The Walking Dead - Official Thread

[shogun]

I'm going to check out ftwd so unless if has its own thread, I guess people post about it here as default.

Also zik posted news about Beth the bae angel, so I had to check it out and comment on the great news.

 

[ooiron manoo]

For all the people that passionately hate the show or don't enjoy it, why are you all still in here constantly? I don't get it. I don't wear Roshe anymore after all these colors dropped, so I never visit the Roshe thread and I'm not in there constantly saying "these are so wack!"

Don't want to derail the thread, but never understood the love for Roshe's

Dudes that wear them, you can tell they are dudes that secretly loved Tom's but made homophobic comments about them or know their friends will clown them for wearing Tom's so they jumped on the Roshe train.

Nike Roshe's- Tom's with a cushioned sole.

I remember trying on the military green colorway (don't know the nickname), I put them on, comfortable, but looked like Peter Pan.

 

[hand2handking]

wait the neighbr across the street who was packing up his car killed the family throwing the birthday across the street? 

was the principal was bitten or sick? 

 

[krazyrodzilla]

http://tananarivedue.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-toxic-racial-imagery-in-fear.html?spref=fb

The toxic racial imagery in Fear the Walking Dead -- and why Black Lives Matter on TV too
DeRay Mckesson (left) and Ferguson protesters in Missouri in 2014. No photo credit provided.

As a lifelong horror lover who has co-written and co-produced a short zombie film, I've often pondered why zombies have so taken hold of the public imagination. An uncomfortable revelation dawned on me in 2014 as I watched the police army amass in reaction to protesters in Ferguson:

We--people of color, and black people in particular--are this country's zombies. We are the horrifying shadow suburbia is afraid will slip through the window at night. We are the reason for the U.S. history of stockpiling guns, dating back to fears of slave rebellions. Terror over the nation's "browning" make us the shambling masses who drive people to lock their doors and fantasize about barricades and sudden flight. It's not true for all of us who love zombies, obviously, and it's usually not conscious--but it's the simmering social subtext.

Recently, science fiction author Greg Bear echoed my observation during a lunch with me and my husband, author Steven Barnes, at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon): American horror, he said, has its origins in fear of The Other.

Which brings me to the new AMC series "Fear the Walking Dead," which had so much blatant anti-black imagery in its first two episodes that even white reviewers took notice. The word The Hollywood Reporter used was "polarizing," but I'm comfortable with "racist." This week, Vanity Fair published the rhetorical headline "Has Fear The Walking Dead Inherited The Walking Dead's Race Problem?" Another blogger wrote yesterday on how the show is angering fans. And this post from a black writer: "Why I'm Quitting Fear the Walking Dead: It's Kind of Racist."

If you've been paying attention to the show's predecessor, "The Walking Dead," these charges of racial bias against black men in particular are far from new. My husband stopped watching it with me after the strong Alpha from the graphic novels, Tyreese, was killed off after being rendered utterly ineffectual on the TV version. (This after the insulting creation and sacrificial death of "T-Dog," who was even more ineffectual.) We've heard the dismissive "Who, us?" responses from showrunners, basically, "Hey, it's the zombie apocalypse--everybody dies!"

The parade of dead black men from "The Walking Dead"

But "Fear of the Walking Dead" shows its hand in ways that even its predecessor did not. During a moment in Episode 2, I said to my husband, "Oh, God--do you think they would...?" And his response, even as someone who had disavowed "The Walking Dead" was: "They wouldn't. It would be too obvious."

Well, they did. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

One of the frustrations that led to me making my own horror short film was the frustrating tropes around black characters, particularly how often black characters die first. It's a kind of "death lite"--not the real people, but just enogh to scare us for the real characters' safety. Blacks also tend to appear as Spiritual Guides or Sacrifical Negroes (or, in the case of the film Annabelle, as both). I blogged about this while we were crowdfunding in 2013: "Eulogy for the Sacrificial Negro."

So what did "Fear the Walking Dead" do?

The first character killed off was black. Not just black--but a black drug dealer. And a weak black drug dealer who is fought off by his jonesing white client. So, yes, from the very start, the show has introduced an ineffectual black thug as the first zombie to die. A thug's black body laid out on the street. (As a culture, that's how we like men's black bodies: laid out dead on the street.)

But it doesn't stop there, oh no.

Episode 1 also managed to throw in a good old-fashioned black man jump scare with the school principal, a la the weak Candyman sequels.

