How racist is Prometheus?

It would be massively unintentional if it was racist. Ridley Scott is from Newcastle in the north east of England, I've always found that the further north you go here the nicer the people are. I'm from the south by the way!

How is it Racist? For one the Engineers are White and i mean like really white or should that be grey? They are meant to represent the depictions of gods and mainly look like many of the Greek Gods. And thus Marble in Color. Now most white Humans like me are not white, i am not white i am like what Tea with Milk Color? Michel Jackson was White, but not many are so pale. Just like Black People well i dont like that term either, as they are not black they are well Brown various browns even the darkest skinned African you cant really say is black. So i dont see why the debate? Also its a dark movie and if we had the Engineers as dark in color like the Xeno then maybe we would not see some of the detail. Nope i dont think Prometheus was being racist at all. Really is there the same difference from White European Man, Chinese and Asian man, Middle Eastern Man or African Man to the Engineer.... nope!

How is it Racist? For one the Engineers are White and i mean like really white or should that be grey? They are meant to represent the depictions of gods and mainly look like many of the Greek Gods. And thus Marble in Color. Now most white Humans like me are not white, i am not white i am like what Tea with Milk Color? Michel Jackson was White, but not many are so pale. Just like Black People well i dont like that term either, as they are not black they are well Brown various browns even the darkest skinned African you cant really say is black. So i dont see why the debate? Also its a dark movie and if we had the Engineers as dark in color like the Xeno then maybe we would not see some of the detail. Nope i dont think Prometheus was being racist at all. Really is there the same difference from White European Man, Chinese and Asian man, Middle Eastern Man or African Man to the Engineer.... nope!

How is it Racist? For one the Engineers are White and i mean like really white or should that be grey? They are meant to represent the depictions of gods and mainly look like many of the Greek Gods. And thus Marble in Color. Now most white Humans like me are not white, i am not white i am like what Tea with Milk Color? Michel Jackson was White, but not many are so pale. Just like Black People well i dont like that term either, as they are not black they are well Brown various browns even the darkest skinned African you cant really say is black. So i dont see why the debate? Also its a dark movie and if we had the Engineers as dark in color like the Xeno then maybe we would not see some of the detail. Nope i dont think Prometheus was being racist at all. Really is there the same difference from White European Man, Chinese and Asian man, Middle Eastern Man or African Man to the Engineer.... nope!

How is it Racist? For one the Engineers are White and i mean like really white or should that be grey? They are meant to represent the depictions of gods and mainly look like many of the Greek Gods. And thus Marble in Color. Now most white Humans like me are not white, i am not white i am like what Tea with Milk Color? Michel Jackson was White, but not many are so pale. Just like Black People well i dont like that term either, as they are not black they are well Brown various browns even the darkest skinned African you cant really say is black. So i dont see why the debate? Also its a dark movie and if we had the Engineers as dark in color like the Xeno then maybe we would not see some of the detail. Nope i dont think Prometheus was being racist at all. Really is there the same difference from White European Man, Chinese and Asian man, Middle Eastern Man or African Man to the Engineer.... nope!

Ok, ok ok . Let's get two things straight before we try to respond. Firstly, Hollywood is RACIST. If you believe otherwise, then i feel sorry for you. Secondly, i doubt anyone in here with European ancestry can really describe or know what racism is or what a racist is so don't "try to understand", please, it makes you look stupid. Personally, i feel there is no way to justify the Engineers being white other than Ridley might be saying that the reason why the world is f**ked is because white people came from the engineers and white people f**ked the world up, the engineers themsevles are a bunch of f**ked up c*nts. But that's not the case, or is it? The point the poster of this thread was trying to make, is "why are the engineers white?" I really don't see why they are. I dont know why Harvey "two face" Dent was white in The Dark Knight either. Anyway - maybe some of you should try having skin pigmentation for a change, and growing up in this world - and maybe you'll "understand" what the poster of this thread was trying to say. But i guess unless you have skin pigmentation you have no idea how challenging it is to have put up with "you people".

Your accusation makes no sense @chthon. Let us say that if the Engineers would of been black instead of white. You would of still brought up the issue of rascim. There are some people who will always nick and pick at everything when it does not satisfy there tastes.    You @whatisthematrix are a very ignorant individual who exists only to antagonize and disrupt everything you touch. If anybody is rascist it is you sir. Who views everything in black and white. The color grey does not exist in your world. Also, when created Harvey Dent (two-face) was white by the way. Also, the original Nick Fury was white, not black. But you probably did not know that. But when Marvel Comics originated the ultimate line. In that universe he was presented as white. So you must be happy that old Nick was played by old Samuel Jackson. Also when talking about Europe you should take a couple of history courses in European history. Rascim in Europe does still exist, and it is not just a color issue. The Brits starved the Irish population, which is also called the great hunger. The English colonized Ireland during the 12th century and tried to eradicate there culture, religion, language, and traditions of the Irish people. Many historians have even said that the Brits even tried to eradicate the Irish themselves. Another well known example of rascim during the 20th century was the holocaust. I think that you have heard about that in history class. Wel I hope so.  Also, as I recall when the Europeans began the slave trade, at the beginning they purchased the African slaves from other African tribes. These are tribes that had conflicts with one another. When one would conquer, the losers would be sold to the Europeans.  So please if you intend to express your opinions on this site. Be prepared to back them up with solid facts. This site was created to talk about sciene fiction, not racial issues. Grow up my man, life is to short.

