A $0.50 rant on Racism in True Blood, Chocolate News and the US Presidential Campaign

[hackthis_archive]

You know how you have shit building up and then you hit that tipping point and you're like, fine, I see I'm going to have to talk about this or I will be up all night yelling and scaring the neighbors.



When True Blood first premiered however many weeks ago, I had no real interest in it as I'm not into the whole vampire thing, the Mary Sue thing or pretty much anything about that entire concept. I watched it for two wholly shallow reasons 1) it's on HBO and 2) it will eventually have Alexander Skarsgard from Generation Kill. And because I was being shallow about it, I didn't expect it to be good, but I certainly didn't expect to have the only black female on the show in the first fifteen minutes be depicted as stroppy, lazy, poor and on the whole the most stereotypical racist depiction of an angry black female on TV that I've seen in a long fucking time. And that just seemed to be her entire purpose, to be angry and mouthy and pine after the most stupid, greasy, useless piece of human waste I have seen in a long fucking time. Seriously. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?

If the only depiction of you on a show was like that, you'd be fucking angry too. But you know, maybe this doesn't offend you. Maybe you think, hackthis, you really should get over it. But allow me to explain something to you: there are only X number of People of Color (POC) on TV at any given time. Certainly no more than 10% of the roles cast are going to someone who is non-white. There are whole series set in urban centers that NEVER have anyone darker than a spray-on tan on them. So, when you are a person of color, every last role, every last character is important, because to somebody out there in the viewing world it is going to represent you.

A non-POC can turn on the TV and with a little channel surfing, find someone like them: a geek, a nerd, a jock, somebody who's overweight or gangly or Juno or Buffy the Vampire Slayer or someone who's blond or brunette or bald or what the fuck ever. POCs don't get that. On any show that has a minority, there is generally only one. ONE. The strong black guy that has no brain, the Hispanic woman that's all sex, the Asian guy that's all brain, the black woman that's nothing but angry.

And you know what makes POCs angry? Getting stereotyped like that. Turning on a TV and having somebody else perpetuate a myth that all black women are angry and lazy and come from broken homes and pine over worthless men and have a cousin who sells drugs is just -- I mean really? Why not just say that we're all video hoes, worth nothing more than bling and spandex. Or welfare queens, even though the majority of people on welfare are not POCs.

And frankly, I don't care if this isn't how it goes in the books, this is what's on the TV and to me it's shameful and lazy and racist. But that's why people go with stereotypes, because it's so much easier to use them than to come up with something new. After all, how shocking would it be if Tara actually had a real job and a stable family and sex appeal of her own and she didn't need Sookie or run after Jason's nasty ass? Yes, clearly to depict a black woman like that would be shocking. Can't have that.

So, you know, if you like True Blood, that's fine, but don't tell me how they really don't mean it like that, because you damn well better believe that's what they're showing.

And if you think I'm overreacting or I just don't get it, name the last time you saw a positive depiction of a black woman on TV on a show that is not Grey's Anatomy. And by positive I mean someone who is allowed to be intelligent, and have a life and not be comedic relief. Now do the same thing with a Hispanic woman, a black man and an Asian man. Go on. I'll wait.

Which brings me to the new Comedy Central show, Chocolate News.

Jewish people have Jon Stewart.

Catholic people get Stephen Colbert.

Black people HAD Dave, but Dave got tired working for the man, and Comedy Central replaces him with David Alan Grier, who's doing a show perpetuating every fucking stereotype possible about black people being lazy, materialistic, inarticulate and straight up ghetto?

Fuck you, Comedy Central.

And while we're on the subject of people needing to get run over by a bus... I am a firm believer that you should be positive. That you get out of this world what you put into it, but let me tell you right now that if I ever come across Sarah Palin, she and I are going to have words. Major fucking words that will probably end with a Ari-worthy bitchslap. Not about rape kits and shooting wolves from planes. Not even about abstinence only lessons in schooling and naming just ONE Supreme Court case besides Roe v Wade (not that I was expecting her to name Dred Scott or Brown v The BoE), but because she has the audacity to go out on the road and tell people that Barack Hussein Obama isn't "an American like you and me."

And why is that? because I'm pretty sure he has a US passport. You know, that thing you finally procured in 2006, Mrs. Palin.

Now, is it because his name isn't Joe fucking Six Pack? Is it because he went to Harvard? Is it because he was a Community Organizer?

No. It's not that.

