protecting the environment...it should be done without raising taxes or over regulating businesses, but everyone would believe the less nuanced message and believe but I'm evil for my political views and that I don't care about the environment. A more nuanced message would encouraging everyone regardless of their views or beliefs to do their part to keep the environment clean, and actually showing the benefits of having a clean, unpolluted environment.
This one episode of static shock was truly unique. We're never gonna get this stuff again because So called "writers" these days. Can't use creative or critical thinking.
It's not that they can't use creative or critical thinking, it's that Studios won't let them because they would much rather keep rebooting the same stuff over and over instead of creating something new.
@@kittykittybangbang9367You're right , And they're so afraid of ticking off the so called wrong people that they don't want to take that risk
@@herooflight7931 Don't blame writers, blame the studio. I've heard that many writers are trying to push original ideas to the studios, but Studios keep rejecting it in favor of more soulless reboots.
Also make sure to support original good ideas, and avoid going to see reboots, remakes, and sequels. Don't let that bug inside your brain let you go watch those reboots just so you can complain about online.
@@kittykittybangbang9367Originality is becoming a rarity these days but I will try
@heroofight7931, Too often, people act like everything sucks nowadays and that 20+ years ago didn't have its share of shows that failed to tackle subjects well. The entirety of Captain Planet had it's messaged of "save the environment" shoved in the viewer's face. Then there was the Cartoon All Stars to the Rescue drug special. And Tiny Toons had an episode about "the evils of alcohol". Besides - the fact that something like Arcane exists nowadays, shows that we still have writers who care.
The whole Static/Static Shock name confusion is definitely not helped by the fact that just saying Static is a pretty logical nickname, kind of like Spidey.
plus just static by itself feels.. unfinished. Like it's not a name.
This episode was beautiful and very grounded, it exposes the modern ill in the past and today, Dwanye McDuffie was a true genuis.
More of a reminder that we have a long way to go.
@@DDarkestKnightEverything is starting to go in reverse it seems.
@@maylabrown4584 Well everything rich people getting richer. That'll never change
Except shows don't fully show the racism from black people, but they always do white man(racist) vs black people, when we know the truth is something else.
@@the1magageneral323username checks out
As a redhead I must say, that was the perfect time to make that joke!
Seriously it is rather suspicious.
@Pro_Flamemaster Any chance can you please explain it to me? I'm a bit confused and would like to not be, thank you.
@@shippoi They race swap red heads in live action shows and make them black.
@@shippoiHollywood for the last couple of decades has a history of blackwashing white characters and especially gingers. There is that one picture that went somewhat viral that lists like 30 examples of red headed characters being turned black
I don't get it.
Honestly, what I appreciate about Troq is that it acknowledged how some racist minds can't be changed.
It's the fact that Val Yor said "you must be one of the good ones" that likely made the Titans shun him.
Shawn from Status Shock interacted with an African American, saw that his racism effected his son, and was willing to try and have an open mind.
But there is the fact that some racist minds cannot be changed. And that's what I saw in Troq
Thank you so much for the distinction around 6:20 between rap and hip hop! I always knew there was a difference, but as a midwest kid who just got into hip hop/punk/ska i never really knew how to differentiate anything
Man this show seriously led by example. The way it portrays real-life issues never felt like talking down OR indoctrination. It just felt understandable.
Heck, you could even undrestand from where Robert's bigotry stems.
He grew up in the same part If the city, he is social worker now.
This IS the city with gangs, there ARE bad people of color here. Heck, Static was pulled into a gang war and it is supposedly "2000s nowadays" - meaning Richie's dad living in the same part of the city had a front seat to a ghetto life of the second half of 20th century which clearly wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Of course it is not everyone, of course it is more fault of "vocal" minority tainting his worldview... But the same can be said nowadays about groups of people on Twitter and how "vocal" activists only soil reputation of a group as a whole.
That's because it was written by writers, not activists playing the role of writers.
What impresses me is that it doesn't even feel like it was made to spite white people. The writers just said "Here is an issue that hurts these people. It is a problem, and we'd like it to be solved." Some writers nowadays seem so bitter about the topic of inclusivity, to where they feel the only way to be accepted is to shame the "enemy" into silence and point out how selfish they are.
I'm not saying the problem isn't there, but I'm saying cynicism isn't the way to fix it-- it's just replacing it with a differently perceived divide.