I agree with allinamberclad. Good topic that needed a different opening presentation so to speak. ***EDIT*** Not that I, in any way, feel that Prometheus is racist.

My post was frivolous. I'm perfectly happy to accept the film isn't necessarily subconsciously racist. Black engineers, white engineers - the whole problem would have been sidestepped IF THEY WERE PROPER F-ING ALIENS!!! I enjoyed the film, but I can't help wish I lived in an alternate universe where RS decided the SpaceJockey was a bona fide alien and not a suit. Like the very SJ-looking alien's in Ray Harryhausen's absolute classic, 'the first men IN the moon' [img]http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2756/rayh034.jpg[/img]

whatisthematrix man you are soo lost mate grow up! By your assumptions the xenos being black is racist yer?! Omfg kiddy...+1 to Rubirosa yes totally whatisthematrix seem a bit racist himself and he doesn't even realise it!

There needs to be a re-make; "Blackmetheus" in which the engineers are black and the Deacon is white. The Hammerpede can also be black... getting more offensive by the minute. Seriously though, I think if the film had been more popular, making the 'original man' a neo-classical David may have attracted some criticism. My money's on some black Engineers turning up in the sequel...

I reckon they are all gay - I dont see no women engis omg hes being sexist maaaaaan.....

some people just have zero perspective on life/the human experience etc. @whatisthematrix: i have "skin pigmentation"; may i proceed to bitch and moan at will??? Again, give me a break.

Whatisthematrix, is expressing an opinion, passionately! Although i think it is a little too passionate! Yeah, the colour of the Engineers shouldn't be an issue!

Don't be so quick to write Chthon off... While I wouldn't say necessarily that 'Prometheus is racist', i.e. espouses racism, there are some racist themes in the subtext of the film. It was partly based on ideas from Graham Hancock and Erich von Daniken, historians/archaeoastronomers who talked about the abiogenesis/'mother culture' idea. Their ideas (and others) are still seen as some kind of 'proof' of superiority by some supporting fascist, racist ideas, such as in South Africa and Chile (after apartheid and Pinochet). These writers weren't necessarily racist, but their ideas are still an influence in these places...as were those of others (Julius Evola, Mircea Eliade, Miguel Serrano and even Nazi German thinkers) during Apartheid, Chilean dictatorship, Third Reich etc. There are also references in the film e.g. to Africa (as mentioned, with the image of the globe), to interracial relationships (Theron/Elba), the social dynamic e.g. white engineers... Also, and maybe a stretch, but the idea of 'Prometheanism' (i.e. that there are some 'great people' who move the 'motor of history') has been espoused by e.g. some on the right in the U.S.A., who've developed their own modern form of libertarianism/Ayn Randianism. None of this is to say that the film is racist, I don't think it is...but in this kind of theme dealing with 'human origins', it may be that racism is a common theme and ideas will make their way into a story...

maybe OP was hoping Engineers would look like [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&v=5CVEG-qbEFE]BAPHOMET[/url] from Clive Barker's Nightbreed - you know, obviously without all the crappy handdrawn fx gunk all over it, the BLACK GOO of a MAN. But if you look at DEEP SEA SHRIMPS, they're generally white because of lack of light miles down in the depth of the ocean - I'd apply this to the Engineers, too - they've been deprived of light (my summary is they spend almost all their time in cryo) [img]http://files.doobybrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/giant-shrimp-like-sea-creatures-2.jpg[/img]

Looks like my post was edited. I wouldn't want to offend anyone, so apologies if I did. Anyway, so I think it's still a problem for the Western movie canon to integrate mankind's African origins into films that touch on ancient man. Of course the topic is sensitive due to the sorry history of racism, going back ancient scripts in which the Romans ridiculed the Carthaginians, and Normans ridiculing the Irish etc etc. I suggest it's very easy to see the opening scene as some kind of Norse, white-God creation myth. Which I'm sure the Stormfront crowd would love.

Gonna re-post my comment and image I responded with awhile back on this thread. The continent of Africa shows whenever the Earth is depicted in the movie. [i]Please don't make a race issue where there isn't one. There are at least three shots of earth in the movie, and each time the continent of Africa is highlighted. This more than anything, indicates that Ridley DOES think Africa is the cradle of life.[/i] [IMG]http://i47.tinypic.com/23h98nl.jpg[/IMG]

Did you notice that the 3D Fox "statue" at the intro to the movie shared the same colour cast as the Engineers / Hammerpedes? A lovely design element in my opinion. Nothing racist about it. For one thing, there's no race on Earth with skin like that.

Janek didn't die first...