It's because his mom is from Kansas and his dad is from Kenya. It's because when she's saying, he's not like 'us,' what Mrs. MY PROFESSIONAL SNOW MOBILING HUSBAND AND I PULLED IN ONE MILLION DOLLARS LAST YEAR is saying that Barack Obama is black, and black is scary. Black is different. Well, except for those people who are already 'different' but they're not like Palin anyway.

And sure the mavericks (even though a maverick by definition is singular, meaning one person doing it on their own) are going to bring change, but everybody knows the black man is scary. He's always been scary. He might steal your wallet. He might steal your car. The black guy, he might become president and enslave all the white people. And that's just way too much change.

These are trufax.

Jon Stewart even asked Barack if that was going to happen.

Except when Jon asked this question, he was joking. What Sarah Palin is doing is alluding to the fact that it might really happen.

Wow. That takes balls.

But, you know, if you're really afraid. If you really want to find the terrorists plaguing the United States right now, and you want to know why you're afraid at night and think about buying that gas mask from the Army Surplus, then look no further than John McCain's running mate. And then you can look at John McCain himself.

And if, when you go into that voting booth on November 4th, you want to vote for real fucking change and not the same old racist, good-old boy bullshit, vote for Barack Obama.

But if you think change is scary, and if you'd rather have the same Katrina-ignoring, economic failing, human rights violating, international-reputation destroying, warmongering same-ole, same-ole, you know, vote for McCain. It's your right.


eta: Do not link to metafandom. Thanks.

Comments

[artemis-rain.livejournal.com]

Hello from the shit who DID say Battlestar Galactica! Just wanted to make a comment on race in SciFi. I don't think it's fair to say that portrayal of racial stereotypes doesn't count in SciFi because the characters' culture doesn't posses the same American stereotypes. SciFi is, after all, largely created from American ideas and tends to centre around taking what we have and expanding it to explore what might be, what could have been, and what may yet be, which is of course going to rely heavily on American ideas of what IS. I DO, however, see a problem with race in SciFi, and that is that in the making of far too many SciFi shows, even with casts that are quite diverse, the POC's tend to play aliens.

Off the top of my head: the Klingons, Guinan (she wasn't human, right? It's been too long) and Tuvok from Star Trek. Teal'c, Ronon and Teyla from the Stargate Shows. Tyr from Andromeda. Even in Battlestar Galactica, four POC's spring to mind (Dee, Sharon, Tory and Simon) and three of them are Cylons. So, even in shows that portray POC's positively, they're still cast as the ones who are different, outsiders, not like the "normal" white humans.

Exceptions: Martha Jones from Doctor Who and Torchwood. Zoe from Firefly. LaForge from Star Trek TNG... That's actually all I can think of right now, but I'm sure there are more.

Sorry for using your comment to springboard onto my own personal soapbox!

[chicklet-girl.livejournal.com]

1. Word.

2. If we're listing characters of color on TV shows, Numbers just added Sophina Brown to replace Diane Farr. Brown's character is a veteran of the LAPD who has a law degree and now works for the FBI. (For some reason, the IMDB has her listed for only two episodes, but I swear I heard she's a regular character.) Numbers also has Alimi Ballard in a regular role, and Navi Rawat plays a mathematician, and the head of the college math department is a woman (played by Kathy Najimy). Oh, and I've heard that Rob Morrow, David Krumholtz, and Judd Hirsch all assumed before the first season that the Eppes family is Jewish (they themselves all are Jewish), but the network apparently wanted to avoid making that explicit.

2a. But then at the end of every episode, most of the supporting characters fade away and the focus is on the Eppes family.

3. I've noticed that almost all of the shows we're discussing with POC regulars are workplace-based shows. There's no POC version of, say, Brothers and Sisters, and that situation is beyond annoying.

[refche.livejournal.com]

Hope you don't mind me being tl;dr about it.

I guess I mean it in the same way I see normalcy in real life. Half the time I can't believe what people obsess over. (The other half I'm aware that I'm doing the same by being so infuriated with other people.) Cosmo and sex and what other people are doing and pettiness. Completely distorted priorities.

In this show uniquely, through Sookie, we get a pretty clear glimpse of how people think and see things. She's so hot, I want to... - is it gay if it's a vampire? - damn fangbanger deserved what she got. All the petty and judgmental bullshit they like to define normalcy with. But it's a little overstated through her, unreal. Everyone caring about everyone else, but not in the nice definition of care, it's that raw and voyeur side that doesn't look away from something horrible for all the wrong reasons. It's the Americana in the opening credits. And some characters and scenes are there to show me that America != Americana.