Then came Episode 2, which doubled down on the imagery. Because, boo-hoo, the white teenage girl's black boyfriend is INFECTED. (I could almost hear the collective sigh of relief as she was forced to leave him suffering in bed before he could bite anyone--or turn into a more serious relationship.)

And then came the moment when my husband said "They wouldn't."

While scavenging for supplies, survivors run across the shambling form of--you guessed it--the black school principal, who must be violently dispatched with a fire extiguisher. So all three of the black men the main characters have in their circle, the only black people we know, are either zombies or infected. In the first two episodes.

The showrunner, Dave Erickson, blamed it on casting. And then, even after they realized what had gone awry (assuming they considered it "awry"), they said they wouldn't change it because the story is the story. So, whatever.

I might have been able to swallow all of that without being so angry I could barely get to sleep if not for the cynical use of protest imagery as a backdrop to the zombie storyline. So now, all of a sudden, they're so politically astute that they can throw in a protest against a police shooting that turns into a riot. Because, hey, that's what would happen, right? Never mind that these are real issues and real crises based on the same societal fear of black men the show feeds upon.

I wrote off the issues in "The Walking Dead" as a "blind spot," i.e. what happens when you have a show with a diverse cast without a diverse writing room. (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there are any black writers for either show. I would LOVE to know if there are; clearly, they need some backup.) But despite the protestations of the showrunner of "Fear the Walking Dead," the use of black male death in this show FEELS much more intentional. More like the desired effect.

What is also maddening in both shows is a kind of divide-and-conquer use of diversity, i.e. the Asian-American character in "The Walking Dead," Glenn (played by Steven Yeun) is tough and sexual, and the black FEMALE character, Michonne (played by Danai Gurira) is dynamic and singular, so we're not supposed to notice the way the black men are treated. Likewise, "Fear the Walking Dead" features Maori actor Cliff Curtis and several Latino/a actors, including one of my very favorite performers, Ruben Blades.

In these shows, the successes of other marginalized groups come at the specific cost of black men.

I admit it: I kept watching "The Walking Dead" because of Michonne even after my husband quit. I have a Michonne action figure on my desk. And I wanted to like "Fear the Walking Dead." It's exactly the origin story I've been waiting for, and so much of it could work for me except for the blatant visual hostiliy to my race.

What we call "just entertainment" is never that. I have an 11-year-old son, and I believe that the imagery on shows like this makes the world less safe for him (although he does not watch it). Gives solace to people who do not like him, or might want to hurt him, based on his skin color. Makes him seem like more of a monster because that is the way society is ready to treat him.

I also have some specific suggestions for the teams behind "The Walking Dead" and "Fear the Walking Dead": stop your deny, deny, deny strategy. Your shows have a problem. Face up to it, say it's not all right, and vow to fix it.

And this is a message to all TV: Since you now love featuring actors of color because of the shifting Nielsen demographics, add more writers of color. Hire more black showrunners.

Stop the lazy line "There aren't any black writers who write horror." I have appeared in anthologies full of black horror writers, I know other black horror screenwriters, so there are many. Look around. If you must, do a national search like "Saturday Night Live" did.

You'd be surprised at the gems you can find when you stop denying and decide it really matters.

Tananarive Due is a novelist and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. She has won an American Book Award and an NAACP Image Award. Her website is at www.tananarivedue.com

 

[Master Zik]

Okay didn't mean to come back but the title alone I saw in the preview

I aint watch the 2nd ep but racism and these walking dead shows been a problem. No surprise ppl are talking about it more if they're actually getting more blatant about the images and message they're purposely or unknowingly sending.

 

[703flipfiend]

Got it. I was just really curious haha. With that said, argue away. NT never fails to entertain with the banter.

 

[Nawzlew]

racism

FOH

 

[a-friend]

For all the people that passionately hate the show or don't enjoy it, why are you all still in here constantly? I don't get it. "

..:writing essays about how bad it is.

 

[harlemtothebronx]

I've given up on both shows. I can't really support this anymore. At a certain point it just became a waste of time for me. Gave FTWD a shot, but it just felt so tired. I definitely have zombie fatigue.

 

[tr1ll]

racism

FOH

Name I male black character that didn't die. I'll wait...

Furthermore..

What in the blue hell is that on his head?? Someone give them Fetty Wops hair dresser's number..

 

[blastercombo]

Most of the main characters aren't even white doe

*jags fan gif*

 

[tr1ll]

Because no one just doesn't like black people, right?

My bad....

