An Actual Fantastic Discussion on Race and The Vampire Diaries...

[ladygawain]

If you know me at all, you'll know that this is a subject that rests very close to my heart and weighs upon it every single time there is an episode of this show. This article is really great and I have so many complicated feelings on the matter and I thought I'd share it here if anyone's interested. There are some points I find problematic and

Comments

[ladygawain]

Exactly this. The show has quite deliberately (unless all the writers are either racist or tone-deaf or both) created an analogue to slavery with the witches and vampires. Even though they've had two ostensibly non-POC witches, the vast majority of the witches on the show exist in unequal and oppressive relationships with vampires.

When Bonnie comments on it and says "things never end well for people like me", it's one of the few times that she's allowed to comment on her own situation, on the fate of her kind at the hands of vampires - the writers know what they're doing to that extent.

But they fail at the crucial moment by not giving it any narrative importance beyond those few moments of reflection and keeping the witches in servitude until they're inevitably killed by an angry vampire for "falling out of line".

Then we have Bonnie who's only purpose on this show (it seems) is to "serve" Elena, the Salvatores or Caroline. We never need her unless it's to support another characters narrative. She is perpetuating the exact cycle that has killed many of her kind.
I think some of the most interesting moments on this show for me and for Bonnie have been when she's rebelled against that. Like when she refused to deactivate the device or when she turned her back on Caroline, as cruel as it was; or when she tried to kill Damon. While I do tend to read Bonnie's actions throughout the show with a lot more agency than even the writers deign to give her, I do think they have been really awful about not letting her question things - not letting her look at Stefan basically harassing her about those coffins and telling him to fuck off... maybe in not so many words. And I hate that.

Of course there's the fact that fandom is really, really problematic in moments when Bonnie does get to rebel or push back against bullshit?

I feel we need to understand their role as "servants of nature" more, what does that mean, what is their agency within that. Thus far, it's been obscured by the vampires treating witches as lackeys - I need to understand for what purpose witches exist, what does it mean to "keep the balance" as mostly autonomous super beings?

Also as a side note, you cannot be a descendant of slaves and not feel uncomfortable watching GWTW. It can't be done.
Totally not a side note. The day they had Bonnie just laugh at Caroline's "channeling Scarlett daily" comment way back in season 1 or the lack of commentary in 2.22 in watching GWTW was the moment I realized that either they have not a single PoC in that writing room or else that person has been seriously silenced. Because for Bonnie to not even get a chance to express anything about those things stinks of writing that has no awareness whatsoever of what it might mean to be black in the South even in modern times. It's ludicrous to me.

[words_by_ash]

As obvious as the hierarchy between black witches and white vampires has been on this show, I was quite surprised at what they did with the indigenous populations/Klaus' family in Ordinary People. How they explicitely portrayed the need for and the way the first family achieved "superiority" over the werewolves. The wording in that episode was disgusting. The fact that the first witch was white was disgusting. It is probably one of the most offensive episodes on this show for me because instead of ignoring the negative and hurtful parts of the past they embraced this almost Nazi-esque vision where the vampires climbed to the top of the hierarchy through the simple belief that they deserved it for no freaking reason other than they were somehow better than the natural beings (witches and werewolves).

Though I will admit that the line (vampires being an abomination of nature) is one of the truest statements this show has ever made. Not for any racial implications but simple because these vampires have yet to prove otherwise regardless of how they dress up their behaviour as "right".

I'd suggest tweeting JP or KW about that but they rarely answer Bonnie questions as it is. I watched GWTW once and I was generally caught up in the beauty of it except for the moments with the slaves. Those were extremely difficult to watch.

[angryzen]

The fact that the first witch was white was disgusting.

Esther was not the first witch. I cling to the fact that Ayanna was there as proof that Esther was not the first witch. Neither was Ayanna. Esther is just the witch who created the first vampires, thus Original witch (although that explanation was extra clunky. Even Clair Holt's delivery of it).

[words_by_ash]

I apologize for my wording but the title "original witch" is still problematic. Ayanna was older than Esther right? Shouldn't she be the "original witch"? The vampires were created with her pendant after all and I doubt Esther could have created them on her own.

