“Television has been credited with providing the most influential interpretations of social reality of all the mass media” – Richard L. Allen.
Media outlets covering minority groups in truthful and positive ways has long been a concern of many communities. The Pagan community is not immune to these concerns about the media, and there is often a lot of apprehension with the type of coverage we have gotten. There has also been a lot of scrutiny about the lack of media coverage that ethnic people, specifically African American, have had in mainstream television; this is not limited to television, and also extends to print and movies.
People of Color in the Craft have not been represented equally in television or movies unless looking at something that is specifically VooDoo inspired. There are not very many People of Color playing roles in the Witchy or mystical dramas we have been seeing on the screen.
This season on television is remarkably different. Some of the new shows on this season, that have a Witchy, Sci-Fi, or fantasy theme, have more African American or ethnic characters than we are used to seeing. American Horror Story: Coven has two main Black actresses playing characters and seems to be drumming up a lot of interest from Pagan watchers. Not only does the show have diversity in terms of on-screen actresses, but there is also a lot of talk about issues of race throughout the show.
After every new episode Facebook and Twitter are full of quotes made by Queenie, the African American student from Miss Robichaux’s Academy on the show. Gabourey “Gabby” Sidibe, the actress playing Queenie, originally hit the screen in 2009 in the movie Precious. This large-figured, dark-skin woman brought something special to the screen then, and is doing the same to American Horror Story this season. Not only does she speak her mind when she has something to say, Queenie makes a point to clearly poke fun at the trend of Caucasian-centric Witchy television shows and issues of racism. She is a straightforward, shoot-from-the-hip, kind of Witch.
“I grew up on white girl shit, like Charmed and Sabrina the Teenage Cracker.” – Queenie
And Queenie isn’t the only one that makes comments that point to race. The writers of the show obviously were thinking about the sociopolitical dynamic of modern racial issues, as well as those in the South in the 1800’s. There are vicious scenes of slavery infused in the backstory of the plot, making for a racially-influenced story. In reality, most things in history have had a racial tone to it, and the writers and producers of this show decided not to edit that out.
Madame LaLaurie, a historical figure in New Orleans, is a major character within the storyline and a large part of the racially-charged theme. Her past as an abuser and torturer of her slaves creates an interesting dynamic when she is magically thrust into the modern world with Queenie in the same home.
“Yo, who you callin’ a slave, bitch?” – Queenie
Is there value in having more mainstream movies and television that feature Witches, regardless of whether it is a realistic depiction? What does it mean for African American and ethnic minorities to have more representation in the media as a part of the Witch culture? There have always been social commentary, research, and data that correlates a lack of representation with issues of internalized worth, confidence and understanding of cultural capital.
In The Media, Group Identity, And Self-Esteem Among African Americans: A Program Of Research, Professor R. Allen at University of Michigan stated that, “Black media may be seen as a filter of African American information sources pertaining to the general status of African Americans both as a distinct group and in relation to the dominant society. Thus, the black media play a significant role in determining the content of blacks’ view of themselves, or stated differently, they influence the content of the African American racial belief system.” Professor Allen is pointing to very important cultural significance among many minority cultures, and how they view roles within the larger culture that will help to dictate the relationship between their racial community and other communities.
If social sciences link representation of People of Color with perceptions of cultural capital, what does that say about the Pagan community and what does it mean for People of Color seeing themselves in the greater Pagan community? If the representation that we see in movies, television and media always depicts Witches as Caucasian, then how does that impact the perception of acceptance and diversity within the Pagan community?
As with any growing community, these are some of the many questions that are coming up. Many of these questions will not be answered in isolation, and the issues of coverage have historically been a concern for Pagans, and for People of Color, regardless of how these communities intersect.
While we continue to explore the growing trends of Paganism, diversity, and community integration, we also see how positive and not so positive things come from increased visibility of any community.
My top positive and not so positive influences of Queenie on American Horror Story: Coven are:
Potentially Positive
- She is not the typical Hollywood “acceptable” Black woman. She is dark skinned and heavy set.
- She is strong woman that is not afraid to engage with danger.
- She is a common-looking person who could be the lady next door.
- She faces racism on the show, and still stands-up to defend the woman who had treated her inhumanly.
