Confederate: because white nationalists need escapism too

Confederate is set to be a new HBO series which explores a dystopian future where the South won the American Civil War. The show, to be run by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (the current show runners of Game of Thrones) imagines a world where slavery is legal and has become a modern institution. As with every gross decision made on Game of Thrones my question to HBO remains, why?

Nobody wants this show. Their defense of this vile idea makes me nauseous. No. https://t.co/MeTr2peW7f

— Blair LM Kelley (@profblmkelley) July 22, 2017

#Confederate is a bad idea, @hbo. There is no reason to “imagine” a time when marginalized folks are oppressed. We’re living it. Reconsider.

— April (@ReignOfApril) July 27, 2017

What exactly is the public set to gain from this series other than yet another showcase of black people’s pain for entertainment and consumption? What exactly is so interesting about a future where slavery is legal and abundant? We already live in an age where slavery is alive and well, albeit now shrouded by the prison system and hidden behind closed doors. My skepticism only rises knowing that the show runners have hardly dealt with the institution of slavery or indeed people of colour with much sensitivity on GOT. From the infamous ‘white saviour’ imagery of Danaerys freeing slaves at the end of season 3, to the portrayal of the Dothraki as animalistic and hyper sexual, these guys don’t have a great track record.

I’m really not interested in a future any worse than the reality of Donald Trump as president and the injustices faced by POC in the present. The fact that the showrunners are two white guys regardless of their history of being insensitive fools, is such a poor decision on the part of HBO. If you’re going to make a show which deals with this kind of subject matter, especially in the age of Trump, appointing actual POC to explore a history which belongs to them would certainly decrease my skepticism.

Image credit: http://media.istockphoto.com/photos/confederate-flag-picture-id491203837?k=6&m=491203837&s=612×612&w=0&h=l2mOwm6mRf3ixAMYS5QT2YPtAc2DRHlrQ3X6lqjFj18=