Lmao indoctrination
@crimsoniaxx , you can feel the positivity radiating off this show, don't ya? Even when it's depressing, it pulls off being positive too. Oh, I wish I was that talented a writer, so I can make my passion and dreams come true while also working to address issues that need nuance. I can try, I am no writer yet, but I feel the power here is necessary to fulfill a duty this critical..
The Ending Monologue made me imagine Shady running a sensitivity training seminar solely using 2000s era cartoons.
Lulz, that's basically what this channel is.
Hey, whatever works.
@@ShadyDooragsif Youtubing doesn't do it for you, a career in HR would certainly be a possibility. 😂
I'm just kidding, don't give up RUclips! 😭
I’d go
@@ShadyDoorags FMA 2003 ep.36 The Sinner Within. What are your thoughts on how the topic of Ishvalen racism was discussed in FMA; specifically the 2003 series.
1:56 That is one thing I noticed, how it addresses both positive aspects of black culture like music and community and more negative ones like all the stuff with gangs. The show really tried to be neutral when it came to the subject matter rather than either being overly positive or overly negative.
That's one thing the show praised for, and that sadly probably will not happen again. It told stories about social issues, kept them realistic and individual, then ended them without trying to be political or have you judge a character by anything other than their actions. Another good example Ebon and Rubberband Man.
I feel that Hip Hop music was the same way back then. The songs spoke out against things plaguing the bl_ck community like r__ism, classism, police brutality, the cyclical nature of gang culture and violence, etc.
Nowadays, those running mainstream entertainment would rather the larger populace in the U.S. either forget or remain ignorant of these issues and just chalk it all up to "wh1te people bad".
Dad said his kid should be thankful for his father providing him with food and shelter. Its a requirement. He doesnt need to thank you.
Being thankful is not the same as giving thanks. One should always be thankful for the positives in their lives, otherwise it leads to entitlement.
@@ShadyDoorags, you speak the truest words, my friend. I will always be grateful that despite everything that has happened back in 2022, me and my family was still able to come out on top together. We were hurt by my traitorous jerk of a stepfather, and it took us filing a restraining order against him the way he did to my poor mother for something she never did to finally get rid of him, so now we are happy, we are healthy, and we have a lot to look forward to in the future. So gratitude? Yep, the powers above us all be watching us and seeing to it that everything is going well for us somehow.
3:12 Umbrakinesis means darkness or shadow manipulation
This show was everything Twitter WISHES it could be. Static Shock was not only a really fun Superhero show, but it tackled a ton of real life issues, and handled most of it beautifully.
The conversation between Robert and Sean makes me think about something.
When Shady mentions that the former treats the latter like a person (one whose beliefs affects others and himself, but a person nonetheless), he gets the message. Sean has to force his attention to what Robert is truly saying which is "your attitude caused YOUR son to get away from you", instead of starting a fight because Robert isn't throwing a flurry of insults at him.
I believe it contrasts with most shows and movies nowadays, because in practice, both men are used to say things face to face, and in Robert's case as a social worker, he learned to pick his words in a conversation; unlike how things have been been since a few decades, where most people hide behind a screen and can spit out whatever comes through their minds without any major "consequences" to their wellbeing, other than receiving more insults.
I think that could explain why most current shows and movies can't address bigotry properly: if you find yourself at the receiving end of an online racist/homophobe/whatever, typically you'd either engage in an insult battle with them, or just shut them down; and I feel that is reflected in nowadays media.
Sure, I'm aware not everyone acting like a bigot in real life will stop, listen and change their mind; but they'll certainly won't mock you or disrespect you like if they were risking a potential beatdown...unless they're reckless or bought their impunity, but that's not the mayority of people.
THIS
What's also dumb today is the stupid narrative that only white people can be racist. I've seen racism and the n word thrown around so casually by the people in my Hispanic community and family. That clip from Malcolm in the middle about the cardboard janitor is dead on.
I would also argue that is why a lot of people are surprised by cancel culture. I was talking to someone and he said “I don’t get why you have to ruin a person’s life over their opinion.” Which by itself is a fair argument. But his idea of “ruined life” was his friends and acquaintances avoiding him for his “opinion” which was basically excusing slavery as a “net positive to society and black people should get over it.” He argued that he was being oppressed and his free speech violated.