- She is not afraid to be vocal about issues of being Black in a white community.
Potentially Negative
- The writers and producers utilize the stereotypical perceptions of how Black people speak and infuse that into her character.
- They put a lot of focus on her weight and an obsession with food; she is teased about this several times.
- There is a bit of the evoking of the “angry black woman” in the character that is stereotypical, and they represent her as the “hard” one.
- There appears to be no effort to make Queenie look desirable or sexy, unlike two other students in the school.
- Queenie was in foster care as a child, which I am curious about. I would like to know why the writers chose this past for her instead of a more family-oriented one like some of the other main characters.
There are always many opinions about parallels between television and reality, TV Witches and Paganism. And while we all know that television or movies are not reality, there tends to be concern with how the reflection of Witches on the screen can fuel misconceptions of Paganism to those who are uninformed. As this is often a concern for many minority religions and cultures, what are Pagans saying about American Horror Story: Coven, and the Black Witch that is so prominent on the screen Wednesday nights? I asked a couple of practitioners their thoughts on two specific questions:
Fire Lyte
What do you think Queenie’s character, as an African American Witch, adds to the show?
The writers are doing a good job with Queenie’s character. However, I would love to see a bit more organic growth between LaLaurie (the infamous Delphine LaLaurie who, by many accounts, was a famous racist and slave torturer) and AHS: Coven’s resident African American Witch. The writers seem intent with beating us over the head that LaLaurie is learning the error of her ways at light speed and in record time, when, in reality, these kinds of changes are much more gradual. In that instance, you have to wonder who they think the audience is, and who their message is supposed to reach.
Do you feel that having more diverse representation of Witches in the media benefits the Pagan community?
This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t see the Witches on AHS: Coven as being representative of the Pagan community. When was the last time you saw the local High Priestess of your Witchy group or coven fling someone across the room with her mind? How many of us attended secret magical academies to get our Charmed powers working right? Oh, I’m sorry… This isn’t Charmed? This is another TV show where each Witch is assigned a superpower. Gotcha.
This is entertainment. I get that. And, as such, I need to remember that when they use the word ‘Witch’, they’re using it in the fictional, literary sense of the word. In the fictional, literary world, Witches fly and have superpowers and secret societies or schools. On TV, Witches can wiggle their noses or flick their fingers or point a wand and the magic gets done. This has nothing, in my opinion, to do with modern Witchcraft or Paganism.
That being said, I think diversity in television programming is always a good thing, if only so that we are more accurately representing the way society looks. I’m white, but I think the world is a beautiful, colorful, diverse place, and it should be represented as such in media. Accurate representations of society only serve to further eliminate the lines between in-groups and out-groups. They desensitize the majority to the “strangeness” of the minority, such that the ideas of ‘us’ and ‘them’ eventually become ‘we’. Studies prove time and again that the more we are exposed to an out-group – a group of people we perceive as being different than us in some way – the more we are willing to accept them.
So, my answer is two-fold. I believe that diversity in programming is amazing, and I’m glad to see it only growing on popular programs. However, I do not see this diversity on AHS: Coven as being specifically beneficial to the Pagan community, as I do not feel the ‘Witches’ have anything to do with Witches or Pagans in the real world. – Fire Lyte of Inciting A Riot (blogger & podcaster)
Dava Greely
What do you think Queenie’s character, as an African American Witch, adds to the show?
Honestly, I’m conflicted about Queenie’s character. She’s certainly funny and adds a different flavor of drama, but…I don’t know, she’s very crude, self loathing, and her powers suck. Why must the only AA Witch, as opposed to Angela Bassett’s character representing African spirituality, be so unconvincing and useless?
Do you feel that having more diverse representation of Witches in the media benefits the Pagan community?
I do think that the diversity of Witch characters in various media outlets helps because entertainment is known to make people curious and I’m certain that some, mainly black women, will be inspired to learn more about paganism and Witchcraft across the diaspora. – Dava Greely, Hermetic Practitioner
Chas Bogan
What do you think Queenie’s character, as an African American Witch, adds to the show?
