Disclaimer
I am a white male living in an area of the UK that is not known for cultural diversity. I have recently had my eyes opened to the cultural impact of subversive racism. The same subversive racism that permeates most of western culture and am trying to reflect on my own innate racism. As martial arts are a big part of my life I have decided to turn that lens on the subculture that I am so invested in. These are just my thoughts and opinions. I am not trying to upset anyone. Instead I am trying to create a logical argument for myself which others can reflect on the words that I write.
I am not a student of media studies, nor do I have knowledge of every form and piece of martial arts media.
Why?
If you are still with me after the disclaimer then thank you for choosing to embark on my ramblings. You may want to ask why am I writing this? Dane are you a racist? The answer to that question is yes. However, the understanding of that answer is probably misinterpreted. I have recently read the book white fragility by Robin DiAngelo and I found it amazingly transformative. I would recommend everyone get a copy and read it.
The main things I want to try and touch on here are that all white people are racist. But that doesn’t mean all white people want to form lynch mobs. We live in a white supremist society, whether we like to admit it or not. That culture seeks to protect its interests; therefore, we are all exposed to subversive messages in the media and our interactions with other people in that society. I want to take a look at the media in martial arts and how it might influence our thoughts.
The Rules
As I said in my last article it is imperative that we all stand in the same place and make sure we are looking at the same thing before we start a meaningful discussion. As such I ask you to stand next to me for this article so that we have a shared understanding.
The first key point that I wish to discuss is the good/bad binary. This is a way to prevent conversations like this from taking place. It says, if you are not a racist you are good, if you are a racist you are bad. This is simply not true. As I said above society molds us all into our race. Therefore creating a racial divide that as white people we are told we can’t talk about. This binary is incredibly strong and difficult to accept as it is so deeply ingrained. Despite my reflections and writing this article, it was still difficult to write above that I am a racist. Yet this is an inevitable fact. So we have to move away from this binary. Admitting and talking about our racist tendency doesn’t make us a bad person, it just lets us admit we are a product of the life we have led so far.
The second rule applying here is that this article is going to address black representation in martial arts media. This is because, as mentioned above, we are a product of the society that we live in. That society says it’s acceptable to have Asian martial artists; therefore, their representation is not questioned.
Information
I googled the best martial arts films and was rewarded with an IMDB list of the best 256 martial arts films. I accept that this is a subjective list, but with such a large number they must be hitting a large portion of the “best” martial arts films (This is of course subjective and might not reflect your personal list).
A scroll through this list reveals as we expected predominantly Asian cast leading most of films. This as mentioned above is expected by society so is acceptable to our white sensibilities. There isn’t however, from my experience any history that says white people are better at martial arts than black people, or are more likely to excel in them yet the numbers are significant.
On the list of the best 256 martial arts films 35 have white actors as the lead whilst only seven have black actors. Although the difference between 35 and seven doesn’t sound like much, that is five times as many films with white people portrayed as heroes than that of black people. If we break it down into percentages:
13.6% White led
2.7% Black led
I recently watched the anime Yasuke on Netflix. I enjoyed it very much, and decided that although this was highly fictionalized I would find out more about the real life character of Yasuke. If we quickly look at his Wikipedia page we see that Yasuke was of African origin and, seen by Nobunaga was raised to the status of a retainer. He fought for Nobunaga and later his heir Nobutada. He was present at the death of Nobunaga.
Someone of this historical importance, especially in context of the society of Japan at the time, would certainly be mentioned in a documentary touching on the period of the time. Certainly if it was to focus on Nobunaga. However, the recent series Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan does not mention him once.
Discussion
These simple numbers and facts may not seem important but they are a piece of a larger problem at play in our society that seeks to advance white superiority and undermine the status of black people. It exists in all western culture, and our own subculture is not exempt, but as evidenced reinforces this status quo.
Yasuke’s omission from the documentary is particularly troubling as this is informing people of what was important in this time, and although they cannot include everything, the exclusion of the only black samurai in history demonstrates that black history is not deemed important, especially when it is a story of success. People myself included who have only watched the documentary will come away blissfully unaware of the existence of Yasuke.
LeSean Thomas, the creator of the Anime Yasuke and Cannon Busters, in an interview for den of geek said “there’s an underlying motif that if you remove African Americans from the struggle, what are we? What are we if we’re not the Negro? What are we if we’re not labelled what the white colonizers of the past labelled us and positioned us here as? In his anime he takes away this context of the struggle and his characters are allowed to develop largely free from the context of their race. They are just people, not black people.
There was certainly something striking about the characters. Yet I was unaware of that subtlety when I watched them at the time. I would love to say that on some level I had a recognition that I understood their race and how they were not conforming to the tropes normally given to them, but I am afraid that I was so blinded to the subtleties of endemic, systematic racism that I don’t think I would have seen this. The Anime steer away from tropes and stereotypes that are harmful and reinforce a white supremist society. I believe they could provide a great example and model on how media in martial arts could progress.
Conclusion
I appreciate that these words are not going to change an industry that will be blissfully unaware that I have written them. Or that you shouldn’t enjoy films with white actors. The Kill Bill films for example are amazing. What I would request is that you take the time to recognize these facts. Reflect on how the representation and portrayal of race in martial arts media might reinforce tropes that you have. Consider how this might influence your interaction with people of different races. Examine how this might influence your children and our future society.
I think that someone more dedicated and knowledgeable about media studies than I could dive deeper into this issue. A few areas of further exploration immediately jump out. How many films portray black people in a negative way compared to those in a positive way? Why are black women seemingly absent from martial arts films as lead actors?
In closing I would recommend that people read white fragility. In doing so begin to question what they see and hear in media. It might be that you decide that all is well and as it should be, but at least ask sensible well informed questions of yourself.
Addendum
After writing this article I decided to search the topic on a broader scale to learn more about the challenges we face as a community of martial artists. The lack of what I have found has made me feel sad and embarrassed.
A google search of martial arts racism shows several results. These results include four short paragraphs and some articles about Bruce Lee. Alongside a depressing read from The Guardian about right wing groups are using MMA clubs to recruit members and the racism faced by Angela Hill, the first black UFC female fighter.
Having a conversation and realizing that there is a problem will be the first steps in resolving the problem. I do not pretend to be an expert in this area. I have only begun to take my first few steps in understanding my own racism, created by a society that wants to maintain the current status quo, but I hope to have conversations moving forwards that are part of a positive change for all martial artists.
He has in the past tried over styles and systems but this is the style that he loves and always comes back to.
Since the start of 2020 and lock down he has begun a journey in Lee style tai chi as well as the kung fu that goes with this.
Although not working in this area Dane has done a degree in oriental medicine and acupuncture and has an interest in the health benefits of martial arts as well as the philosophy behind oriental medicine.
- Ukemi — What is it good for? (Part 2) - October 12, 2021
- Ukemi What is it Good For? - September 29, 2021
- Representation in Martial Arts Media - August 17, 2021
A very well written thoughtful article. I started white fragility but got stuck in guilt. Got stuck in believing I’m a racist and how awful is that? Not helpful! Thanks for this Dane, as a fellow Aikidoka and human on this planet of struggling humans I appreciate anyone’s attempt at healing these issues. Another book I can recommend on healing racism is called My Grandmother’s Hands, written by an African American social worker. It’s awesome. Meanwhile as I now live in a racially diverse area, we do have some black folks at our dojo, which is great!