Hi guys, it's April otherwise known as BellamyBlakesProtectionSquad 2k17 on tumblr
And I am back with another installment of The 100 and it's fandom has some serious issues with race
The first installment was basically just a brief rundown of why I left tumblr and what that had to do with race
This installment is actually something that you guys chose
yourselves. I ran a poll on Twitter recently
And I had four options to choose from. The first was Colorism, the second was Octavia's character is racist, the third was extras
do not equal good representation and the fourth was Brown face is racist. The fourth option, brown face is racist won by a landslide
Over 50% of voters, and I already know why
Before we get into discussion
That is specific to The 100 about this issue
I do want to give a very quick background history of blackface and brown face
And why they would be considered problematic because I honestly believe that some people just don't know
Like, why people are offended when we discuss brown or black face
Before I start this I do want to make note that I will be using the terms blackface and brown face
Interchangeably because they basically both mean the same thing
somebody who is not a person of color, darkening their skin using artificial means to
portray a person of color or someone who is more ethnic or savage
So if you hear me say blackface know that I also mean Brown face, if you hear me say brownface vice versa.
Alright, so. If you see me looking off to the side
I keep notes for these videos because I don't want to like
go off topic and forget what I'm supposed to be talking about because it's very easy to ramble to you guys
So that's what I'm doing
So, black face got it's start in medieval Europe as a form of entertainment. It was used specifically to
Protect the performer's, I guess you could say reputation, when they were doing things that were considered vulgar
Or not classy. So things like performing magic acts things like cursing all of those things would be things that
were done under cover of blackface when it first started. Blackface didn't really get its roots into America until about the 19th century which is about the
1800s
Particularly during the time of the Civil War. It served a very specific purpose
It was used in minstrel shows to demean and dehumanize black people in order to
Keep the idea going that black people were
Not really human and therefore were better suited to slavery
However it's not just an American phenomenon, it is an issue worldwide
For example even if we look into Australian history in Melbourne in the 1880s there was an entire
Theatre hall it was called the Apollo
Hall which was specifically dedicated to minstrel shows only so this is not like just a small time issue
And we still see issues with brown and black face today, and you'll see people do blackface for Halloween
things like that
So even today it still has its hooks in our society
Historically black and brown face have been used to symbolize
Social group, beliefs and behaviors that are typically despised aka hated by society. Also used to perpetuate
demeaning stereotypes of
POC and symbolize how
Non-white, people are basically seen as other, that is important for The 100 discussion that we're going to have later
That using black and brown face is meant to show that um,
that we're, other.
Blackface in it's use
is typically all about power. Like you're taking something that is
important from a group of people like my skin colour, which I cannot change and using it for ridicule or
Entertainment
Again
Ridicule or entertainment
And I separated those things because it's important to note that not
Everybody who puts on black or brown face intends to be offensive
Like you want to use this as a form of entertainment and that's what television is
That's what movies are, they're forms of entertain for us
So you don't mean to be horrible like, but you are and when people tell you are you really need to like it get it together
Unfortunately regardless of intent you cannot separate black and brown base from it's very negatively rooted history
Because those negative aspects attached to it still affect us people of color today
So how does blackface relate in particular to The 100?
There's one character in particular that we talk about when we are discussing brownface in The 100
And that is Commander Lexa kom Triku, however
She is not the only character who uses brown face on this show, I do want to make that very clear.
This is not a video that is meant to be degrading to Lexa or an attack on Lexa
specifically. This is about the use of brown face in this form of media specifically
Unfortunately the most common use of brownface in this show to date has been Lexa.