Sookie is telepathic and she understands people the least. Sam, who barks like a dog when he sleeps and rolls around a dead girl's bed. And Jason who's so immature he thinks his dick is the center of the universe. Arlene who's a simple waitress on first glance, but thinks so highly of herself for being pure and human, who would think a girl deserves to die for fucking a vampire.

Distorted priorities. That's how I define abnormal, I think. Dawn was grounded and I liked her for it. And she died because she was fucking a vampire. White girl privilege, to be carefree.

And then you have these two characters that are completely aware. Of how the people around them function, the shit they need, too burdened by shame to admit it. And I see them as too aware of how society sees them, so they take those stereotypes and fuck them up for everyone to see. On purpose and not. It gives Lafayette the freedom to wear make-up and skirts and sell drugs at the end of the day. Getting what he needs at the price of what they need.

I'll be honest and admit I kinda freaked out when I saw him being all sex, drugs, knows-everyone cousin. I was so smitten by him in the pilot, the queer, make-up wearing black guy, so much braver than the quiet suit-and-tie black guy in the background of most TV shows. I honestly groaned out loud, thinking the writers are idiots. And then he went ahead and hit on the straightest guy there and I was in love again. I feel like the show/canon/TPTB, purposefully doesn't let me for one second assume I know shit about this character. That's his characterization.

When Tara opens her mouth and lets all the shit pour out, true and not, it's not for hilarity, it's not irrational, it's not angry in a "crazy bitch needs a leash" way. Her filters are malfunctioning, it doesn't matter if Sookie can read her mind, it all comes out anyway. Except for that one thing, and it's not that she wouldn't like for it to come out, it's that Jason never really puts her in a position where she can. (Someone so uninterested in you they can't even see what everyone else sees.) And it makes her real and realistic and broken, but at the same time completely aware of it. Bullshit is a way of life for her, but at the same time she won't take it and won't give it, not in the way other people do.

It's not about being better than someone else, they're not superior or inferior. People are basically people and all the same depending on when and where you get to see them. It's kinda like that Joe Six-Pack LJ post floating around lately. Normal isn't what they think normal is. And for me, in my life and experience, Tara and Lafayette are.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Normal isn't what they think normal is.

Huh. I think we just see it very differently in terms of how we're approaching it. I don't tend to see 'normal' as anything but some abstract by which people try to judge others. No two people are the same, no two lives are the same, so to declare that there's this middle ground called 'normal' when everyone's not starting from the same place just seems... skewed. As for Tara and Lafayette being more aware of the differences that other people are, by being minorities they have no choice in the matter. This is what being a POC is about, it's about knowing you're different and how you are, and adapting in which ever way you can. I'd like to say I see them subverting the way people pigeon-hole them, but frankly I don't give the writers that much credit.

[tuff-ghost.livejournal.com]

Maybe my explanation will be similar to theirs? I too feel that they are "grounded" and "normal" characters, mostly because they seem to have more perspective than any of the others. They were both shown to be particularly aware of the conventions that make their lives boring and/or crappy (Tara's outburst about stupid racists in the first ep; Lafayette's rationale for his decision to turn tricks). They're more realistically self-interested, whereas other characters are either just comically selfish (Jason, Dawn), or creepily obsessed with a single other person (Sookie, Sam, and Bill). I think they are both much more plausible figures than any of the other major characters...and I realize you may find that upsetting because the roles they've been given ("angry black woman", drug dealer, prostitute, etc) are unsavoury.

Obviously I'm not trying to say "LOL they are believable characters because everyone knows black people are drug dealers!". What I am trying to say is 1) unsavoury, self-interested, but not exaggeratedly disgusting characters are plausible and "normal" and 2) I can't make the connection between their unpleasant qualities and their race, so I have a hard time stepping out of that perspective and believing that anyone else but out-and-out racists would make the connection either. #2 is meant to explain my lack of understanding, not to imply that I dismiss your perception of the show as racist, btw.

I'm still on the fence about whether I want to download episode 5. I really don't like anyone BUT Tara and Lafayette.

[refche.livejournal.com]

I'll take this opportunity to use my English-is-my-second-language card.

What you said, about them not having a choice but to be aware, that's exactly what I meant to say but you're much more eloquent and concise about it. And that point there is the reason why I think they're a deliberate commentary, but I completely understand your lack of faith in TPTB. They've fucked up much less sensitive subjects.