I appreciate how the American Horror Story franchise has dealt with issues of race in this and other incarnations of their series, especially because they take an added risk when casting aberrant, ethically questionable characters as African American. I am fascinated by Queenie’s magical ability of inflicting physical harm on herself in order to hurt others. To the degree that horror often serves as metaphor I’ve wondered if Queenie’s destructive abilities speak of self harm and body issues, and Gabourey Sidibe’s physical appearance as a large black woman factors into that question as much as everything else about the character. We see in Queenie a young woman with issues concerning her sexuality and role as outcast, which is played out through her attempted seduction of the Minotaur. This is a tragic side of her character, yet even in that instance she has the assertiveness to pursue her needs, no matter how ill fated the fall out is. In other scenes she is seen using her power to stand up for herself, and that take-no-shit attitude is empowering, and herein lies the brilliance of Coven, as we are able to see a character stand up for herself while witnessing her harming herself. Whereas I wouldn’t say that Queenie serves as a great role model for African American Witches, she is an intriguing character who adds much to the show.
Do you feel that having more diverse representation of Witches in the media benefits the Pagan community?
The Pagan community is not represented in the media much at all. For all the talk of Witches on television this season none of them represent real Pagan Witches, rather they explore themes through the mythology of the Witch as being a person with supernatural power. I am a nerd for all things Witchy, but do not feel that the present offering of fictional Witches represents me or my community in any way. Diversity is always a good thing, but I doubt that anyone will rethink their perceptions of Pagans simply by having characters such as Queenie present. – Chas Bogan
What do you think Queenie’s character, as an African American Witch, adds to the show?
Airam Willow
I am a bit conflicted about Queenie’s character. On one hand I love that there is a female of power that does not fit the status quo but on the other hand I feel she perpetuates, for lack of better words, a simple mindedness… Fiona was able to use her and play on her want for power.
Do you feel that having more diverse representation of Witches in the media benefits the Pagan community?
I still feel that witches are portrayed in a bad light. I don’t watch all the other shows like Witches of East End, but I feel not all publicity is good publicity. I think a lot of the Witches are portrayed to be evil, vindictive and in Fiona’s case, a psychotic drug addict who is insecure about aging and losing her status. And Angela Basset’s character, although entertaining, is nothing like the real Marie. Mind you, I love love love this show, but I do see that there are racist undertones; the white witches of Salem versus the black voodoo priestess of New Orleans. – Airam Willow
As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how this character evolves and how the racial context of the storyline unfolds. Queenie might just be a reflection on the screen of the growing acceptance of People of Color within previously uncharted arenas, and the confrontation of racism that appears to be coming up in many different places within society today. While American Horror Story: Coven is not a depiction of real life, it appears to still be working out some issues that we are struggling with in the Pagan community and within society, while showing a brown-faced Witch to the world.
You can access the full quote from Fire Lyte here.
Note: The Huffington Post recently published this piece on the lack of media representation for African American girls, and how that translates for young Black women. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/olivia-cole/why-im-not-here-for-white_b_4214132.html
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I couldn’t help but notice the stark contrast in the responses to the question, “What do you think Queenie’s character, as an African American Witch, adds to the show” between the two black people and the two white people you asked.
I haven’t seen the show, but I’m now interested.
Dang, now I had to go back and re-read those comments.Yeah.
I was honestly kind of embarrassed for Fire Lyte’s response –it seemed to be rather “fannish” and and spent more time talking about the development of a completely different character, and not really addressing the content of the question, at all. Bogan’s response seems intent to obfuscate fannishness and make up in gratuitous verbiage what it lacks in genuine content. Greely and Willow were both straightforward, and actually addressed the meat of what was asked –yes, both had similarly mixed feelings (as does Blanton) about the character of Queenie, not some other character, and not practically praising the writers for being (not very) “risky” in casting as Black an “ethically questionable” character (it’s really not at all risky, it’s been done before, so many times, from the silent scree to now).
Fire Lyte and Chas Bogan both addressed the question as it was asked. It makes absolute sense that Airam Willow and Dava Greely are going to be have a completely different reaction to the character. It’s fine that you agree with the latter more than the former but reading obfuscation into their intentions and your assertion that their opinions are somehow incorrect because they didn’t come to the same conclusion is a tad bizarre.
