I question the Teen Titans example here, with Cyborg's line about being put down because he's part-robot somehow being portrayed as missing the point. Folks, think about it. In real life, if you saw someone half-robot like Cyborg coming down the street at you, would you *really* be freaked or disgusted by him being *black*? At that point, skin color wouldn't matter — kids, teens (any humans) would be scared shitless of this robot thing and likely would never notice or care what color skin he had. I'd say, yeah, Cyborg experienced racism before his accident, but that's been completely eclipsed by the reactions he's gotten as this half-robot freak.
On top of that, Starfire being an alien, she might not get why skin color would be an issue on a planet as diverse as Earth — but half-robot on a planet of non-cyborgs? Definitely.
I question the Teen Titans example here, with Cyborg's line about being put down because he's part-robot somehow being portrayed as missing the point. Folks, think about it. In real life, if you saw someone half-robot like Cyborg coming down the street at you, would you *really* be freaked or disgusted by him being *black*? At that point, skin color wouldn't matter — kids, teens (any humans) would be scared shitless of this robot thing and likely would never notice or care what color skin he had. I'd say, yeah, Cyborg experienced racism before his accident, but that's been completely eclipsed by the reactions he's gotten as this half-robot freak.
On top of that, Starfire being an alien, she might not get why skin color would be an issue on a planet as diverse as Earth — but half-robot on a planet of non-cyborgs? Definitely.