Science Fiction and Racialization

Science Fiction and Racialization. There exist glaring evident on the employment of stereotypes in science fiction films, as evident in the aspects of white supremacy and racial anxiety. Robert (2005) supports this claim by asserting that race remains a primary concern of contemporary science fiction. There are many examples of SF films to which reference can be made to validate this argument. For instance, the aspect of racial anxiety is evident in the Verhoeven’s 1997 film of the book entitled Starship Troopers (1959) by Robert Heinlein, where the hero’s racial identify is altered to Aryan. The alteration of the hero racial identity results in the production of an out rightly fascist text. This scenario reveals the profound black diaspora’s impact on the contemporary American culture, which is depicted in SF. For example, the representation of “blackness” in SF is characterized by the portrayal of characters, who are largely violent, and with bigotry (2005). As such, it can be noted that SF pays a vital role in advancing the aspect of stereotype against “others” and white supremacy.

According to Roberts (2005) and Thompson (1996), classificatory models were primarily constructed in the nineteenth century, and the qualities and characteristics have frequently been allocated to specific races with the supposition that the race that is being questioned is standardized and that people belonging to numerous ethnic groups are the vessels of indispensable ethnic features. Therefore, ethnic markers, as with the sexuality markers, are often denoted as ‘indication’ of an indispensable being detached and alienated from other ways of being. In the movie Enemy Mine, the plot succeeds at showing the idea of otherness and subjectivity, especially towards the African American Race (Nama, 2010). For example, the movie’s cover is grotesque; the alien mask displays the black character, alienating them from the other characters. This approach automatically conveys the idea that white supremacy and racial stereotypes is rife the contemporary in society.