Fan-girling over the relationship between Queenie and another character, and then going on about the development of the other character is somehow “[addressing] the question as it was asked”, now? I’m not expecting her to come to the same conclusions as Willow and Greely –I’m just stupefied that she’d respond to a question about one character and then spend most of her time talking about a completely different character.
The fact that you can’t see that says more about you than it does about me.
The question was: “What do you think Queenie’s character, as an African American Witch, adds to the show?”
She answers by discussing the specific Queenie subplot entirely based on racial tension – that of Queenie being given control of LaLaurie as a punishment for racism and later defending LaLaurie. Is it “fan-girling” for her to say that she thought the development of
the relationship was inorganic and rushed?
When she concentrates that on the other character, yes –and then some. The question wasn’t about plot arches and subplots –it was about a particular character, and the qualities that character might add to the show –it wasn’t about the sloppy writing of another character.
It’s nice that you’re trying to defend your friend, but you know what? She messed up. She was asked about Queenie, and her response was “I think she’s a good character — NOW LET ME GO ON FOR A PARAGRAPH ABOUT SOME OTHER CHARACTER!!!! OMG!! SUCH BAD WRITING ON THIS ONE!!”
She said absolutely nothing nothing about the strengths and weaknesses that Queenie’s character may or may not contribute to the show. She gave a flat “I like her! hurrrrr….” and then wasted time going on about some other character’s crap writing. Whoop-di-shit. That’s not insightful, and that really doesn’t answer the question that was asked, at all.
Fire Lyte’s blog profile has him as a guy. Just sayin’.
I don’t think he’s entirely out of line to say what he did– there’s really no chance that how a fictional representation of a historically racist person suddenly sees the error of her ways is also a representation of race in the show? He specifically criticized the way the other character relates to Queenie and thinks their relationship is poorly done, and that seems like fair game to me.
A representation of race? Sure. But how is that about the character that was asked about? The question was about Queenie –not about the feelings other characters had about race.
Hi! I’m Fire Lyte. While I have love and respect for the trans community, sadly I’m not a member. Always been a cisgendered white boy. Never have I ever identified as female. And really…there’s a picture of me. Come on now.
Also, PPE is meant to help end in-fighting in the pagan community and foster interfaith dialogue. It’s actually being turned into a university study of paganism and interfaith dialogue. So if all that’s nonsense, yeah for nonsense.
And as to whether or no I answered the question to your satisfaction… I can’t comment. I answered the question to the satisfaction of the person writing the article, and I spoke about the perception of the character and her place in the show – highlighting what I felt was her most significant story arc to the date of when I was asked the question. Out of the 4 peopl who were asked the question, 3 of us discussed her in reference to how she related to another character – I spoke about her relationship with LaLaurie, Chas discussed her interaction with the coven as a whole and with the Minotaur specifically, and Airam discussed her interaction with Fiona. So…not just a white guy thing. Sorry.
Anywho…I’ll leave you back to your dialogue…tumblr rant…whatever this is supposed to have devolved into.
Love and Lyte,
Mr. Fire Lyte (because apparently I have to put that)
And? Maybe I just lived in Ann Arbor, MIich., for too long, but I honestly can’t tell if your photo is an effeminate man or a butch woman. Maybe you just haven’t seen enough people who look exactly like you and are actually females of various gendered histories and nuanced identities. There’s facial hair in my picture –I still get called “she” maybe half the time (but then, I’m fupping gorgeous and acknowledge my own apparent effeminacy). Your pseudonym is also pretty ambiguous, but honestly, I’m old enough to recall “MC Lyte”, who’s a woman, and that’s where I made the call. I remembered wrong in your particular case, it happens; there are days I can barely keep a Who’s Who of my actual friends.
I get that you have good intentions with this, but your mission statement is incredibly unclear and still gives the problematic refusal to rely on anything but the negative definition of “paganism”, which renders the word, and thus the project rather meaningless. I’ve gone on at length in my criticisms, before (even in the comments). So have others. You can’t tell me that this is the first you’ve heard of this criticism.
Source? And even then: So? I know of a lot of nonsense that gets a pass at the uni level.