I think the internet has made people forget that words mean something and that while you are free to say anything, others are also free to react to you and that your words have consequences.
@@Soy_boi
The problem with "cancel culture" is that it started as something that affected public figures: celebrities, politicians, etc, who said or did (sometime were caught doing or saying) something deemed as immoral or inappropiate, and suffered the scorn of their community and/or the general public for that, sometimes to the point of ruining their careers.
Eventually, with the rise of social media and how easy one could upload a post about, let's say, something racist or sexist and have everyone and their cat to see it and share it, the concept of "cancel culture" went down to someone being harassed online for something as innocuous as saying that they don't like a certain celebrity, or being framed for something they didn't do IRL.
However, I don't believe Robert and Sean would let themselves being dragged into that cesspool, the two of them look like people more used to not hide behind a screen.
@@leashlor Cancel culture isn't about what you did. It's about how you act about it now. 99.9% of people getting attacked over something they said or did who apologize everyone moves on with their lives. Then you have the people who double down or continue to act like jerks. Those are the people who face the consequences because clearly they are the same person they were back then.
Man I love this episode. Funny how back then this show tackled issues we deal with today.
It's funny how in China, they put a mask over Black Panther and shrank John Boyega's Star Wars character because they didn't want to see their black face.
And better than how well most "woke" shows handle these issues today
Twitter and Tumblr were a mistake
It's almost like things haven't really changed
Oh they did, they got worse. In the 90's you could see the end of the dark tunnel, then they extended it.
@@als3022 Perfect metaphor
I’m an elementary teacher and I show both this episode and Troq to my class as part of a character education through cartoons unit. Been LOVING these video essays and the thoughtful, well-crafted perspective you bring.
You’re seriously one of my favorite RUclipsrs, you’re nuance and understanding are truly a breath of fresh air in such a divisive internet culture
Fun fact the idea of a scapegoat comes from the Old Testament because it was originally a cleansing ritual where two goats were taken one sacrificed and the other run out into the wilderness that one was the scapegoat taking the sins with it
Neat
I remember that.
@@valutaatoaofunknownelement197me too
People are talking how amazing it was for shows like this/these to tackle such topics (which is true), but I’d say it’s even more amazing that they addressed the topic in an a mature way and thoughtful way (much like that Teen Titans episode did), which in the present day seems difficult (to put it one way) for a lot of creators and at times people in general to do. It’s actually sort of confusing in some ways to try to figure out why exactly that seems more and more the case these days.
(I do agree about the pacing issues though, including the quick change issue on top of the a plot/b plot issue.)
Back then they were actually trying to find solutions to the issue and get people to realize their common humanity. Now they want that to remain cause its worth power and money to them.
OMG! He really did a static shock episode like I asked! Thank you so much. Hope you do more
I also recently asked him on Twitter to do a Static video so this made me really happy.
5:53 EXCELLENT EDITING! I laughed out loud.
Same.
Lol I know that was so abrupt for some reason it tricked me into thinking it was part of the same episode
Always thought it was miraculous how open minded Richie's father became. Even to the point he's hanging out in a black church with his family for Xmas a few episodes later
And during the blizzard he was dropping Richie off at one of their friends Kwanzaa party.
God I miss Static so much. The golden age of cartoons this was. The one that always makes me cry is the one where he travels back in time just to see his mom. Poor kid…
Rest in peace Dwayne McDuffie creator of Static Shock.🕊🙏🏾😥💜
Amen.
I was unaware of that
Thanks Mr McDuffie, your show was a good influence on me and my friends
He was a legend
Thats why the reboot was ass
I wish more shows would tackle issues like this. The conflict it creates feels real. And it feels satisfying when the issues are addressed and sometimes dealt with.
I can only imagine how they would massacre this episode now adays.
What rock have you been living under? This horse has been beaten nonstop for decades.
15:41 Don’t feel bad Shady. I be forgetting about Juneteenth too. But yeah Static Shock was my jam as a kid. My favorite episode is when Braniac shows up and mind controls the Justice League
8:46 This specific line is always so painful and great to me. Most of my friends came from not great families and this is how I feel about their parents. I pity them. They’ll never know how amazing their kids are
I like to think his dad didnt really get over his ignorance straight away but he realises its wrong and activily triest to change his world view by catchinh himself in moments of ignorance abd pushing himself to do better
I think you're right; a gradual paradigm shift would have been more rewarding versus an impulsive one. He sees over time that Virgil has his son's back, would always do right by him, and eventually warms up to him.
