glamaphonic | roxanneritchi | youngjustice:
Aqualad: I accept the burden, until you are ready to lift it from my shoulders. You were born to lead this team. Maybe not now, but soon.(Okay, am I the only one who got a certain foreshadowing coming from this scene? :( IfyouknowwhatImean.)
If Kaldur (the sole black dude) bites it to make way for Robin (white dude) to assume leadership (and to give Robin driving angst) at the end of the season, I swear to God I will eat a box of nails for the sole purpose of spitting them in rage.
My eyes rolled right out of my head at this bit omfg.
Don’t get me wrong, I like Robin and everything, but fuck Robin.
There is no reason in the world that Kaldur’s leadership of the team should be presented EVEN FOR A SECOND as some sort of placeholder until holy chosen one Robin can lead them. Fuck the idea that Robin is ~destined~ to take over FOR ANY REASON, fuck this bit of dialogue, fuck any passing the torch storyline that ever occurs, and, since it’s me, let’s just note: fuck destiny always and forever.
REBLOGGING FOR A THOUSAND TRUTHS.
And I just want to add, I know that fandom as a whole is obsessed with the idea that a Robin is needed to lead any Teen Titans-esque team, that a Robin is somehow inherently entitled to role of leadership on any team of plucky young teenage heroes, but the fact of the matter is, this particular Robin is in no way, shape, or form prepared for or entitled to leadership; no person is entitled to leadership. He is immature, he is arrogant, he is irresponsible and frequently treats his teammates with scorn and dismissal; he is simply not equipped to lead anyone.
Kaldur, in contrast, is every inch the ideal leader: he is calm and certain even in the most pressing of circumstances; capable of formulating plans and utilizing the environment and given conditions to his and the team’s advantage, he also knows when and how best to appeal to and use the unique skills and personalities his teammates possess; he empathizes with and listens to his teammates, allowing them autonomy and a degree of free room within which to move even as he makes demands of and places restrictions upon them. Kaldur knows when to give and what to demand, and the team is only truly a team with him as a leader.
And honestly, even taking into account Robin’s inevitable character development and the probable consequences of a number of spoilers for events later in the season, I don’t care: I want Kaldur to stay leader. He is the best choice for leader, he is a leader, and yeah, you know what, there aren’t exactly a whole lot of superhero teams out there, in cartoons or comics or films, led by a black man.
KALDUR 4 PRESIDENT OF ATLANTIS.
YES TO EVERYTHING.
He doesn’t get declared leader until episode four. I was already thinking during the first episode: WHY WON’T THEY JUST LISTEN TO HIM? HE IS SO SMART AND REASONABLE.
Hahaha the more I think about it the more angry I get!
What the shit is this a SUPERHERO ARISTOCRACY? Am I just supposed to believe that Robin somehow has the DIVINE RIGHT TO RULE by virtue of his pedigree? Because really the show has given me no other reason to feel that he has any business being leader of anything… given that he is DEMONSTRABLY NOT GOOD AT BEING LEADER.
UGH SO GROSS. I am tired of thinking about this. I am tired of looking at Robin’s stupid smug face as I type this. I am tired these caps of Kaldur sidelining himself in order to continue to act out the world’s favorite narrative about how some white dude is the most specialest person of all and is the only one who is entitled to all the power and prestige, while everyone who is not the specialest white dude is pretending to it or merely a custodian for him. It’s ancient, it’s wearying, and it’s offensive as fuck.
I AM TIRED.
Ohman, thank you. It’s just kinda…why say Robin will lead later when Kaldur is doing a perfectly excellent job? (I rather prefer the foreshadowing hint that Kaldur may be just moving onto the Justice League ranks, not, y’know, getting killed off.)