How to Use Your Vibranium
For Black History Month and in celebration of Black Panther’s one year anniversary and Oscar nominations, I’m doing a series of blog posts inspired by the things we can learn and appreciate in this multilayered film.
Last week, I detailed A White Reaction to Black Panther. One of the most important pieces of my analysis has to do with the role of “vibranium,” the natural resource that drives Wakandan culture and society. Vibranium is more than a precious metal. In the movie, it’s the reason Wakanda has so many technological advancements. It’s integral to their culture, beauty, art, economy, and security. It’s also a symbol.
Vibranium is the ultimate natural resource. It is beauty, creativity, ingenuity inside of you, and as we talked about with Ross and Klaue, it can be appreciated, or it can be exploited. Last week, my focus was on how we handle the vibranium of others, but this week we’re turning inward.
Using Your Vibranium
Everyone has their own God-given talents. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. We have things that give us potential. You have an inner beauty, creativity, and skill that can potentially help the world. You have vibranium. The question is: How should you use it?
Looking to Black Panther’s example, we have three basic options.
One—King T’Chaka and Isolationism
Before T’Challa is crowned king and before his father is killed in Captain America: Civil War, King T’Chaka is ruler of Wakanda. He upholds the traditions of the nation, and by all accounts, he’s a fantastic, well-respected leader.
The problem, and perhaps only real weakness and blindspot in Wakandan culture, is isolationism. And I hesitate to use the word weakness, because the country thrived on its own, and its isolationist policies are part of how it was able to develop apart from the rest of the world’s influence.
No European country could colonize Wakanda. Wakanda was a beautiful secret. In some ways. the rest of the world didn’t deserve Wakanda. If King T’Chaka or any of the kings before him revealed Wakanda’s true potential to the world, it possibly would’ve been wiped out.
So, how is isolationism a flaw? Wakanda thrived independently of any other nation. Wakanda adopted the facade of a third world country. Wakanda protected itself from intruders. But this focus on defense led to a combination of fear and pride.
Fear that Wakanda would be destroyed the moment the world knew its worth. Pride that the world didn’t deserve its help or genius.
But, as Spiderman learned from Uncle Ben, “With great power comes great responsibility.” This great responsibility leads Peter to continue being Spiderman, even when his doubts weigh him down, his personal life is threatened, and he tries to quit.
Wakanda needed to learn this lesson on a geopolitical scale.
What began as a defense mechanism became a failure to act, a sin of omission. King T’Chaka cements this sin with the killing of his brother N’Jobu, leaving his nephew to grow up abandoned. Leaving his nephew to become Killmonger.
Two—Killmonger and Chaos
Erik Stevens grew up to be Killmonger because of his uncle’s failings. T’Chaka killed Erik’s father out of fear. T’Chaka didn’t want to help people. He wanted to protect Wakanda at all costs, and those costs included the suffering of his Oakland-born nephew.
What makes Killmonger such a memorable villain is his resonance. He sees the problems in the world and he wants t fix it. And he knows access to Wakanda’s vibranium could help him do just that. He may be the villain, but he’s more complicated than a simple I-want-to-take-over-the-world type of villain. His mission and his pain resonate with anyone who’s been oppressed.
What could be more painful that for family to turn its back on you?
Killmonger sees T’Chaka’s unwillingness to help and groups Wakanda with the other oppressors of the world. Wakanda was supposed to be set apart, unaffected by the rest of the world, yet became a bourgeoisie all on its own.
Killmonger was hurt by someone powerful, and wants to extend his mission of vengeance to other oppressed peoples—which means making vibranium weaponry to arm minorities around the world for revolution.
The problem? You can’t fight violence with more violence. Killmonger wants revenge, not justice. He doesn’t want to fix the system—he wants to take its power. Little Erik was so hurt by his uncle’s hypocrisy, he didn’t recognize it when his thirst for justice became its own form of hypocrisy.
He says he wants to help people, but his form of vengeance-filled empowerment isn’t true empowerment. It’s a deepening of division and chaos. He’s not empowering the oppressed. He’s equipping them to become oppressors themselves. By enabling them to fight, Killmonger isn’t solving the problem but making it larger.
What’s difficult and complex about Erik is the fact that he’s not entirely wrong. There’s truth and a sense of justice to his desires. But in the end, he’s trying to replace isolationism with class warfare, replacing hiding with fighting, and replacing one defense mechanism with another.
But with T’Challa and the movie’s end, we see a third path come to the surface.
Three—T’Challa and Empowerment
Wakanda doesn’t have to hide from the world and hoard and protect its vibranium to keep it safe from the world. Wakanda also doesn’t have to feed the deadly cycle of violence and class warfare. Wakanda can use its power for empowerment instead of destruction.
T’Challa learns from his father and his cousin. Wakanda can’t do nothing and let people suffer when it could easily help. Wakanda also can’t lead people into more suffering by fueling violence.
In the end, they announce intentions to help the world. They establish a youth outreach center in Oakland, in the very spot T’Challa’s uncle died and Killmonger was born. True justice and restitution comes from empowerment.
The Application: More Than Survival
Another way you can look at it: T’Chaka and Killmonger are two sides of the same coin. When you’re in distress, to protect yourself your body has a “fight or flight” response. Fight equals Killmonger, flight equals T’Chaka. If you want to be T’Challa, you need to rise above these primal responses. You need to rise above fear.
You need to be brave.
This is, obviously, easier said than done. If someone’s trying to hurt us, or if circumstances are holding us back, we’re too busy to realize our potential. We’re too busy surviving.
But your vibranium needs to be used. You have something in you that can be shared. Something that can help the world. YOU have vibranium! Is it art? Is it kindness? Is it compassion? Vibranium can be expressed in almost anything.
This diversity is part of what makes vibranium so special.
But what if you’re trapped in the fight-or-flight? What if you can’t use your vibranium? Surround yourself with people who will encourage you, strengthen you, empower you. This is how life is meant to be! You can sharpen your friends and your friends can sharpen you.
In the end, only you can figure out how to use your vibranium. But let me leave you with a few tips.
Invest in your talents.
Ignore the haters. If they don’t understand your vibranium, it’s okay. They may need some time to exit the fight-or-flight mindset.
Invest in others. Help them mine their vibranium. Diversity is beautiful, and it’s okay if their vibranium looks different from your own.
~~~~~~~
Before I end, I do have a final thought.
Though I maintain that everyone has a symbolic “vibranium,” I would be amiss to not mention the specific racial implications of Black Panther. I cannot speak for anyone, but I know that Killmonger’s mission resonated with many minorities, especially urban African Americans.
I can’t pretend that I know your experience. Like I said in my previous post, I want to be humble and seek to understand.
Because of America’s history and the still recentness of the Civil Rights Movement, many still feel the pains of racism. Wakanda feels like a dream. But you don’t need a physical Wakanda. You have the vibranium. Kendrick is right: By the grace of God, you have loyalty and royalty inside your DNA.
Your vibranium is important and needs to be fostered. Yes, protect it. But also grow it, and allow it to bloom.
As a white guy, I know my experience is limited. But as a writer and artist using my own vibranium, I want to do everything in my power to help others use theirs.
That being said—If anything I’ve said is off-base, uninformed, or ignorant, please always feel free to contact me so we can dialogue.
