PROGRESSIVISM: A Slow March
By Trevor K. McNeil
An Odd Sense Of History
The younger generation has an odd sense of history. A recent example of this phenomenon is the apparent assumption among today’s young progressives that Progressivism in media emerged about five years ago. Many pointed to the 2018’s Black Panther as the first movie based on a comic book that featured a black lead character. This flies in the face of Blade (1998) starring Wesley Snipes. Or, identifying 2019’s Captain Marvel the first female superhero movie when there were several before it, most notably 2017’s Wonder Woman. More than this, Progressivism and Feminism in media predates the 21st century and indeed film itself.
Like A Club
One of the most famous cases of Progressivism in media, even if it is constantly misunderstood, is Mark Twain‘s Huckleberry Finn (1884). Huckleberry Finn is full of racial slurs that would put people into conniptions today. I believe as many others, that Twain was using such words, with unbridled repetition, in order to literally beat people over the head with their vulgarity. Using the words, which Twain knew even then were wrong, like a club to make people see the error of their ways.
