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

[angryzen]

Why is she not granted opportunities to reflect and critique this shithole town and its obsession with glorifying an institution that oppressed and enslaved her own ancestors.

What's worse is that the show has twice taken the time (through Katherine, Anna, hell the tomb vamps in season 1 so I guess three times. Remember Frederick's grudge?) to explicitly acknowledge the town's wrongs against vampires. How they got rich off the land of vampires. But they won't comment how they not only got rich on the backs of Bonnie's ancestors and other Black people who weren't witches, and they won't comment on how the Founders stole Bonnie's family's property and are claiming it as their own. Anna and Pearl have commented on their stolen property. Bonnie/Sheila/(Abby?)/Emily have not.

Mags, I have wishes *Crying.* Wishes of Bonnie sitting in Elena's kitchen with Elena and Caroline and Matt and Tyler and Jeremy, and after a day of learning her history, of weeks with her mother, she tells them that they can have a thousand Founders parties. They can wear a million dresses, and she'll take their picture every time. She'll help them pick out their dresses every time, and she'll root for them to win every time. As long as they don't forget that Mystic Falls is her town. As long as they don't forget why they're dressing up, and she's not. As long as they don't forget her history stretches farther back than theirs. And she's quietly intense so they know she's serious, and her history is as important to her as theirs is to them. And she goes back to eating her sandwich while Caroline looks a little put out, Elena is vacant looking like someone kicked her or something, Matt is pursing his lips and nodding because it doesn't affect him either way; Jer's standing against the fridge because he kind of had a pre-cursor to this. And Tyler. Do what you will with Tyler.