So that is what a lot of people focus on when they discussing brown face in The 100, because it's the most obvious example that
We have
The use however goes all the way back to the first season
I don't know if you guys remember him
But there was a gentleman who showed up at the end of Season 1 because Anya was not getting the job done
apparently, well enough to the Commander's uh-
Specifications to get rid of the dropship delinquents and
So the Commander sent Tristan because he's more ruthless and he is all about fighting these battles or whatever
He was just willing to kill some kids. I guess. And he showed up on the screen, and he's brown as
me
To be fair, "brown as me" was probably a bit of an overstatement, but he's definitely darker than he should be
But then when you go look up his actor
You realize that
That's not the case
Tristan's actor is definitely a white man
Let me see if I can find
his name. Alright guys,
I found them his name is Joseph Gatt and as you can see there's an obvious skin tone difference here
Not just in the war paints and the tattoos and the dirt that they've applied his foundation is too dark. Um so,
That's actually the first use of brownface that we see on the show
Tristan later dies in season 2 he's killed by Kane
And
We don't see him again
Then
We are introduced to
Commander Lexa kom Trikru and this is where the issues really start to become obvious to people
When we first introduced Lexa and her introduction was amazing she looks like a plain girl
Um, like a servant girl type of deal
She's sitting in the cell
And then you get the big reveal that she's actually the leader of everybody and that was a great moment, great cinematic reveal, however
It's patently obvious that Lexa is not the same color as her actress Alycia Debnam-Carey
You can definitely see it here in these three shots. Where on the far left
She's absolutely wearing makeup because she's at a public appearance
She's still not as orange as she is as Lexa. And it's not the war paint, it's not the the dirt
it's the foundation choice and
There are people who say oh, that's because they live outdoors
You know so they're tan and let's stop that right there. The grounders
Do not live outdoors, nor do we have any evidence that they are a society that functions mostly outdoors
We know this for a fact because when Finn shoots up the village in 2x05, they live in huts, with roofs
and doors, possibly windows. Here's an entire grouping of functional homes made out of what appears to be leftover scrap metal that they pieced
Together the homes appear to have been there for a while because they're growing moss on the top
And they also have like a shelter for their animals. In 209
They have their feast in what looks like a subway station, with tables and chairs, some pretty nice platters there for decor
Lexa lives in a giant tower in Polis, it's implied to the bathroom because she's washing her hair in 307
She has a very nice bed. When she travels
They have a tent to set up which is common for Commanders in battle times
So let's drop the idea that all grounders are outdoorsy folk
There's no there's no reason to think that they just sleep under the stars and hang out
in the sun all day long. They seem to have a
basic grasp on "I live in a house in a house has a roof and windows and doors" Like it's
Her-being outside that often would not make her tan that much, that quickly
So that's the end of the discussion that because they are an outdoorsy people they needed to put a tan on her
To make her seem like a more realistic leader The next representation of black or brown face we see on the show is actually in the form of our protagonist
Clarke Griffin, she's the hero of the show
She is white and she has-she stays pretty much white for the majority of the show
Until season 3 where she gets a little loss because she's devastated
Emotionally and mentally by the things that she had to do in Mt. Weather with Monty and Bellamy to survive. So she leaves, she goes
And she's just like living in the forest, scavenging for three months when we catch up with her in
Episode one of season 3, she's still her normal Clarke color so three months outside in the forest
We don't know if she's been like seeking shelter. We don't know if she's been sleeping inside although
We do know that she has some type of established relationship with Niylah, although I don't think they had sex until season three began
When we see her in 303 when she is
Wearing the Wanheda apparel and she's bowing to Lexa, for the safety of her people
All of a sudden Clarke is a little bit more orange than she was when Roan and-Roan
kidnapped her
She's she's she
At the beginning of season three she's her normal white skin color especially when you look at
Her compared to her normal self without makeup then on the right of this picture. You can see that
She's orangey and also that they added a dreadlock for whatever reason
And we all know that dreads are not something that white people can create organically with their hair texture
That is
Not awesome. And then the fourth use of brown face
That is noticeable in the show is with Octavia
She's not as tan as she is in season four
In the last two episodes where she, after she wins the battle for the bunker and she becomes the Commander
Octavia in early season four she's obviously white she has a few marks on her face from a fight, but
That's about it. Once she becomes the commander you can actually see the line of demarcation
That red line, where her foundation does not match her natural skin color
This is a problem, and this is a problem because every single last instance of a white character darkening their skin
Is related to grounder culture.
