[M&M] White Supremacist Hero(es)?

[Mark Chance]

I'm toying with the idea of revamping my old DC Heroes campaign city for Mutants & Masterminds. This City is a dark, grim place, more akin to crime-infested Gotham than sunny Metropolis. Among several ideas I've got brewing is this: The inclusion of one or more NPC heroes who are avowed white supremacists.

Caveats:

1. I'm not considering doing this because I think white supremacists get too much bad press and need some image rehabilitation.

2. I'm not considering doing this because I think white supremacism is just one of many equally valid life committments.

Rather, I'm irrevocably convinced that white supremacism is an absolute moral evil, but it is also not illegal, and thus comes the conflict. Basically, what I'm looking is in-game application of one of the principles of a pluralistic democracy: Evil has no rights, but people do.

How does a GM handle an NPC hero whose personal philosophy is morally repugnant but who does not actually violate the law (at least not any moreso than the average costumed superhero)?

In what ways can said NPC hero operate so that he acts as a spokesman for his racist ideology without breaking the law?

Thoughts?

 

[Krieg]

In what ways can said NPC hero operate so that he acts as a spokesman for his racist ideology without breaking the law?

You hit the nail on the head with the term "spokesman". Said individuals never actually does anything wrong, he just incites others to do so.

Whether it's a grand oratory to the masses about the downfall of western/"white" civilization, or a few carefully chosen words to a blue collar worker who was just laid off so that his company could hire illegal immigrants at a cheaper rate...your (anti)hero is merely the catalyst for others to act, he never dirties his own hands. He is also always sure to keep a degree of seperation between himself & those he influences, and is quick to point out that he can't be held responsible for the actions of others, especially when they go "too far" (although he will be quite capable of pointing out that it's understandable that they broke under the strain...what with the vast Zionist conspiracy & their black/hispanic pawns etc.)

Think very high Charisma & a focus on behavior affecting skills/powers.

 

[paulewaug]

yeah, kinda likes Marvels' "Hate Monger"

 

[Mark Chance]

yeah, kinda likes Marvels' "Hate Monger"

That's actually what I want to avoid. The Hate Monger is a villain. No bones about it. Deliberately inciting people to violence is a criminal act.

A superhero who is also a white supremacist is not going to break the law (at least not so obviously). There would need to be plausible deniability on the part of the white supremacist to distance him from his more enthusiastic, criminally-minded fans.

Krieg's suggestion is on target. Many white supremacist front-men are extremely polished, well-versed in the use of euphemism to disguise their racist agenda in buzz words that are deliberately equivocal. David Duke of Louisiana springs immediately to mind.

 

[Tonguez]

Think very high Charisma & a focus on behavior affecting skills/powers.

High Charisma sure but surely behaviour affecting powers is starting to push into the villain area (he may be a subtle villain but he is still influence others against there will)

and how will this 'hero' act - will he target non-white evildoers whilst ignoring the wongdoing of whites? Will he stand by and let the non-white victim fall and later claim he couldn't save her?

hmm good luck...

 

[GMVictory]

Have him act the same way the other heroes do. He saves people from burning buildings, he fights supervillains, and he fights crime.

He doesn't propose shipping non-whites back to where they came from, but doesn't think inter-racial dating/marriage should be allowed etc. Don't make the character a virulent racist. He would be the kind of person to say, "Black people are generally lazy and disposed to crime. Except for Joe over there, he's a pretty good guy. He's not like the others."

When he does encounter people of other race/ethnicities that are doing well or are heroes too he'd say something like, "You're a credit to your race," or "You're so well spoken." He could be played like the ignorant white guy depicted in sitcoms on occasion, always saying the wrong things and trying to be polite in how he says it. Not meaning any real harm, he just doesn't know better. It doesn't excuse his behavior, but he hasn't been exposed to other elements of society and only knows what he learned as he grew up and the people around him said.

There's a lot that could be mined from this recurring plot point. Imagine the player satisfaction at turning this character around...or frustration at their inability to get through to him.

 

[Mark Chance]

and how will this 'hero' act - will he target non-white evildoers whilst ignoring the wongdoing of whites? Will he stand by and let the non-white victim fall and later claim he couldn't save her?

I would avoid both of these. White supremacist tracts are quite often extremely critical of white people who do not live up to the "standard." A white criminal could be seen as a double disgrace, whereas a minority criminal could be viewed as unavoidable since that's "the way those people are."

Of course, I can see the white supremacist hero doing more to help whites than others, especially when and where choices between helping a white or a non-white have to be made.

Originally posted by GMVictory
Not meaning any real harm, he just doesn't know better. It doesn't excuse his behavior, but he hasn't been exposed to other elements of society and only knows what he learned as he grew up and the people around him said.

Based on my research, one can only go so far with this approach. There may be many "innocent" racists, but it seems there are few "innocent" white supremacists. One study done on groups in the Pacific Northwest showed that the average white supremacist has about two years of college education. These are not people who are ignorant in the conventional sense of the word.

Still, this is a great idea. To avoid unnecessary bad PR, the white supremacist hero would avoid racial slurs, but would not shy away from stating his views either. He could be unfailingly polite and condescending at the same time, like the Southern gentleman of yesteryear.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

The Southern Gentleman is a good idea. Make him unfailingly polite, kind to old ladies, helps his landlady out with her garbage but at the same time quite dismissive of any non-white heroes he may mix with.

EG, to take a DC reference:
Steel rescues a family from a burning house, SG says something like "That was pretty good, all things considered". Little unconscious put downs.

No one has ever said that all heroes have to be nice. Think Guy Gardner. Always been a jerk, but still a hero.

 

[Krieg]

High Charisma sure but surely behaviour affecting powers is starting to push into the villain area

Think more bardic influence than mind control.

The Southern Gentleman is a good idea. Make him unfailingly polite, kind to old ladies, helps his landlady out with her garbage but at the same time quite dismissive of any non-white heroes he may mix with.

I would even go so far to make him unfailingly polite towards minorities as well. He should be able to smile winningly while explaining to a black panther that it's in "his people's" best interest to be segregated from whites.

Heck there are likely to be black/minority heroes who will agree with his philosophy up to a point...that racial intermingling etc is generally a bad thing for their "race".

Just imagine your white supremicist fighting side by side with a black power super-hero, both believing that it's best to keep the races apart...

 

[Anabstercorian]

I don't have anything to contribute, but I want to praise this. This is clever.