"Are All Witches in TVD Black?" Let Us Use Our Imagination. *Revisited*
A couple of months ago, I wrote a post about Fandom's useless and annoying panic (because that is what it is: panic) about the fact that all witches we had seen so far on TVD had been Black. Here is the post in case you missed it or forgot what I wrote:
angryzen.livejournal.com/14444.html#cutid1
I wrote that post before the Martins came into town. Now when they blew into town, those same people were speculating that the Martins were related to Bonnie. You know, because they're warlocks and are Black? What's even more out there is that some of them were still speculating this after it was clear that Bonnie was crushing on Luka. I know this show is about a girl who is going to fall in love with two brothers, but I don't think intimacy between siblings is something the producers ever want to explore.
Ever since Bree jumped over that counter, some members of Fandom have been wondering if all witches in TVD-verse are Black. The problem is that it's not good kind of wondering that leads to discussion and productive speculation. I've seen those. It's the kind of wondering where it's actually a complaint. "But why are all the witches in TVD Black?" "It's reverse racism!" "The producers need to do something about this!"
The Martins' debut into town gave new life to this annoying line of question. So are all witches/warlocks in TVD-verse Black?
No they're not; shut up! shut up! shut up!
Why would all of the witches in TVD-verse be one race? When the hell has that ever happened in any supernatural show? Even when they would only show us White witches in other witch shows, the viewers were just supposed to know that non-White witches existed. The producers seemed to be subverting something for a season and a half, and a section of Fandom were losing their shit. Because you know when they were asking if all of the witches were Black, they were really asking where all the White faces were. Because I do not think the issue would have been solved for them if, say, Anna had been a witch instead of a vampire. When Damon called Bree out as a witch, that seemed to be one Black witch too many for a section of the fandom.
Pay attention: do you realize how long it's taken the writers to start exploring the Black side of the Civil War days they love to flash back to? Do you realize that they've yet to actually talk about slavery in any meaningful way? Do you realize that most of Bonnie's, the only main Black character, story still exists in her fans' imaginations?
No you don't realize any of this, because if you did you would realize that there's no way in hell the producers would make all of the witches Black. That would mean they would have to explain it, set up backstory, handle it with care, etc. and we know how big they are on that when it comes to Bonnie and anything relating to her.
Now it's one thing to hope all the witches and warlocks are Black. A story weaved like that would be interesting. It's one thing to not mind; it's one thing to question if they are. It's another thing entirely to panic that they might be just because 7 witches have been on the show and none of them have been White. And these people were speculating that maybe all of the witches and warlocks are Black because they're all descended from Emily. Because all Black people are related? Because it's beyond the realm of your imagination that 7 Black people could have the gift of magic and they're not all related, and 1 of them had nothing to do with any of the other 6? Can you guys believe some are still speculating that Bree might have been Bonnie's mother/related to Emily? What the fuck? Because it's apparently impossible to these people that the producers really introduced a random Black witch.
Well there is a new warlock coming to Mystic Falls. His name is Maddox. He is White. He will liberate you from the Cocoa Lineup (I didn't come up with that).
It will be interesting to see how the producers write Maddox. How will his dialog be structured? This will be important. The producers have set up a narrative where witches tend to be subservient to vampires. It has been problematic because all of the witches have been Black. And all of the vampires in control have been White. Let me say right now that introducing a White warlock who is working for White Klaus does not eradicate the problematic nature of what the producers have set up. That's why I'm wondering how Maddox's dialog will be structured. Here is what we've had so far:
Emily was a Black witch who lived in 1864. She served Katherine. She did what Katherine wanted. She also was making things happen behind the scenes, putting things into motion to save everyone. In the end, Katherine's ungrateful bitchass saw her as nothing more than a loose end (enjoying the daylight, biatch?), and compelled someone to have Emily killed. What was Emily's personal relationship with Katherine like? Emily obviously didn't have a high opinion of Katherine despite some of Fandom's thinking that they were best friends (wtf?) How did Katherine treat Emily? Did she ever throw her position in society in Emily's face?
I don't know what to think of that last question. I kind of wouldn't put it past Katherine. The woman not only sacrificed her bestie Pearl, but she obviously enjoyed the power she had over Lucy:
Katherine: I'm glad you made it.
Lucy: You called, I came.
Katherine: Like you had a choice.
Lucy: Hey, don't get all boss lady on me. You know I love you.