Hrmmm… You seem to think this is news to me. I’m sorry. What might be news to you is that over 3/4 of the space you allotted yourself to answer that question had no direct relation back to Queenie at all. I have no issue with the fact that you brought up her relationship with another character, I have issue with the fact that you spent disproportionately more time on that other character than on her —but I repeat myself, just for you, cos i guess it wasn’t clear the first time.
“If the representation that we see in movies, television and media always depicts Witches as Caucasian, then how does that impact the perception of acceptance and diversity within the Pagan community?”
Always portrays them as having magic as a primary focus, rather than religion, too.
You’ve reminded me of a joke I saw on a blog that doesn’t *exactly* address the topic of the post and your comment, but gods below, the similarities are striking:
In other words, I’m sure Ms Blanton is intelligent enough to notice what you mention, as well –but that’s not what she’s writing about, here, and bringing it up when she’s talking about race relations is kind of the epitome of derailment.
Possibly because I don’t see the race issue as all that important when talking about the portrayal of Witches in the popular media.
Why are witches overwhelmingly portrayed in contemporary fiction as Caucasian? Because they are overwhelmingly Caucasian in real life.
However, they are not portraying ‘real life’ witches in these shows/films. They are presenting superheroes/villains.
I think that the race of the character is largely irrelevant compared to the constant show of supernatural powers.
If they include a person of colour in their show/film as a witch, does that show Pagans/Witches in a good light, for being inclusive, or do people still ridicule Pagans/Witches for believing in magic?
I wonder if you see the issue of race as irrelevant because the majority of the characters you see appear to be of the same race as you? The post above offers clear evidence about the importance of representation for people who are largely underrepresented.
To me, this post doesn’t appear to be about whether the broader culture becomes more or less tolerant about pagans, it’s about whether representations of Paganism in and out of our culture make room for Pagans of Color, and how those representations affect our communities and fellow Pagans.
For a lot of people who identify as witches, these depictions are among the ways witchcraft gets introduced into our consciousness and shape our unconscious beliefs about who should or should not be included in our communities, particularly when a person belongs to a majority culture (like a White person) and is not compelled to think about their racial identity on a regular basis.
That’s certainly why most white people say that, I’m certain.
Having, myself, grown up in the only white family in a predominantly Black neighbourhood, I’m still not perfect about race issues, but I like to think I notice a little more than the average white person when there’s an overwhelming paleness going on (and I’ll still sometimes miss some things).
I don see the issue of race as irrelevant as I see race as irrelevant. The colour of a person’s skin really makes no difference to me, it is the individual person that makes an impression.
Simple question: Are you white?
Yes.
OK, then. Another simple question: Do you see how that might might create an ignorance to the issue of colour?
My guess is you refer to ‘white privilege’ and similar concepts.
And? Why can’t you answer?
I thought I did.
Yes, I can see how being white might create an ignorance of the issue of colour. However, it does not, in my specific case.
You say that with such surety that I really can’t trust it. After all, you can’t be certain of the external forces that have contributed to your own experiences, and you yourself admit that your experiences of the colour issue have been limited by where you live. You expect me to believe that, in spite of the fact that you admit to limited experiences pertaining to the issue, that somehow you completely lack ignorance toward the issue? Son, I’m not as simple as you apparently imagine me.
I don’t imagine you to be simple. Judgemental, perhaps, but not simple.
Is it really such a stretch to believe that a person can judge others according to their actions (and words) rather than their appearance?
I’ve been judged on my appearance a lot over the years, and got a lot of abuse for it. Sure, people tell me that I can change how I look, but that misses the point, doesn’t it? I know what it is like to be judged on appearances, why would I do that to anyone else?
Dear, you’re not the first person to try and give it that spin, and you know what? It doesn’t mean a damned thing. For every one person who is truly judging others on their own merit, there are at least five who are judging “on appearances” –sometimes consciously, but not always. These are issues that have been tread deeply into society and refusal to address them serves the same practical purpose as denying the issues even exist, in spite of mountains of evidence.
I’m not denying the issues exist. I just do not have them.
Also, don’t call me ‘dear’.
You know, I’ll humour you a mo’: This may come as news, then –but this is not about YOU.
Never said it was.
Then quit your personal sob-stories, as if it’s somehow relevant to the greater issues that plague society, which you seem to think don’t exist where you live. I’m sure if you did a thorough survey of Devon and Cornwall and the rest of SW England, you might discover this issue is at least a little bigger than you imagine it.