@@joel2628 Yeah that and not wanting to alienate his son. I'm sure he doesn't want to lose his son from his life.
@@saltyk9869 Agreed. Even through the negative things he spewed out, you can tell overall that he does love Richie and doesn't want to lose him. Vergil's Dad helped him on the right path, but it'll be his love of his son that will keep him on it.
Episode really doesn't feel preachy but down to earth. Also doesn't make Ritchie's dad a total scumbag as we see he does genuinely love his son and even if he has a bigioted view of the world, he's willing to change if it means he won't lose his son or possibly his wife in the future. How novel and it doesn't beat you over the head with the message like so much stuff today, looking at you Loud and Prouder.
Oh no this was preachy. Mr. Foley walked into the show a rockist, Mr. Hawkins giving the talk to the "upstanding bigot", Mr. Foley stops being rockist in the end, it's preachy. But all black cartoons are preachy by nature. They're called upon to talk about the hard stuff.
@@DDarkestKnightby "preachy" we mean being shoved in our faces and being guilt tripped for things that we didn't do. Also the upstanding bigot line didn't come up until the subject of what Richie's dad actually said came up. Robert didn't lay into him and make him out to be irredeemably evil, he respectfully, yet firmly informed him how his views could affect those he cared about.
Also... an important thing this episode does that modern writing has forgotten.
Virgil and his dad do not start to become vengeful. Their response to racism ISN'T to get angry and vengeful, their response is to prove him wrong by BEING a better person than he is.
Do not succumb to the anger that racists accuse you of having, that is just proving them right. What so many BLM activists are doing today, is PROVING the racists right... That's horrible.
Virgil and his dad in this episode, proves him WRONG!
Starfire in her episode, proved the racist WRONG!
That's a much stronger and better message, don't succumb, don't become the thing the racist thinks you are... Prove them wrong.
@@christianjohnson5379 you are correct sir
@@christianjohnson5379You speak nothing but facts
You know I think Robert knew how to deal with Sean’s dad is because like he said he seen his kind everywhere. Maybe when he was growing up, he dealt with a lot of racism through his entire adolescent, and no matter how hard he got mad and fight them They would never change so he realize that the only way to beat them is to befriend them
That's the other reason shows like this have gotten worse.
This takes place in the 2000s, so a guy Robert's age saw real racism. Racism Classic (TM). Not this watered-down stuff today. Depending how old he is, he might even have been shooed away from a drinking fountain, or seen his dad get firehosed down the street for trying to eat at a restaurant. That gives you _perspective._
If they made it today, a middle-aged father of teens would have, at best, seen the 80s. A time when movies like Trading Places and The Jerk made it clear that racism, where it still lingers, is not tolerated anywhere, and has effectively been mortally wounded if not killed. He probably wouldn't be completely cracked like people Virgil's age, but he wouldn't have the perspective and direct experience to shut him down when he started talking about modern oppression and other nonsense he got off the news.
The boogeyman is a lot easier to believe in when you haven't met any real monsters face to face. Yeah the real ones exist, but you hear about them in stories, the same as the boogeyman. So you get used to just believing stories.
The man grew up during the 60's/70's! What do you think?
@@emanuelrojas2 I think you failed history class
@@KairuHakubi, that just makes it sad doesn't it? To think that the oldest people still alive who lived through those experiences would already be old wrinkly grandparents who might be too stubborn to trust most white people because of their experiences. And even if they're not hardened as cracked stone but are still compassionate, they'd be at the mercy or lack thereof from people too young and privileged to see things from their point of view and understand where they're coming from. I will not let that stop me though. I'm working as a trainee at Publix, primarily as a bagger, so no stupidity nor bitterness on me, only doing my job and being a sunshine they'll see every time they walk through that aisle in need of help. If I could make a bigger difference, that would be great. After all, being a bagger at Publix is only a small part of what I can do, and who knows if it will work. But if being compassionate, showing enthusiasm for my work, and saying 'have a nice day' in both English and Spanish as bright as I can is enough to brighten up the lives of others, well then more power to the sunshine. At the end of the day, we need compassion, not shame, to make a bigger difference, even when the world stands against..
