Does
Is Magneto a villain, or a hero? Can we agree with his goals, even if not his methods? How does the fight for mutant justice echo similar discussions in our own world? Paul and Matthew talk about Magento and the X-men movies, up to and including the recent, Logan.
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What do you think? Should Magneto be the hero, not the villain? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Continue the conversation with us on Twitter or Facebook!
The Ethical Panda 
When an individual is drastically different than those around them, an honest self-evaluation will acknowledge these differences. If they are extreme, provide extra senses and abilities, the impact is quite profound. Every encounter, life experience, and decision will be viewed through the filter of having these abilities. For Magneto, even the road he walks home on would be noticeably different because he might find certain magnetic field oscillations appealing or uncomfortable. He might prefer to microwave something at a different setting because the field he experiences is annoying. He might avoid getting an MRI for the same reason, putting him at risk for many disease states. And that’s just magnetism.
Our society is strictly designed to be fool proof, largely, for even the dumbest among us. It often does not provide for the slightest change in senses. Anyone with visual impairments, handicaps, or disability of any kind can verify this. There becomes a quite distinct “us/them” mentality.
Mutants would legitimately view humans as disabled. Profoundly disabled. Preferably, those with abilities would guide and mentor us to help us acclimate to their perceptions and ideas. It would make sense, and would be biologically inevitable, that the species best adapted to the environment will survive more effectively. We have to look at ourselves then… Is humanity more than just our genetics? Is humanity a concept of community that supersedes our mutations and abilities? What if we advance in the “West” compared to say…the Sentinalese? Have we already? Do you feel like magneto? Did you even know about the Sentinalese? Why not? Did they not matter until now? Does your technological prowess make them obsolete?
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[…] Is Magneto Right, an earlier podcast episode in which Matthew and Paul discuss the character of Magneto, and where he falls on the line of hero or villain. […]
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