Let me state first that I am not a big comic book person. Like it or not, all of us grew up pretending every now and then to be Spiderman, and later The Fantastic Four and X-Men. I also really liked Black Panther, needless to say.
I hope what's not lost amidst the accolades of the comic book guru was his strong stance against racism and discrimination. That to me was very pleasing to know and added loads of character and integrity to his achievement.
Below were some quotes by Stan Lee throughout the ages.
‘If we could only learn that the world is big enough for all of us …’
In 1968, the year Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated, Lee wrote: “Let’s lay it right on the line. Racism and bigotry are among the deadliest social ills plaguing the world today. But, unlike a team of costumed supervillains, they can’t be halted with a punch in the snoot or a zap from a ray gun. The only way to destroy them, is to expose them – to reveal for the insidious evil they really are. Now, we’re not trying to say it’s unreasonable for one human being to bug another. But, although anyone has the right to dislike another individual, it’s totally irrational, patently insane to condemn an entire race—to despise an entire nation—to vilify an entire religion. Sooner or later, we must learn to judge each other on our own merits. Sooner or later, if man is ever to be worthy of his destiny, we must fill out hearts with tolerance. For then, and only then, will we be truly worthy of the concept that man was created in the image of God–a God who calls us ALL—His children."
“The bigot is an unreasoning hater – one who hates blindly, fanatically, indiscriminately … He hates people he’s never seen – people he’s never known – with equal intensity – with equal venom … It’s totally irrational, patently insane to condemn an entire race – to despise an entire nation – to vilify an entire religion,” Lee added at the time.
During a 1971 interview with Rolling Stone, Lee said: “I think the only message I have ever tried to get across is for Christsake, don’t be bigoted. Don’t be intolerant. If you’re a radical, don’t think that all of the conservatives have horns … I think most people want the same thing. They want to live a happy family life, they want to be at peace, they want no physical violence, nobody to hurt them, and they want the good things that life has to offer. But I think everybody sees us reaching that nirvana by a different path.”