Er… I think that’s less true that you’d think. While true that I was never a Wiccan, since I’ve been a Hellenist, I’ve known (or at least known of) proportionately far more non-caucasoid recons than “pagan media” might lead one to believe exist, at all. If we’re to assume that the recon/polytheist community is much smaller and more “niche” than Eclectic Wicca, then I’ll bet you dollars to doughnouts that there are, by ratio, at least as many Wiccans of various (non-white) colours than the average “supernatural drama” witches would lead one to believe. The fact that, until this season of AH:C (apparently), the only African Americans in “pagan media” have either been a) an incredibly stereotyped “voodoo queen” (or, more less often, the “voodoo priest”), or b) the Black girl from The Craft, which I can name you at least six times as many African American Hellenists, most of whom were formerly Wiccan –that says there’s something wrong with the way that witches and pagans are portrayed, racially, in the media.
Perhaps I have skewed perspective by being in the UK.
I’ve lived in the UK, there are black people in the UK. I’ll bet you £5 that given a few hours of on-line searches, I can find you black pagans in the UK. I can also show you proof that there have been Black people on the British Isles since at least the Roman era.
Try again.
I am well aware that there are black people in the UK.
I am not saying that there are no black people over here, I am merely saying that colour is not much of an issue. Our prejudice tends to be directed at other white people. (Eastern Europeans and people of differing classes are the obvious ones).
Just because colour isn’t an issue in the UK in the way that it is in the US doesn’t mean it’s a complete non-issue. Even if we remove “extremists” like the National Front from the equation, I can quote you film dialogues that suggest that colour is still a bit of an issue in the UK –from A Taste of Honey to Young Soul Rebels to Quadrophenia to My Beautiful Laundrette. Even on BBC television sitcoms, like Chef! and Kerching!, the colour issue did come up occasionally, even though (on Chef!, in particular, as I recall), the scripts tended to prefer colour made inconsequential to the story.
I think you just don’t see it because you don’t want to see it. Perhaps you’ve internalised that it’s more polite not to see it, especially cos the issue does have a different historical context than the issue does in the States, but the colour issue does exist in the UK. Sweeping it under the rug like you do doesn’t make it go away.
I don’t give a fuck about politeness, or political correctness. I just judge people by their actions, not their appearance.
I suppose I could also point to my location. I have never lived in a major city. In fact, I have never lived outside the south west of England. This could easily mean that I am simply ignorant of something that is not an issue in my local area.
As I said, the majority of prejudice round here is directed towards the Eastern Europeans (the town I live in is roughly 1/3 Polish).
This comes back around to my initial question. It appears that race and representation has never been a personal issue for you, so it seems that you have come on this thread and dismissed the entire article above, which provides information and research regarding why it’s important for members of the Pagan community (at the very least here in the US), and you came in and dismissed its relevance out of hand. It’s particularly interesting because you chose to bring the representation question to your own particular issue. So instead of developing a broader critique of how Pagans and people of color are represented in the media, your argument seems to want to narrow it down to the concerns of White pagans. This also appears to apply to BHG.
It wasn’t about narrowing it down to the concerns of white Pagans, it was a comment pointing out that the show does not really represent Pagans of any colour. As such, looking beyond that seems somewhat pointless.
It’s cute that you keep pointing out the lacking accuracy in the depiction of witchcraft on these programs –but I assure you, everyone is aware of this. EVERYONE. IS. AWARE. OF. THIS. You’re not imparting some rare wisdom that manages to escape others. It’s not accurate, we all know that, and you know what else we know? That these programs are often a “gateway” to paganism and / or witchcraft for younger people. They watch these shows, go to the library and / or Internet and look to see if they can find information on witchcraft because the show got them interested in the real thing.
You seem to think that these kitchy shows serve no purpose to the pagan community, but in reality, where everyone else in this conversation is drawing experience from, these programs can, and often do, have an impact on the community.
Would having more Witches of Color portrayed in contemporary fiction:
a) allow more Persons of Color to believe they might fit into the Witch community (for some value of community)
or
b) disappoint those Persons of Color inquiring into the variety of Witchly paths, that there were so few of them face to face?
