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HBO orders alternate universe Civil War drama [update: interview w/ producers]

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The premise is kinda lazy too. Institutional slavery wouldn't have survived that long, even in the South. Now if it was about Jim Crow segregation still continuing, hellish but that would be more plausible. Who asked for this basically?

Yeah this premise sounds awful. How does slavery continue into the modern era when it was already being shunned by the major nations at the time of the civil war. Granted colonialism would keep people of color oppressed around the world, but they were not slaves. Even if the south kept slaves they would all be replaced by machines come the 20th century because tractors and combines work fields faster and more efficiently than hundreds of slaves.

Unless it's going to be some allegory to modern "wage slavery" but I highly doubt that.
 
I also look forward to kind old woman slave owner who treats her slaves well who faces off against liberationists and is protected by her slaves because they're 'happy"
 
Yeah this premise sounds awful. How does slavery continue into the modern era when it was already being shunned by the major nations at the time of the civil war. Granted colonialism would keep people of color oppressed around the world, but they were not slaves. Even if the south kept slaves they would all be replaced by machines come the 20th century because tractors and combines work fields faster and more efficiently than hundreds of slaves.

Unless it's going to be some allegory to modern "wage slavery" but I highly doubt that.

Well, one of the alternate theories along that line is that once slaves did not hold value any longer, they would be no longer be needed. And yes, that means what you think it means.
 
The reactions are certainly interesting, lot of people here and on other left-leaning sites are expressing disdain at the possibilities of glorifying the confederacy and white savior tropes. On twitter and other places I see right wing people are saying the show will push a white-people-are-evil agenda.

Makes me wonder if the show will prosper from a lot of negative reaction before its even filmed, or if it will simply lose any interest from all sides due to the politics.
 

Slayven

Member
I am interested in seeing how they explain why folks keep using slaves when shit like this exists

r2d003117_642x462.png


But then again racism isn't logical or economical
 

Sunster

Member
The reactions are certainly interesting, lot of people here and on other left-leaning sites are expressing disdain at the possibilities of glorifying the confederacy and white savior tropes. On twitter and other places I see right wing people are saying the show will push a white-people-are-evil agenda.

Makes me wonder if the show will prosper from a lot of negative reaction before its even filmed, or if it will simply lose any interest from all sides due to the politics.

almost like no one wants this
 

Mister Wolf

Gold Member
Do you think they will make the black actors speak with the stereotypical southern slave accent/slang for authenticity?
 
I am interested in seeing how they explain why folks keep using slaves when shit like this exists

r2d003117_642x462.png


But then again racism isn't always logical or encomical

Well you are forgetting that Blacks were primarily used for low pay wages for high risk jobs like smelting in steel factories.

For non-field jobs, like building skyscrapers and the roads and other such things, you could still incorporate slave labor during a modern industrial revolution.
 

jaekeem

Member
almost like no one wants this

people are complaining because they're expecting the worst case scenario (relative to their ideological position)

could be true. this show could be trash that handles a delicate subject matter with 0 finesse or tact.

but it could also be interesting. who knows.
 
I find it difficult to imagine this show tackling these issues with any level of tact, let alone some insightful commentary on real life parallels.
 

Wubby

Member
Looking forward to this! I read all the Turtledove TL-191 books and Guns of the South a number of years ago. Will be interesting to see what they do with the series.
 

Sunster

Member
people are complaining because they're expecting the worst case scenario (relative to their ideological position)

could be true. this show could be trash that handles a delicate subject matter with 0 finesse or tact.

but it could also be interesting. who knows.

I'm complaining because a network like HBO could literally make any idea into a show and they chose this. "What if black people were slaves again?"
 

norm9

Member
I am interested in seeing how they explain why folks keep using slaves when shit like this exists

r2d003117_642x462.png


But then again racism isn't logical or economical

That's not demeaning enough. Every single story involving slavery has ONE person who is the sadist. I think they're understating the cruelty of people and that there were many many more like them.
 

jaekeem

Member
I'm complaining because a network like HBO could literally make any idea into a show and they chose this. "What if black people were slaves again?"

Cynical view: they know everyone and their grandma will tune in to a slavery world by the game of thrones showrunners.

I agree that, at least on first glance, this is a little smh.

But HBO = $$$ motivated
 

New002

Member
I just don't get why.

Like why would you want to explore what the world would be like if Black folk were still slaves in America in 2017....

Like what's so interesting and appealing about that.

Yeah this is where I'm at. Is this really something worth delving into and exploring? Especially with the way things are right now? I dunno. Seems kind of effed up to me.
 

prag16

Banned
They better not pull any "but both sides" shit with fucking slaveowners.

The summary already points to "protagonists on both sides".

C'mon now I know you can smell that bullshit coming from a mile away.

Yeah it'll be far more interesting if they're all a bunch of blatant baby eating mustache twirling sadistic evil doers. Except not.

And regardless, protagonists on both sides could literally mean protagonists on both sides of the Mason Dixon.

Also love this narrative where the GoT showrunners are objectively horrible writers. Everybody is a pretentious critic apparently.
 

Slayven

Member
Yeah it'll be far more interesting if they're all a bunch of blatant baby eating mustache twirling sadistic evil doers. Except not.

And regardless, protagonists on both sides could literally mean protagonists on both sides of the Mason Dixon.

Also love this narrative where the GoT showrunners are objectively horrible writers. Everybody is a pretentious critic apparently.

You are aware of what slavery is right? They literally wrote songs about using black babies as gator bait

Mammy's Little Alligator Bait
Hush-aby, don't yo' cry,
mammy's little piccaninny's gwine to get a present mighty soon,
When de stars am a-peepin' and de moon it am a-creepin'
den yo' mammy's gwine to sing ‘dis tune,
Shut yo' eye bye and bye,
mam will whip yo' if yo' cry,
Someone am a-comin' thro' de gate;
Go to sleep, don't yo' peep,
listen to me tell yo',
yo's mammy little alligator bait.
 

Woo-Fu

Banned
I'm more interested in why all of sudden you have these "What if Nazis won?? What if Confederates won??" pieces of media going around right as actual goddamn nazis and confederates have taken us over.

Man in the High Castle came out in 2015.
 

Woo-Fu

Banned
Doesn't work because the US is peppered with places flying the Confederate flag. I'm guessimg you'd get a punch to the face if you're flying NK flag in Seoul.

Because yeah, the Confederacy is currently testing ICBMs and threatening invasion of everything North of Virginia. Oh wait, that isn't the case. You're trying way too hard.
 
Yeah it'll be far more interesting if they're all a bunch of blatant baby eating mustache twirling sadistic evil doers. Except not.

And regardless, protagonists on both sides could literally mean protagonists on both sides of the Mason Dixon.

Also love this narrative where the GoT showrunners are objectively horrible writers. Everybody is a pretentious critic apparently.

or maybe just objectively horrible at dealing with slavery an race?
 
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