“Bigotry and racism are among the deadliest social ills plaguing the world today. But, unlike a team of costumed super-villains, they can’t be halted with a punch in the snoot, or a zap from a ray gun. The only way to destroy them is to expose them—to reveal them for the insidious evils they really are.” - Stan Lee, from Stan’s Soapbox, 1968
White privilege is the inherent advantage possessed by a White person on the basis of their race in a society characterized by racial inequality and injustice. White fragility is the discomfort and defensiveness on the part of a White person when confronted by information about racial inequality and injustice. Together they’ve allowed the perpetuation of manufactured perceptions of non-White people and helped maintain a structure of oppression.
Astounding Fancy #15 is a reimagining of Amazing Fantasy #15, which was the first appearance of Spider-Man created in 1962. Astounding Fancy follows Peter Privledge, who, like Peter Parker, is a flawed, young White man. His journey exposes his superpower, which is his privilege, and presents him with the opportunity to be on the side of social progress and to become a contributor to the fight against cultural and structural racism.