Not an either/or, but curiosity. Crystal, when you sought out a path to witchcraft, how did you feel about the level of participation of Persons of Color?
Just so. Perfect storm in Hollywood’s version of New Orleans about that, too. Even in the bigger magical community, *especially* places like that, the prejudice is ‘White people don’t have native faith or magic, it must be stolen from people Churches also fear. or else it’s all devils and spells.’
Funny thing about reality is, maybe not. People argue about stuff, but wherever you’re from, doing a job isn’t about bragging. You just do it.
Stuff we might be talking about in a different world where we aren’t monsters, I guess. 🙂
THANK YOU!
They should get any of us right before we start worrying who they treat worse in ‘horror story coven’ shows.
The two issues are VERY connected.
Frankly, I’m tired of us acting as if Pagans even are consulted in these shows as though the stereotypes are some racial problem of *our* device. When we’re the ones writing or at least consulting on these things, and for once it’s not ‘horror’ genre, *then* maybe we can talk about it. This just sounds like begging for scraps like always.
“Now a black woman can be portrayed as hungry for power and overweight’ ” doesn’t sound like *progress* to me.
Actually I’m *tired* of people that aren’t Pagan trying to write us into monster storylines. Who wants to be part of *that* cartoon to begin with?
All I have to say about race in the Pagan community is that where black people are comfortable having a *beer* or sharing a *school* with you the more likely they are to be comfortable in (or especially approaching) a Pagan tribe. I’ve never seen any ‘outreach’ working very well otherwise. We’ve studiously *earned* a certain amount of cluelessness that just isn’t about mainstream racial politics. Just cause I’m really pale doesn’t mean that most ‘black’ people around don’t have more ‘nordic’ blood than I do, nor does it mean they shoul have to apologize if they want to honour that ancestry. I’ve lived in a lot of parts of the country. The difference ain’t us.
Perception and reality are very different there. And, frankly, a lot of ‘Pagans of Color’ don’t get this. This is some kind of tribe, not a battle.
Never mind a wedge issue over yet another damn TV show.
I’m in the SOuth now, but I remember hearing the same things years ago, how unrepresented black people were…. back north, when I got in a word edgewise, ‘You do realize there’s only two white people in the room and most of you outrank us?”
Cultural perceptions are important, mind you, but no one here wrote this TV show.
(I mean, for example, I know things are tough all over, but I have heard a lot of stuff that’s made up to be about race when it’s really, ‘I felt awkward, it must because I’m black,’ and it’s like, “You showed up in a *suit.* What do you expect of a bunch of hippies?”
The only modern pagans the television show portrays are the Voodoo practitioners. It’s a Hollywood Horror portrayal (levitation, Zombies) in the same vein as the show’s portrayal of Christianity is also a Hollywood Horror portrayal (the Antichrist, the Angel of Death).
Actually, if you’d do a modicum of research on these things, you’ll notice that genuine witches and/or pagans are consulted on these sorts of films and telly series with alarming frequency. The Wiccan who consulted on The Craft has been very open about it, and she’s easily found on an Internet search.
1. It’s kind of hard for me to parse my feelings about race and representation on American Horror Story just because it’s kind of an absurd show. Like, I’m not sure what to make of certain things because the entire show is so over the top and outrageous that some things have a different impact than if they were portrayed in a more serious, down-to-earth manner. It takes the kind of deep thinking that’s been hard for me to engage with since grad school left me unable to enjoy any form of entertainment ever. It’s been a hard road back to being able to NOT hate everything in the entire world and I just kind of instinctually shy away from going down that road again. Basically, all I know for sure is that I enjoy camp and absurdity, so this show is fun for me, and the diversity of the cast (not just Queenie and Marie, but also Nan who has Down’s and powerful older women like Fiona and Myrtle) just makes things so much more interesting than they would be otherwise. Also, Price Peterson’s photorecaps are things of beauty.