Aside: It's interesting that Lucy and Katherine were acting so chummy and like friends, with Lucy even saying things like, "You know I love you," and "It's good to see you, girl," even when she desperately wanted to get out from under Katherine. It goes without saying that that dynamic was all about Katherine's comfort level, and Lucy had to grin, bear it, and play along.
The Martins were the first warlocks we saw working with a vampire because they wanted something in return. And yet still the only way for them to get what they wanted in return was for them to do whatever the vampire wanted. We never saw the Martins tell Elijah to do anything. And even worse? The Martins literally couldn't survive without Elijah. That's the bigger problem. Jonas was smart enough to align himself with an Original vampire in order to try and get his daughter back, but he was not smart enough to come up with a plan b, c, and even d in case Elijah ever betrayed him, got killed, or any number of unforeseen possible events? I mean it was only his daughter's life on the line. The Black warlocks not only could not go on without the White vampire, but they textually did not. They died, and this, whether the producers meant to communicate it or not, tells people that it was in fact the White vampire who was the brains of that team. Without him, they could not think of anything other than getting him back. There was no future for them without him. Jonas could not even listen to Bonnie when she told him to think about what he was doing. If the death of his son was enough to make him go crazy like the producers intended for the audience to see it, then why was saving his daughter not enough to make him snap out of it? Without Elijah, the Martins could not even preserve themselves.
The above paragraph is precisely why I say it will be interesting to see how the writers portray Maddox. He is a White warlock acting on he behalf of a White vampire. But will he be standing a little straighter than the Black witches and warlocks that have previously held the same position as he? Will he be secretly plotting against Klaus and live at the end of it (unlike Emily)? Will Klaus treat him the way Katherine treated Lucy (asking him to do things without giving him the full information, especially when it might influence Maddox's decision)? Will the producers write him to be as miserable as Lucy was? Will Maddox not only talk to Klaus like he's an equal but actually see him as one (very important)? Will Klaus see Maddox as an equal?
Congratulations, Section of Fandom on not even trying to use your damn imagination. For you, if the White witch and warlock was not on your screen speaking, then they simply did not exist. If there was a way for me to make you feel as stupid as I think you are, you better believe I would be activating that power right now. Your White warlock is on his way. Kindly shut the hell up forever.
By the way, someone speculated on tumblr that Maddox was totally going to live. Lol. He probably will. The producers just killed two warlocks in the stupidest way possible. It won't be shocking if another warlock comes on and dies. Lucky you, Maddox. Coincidence actually works in your favor.
angryzen.livejournal.com/14444.html#cutid1
I wrote that post before the Martins came into town. Now when they blew into town, those same people were speculating that the Martins were related to Bonnie. You know, because they're warlocks and are Black? What's even more out there is that some of them were still speculating this after it was clear that Bonnie was crushing on Luka. I know this show is about a girl who is going to fall in love with two brothers, but I don't think intimacy between siblings is something the producers ever want to explore.
Ever since Bree jumped over that counter, some members of Fandom have been wondering if all witches in TVD-verse are Black. The problem is that it's not good kind of wondering that leads to discussion and productive speculation. I've seen those. It's the kind of wondering where it's actually a complaint. "But why are all the witches in TVD Black?" "It's reverse racism!" "The producers need to do something about this!"
The Martins' debut into town gave new life to this annoying line of question. So are all witches/warlocks in TVD-verse Black?
No they're not; shut up! shut up! shut up!
Why would all of the witches in TVD-verse be one race? When the hell has that ever happened in any supernatural show? Even when they would only show us White witches in other witch shows, the viewers were just supposed to know that non-White witches existed. The producers seemed to be subverting something for a season and a half, and a section of Fandom were losing their shit. Because you know when they were asking if all of the witches were Black, they were really asking where all the White faces were. Because I do not think the issue would have been solved for them if, say, Anna had been a witch instead of a vampire. When Damon called Bree out as a witch, that seemed to be one Black witch too many for a section of the fandom.
Pay attention: do you realize how long it's taken the writers to start exploring the Black side of the Civil War days they love to flash back to? Do you realize that they've yet to actually talk about slavery in any meaningful way? Do you realize that most of Bonnie's, the only main Black character, story still exists in her fans' imaginations?
No you don't realize any of this, because if you did you would realize that there's no way in hell the producers would make all of the witches Black. That would mean they would have to explain it, set up backstory, handle it with care, etc. and we know how big they are on that when it comes to Bonnie and anything relating to her.