As for 'normal', it's probably another example of my utter inability to express my thoughts properly, where I actually mean 'grounded'. But at the same time, I mean to say there is no such thing as normal, just people that think they are. And people that know they aren't.

[cat-eyed-fox.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Even though most of the actors are Brittish or Canadian, and I've noticed that both the CTV and BCC are both really good at having diverse casts. Although I think it's more, "what's the big deal. That's just the people we cast." and less "ah we've filled are quota for the 3 major minority groups, now to write plotlines that showcase how ethnically diverse we are by perpetuating stereotypes."

[cat-eyed-fox.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I didn't have time to read every comment, I just skimmed. You do make good points. If I remember my SciFi history correctly it was created as a response to the feelings of paranoia brought on by the Red Scare of Communism in the '50s. Aliens represented Communists and such, so it is perhaps a hold over in some subconscious way that most of the not white characters are aliens or sentient robots.
My point was instead that in a vacum universe like BSG a writer would have to strive to eliminate American based stereotypes, because the characters would not have any context for knowing said stereotypes. They have their very own trail mix of craziness and bigotry. For instance in BSG the colony where Dee is from (I think!) is considered to be religious crazies and were actually victims of hate crimes in the episode "The Woman King."
Not a problem with the soap box thing. You made good points and I needed to clarify apparently.

[mecurtin.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I kind of walked into (http://mecurtin.livejournal.com/657433.html) this one myself (http://mecurtin.livejournal.com/657756.html), saying things that were ... not sufficiently squeeful, in my shock at seeing TB's credit sequence. I still have no idea what's going on with that.

One thing I noticed as I was trying to find out more about TB & the people involved in it, cruising around IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844441/), is that on IMDB shows and movies look whiter than they really are, because actors of color are *far* less likely to have a little iconette next to their name in the credits than white actors are. Is this a deliberate choice by their agents? Or is it something the actors are expected to do for themselves, and PoC don't?

[bearfairie.livejournal.com]

Thank you and amen to your whole freaking post.

Honestly? IMHO we should ALL be having rage blackouts b/c of shit like this. The Palin shit (I agree with an earlier post where you said your blood pressure spikes just typing her name... I have the same reaction...), the complete lack of decent PoC characters on tv, the unchecked racism that calls itself entertainment on my tv, etc. Racism absolutely hurts some of us more than others, but ultimately it hurts *all* of us, regardless of our race. A fact which I wish more white people realized. In general, I really don't watch alot of tv b/c it pisses me off almost universally. The senseless violence which then desensitizes us as a culture to *real* violence, the direct and indirect racism, the sexism, heterosexism, homophobia, the part where something traumatic happens to a character who is then magically fixed with NO LASTING CONSEQUENCES! by the next episode b/c some heroic usually white dude shows up and saves him/her? shall I go on? We all have our specific hot buttons around this stuff, but honestly I just end up thinking we as a society should be demanding more from entertainment and the media in general, and I wish I knew how to make that happen. I'm so not about censorship ever, not at all, but we all get to vote with our feet/dollars/eyes/attention/etc.

palin makes me want to cry on a good day, resort to senseless (is it senseless when SHE DESERVES IT??) violence on a not so good day. I am dreading the upcoming election - I really don't know what I'll do if the psychopaths win. I really honestly think McCain/Palin is *worse* than Bush/Cheney, for real. And the current state of our economy, our endless wars in the mideast, our failing world reputation, and all the other charming things that Bush Inc has done to our country... the record speaks for itself. I'm honestly afraid it'll be worse if they win. I am hard pressed to imagine what worse would look like but...

[grey-bard.livejournal.com]

Criminal Minds is pretty good. Derek Morgan is one of the heroes of the show (there isn't really a main character on the show) and has at *least* as interesting and complex a personality and backstory as the white characters. Also, there was a Latina character, but the actress quit.

Of course, this is not to say that from a certain angle you couldn't find a few problematic points. For example, in all the advertising copy, the other characters are described by their work capabilities and Morgan is described simply as "hot" and a "hunk". Also, it's a wee bit wow watch your subtext to have the black character be the one who (for extremely valid and traumatic reasons) is emotionally unready to handle romantic commitment, and instead has a series of friendly one night stands.

[blacksquirrel.livejournal.com]

"why the hell is Alaska more "American" than Hawaii?"

WORD

[daraq.livejournal.com]

I'm nodding so hard that my neck hurts. Thank you so much for posting.