2. Queenie and Marie aren’t the only African American witches on TV at the moment. Bonnie Bennett on ‘The Vampire Diaries’ has been a main cast member from the very beginning and her powers are key to a lot of storylines. And she’s not the only one. All of the witches on that show that I can remember have been Black except one, who is played by Janina Gavankar, an actress of Indian descent. Actually, for a lot of reasons, the way all the witches on that show were Black was kind of weird and getting kind of uncomfortable. TVD’s spinoff show ‘The Originals’ brought in a bunch of white witches, which just seemed a little weird all over again because the show is set in New Orleans. But all the main witches on that show are kind of boring assholes, so maybe it’s for the best? I don’t know.
Then there was the sadly short-lived show ‘The Secret Circle,’ which was about a group of teenage witches. Unfortunately, that show took a long freaking time to find its feet, so it was axed after one season, but the last, like, 1/3 of it was pretty good. And one of the main characters, Melissa, was Black. She and Diana were the most sensible of the bunch.
(Honestly, you can go ahead an judge me for being in my 30s and watching these teen shows. I judge myself! But when I was in high school, I LOVED the books they are based on and reading them was one way that I could indulge my love of witchcraft and the occult in public without being assaulted and disowned)
I watch them all too. It is one of my guilty pleasures. 🙂
I gotta admit, the “supernatural drama” genre is becoming one of my own guilty pleasures.
Excellent! I’m in good company, then 🙂
I haven’t seen this series yet. I have been disappointed in the past with AA characters in a lot of science fiction/fantasy type shows. This is especially true of the women because they are rarely portrayed in a truly positive light. Could we get one that speaks something even remotely close to decent English (I am not even talking about slang. Most are portrayed as speaking very broken English even if everyone else speaks perfect English unexpectedly). They are also generally portrayed as weak and needing a man to feel complete which is unfortunate. I would love to see a good, strong AA woman character in anything where magic is a major part of the plot. I would be intimidated if I was trying to write one. As a white dude I would be afraid of portraying them in an inaccurate fashion. The best way would probably to get the help of a strong AA woman…
That being said I have to admit that the “teenage cracker” comment kind of upset me. I have never heard “cracker” used in a kind way. Sure it doesn’t have the baggage of other racial slurs but it is still a racial slur and doesn’t seem like an okay thing to say. It doesn’t help anyone to keep us all so divided. We are all different and that is okay but we don’t need to be disrespectful.
Without seeing the show, this comment might seem like it stands out. But the show is full of racial slurs and issues that show some of the sociopolitical race issues in modern time and in the 1800’s. The show is full of racial statements of such but many of the characters…. it is the back story to the show.
So, basically, the show may be using supernatural elements but it is essentially an allegory for sociopolitical issues?
I hate when they do that.
Wow, you must hate a lot of shows then. And comics. And books.
I do. I like Tolkien’s angle:
“I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history – true or feigned– with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author.”
I think it has a lot to do with the time periods it is placed in (well, the 1800 for the past parts) and the location in the south. You can’t really ignore the sociopolitical issues with that in mind.
It’s not like that at all. It would be hollow to have a show with black and white characters in the south that takes place over a century and NOT have racial tension.
It’s not an allegory at all either. Allegory would be having two clans of magic using characters at war and we would infer “Oh this is similar to racism, I get it.” These characters have actual racial tension.
Hey folks, just as a note… can we do away with the “VooDoo” spelling?
Especially in an article that’s comparing and contrasting the otherizing that occurs with people of African descent, it needs to be mentioned that “VooDoo” with an artificial capitolization of that middle D is an otherizing and artificial term for our (very real and very present) religions… while we’re speaking about respect for those of African descent in the media, it’s pretty shameful that we’re still using an artificial and exotified term for Vodou (a word that on it’s own just means ‘spirit’ and is common american parlance for a range of African traditional and diasporic religions stemming from Benin and Nigeria.)
Thanks for your insights.
“Her powers suck”? Given that another character’s sole ability is to make anyone she has sex with die instantly I don’t think this criticism is valid. FWIW, Queenie DOESN’T appear to harm herself when she’s using the ‘living voodoo doll’ ability, which IMO makes it possibly the best power in the show — more controllable than TK or firestarting, which are the other two offense options we’ve seen.
Also, I do not see her being easily manipulated by Fiona to mark any particular sort of weakness on Queenie’s part. Fiona does that to EVERYBODY (including the bitchy blonde mean girl about two eps earlier) and she gets away with it because she is just that awesome.