#I'm fucking TIRED of this damn society of HYPOCRITES

[mr-laveau]

The more responses I see to the earlier post regarding the fraction of issues regarding people's hcs and the way they enforce problematic racial stereotypes, the more I see people missing the point.

So! Let's revise the point in simpler terms!

POC: Hi! We've noticed this pattern of portrayal and we just wanted to know what's up with that? It's kinda weird as shit to see–

Fandom: You're telling us what to do! Mind your business! We were fine without this before!

POC: ...

POC: WE JUST WANNA KNOW WHY YOU DOIN ALL THAT–

No one, and I mean NOT A SOUL, gives a shit regarding who you headcanon as whatever race–not a damn soul.

We do think it's weird that these headcanons are depicted awfully similar to the racial stereotypes prevalent in the media and all we're asking is for you to examine where that's coming from because it's making the minorities who have been ever so patient about this uncomfortable. We don't need you to put on a show about how racist you aren't, validate your ethnic HCS with racist scenarios or change your shit. We just want you to consider what those headcanons look like and how they particularly affect others when done in negligence. If you're not willing to do that and you're not willing to look outside of your view point and get the idea then at least do us a favour and say your shit with your chest so you can get blocked instead of hiding behind anons and spouting your bullshit. It's disgusting and your ignorance is tiring to see. At least let me use the algorithm to take you off my feed so I can see the people who don't make me feel shit for existing and asking for consideration.

No one is calling you racist. No one has made this implication. We all just want you to unpack something because it's weird and we can't exist in a space where everyone is blatantly reinforcing damaging stereotypes and denying POC a welcoming space. But if that's too hard for ya then all I'm gonna personally say is:

It's pretty fucking hypocritical that y'all wanna consume media that discusses and critiques systemic racism enforced in schools, the media and society, but you wanna act like you're not adding to the problem those literary allegories represent.

P.S. Centrist behaviors and silence can and will be read by me as being complicit, and wanting to sweep this under the rug is telling of how fucked your mindset is.

[doberbutts]

I'm personally not gonna watch ROP unless I can pirate it - but also, I'm bad at getting around to media I want to watch. I've had the Matrix trilogy on my watch list for nearly five years and just haven't gotten to it. But I genuinely do boycott Amazon. I don't order shit online that I can do without or that I can buy at a store. It's less convenient, but I really hate how dependent our society is on online shopping & streaming content.

I also have strong opinions on adaptations (a huge special interest of mine) that deviate too much from the spirit of the source material, but since this isn't a direct adaptation of any of Tolkien's works -- just sorta set in his world -- I have less of a chip on my shoulder about it. Though, I did refuse to watch The Hobbit movies on principle.

That said, I'm over here like... if I had to guess, I'd say ROP is probably pretty good, or at least decent, all things considered. The Amazon shows that I have seen haven't been bad at all. Well written, well paced... And personally, I'm happy about the diversity bc I get very very fucking tired of seeing all white or mostly white casts, especially in the fantasy genre. Not only is it not interesting, but it's usually a sign that the writers are just racist & exclusionary.

So I guess my general feelings are: I understand why some people might not like the show just on premise alone, particularly the book enthusiasts. I'm sick of big budget remakes too, and I think the Peter Jackson films set a high bar for a lot of folks. Ofc, there are definitely racists who are Bigg Madd about black elves, and they can all die mad. I personally think Amazon is a scourge & I wish more ppl were dedicated to boycotting it (or at least reducing its importance in their lives) & that is my reason for not immediately watching ROP, so I think that's an extremely valid stance. But I'd watch it if I could do so without supporting Amazon & if I could ever dedicate time to sitting down for it.

And all THAT to say, I don't trust anyone's opinion about media they haven't seen. Even if their reasons for not interacting with it are valid. If they don't have the full context of the show, how are they gonna form an informed opinion about it? I wanna see the critical analysis work (because I'm a dork).

Sorry this got so long! I just have feelings about it. 😅 And tone isn't easy for me, so if it wasn't clear, I totally support your frustration with people's half baked opinions on the show & see how that's suspicious. I'm just here trying to represent the folks who genuinely aren't interested in supporting Amazon in a non-hypocritical way. I'll shut up now tho. Cheers~

This is another long ask that I think would be better as a reblog and rehashes a lot of the same things I've been saying so I'm just gunna pull one thing out and that is:

I don't trust anyone's opinions about media they haven't [experienced]. Because that's really the heart of it. I feel that way for any entertainment I interact with- I trust no one's opinions about something they've never watched or read or played. I see joyless takes about trailers for things that aren't even out and won't be out for at least a year and I'm like damn, you're so fucking boring. It's not even out yet, how do you even know if it'll be bad? Do you have any actual concerns about it or are you just parroting the masses and formed your opinion before giving it a fair try?