HBO's Confederate

[ErikJ972]

This sounds like an awful idea. And the more they defend it the more awful it sounds. Although it does not surprise me coming from the Game Of Thrones showrunners.

HBO's Slavery Drama 'Confederate' Faces Minefield of "Fundamentally Problematic" Issues

"Confederate, as outlined in HBO's initial release, "chronicles the events leading to the Third American Civil War. The series takes place in an alternate timeline, where the southern states have successfully seceded from the Union, giving rise to a nation in which slavery remains legal and has evolved into a modern institution."

"What makes the premise fundamentally problematic is that it threatens to erase the actual history," activist and artist Bree Newsome, who made headlines in 2015 when she was arrested for removing the Confederate flag from the South Carolina statehouse, tells The Hollywood Reporter.

"There has been so much deliberate miseducation around the Civil War, and this basically rewrites black history of the past 150 years," she adds. "We combat racism through educating people on history, so it's dangerous to present alternative histories when people are still not clear on the facts."

Confederate's critics are widely troubled by how its creators will portray its black characters, given Benioff and Weiss' absence of a track record in the area. "What confidence should we have in two gentleman who can't talk about race on their own show and have had seven seasons to introduce significant characters of color?" asks April Reign, creator of the hashtag campaign #OscarsSoWhite."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hbos-slavery-drama-confederate-faces-minefield-fundamentally-problematic-issues-1024598

[TheQuibbler]

What a lot of people seem to be forgetting/not realizing/ignoring is that the other two on the creative time are prominent black producers Nichelle Tramble Spellman and Malcolm Spellman of The Good Wife and Empire, respectively. 

 

The interview all four did with Vulture shed some much needed light on the conception and the possible execution.

http://www.vulture.com/2017/07/hbo-confederate-producers-exclusive-interview.html

 

Some choice quotes:

Weiss: "One of the strengths of science fiction is that it can show us how this history is still with us in a way no strictly realistic drama ever could, whether it were a historical drama or a contemporary drama. It’s an ugly and a painful history, but we all think this is a reason to talk about it, not a reason to run from it. And this feels like a potentially valuable way to talk about it."

M. Spellman: "For me and Nichelle, it’s deeply personal because we are the offspring of this history. We deal with it directly and have for our entire lives. We deal with it in Hollywood, we deal with it in the real world when we’re dealing with friends and family members. And I think Nichelle and I both felt a sense of urgency in trying to find a way to support a discussion that is percolating but isn’t happening enough. As people of color and minorities in general are starting to get a voice, I think there’s a duty to force this discussion."

"Me and Nichelle are not props being used to protect someone else. We are people who feel a need to address issues the same way they do, and they should at least humanize the other end of those tweets and articles."

"What people need to recognize is, and it makes me really want to get into the show: The s*** is alive and real today. I think people have got to stop pretending that slavery was something that happened and went away. The s*** is affecting people in the present day. And it’s easy for folks to hide from it, because sometimes you’re not able to map it out, especially with how insidious racism has become..."

it sounds like the creators and producers are taking great care and acknowledging the potentially divisive nature of the show. I'm having trouble imagining this show as anything other than a critical commentary. But, like Benioff says, they might "f*** it up."

 

 

[hork]

I don't think a fictional TV series is going to erase history. I don't see a difference between this and The Man in the High Castle. Why don't we actually see the show before we judge?

[ErikJ972]

hork said: "I don't think a fictional TV series is going to erase history. I don't see a difference between this and The Man in the High Castle. Why don't we actually see the show before we judge?"

There's a big difference. And the difference is in the way Germany has dealt with it's Nazi past vs. the way America has dealt with the legacy of slavery and racism.

Germany fully acknowledged it's crimes from WWII. It paid repirations to Nazi victimes. It is a crime to own Nazi memrobila in Germany.

In America there are still confederat flags flying and monuments to confederate "heroes". In 2017 we are dealing with mass incarceratioin, the school to prison pipeline, housing discrimination, education disparities, police shootings, emplyment discrimination, etc. etc. We currently have a President in office that won his election by stoking racial fears. Our country has still not healed from slavery. America has not reckoned with it's history of racism the way Germany has.

Man In The High Castle is clearly specutalive Sci Fi. For many living in America, the ideas behind Confederate seem very real today.

Also...that interview from Vulture is referenced in the original article I posted. It didn't do much to allay any fears.

 

 

[ErikJ972]

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook. I tihnk she can speak to this better than I can:

"Over time, I've come increasingly sensitive to see us subjugated on screen in any form or fashion. It takes me months to work up the courage to watch entertainment designed to show us a triumphant in the face of racism, bigotry, hatred, etc. I usually get there but, honestly, I'm never comfortable with it. This new series feels like an exercise that, if handled poorly, will only set us all back. I think I'm ready to start giving a hard pass to things like this. Even if the people involved are well meaning. I want to spend more of my mental energy reading our stories, sharing our stories, consuming our stories. This is not our story and supporting it feels like a mistake. They're approaching a loaded topic that is absolutely still an open wound. When I'm having conversations about reparations and the inevitable explosion of the marijuana industry in the US and who will be left out, the pre-school to prison pipeline and it's implications in everything form jailhouse labor to school uniforms, the ongoing efforts of BLM and inequities in the justice system. This show feels like it has the potential to be divisive and problematic. I sincerely hope I'm wrong but, that article does nothing to soothe my fear. Jermaine Spradley addressed this well on Twitter: “America has never truly reckoned with itself post-slavery. We haven’t done the work of accepting how who we were informs who we are… You look for the root cause of most of the issues plaguing black communities and you can make a direct correlation to slavery… TODAY. NOW.” I don't want to see us as modern day slaves. I see enough harmful images of us everyday as it is."

[javero]

Not even remotely interested in watching this for all the reasons ErikJ972 so perfectly articulated.   I'm not even rooting for the series' success.

[hork]

I'll be checking it out. What are we if we run from or censor challenging material? Plus HBO has been firing on all cylinders lately. Westworld, Game of Thrones, and Silicon Valley are the best shows on TV right now, in my opinion.

[TheQuibbler]

"America has never truly reckoned with itself post-slavery. We haven’t done the work of accepting how who we were informs who we are… You look for the root cause of most of the issues plaguing black communities and you can make a direct correlation to slavery… TODAY. NOW.”

 

It seems to me based on the interview the producer's gave that that's exactly what this show wants to address.

I understand how and why people may be irked by the concept but there is a lot of speculation about something we know next to nothing about. For me personally, the knee jerk reaction I may have had was put to rest when I read everyone's full statements (and please, if you have the time, do read the full interview. Some of it was quoted other places but the full conversation is interesting whether one agrees or not).