#not tagging twd because I don't want to get swarmed with Merle antis who accuse me of being racist

[creepereyes]

I can’t believe antis are still spouting the ‘Billy was a violent racist how can you like him?!’ argument.

One vague line doesn’t prove anything, and I guarantee you Billy would’ve reacted the exact same way if it had been Mike, Will or Dustin pestering Max in those scenes.

Even if Dacre himself confirmed that Billy WAS a little racist, people can change. Racism can be unlearned, and I’m going to make a Stranger Things/The Walking Dead comparison post that might give antis an aneurysm.

You don’t have to be familiar with The Walking Dead to understand this post, but I’d say it’s worth a read especially if you like both shows.

This post is going to get long so I’m inserting a read more.

Billy is not an irredeemable monster. He never uses racist slurs and never hate crimes Lucas. Pushing someone against the wall and scolding them is not attempted murder. Lastly, he’s a teenager. It’s not like he’s a dude in his 40′s bullying an 8th grader.

All these Billy antis need to watch The Walking Dead, specifically the first three seasons. Why, you ask? Because that show had a racist character who was on the track to changing his ways and becoming a better person.

In TWD season 1 episode 2 we meet Merle Dixon, older brother of series favorite Daryl Dixon. Merle is a violent, unapologetic racist who, shortly after being introduced, provokes a black man into attacking him so he has an ‘excuse’ to beat him up. He’s a terrible person. (Though early series Daryl is no saint either, he’s quick to violence and is often hostile to other members of the group).

After Merle saws his own hand off to escape a bad situation, he goes missing for over a season. When he comes back, he’s different. He’s still an asshole and while he still drops a racial slur, he doesn’t sling the n-word anymore and shows the odd moment of compassion. As the season progresses, we start to understand why Merle is the way he is and that he has more layers than expected. Much like Billy, he has sides to him that other people rarely see, and that really shines when he interacts with Herschel, the one person who shows him kindness.

As unpredictable as Merle is, he does the right thing in the end. And guess who really gets through to him and convinces him to do the right thing?

Michonne, a black woman.

Just like Billy, Merle sacrifices his own life and dies to protect a group of people who don’t give a shit about him, and is then mourned only by a younger sibling with whom he had a very complicated relationship.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s no justifying or excusing his hateful actions in season 1. We as viewers are supposed to have conflicting feelings about Merle. He starts off as a racist asshole, but he turns out to be more complex than he seems, and if he lived past season 3 I’m confident he could’ve really changed for the better. In my opinion, Merle is a great character because despite his heinous past actions, he’s complex, layered and interesting. His interactions with other characters are fantastic and his actor, Michael Rooker, did a great job giving more depth to a character that could’ve easily been a one-note villain. (Sound familiar?)

My point? Anyone can change. If a 50 year old violent racist can begin changing his ways, so can a teenage boy.

If Billy had survived season 3 and gotten away from his abusive father, he would’ve changed too. It would take time and he’d need support, but it would’ve happened. He could’ve formed healthy relationships. He could’ve teamed up with Steve, Robin, Eddie and Nancy to kick Vecna’s crusty ass. 

Antis blatantly refuse to admit it, but Billy would’ve changed and flourished if he got out of his toxic home and had people believe in him. 

They just can’t handle a character with layers.