[angryzen]

Yeah it is, because it creates that confusion. The show wasn't explicit enough, and of course the witch (Bonnie) didn't get to comment on this bit of witch history. Only Elena and Rebekah.

[words_by_ash]

Bonnie's not allowed to react when it comes to her history and her people...

I hate this show sometimes.

[ladygawain]

Yeah, I think the show was trying to be tongue-in-cheek with that and probably toyed with the idea of making Esther the actual original witch of all witches before they realized what an unfathomably awful decision that would be.

It was all very convenient for Ayanna to just sort of disappear after giving the details about the ritual. And while I think it was so the origin of vampires, the brutality of it, could fall into this show's extended examination on families (and the violence, murder, pain, betrayal etc. within them) it was all rather dubious. And I doubt Ayanna would get any authorship or "credit" for her role in it - not that she'd want it because who wants to claim responsibility for creating the blight that is vampirism? But yeah... problematic stuff.

[ladygawain]

Ordinary People was offensive to me for this reason too. I am immediately suspicious of stories that are told in pre-Colonial America that consist solely of white people. And that the show didn't have any qualms in just plopping a village full of white people in supposedly 1000AD and completely erase and ignore the fact that there would've been indigenous populations inhabiting that space or near that space simply stank of some very insidious and damned irresponsible re-jiggering of history.

That's an interesting reading about the way the superiority of vampires was communicated. I honestly just find it hard to understand why vampires have such a superiority. Like the canon text should not support such a reality because vampires and werewolves are subordinate to witches. Both of them are creatures either borne from or constrained by curses. Performed. By. Witches. As far as we know. Werewolves, if they were real power players in this universe, would get a pass as we don't really know the truth of their curse but since they aren't engaged in these explicit power dynamics the way vampires and witches are, I'll disregard them.

So it's confusing to me on a storytelling level that the show has witches who by all accounts are the very servants of nature - constantly kowtowing and falling victim to vampires in some way, shape or form. I realize their reluctance to have Deus Ex Machinas running around but at this point, vampires are becoming that in the narrative. And the situation is only further problematic because all the witches are either human or people of color. And with the slavery narrative, it all combines to create a real, big mess.

I would love for us to tweet this article to some of the writers, not just JP or KW who might not read it. Because they need to be reminded that the words they put in these characters' mouths, and their actions, hold meaning; and they need to just grow some awareness. Sigh.

[angryzen]

And that the show didn't have any qualms in just plopping a village full of white people in supposedly 1000AD and completely erase and ignore the fact that there would've been indigenous populations inhabiting that space or near that space

They were the scary, unseen other, remember? The threat to the White settlers? I still remember when the show did this: Rebekah says they heard of a land where every was healthy, strong, and fast and they went to live there. And the show actually had Elena say, "The werewolves?" Instead of saying, "The Native Americans? They were werewolves?" Do Native Americans not exist in TVD? Elena never learned about them?

I would help with the Tweeting!

[words_by_ash]

I completely agree with how you read the canon on this show regarding the witches and the way it conflicts with vampire power. It never particularly made sense that Emily was Katherine's "handmaiden" when she could have simply destroyed her at any time.

And Bonnie! She's always much more interesting when she's getting flack from the majority of the fandom for being a "bitch". I could cry just thinking about the wasted potential in S2 after Caroline turned and the show. barely. explored. it.

I want to see what Bonnie is up to when she's not interacting with the other characters. We know her father is rarely home so what does she do in her free time? Read up on the witches of her past? Practice her craft? Does she ever feel lonely or does she thrive on not having to put on a show for the others?

[ladygawain]

Sigh, always with the nonsense priorities, fandom. Always.

I would just love for us to have a random scene in which Bonnie sits on her bed, paints her toenails while reading up on her Grimoire. Maybe she levitates the paint brush or something equally mundane and fun. They have so much ground to play with her and magic and her as a character just being a young girl in this crazy world. I'm hoping they will give us some more this season as I think they're trying to make an effort -- trying.

[words_by_ash]

We've gotten some good Bonnie moments with Matt, Elena, Grams and Abby. I still feel that what they told us to expect this season has fallen flat.

So far.