 

[blastercombo]

I think you're being so simple about this that you've come to the conclusion black character dying = racism, without even thinking the whole situation through. The series isn't even over but you're crying over who's in the show TWO episodes in. Might as well cry racism because none of the main characters are black too. Oh, but let's just pick and choose right?

* jags fan gif*

 

[tr1ll]

What makes you even think Im talking about FTWD?

Do you even know who that is I posted?

 

[36Hypno]

racism

FOH

 

[hand2handking]

always framing the conversation 

now its being too simple minded

because we so simple we cant "think the whole situation through" 

nevermind that the "situation" is exactly that, a deliberately set piece that has been "thought all the way through"

so what if their goal truly is to show black people dying because it boosts their ratings? then what? 

do we just shut up and pretend not to notice so all your favorite nonblack characters can "survive"?

that article was on point in relation to the fear of zombies vs fear of black people in society

edit:

and yall can talk about the baddest females in this show and always bring up beth, maggie and rosita   but rarely do anybody bring up michonne or sasha 

 

[a-friend]

unsubscribed

Sunday is too far away

 

[jays25]

Most of the main characters aren't even white doe

*jags fan gif*

Speaking of The Walking Dead (As I have yet to see FTWD anyways, and didn't even think it looked good based on the trailers) yes they are. Though that in itself isn't racism.

 

[blastercombo]

always framing the conversation 

now its being too simple minded

because we so simple we cant "think the whole situation through" 

nevermind that the "situation" is exactly that, a deliberately set piece that has been "thought all the way through"

so what if their goal truly is to show black people dying because it boosts their ratings? then what? 

do we just shut up and pretend not to notice so all your favorite nonblack characters can "survive"?

that article was on point in relation to the fear of zombies vs fear of black people in society

edit:

and yall can talk about the baddest females in this show and always bring up beth, maggie and rosita   but rarely do anybody bring up michonne or sasha 

That article was garage click bait that targeted race baiters. All ideas sound plausible when it's what YOU want it to be.

Funny too because Morgan is the biggest draw for the next TWD season, but..... Let's pick and choose again...

 

[tr1ll]

Ok lets see what happens to Morgan...

 

[hand2handking]

yea morgan is the biggest draw cuz ppl want to see how he will die 

with this show its already a forgone conclusion that he will die now that hes in the show

 

[shogun]

I dunno if the show is racist but it has become comical and people have pointed it out for a while how they'll kill off some of the black guys then replace them with new ones and then repeat it again. My dude T-Dawg finally had more than a few lines of dialogue after what seemed like forever and they got rid of him.

 

[ooiron manoo]

I think movies that are considered "black movies" are full of stereotypes about other races, but that's none of my business.

Black people stay on that ********.



#blacklivesmatter says a lot about the mindset of that culture, glad it didn't gain much traction.

 

[beh235]

That article posted about FTWD is interesting, but didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know or suspect. I thought she was going to mention the dialogue in episode 2  between the black dude in the crowd and how he told the police officer that Chris had a right to film and it was his constitutioanl right to do so, especially when they already killed an infected person (who just so happened to be black). I thought that scene was very interesting. 

 

[therealrell]

I think movies that are considered "black movies" are full of stereotypes about other races, but that's none of my business.

Black people stay on that ********.



#blacklivesmatter says a lot about the mindset of that culture, glad it didn't gain much traction.

Excuse me?

The think piece is a little much, but that has been a running joke about TWD for years now and people have said this about the show overall for years. T-Dog was the most egregious form of it on the show. The name first of all, an idiot, left to do menial tasks like burying dead bodies in Season 2, little to no dialogue his entire three season run and when he does die he sacrifices himself so that Carol could live. They turned an Alpha in Tyrese into a eunuch and made him a babysitter. People were actually happy to see him die because no longer would the character have been butchered. So miss me with there's people mad over nothing. There obviously is smoke because this has been a topic of discussion for some time. It is bigger than people die in a zombie apocalypse. The showrunners and Kirkman are putting images out there whether deliberate or not do have an effect. We harp on how we tell young girls that they're supposed to be nothing more than feminine and wear pink and play with dolls. The outcry was large enough that Target made the toy section gender neutral. The lack of female superheroes has resulted in Marvel creating new ones and even changing the identities of their well known properties to satisfy a feminist agenda. This topic isn't important to me to where I want someone's creativity stifled, but good points are made in that write up and if some of you actually read it without any biases, you would see it as well. What happens on Kirkman's shows is a microcosm of the problem in Hollywood.