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Should Mighty Whitey include the Recycled In Space versions...

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nrjxll Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Not war
#1: Apr 9th 2011 at 10:59:34 PM

...or should that be separated into a different trope?

There's an lot of archived discussion on whether things like Avatar should be considered part of this trope or not. While they may be obvious references to real life racial issues, Avatar and similar examples are technically about aliens and such, and might not belong on this trope.

On the other hand, as some of the posters in the archived discussion suggested, there's the possibility that Mighty Whitey is a subtrope to a more general trope of "character assimilates into foreign culture and proves better than its inhabitants at stuff". We could create that as a trope and leave Mighty Whitey as one specific form it can take.

Or is this all a case of Tropes Are Flexible, and Mighty Whitey does not have to be exclusively about whites? A mention is made of non-American media applying this to their own cultures. Humans Are Special is also listed as a related concept (which it definitely is), but I don't think it's the proper trope for the kind of examples I'm talking about.

Deboss I see the Awesomeness. from Awesomeville Texas Since: Aug, 2009
I see the Awesomeness.
#2: Apr 9th 2011 at 11:20:13 PM

Didn't Mighty Whitey get split a while ago or something for just that reason?

Fight smart, not fair.
nrjxll Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Not war
#3: Apr 9th 2011 at 11:32:30 PM

If it did, the new trope isn't mentioned anywhere on the page and there's still many of the Recycled In Space type examples.

Deboss I see the Awesomeness. from Awesomeville Texas Since: Aug, 2009
I see the Awesomeness.
#4: Apr 9th 2011 at 11:36:16 PM

Hm. I want to say it wasn't about the Recycled In Space aspect, but that "the new guy saves everyone" part that got broken off. But I'm going off of vague memories, and it may have never launched.

Fight smart, not fair.
shimaspawn from Here and Now Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: In your bunk
#5: Apr 10th 2011 at 9:42:09 AM

I don't think it got enough examples in the YKTTW that weren't Mighty Whitey.

edited 10th Apr '11 9:42:23 AM by shimaspawn

Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick
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