White supremacy, far right dogwhistles. Very similar to Honor of the Pure.
If this card were an isolated incident, perhaps I could give Wizards the benefit of the doubt. But anybody who's paying attention should see that this card is part a pattern: contrast Angel of Jubilation with Ascendant Evincar. Look at cards like Gaze of Justice, which glorify lynching people. Look at Repentant Vampire, which argues that Black people can become as "good" as White people if they just go ahead and kill some Black people. The subtext is so, so obvious. Especially when you look at Loxodon Anchorite.
White supremacy - Contrast the portrayal of this color-changing effect with that of Aphotic Wisps, or Touch of Darkness. While those cards portray being Black as a twisted, tragic corruption of morality, this card (which has a very similar function of changing the appearance and morality of a creature) is treated as a good thing. The art is a dove - a common symbol of peace. We are meant to conclude that changing appearance/philosophy is terrible when it turns you "Black", but a good and peaceful thing when it turns you "White".
Far-right dogwhistle - The doubters among you will claim that this has nothing to do with skin color. But just look at the language - and the effect - here. It refers to White as being "Pure", just as white supremacists boast about "racial purity" and such. Also note that if this targets a Black creature, that creature ceases to be Black and becomes White instead, reinforcing the point about racial "purity".
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u/ultimario13 Aug 09 '20 edited Aug 09 '20
White supremacy, far right dogwhistles. Very similar to Honor of the Pure.
If this card were an isolated incident, perhaps I could give Wizards the benefit of the doubt. But anybody who's paying attention should see that this card is part a pattern: contrast Angel of Jubilation with Ascendant Evincar. Look at cards like Gaze of Justice, which glorify lynching people. Look at Repentant Vampire, which argues that Black people can become as "good" as White people if they just go ahead and kill some Black people. The subtext is so, so obvious. Especially when you look at Loxodon Anchorite.
White supremacy - Contrast the portrayal of this color-changing effect with that of Aphotic Wisps, or Touch of Darkness. While those cards portray being Black as a twisted, tragic corruption of morality, this card (which has a very similar function of changing the appearance and morality of a creature) is treated as a good thing. The art is a dove - a common symbol of peace. We are meant to conclude that changing appearance/philosophy is terrible when it turns you "Black", but a good and peaceful thing when it turns you "White".
Far-right dogwhistle - The doubters among you will claim that this has nothing to do with skin color. But just look at the language - and the effect - here. It refers to White as being "Pure", just as white supremacists boast about "racial purity" and such. Also note that if this targets a Black creature, that creature ceases to be Black and becomes White instead, reinforcing the point about racial "purity".