Malcolm Xerox: Difference between revisions

The opposite counterpart to [[Strawman Political|white conservative strawman]], this trope is specific to black characters.

These characters are often very far to the left of the political spectrum, and usually militant. These black radicals or activists are depicted as a bunch of [[Straw Hypocrite|hypocritical]], irrational, paranoid, unreasonable, lazy, bigoted, [[Everything Is Racist|race-card-playing]], [[Conspiracy Theorist|conspiratorial]] raving loons. Even within black TV shows and movies, they're very rarely depicted as respectable or intelligent people whose opinion is of any real merit. When it comes to black TV and films, this could be an attempt by some black writers to subvert the stereotype of black people agreeing with these particular views. In the process, they ended up creating a [[Strawman Political]].

Since {{noreallife|real people are not created for a specific purpose, [[No Real Life Examples, Please]].}}

* The character of Muhammad X from the ''[[Superman]]'' comics.

* [[Aquaman (Comic Book)|Aquaman's]] arch nemesis Black Manta, whose motivation was to conquer Atlantis so he could slaughter the inhabitants and make the kingdom a haven for black people who'd been so repressedoppressed on the land. Or so he says - he's shifted goals multiple times and has outright stated he's just pretending to do this in order to get funds and men. He really just wants money and to see Aquaman dead.

* A straight example from ''[[Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back]]'' is the film director,... though he ''is'' played by [[Chris Rock]], [[Actor Allusion|who has spent his career lampooning these kinds of characters]].

* The Mau Mau gang from [[Spike Lee|Spike Lee's]] ''[[Bamboozled]]''. They fit the "hypocrisy" aspect of this character. The Mau Maus angrily denounce the [[Blackface]] entertainers with "Painted faces, disgrace to the races!" - but they are, in their own way, [[You Are What You Hate|just as buffoonish as what they condemn]]. And they're even more hypocritical when they execute one of the show's performers while wearing some of the "Mantan" Halloween masks they so despise (which makes them [[Dirty Coward|Dirty Cowards]]s as well).

* The Wayans brothers like the comedic version of this trope, with the addition that the more outspokenly afro-centric the character is, the more obsessed he is with [[Where Da White Women At?|banging white chicks]] -- most—most notably in ''[[I'm Gonna Git You Sucka]]'' and ''[[Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood]]''.

* Mitch Mullany's ''The Breaks'' includes a scene reminiscent of ''[[I'm Gonna Git You Sucka]]'' when the main character, Derrick, attends a spoken word performance. After a dreadlocked black man recites an angry Afrocentric poem, the hostess says, "Thank you very much, Stokely Ungawa, and your lovely wife, Betsy..." at which point the camera cuts to the same poet, embracing a very [[White Anglo Saxon Protestant|WASPy]] looking blonde.

* An interesting example from [[What Do You Mean It's for Kids?|youth literature]] is Axon Befal from the [[Green-Sky Trilogy]]. The Erdlings are [[Ambiguously Brown]], and {{spoiler|the decendants of exiled Kindar (Kindar being the race with "privledges")}}. When this all is revealed and the Erdlings are freed from their imprisonment [[Beneath the Earth]], Befal is preaching for ''violent'' retribution against the Kindar, including those ignorant of the Erdling's existence. Most Erdlings want nothing to do with him and consider him a criminal. In the game, his "wand" (a machete) makes the game [[Unwinnable]] if you [[Video Game Cruelty Punishment|use it on anything other than briar bushes]].

* ''[[A Different World]]'': Lena James and, to a lesser extent, Winifred 'Freddie' Brooks (who was also a [[Hippie Chick|hippie]] and a [[Soapbox Sadie]]), though this was somewhat realistically (or cynically) toned down when she became a lawyer. Although some who have a [[Alternate Character Interpretation]] of her believes she became toned down do to her somewhat becoming a realist after she got her law degree. [[Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids|And thus became less overbearing. And to some less likable]].

* A decent number of black characters from ''[[Law and Order]]'' qualify. Basically, if there's a black prosecutor/lawyer/defendant/minister/activist/etc. opposing the lead cast, s/he is likely to hit ''at least'' some parts of this trope and [[Angry Black Man]].

** Paul Robinette when he became a defense attorney. Alternatively there's the [[Unfortunate Implications]] theory that he was turned into a [[Strawman Political]] of the [[Malcolm Xerox]] variety so the writers could make a point.

* Ahmad Zaire from ''[[The Parent 'Hood]]''.

* Averted with Kareem Said in [[Oz]]. Played straight with "Supreme Allah" (real name Kevin Ketchum -- heKetchum—he never legally changed it) in season 4.

* In ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]'', there's a ped in the San Fierro section that fits this trope. He's even wearing a kente cloth dashiki and hat.

* Dewey from ''[[The Boondocks]]'' is a hypocritical counterpart to Huey Freeman, who takes "down wit' the struggle" much further than even Huey by reading poetry, wearing capris, headwraps and sandals, even going as far as to become a Muslim...and yet he doesn't even know the basic Islamic greeting.

** [[Star Wars|"Jabari Jabari Binko"]] in an early ''Boondocks'' strip can be a parody of this.