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

[chinawolf.livejournal.com]

I totally see your point about True Blood. However, as a rather neutral observer who might know some prejudices prevalent in the U.S. but who doesn't actually have to live (with) them - I live in Germany/France - I honestly have to say I didn't *see* that Tara was portrayed in any negative way. The store culture of avoiding customers that you see as making Tara typically black lazy is the same in Chuck (or even Reaper, which I do avoid for other reasons), where anything that makes the chars avoid customers is cool. I did not jump to the conclusion that sure, it was a black chick, of course she's lazy. Tara never struck me as lazy at any single point.

Tara's weird crush on Jason (yuck!) is utterly unfathomable, but I can't help but think that this has nothing at all to do with her race. Just like the ueber-slutty waitress could have been white or black, race doesn't matter to the viewer that lives in a world where we don't have to break that prejudice in the first place. I fear I am not explaining my point well - I just think that to a neutral viewer, the character doesn't read as ticking "typical black" boxes. Which makes it possible for me personally to not be offended, even though I realise now that on an intellectual level, I shouldn't just pretend that this is set in an America where race doesn't matter, especially because it *is* talked about by the characters.

All this to say - thanks for giving a different point of view on this that I couldn't see by myself. As the commenter above, I had until now seen both Tara and Lafayette as the most grounded characters in the show. I'll keep my eyes more open now.

Re black women on TV:

West Wing had the occasional strong black female guest. Weeds had Heylia, who I saw as an incredibly strong char, but I suppose that might be removed from actual reality as well. Someone above mentioned Cam (Bones), Zoe (Firefly), the Lt. on Dexter and of course Wendy of The Middleman, whom I could not possibly love more, even if that show is anything but grounded in reality in the first place. I suppose Anna on Chuck does nothing to break the stereotype of smart Asian, even if I personally find her totally kickass. Eureka has a strong (for a given definition of) non-white female lead, though she does make me want to tear my hair out occasionally, and the sidekick is also a a non-white smart woman. Numb3rs, even if a carcrash in many other ways, does have Amita, though the only way she breaks the stereotype is by holding a science prof tenure as a woman (nevertheless playing secretary to the white male).

Private Practice has a black female lead, but that's Grey's 'Verse. ReGenesis had a black female (guest) lead in the last season. Shark had a very strong black female in the ensemble (I thought- again, can't know if she wasn't built out of a mix of prejudices). Standoff had Gina Torres as the FBI boss of the negotiating team, though I can't tell if she had a life. SGA has Teyla, however one may think of what the writers did to her, she is strong and allowed to be intelligent occasionally, plus, all females in SGverse get treated like dirt by the writers so it's not about race. Veronica Mars had Jackie in Season Two, and Wonderfalls had Mahandra (though she, too, was in love with the lead's much more charming brother and too often served as comic relief, but I thought she was a character of her own despite that).

I agree that there is a severe lack of black female leads in American tv, and to a lesser extent also on British tv. But from my admittedly not-as-aware perspective, it is getting a lot better than it used to be in the last five to ten years.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

I just think that to a neutral viewer, the character doesn't read as ticking "typical black" boxes. Which makes it possible for me personally to not be offended, even though I realise now that on an intellectual level, I shouldn't just pretend that this is set in an America where race doesn't matter, especially because it *is* talked about by the characters.

Ah, but there is no such thing as a neutral viewer, every thing you see and think and do is colored by your experiences and the way you view the outside world. There is not one person who can watch TV and not think, well, I can relate to that or not related to that because I am/think/was raise/ and have X experience. And there will never be an America where race doesn't matter.


All this to say - thanks for giving a different point of view on this that I couldn't see by myself. As the commenter above, I had until now seen both Tara and Lafayette as the most grounded characters in the show. I'll keep my eyes more open now.

Why do you consider the black gay drug dealer and his smart mouthed cousin to be grounded as opposed to the other characters? Why them and not Sam, who's just running a bar. Or one of the waitresses. There are vampires and Sookie is a telepath, so they're abnormal, but Sam and all those waitresses are just as 'normal' as anybody else on that show. I'm not jumping down your throat, but you're the second person to say this so I'm genuinely curious.

[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.