[snookscribbles.livejournal.com]

Ever since this post I've been thinking about my other favorite HBO series - Deadwood - and how the representation of POC is the best and most accurate portrayal of racial tensions I've ever seen on the West. Again. Sad day HBO. What the fuck happened?

Did you know that Palin's husband is half-Inuit, at least that's what I heard in the beginning.

Yeah, that's what I heard too. Funny that that little tidbit disappeared from the campaign discourse. Of course, she could believe that the Eskimos are descended from the Vikings.

[legxleg.livejournal.com]

Sorry to jump into someone else's conversation, but when I saw your post I thought of this NPR article, about how The Middleman is awesome because it follows the Bechdel Rule (two women talking about something other than men), and also follows the Deggans rule (which I'd not heard before, but is having two nonwhite characters in the main cast of a show that's not about race).

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2008/09/the_bechdel_rule_1.html

[redjacket.livejournal.com]

Yes. I wanted to give True Blood a try, even though I am so not into vampires, because of Alexander Skarsgård. But I started watching it and...yeah, no. For pretty much exactly these reasons.

And also because it was bad.

The only show I can think of is, uh, Project Runway? I don't really watch much tv and that was on last night and I realize I am far behind the curve on what exactly goes down because I have to wait for it to come here (we're at the drag queen episode) but Korto and Terri seem to be consistently and entirely awesome. Maybe because they're actually real. In the tv show sense.

The actress who plays Dani on Life is Iranian and gets to be in the show and is, in general, pretty goddamn awesome and flawed but still kick ass, uh, I totally love her. But I'm nervous about where they're going this season.

The Palin thing...I'm not an American. I'm worried about my own currently happening election. But. I cannot listen/watch her OR McCain without starting to just yell. I can't even understand how you can have that mindset. I just don't get it.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

(sent here by moosesal)

Dude. YES to True Blood. I sat slack jawed at the first few minutes when Tara did her head roll/finger snap/Imma call my babydaddy routine. Good fucking hell.

But then, I'm a believer that Alan Ball is the Jane Campion of HBO: over rated and pretentious. He clearly hates the south and believes in ALL of the southern cliches, and that show is chock full of them.

[theothersandman.livejournal.com]

Seriously: When are the Team Hackthis t-shirts coming out? 'Cause I want one.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

re: True Blood. Haven't started d/ling it, but all I can say is thank god I live in the UK, where stereotyping tends to get whacked over the head very quickly - the only PoC I've seen stereotyped in recent years on something high-profile was Tosh in Torchwood (japanese geek). But to balance her out all the guest stars *weren't* stereotyped. (dear Torchwood writers : More Det. Swanson, plz)

And that's one of the (many) things I miss about the UK. The class issues, you know, problematic, but with race, people just tend to think 'what the fuck ever.' Okay, some people don't, but things will never be ideal.

Palin is going to send me to the doctor with high blood pressure.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

3. I've noticed that almost all of the shows we're discussing with POC regulars are workplace-based shows. There's no POC version of, say, Brothers and Sisters, and that situation is beyond annoying.

That is a fucking excellent point, because you know POCs actually exist outside of work. Did you not know that?

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

The first time I saw the title sequence I had a sufficently large WTF moment, but when I thought about it I said, "okay. If you're detailing the south, I guess he's being thorough," but it doesn't mean I didn't think it was distasteful. But I actually find a lot of True Blood distasteful *besides* the race issues, for a start it has the most unsexy porn ever. Watching a steady basis of that could put me off sex forever.

One thing I noticed as I was trying to find out more about TB & the people involved in it, cruising around IMDB, is that on IMDB shows and movies look whiter than they really are, because actors of color are *far* less likely to have a little iconette next to their name in the credits than white actors are. Is this a deliberate choice by their agents? Or is it something the actors are expected to do for themselves, and PoC don't?

No, it's not a race thing it's an agency thing. Stuff like imdb is generally taken care of by your 'people' the further down you are on the totem pole the less likely you are to have people actually paying attention to stuff like this.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

For example, in all the advertising copy, the other characters are described by their work capabilities and Morgan is described simply as "hot" and a "hunk".

Shocking, totally... not shocking.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

You're welcome :)

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

I love Project Runway, because everyone is equally bitchy and crazy. And yeah, I have tried True Blood, more than once, even I didn't mention that in the post, because you know, Alexander, but that's just, no.

Are you in Canada? I heard your election is kind of suspect too. I am sorry.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

I had forgotten how much I hated The Piano until you brought up Jane Campion. Huh.