@@KairuHakubi , that’s just real sad to think about, isn’t it? Like, the oldest people alive who would have experienced this and made it out alive to tell us about it are people who at minimum would be in their 50s or 60s if not older than that, and worst of all, will never have anyone to relate to them because what they experienced is something we’ll never undrrstand. Poor folks, we have regressed, we have fallen, and there’s very little hope in recovering from knowing we are in fact not at all united..
Honestly the way they handled racism here is way better than how they do it in shows nowadays.
Richie was an interesting character. I thought he was just awkward around girls when i was younger. But to find out when i was an adult that not only was he gay, but he proclaimed how much he liked girls when they were around because he was closeted.
Is he actually Gay or is he Bi? It honestly always confused me.
This and the anti bullying episodes are 2 of my favorites. Glad to see you taking a look at it.
I dunno, I found that one really melodramatic and impossible to take seriously. I'm not really surprised the anti-bullying movement came so late, so weakly, and then quickly *reversed entirely so now people like us are called bullies* because the PSAs were always about as easy to swallow as anti-drug ones.
@@KairuHakubiCan you please elaborate on the "people like us" part?
@@chrismdb5686 the ones who got bullied before. for being different. for daring to go against the mainstream and say something about mob mentality. who bother thinking for themselves.
he needs to do jimmy.
@@ddjsoyenby isn't that more Richie's area..
I KEED i keed.
7:18 I see what you were going for, Get it together Disney.
Static Shock did a lot of good things that still hold up to this day. Static's relationship with Anansi, Rubberband Man's whole arc, the (in)famous Gun Episode. You could mine this series for a while.
Yooo Anansi got a super named after him?
@@kathrineici9811 Mild spoilers but yes. Virgil meets him on a trip his family takes to Africa. His whole gimmick is making illusions.
I never knew the difference between rap and hip hop, actually.
You taught me something new that broadens my worldview, and by extension I taught it to my AI.
Wild.
I also love that static talks about real issues affecting realistic people. They don’t shy away from tough subjects and they don’t sugarcoat things. Watching this really brings me back to my middle school days growing up in a town similar to the one in the show. Too bad it didn’t get more episodes and too bad it didn’t get a revival and barely gets mentioned nowadays in DC media.
I think that this handles racism well because it discusses prejudice on an individual bases. On the other hand, some shows like Velma and The Loud Family try to lecture the audience on a "Group Basis". It's about saying "Oh... You're white? Well, you’re guilty of Racism for being white. You just don't wanna discuss racism because you're fragile." But with this episode of Static Shock, it shows an individual who does something racist and tries to make things right with the individual instead of just trying to throw an entire group of people into the discussion.
Trying to push discussions of racism to an entire group of people based solely on the race of the members of said group is actually quite racist. It would be the equivalent of deciding to make a lecture about crime and looting in general to an audience of only black people. Not only is it racist, but it causes resentment. Individuals don't like being blamed and lectured for things that they aren't individually responsible for.
It's ironic because the shows try to show racism is bad...by being racist just in a different direction. Static was a bit more neutral in that Ritchie's dad is racist but that doesn't mean you should just condemn them like is how things see to be today.
HERE. YOU DROPPED THIS. 👑
Did the loud house do that? I haven't watched the show in a while but given the shows steep decline that does seem like something they'd do
@@BigM5304 No they didn't, neither has Velma. I don't know where they got this idea
@@BigM5304they meant the Disney channel series the Proud Family not the Nickelodeon cartoon
This episode always hit me at home because of the whole hard working dad blaming all problems on others point. It just resonated with what I went through for my entire life with my parents and only recognized fully later in life
Grew up with Static Shock; and many of the episodes have well-intentioned messages that’s well worth looking into.
This show was criminally underrated
0:52 just one tiny correction: Even though Static was published by DC, it was created by Milestone Comics and it had nothing to do with the DC universe at that time; The magazine DC actually put out was named "Static Shock" from the New 52 event from 2011
10:34 - The Weekenders reference.
Also, Virgil and Richie are voiced by Phil Lamar and Jason Marsden respectively. Carver and Tino are voiced by them respectively as well.