Now it's one thing to hope all the witches and warlocks are Black. A story weaved like that would be interesting. It's one thing to not mind; it's one thing to question if they are. It's another thing entirely to panic that they might be just because 7 witches have been on the show and none of them have been White. And these people were speculating that maybe all of the witches and warlocks are Black because they're all descended from Emily. Because all Black people are related? Because it's beyond the realm of your imagination that 7 Black people could have the gift of magic and they're not all related, and 1 of them had nothing to do with any of the other 6? Can you guys believe some are still speculating that Bree might have been Bonnie's mother/related to Emily? What the fuck? Because it's apparently impossible to these people that the producers really introduced a random Black witch.
Well there is a new warlock coming to Mystic Falls. His name is Maddox. He is White. He will liberate you from the Cocoa Lineup (I didn't come up with that).
It will be interesting to see how the producers write Maddox. How will his dialog be structured? This will be important. The producers have set up a narrative where witches tend to be subservient to vampires. It has been problematic because all of the witches have been Black. And all of the vampires in control have been White. Let me say right now that introducing a White warlock who is working for White Klaus does not eradicate the problematic nature of what the producers have set up. That's why I'm wondering how Maddox's dialog will be structured. Here is what we've had so far:
Emily was a Black witch who lived in 1864. She served Katherine. She did what Katherine wanted. She also was making things happen behind the scenes, putting things into motion to save everyone. In the end, Katherine's ungrateful bitchass saw her as nothing more than a loose end (enjoying the daylight, biatch?), and compelled someone to have Emily killed. What was Emily's personal relationship with Katherine like? Emily obviously didn't have a high opinion of Katherine despite some of Fandom's thinking that they were best friends (wtf?) How did Katherine treat Emily? Did she ever throw her position in society in Emily's face?
I don't know what to think of that last question. I kind of wouldn't put it past Katherine. The woman not only sacrificed her bestie Pearl, but she obviously enjoyed the power she had over Lucy:
Katherine: I'm glad you made it.
Lucy: You called, I came.
Katherine: Like you had a choice.
Lucy: Hey, don't get all boss lady on me. You know I love you.
Aside: It's interesting that Lucy and Katherine were acting so chummy and like friends, with Lucy even saying things like, "You know I love you," and "It's good to see you, girl," even when she desperately wanted to get out from under Katherine. It goes without saying that that dynamic was all about Katherine's comfort level, and Lucy had to grin, bear it, and play along.
The Martins were the first warlocks we saw working with a vampire because they wanted something in return. And yet still the only way for them to get what they wanted in return was for them to do whatever the vampire wanted. We never saw the Martins tell Elijah to do anything. And even worse? The Martins literally couldn't survive without Elijah. That's the bigger problem. Jonas was smart enough to align himself with an Original vampire in order to try and get his daughter back, but he was not smart enough to come up with a plan b, c, and even d in case Elijah ever betrayed him, got killed, or any number of unforeseen possible events? I mean it was only his daughter's life on the line. The Black warlocks not only could not go on without the White vampire, but they textually did not. They died, and this, whether the producers meant to communicate it or not, tells people that it was in fact the White vampire who was the brains of that team. Without him, they could not think of anything other than getting him back. There was no future for them without him. Jonas could not even listen to Bonnie when she told him to think about what he was doing. If the death of his son was enough to make him go crazy like the producers intended for the audience to see it, then why was saving his daughter not enough to make him snap out of it? Without Elijah, the Martins could not even preserve themselves.
The above paragraph is precisely why I say it will be interesting to see how the writers portray Maddox. He is a White warlock acting on he behalf of a White vampire. But will he be standing a little straighter than the Black witches and warlocks that have previously held the same position as he? Will he be secretly plotting against Klaus and live at the end of it (unlike Emily)? Will Klaus treat him the way Katherine treated Lucy (asking him to do things without giving him the full information, especially when it might influence Maddox's decision)? Will the producers write him to be as miserable as Lucy was? Will Maddox not only talk to Klaus like he's an equal but actually see him as one (very important)? Will Klaus see Maddox as an equal?
Congratulations, Section of Fandom on not even trying to use your damn imagination. For you, if the White witch and warlock was not on your screen speaking, then they simply did not exist. If there was a way for me to make you feel as stupid as I think you are, you better believe I would be activating that power right now. Your White warlock is on his way. Kindly shut the hell up forever.
By the way, someone speculated on tumblr that Maddox was totally going to live. Lol. He probably will. The producers just killed two warlocks in the stupidest way possible. It won't be shocking if another warlock comes on and dies. Lucky you, Maddox. Coincidence actually works in your favor.