"Sons of the Father" and "Jimmy" are the two hard-hitting episodes of Static Shock. Can't wait to see the Jimmy episode.
Heads up!!! At 7:36 in the video when shaddy talks about certain stereotypes and there being one about (conservatives within the black community and gays) I think that's a reference to the fact that Richie in the comics is actually gay!! I don't know if that was intentional but I do think it's funny it got brought up
Shady Doorags remains as one of my favorite channels on RUclips and I found him only a few months ago. And that's a REALLY high compliment coming from me!
We need more stories like this. Stories that talk about important issues that can be hard to teach kids to in a way they understand
I will never forgive us not getting that Teen Titans-Static Shock crossover Batman promised us.
This episode was great, and I love it when people talk about it. I don't feel like the show gets enough love, so thank you for reviewing this episode.
I agree man, I don't know how Static's dad is not on a top 10 dad list. A crime truly
If it's any consolation, he's on my list.
I'll say it. No I don't just care about skipping to the "rockism" I actually enjoy when you review and discuss EVERYTHING about the episode or show or whatever. Well yes your view and opinion on the "topic" is very interesting I do love when you cover everything it truly feels special in that regard. I just hope you continue enjoying producing this content because I love it! Above all else though aside from the memes and nudges... I really and truly appreciate how much you actually put into these videos, seriously you are amazing and I wish you good times only.
upvote for the ginger joke. 7:10
"Better on the human aspect than the superhero."
Pretty much true for the entire show. Static shock was an awesome show because it absolutely nailed the human side.
For those who don’t want to look it up, Umbrakinetic means he can control the darkness, much like a pyrokinetic controls fire, or an electrokinetic controls electricity.
I appreciate your efforts in bringing us that information.
You are a real one, and I appreciate you not being a pretentious prick that wants to be a know-it-all. 🙌🏾
My respect for you has grown so massively for what you said at 6:20. Caring enough about the culture to take the time and educate people who don't know is such a W. It's gotten me through a lot in life so seeing others care about it as much as I do is so awesome to see
Thanks for tackling this kind of thing for your fans.
On a less depressing note, who's your favorite DC rogue?
I love the growth of Richie's father, and I love how Vergil's father's strong both physical and mental
I remember watching this as a kid and it hit me hard. I came from a real conservative family and my best friend and still is my friend jon who is from Ethiopia. Funnily enough the racism was the other way around his father hated me for the longest time and it wasn’t political differences it was my race. I’m white even though I have Dominican heritage, and it took a long time for him to come around. I can only say that it usually stems from past experiences and trying to move past them and go forward. It wasn’t until that we entered high school and graduated that his father came around and treated me with respect. His mom is an absolute sweetheart but his dad always abrasive and blunt, he’s lightened up in recent years but he still holds that grudge.
Prejudice cause by anger is easier to get over than anger caused by prejudice. Richie's dad is definitely the first example so I see no problem here
This video really makes me hope you make some content on gargoyles one day. They went into so many complex things and didn’t shy away because the main audience was kids. The compare and contrast between Goliath, and Demona’s perspectives on humanity has so many layers to it.
when Shady did those reviews centering around accountability and blame and all that stuff, all I could think the whole time was that Gargoyles nailed this point harder than any. We got to see a 1000-year-long vendetta from someone who hated a race of people for something that was *completely her own fault.* Like, several times over. Each of the key aspects was her own doing, and when confronted with that, she breaks just long enough to give up the passcode to undo her genocidal plot. And then afterward? Riiight back to blaming them.
It’s not prejudice about someone’s race, but there was an episode of Recess that taught us that sometimes people just won’t like you, no matter how nice you are to them and it’s okay. It’s not anything you did and you can’t always change it. Just move on.
I still remember that episode as well as the episode with the "perfect kid" who everyone thought was great until they disliked how he was just better than them and he actually wasn't a bad person but their feelings of inferiority caused them to go against him.
But it also teaches children that it’s okay to just dislike someone for no real reason.
"Wow. That joke was really mean to blind people. Meh, I doubt they'll see it that way." Crazyyy work 🤣
Static Shock was honestly such a great show, it wasn't even afraid to tackle serious issues and things that aren't talked about as much. An episode I think would be worth reviewing is "Where The Rubber Meets The Road", where the show talks about learning disabilities, and how they're not something to be ashamed of.