Every single last instance. Like yes, Clarke and Octavia, they are Arkadians, they are sky people
however
At the time that their skin color is darkened for the purpose of the story, they are acting as grounders
They are living as grounders. They're in ceremonial
situations
They're both in ceremonial situations actually Octavia is
making an announcement to the bunker people and
as the commander and Clarke is
showing that she is Wanheda and
pledging the allegiance of the Arkadians to the grounders well to the to the
Commander specifically at the time that we see them
Wearing their brown face. That's a problem because we already know that the grounders are meant to be seen as wild
we know they're meant to be seen as savages and we know that the fandom knows this because
lots of times the fandom and even some reviewers have stated that the
The Arkers are colonists
Which means that you associate the grounders with native people because you cannot colonize
Something that's not native and no offense to anyone, well, full offense to everybody who thinks opposite to be honest
But native people are always
People of color, this is a fact they're always
people of color in movies in TV in history in books in history
Native people are always people of color. They're people who have a little bit of extra melanin popping up in their skin
Okay
We this is not up for debate so if you recognize or if you want to say that The 100 are colonizers although,
I disagree with that interpretation of their story, if you want to say that The 100 are colonizers, then you also have to recognize
That the grounders are a group of people based off of native
indigenous
people and
almost all of the
Almost all of the grounders that we see in speaking roles outside of Lexa
Nia, Ontari
Almost all of them are portrayed by people of color
Almost all of the grounders who are semi-prominent are people of color
Until we get to the point where we need grounders in leadership positions
Then they're played by white people, but the white people have their faces like
Smudged up a little bit, so they look a little bit more ethnic
Ambiguously ethnic because obviously you can't take my nose or my lips or any of that good stuff
Why is this a problem?
Why is it a problem
To take this white actress from Australia or that white actress from Australia or and that white actress from Canada?
And we put them in a little bit of suntan or a slightly darker shade of foundation
For them to portray this role isn't it just like any other stage makeup you may ask and the answer is no
Why is Lexa any less of a leader if she just looked like Alycia Debnam-Carey?
What about her role changes if she is not wearing her fake tan?
What about Wanheda is different? What about Clarke Griffin is different if she's not orange?
Why is Octavia any less?
Of a grounder leader
Why is she any less of a leader?
If she's not slightly darker than she normally is
There's a reason that they put these women in their brown face and their black face
and it's because they want to say that the grounders are other and
They are
The show itself has created this idea that the grounders are savages starting in season one
We get the first the first the very first interactions, we have with the grounders is negative they spear a boy
For no other reason than he was holding up a sign after having a great time swinging across a river
Then they hung him up from the trees as bait for a panther or some other form of animal
Then they're hanging out in trees
They're unwilling to have peace talks
They speak a made-up language, which is I do not care what anybody says
very strongly rooted in
African-American language, AAVE
African-American Vernacular English, it's very it it's similar guys
They believe in things that the the Arcadians tend to think are barbaric
like there are even instances where
Some of the grounders will point out that
That the Arcadian see them as savages or less than
Roan calls Clarke out on this in 409
When she attempts to steal the flame.
Lexa points out that Clarke, sees them as savages and tells her to come to Polis so that you know
She can see who they really are and even that is kind of an insult because she's saying hey
You know what these guys out here. They may be savages but when you come to our suburb polis. That's where the good grounders are
They had to make Lexa
Darker, they had to make Clarke darker. They had to make Octavia darker because you wouldn't associate
Typically historically even though we should we don't associate white people with acts of
savagery in media or the media doesn't want us to
because they have to keep up this idea that white is right and white is good and
If you wanted to have a woman of color leading the grounders, then you should have let Adina Porter be Lexa
There's and they keep doing this like
Even if you-even if you wanted a younger woman to be the Commander
Then you should have hired a woman like-like Tati-Gabrielle, perfect.
She should have been
She should have been Lexa, if you wanted a woman of color to portray the leader of all of the grounders. But they didn't do that
Even when we get to the season 4 finale for whatever reason
Octavia who was on the ground for what at this point six-eight months? She's been on the ground for eight months
She's been an Arkadian her entire life
She spent the vast majority of her life underneath the floor 16 years of her life
She hasn't been out from under the floor in in in for, for even five years
It's just been the year that she's been in jail and then the year that she's been on the ground
She's been out from underneath the floor in
Eight months, I'm supposed to believe that Octavia has learned enough combat skill to
to somehow become the leader of all of the grounders
when Indra
Who is who was Lexa's second in command from all appearance was right there?
All because she won one fight
Anybody can do that with enough luck which is all Octavia had.
because for whatever reason this show cannot abide people of color being in
They cannot abide people of color being
leaders in their own right even as they base an entire culture around
stolen bits and pieces of
cultures of color and
The fandom, the irony
is that the fandom can recognize cultural appropriation. They absolutely can recognize cultural appropriation
Because like I've seen it happen especially on Twitter in these past few days with a debate about Octavia wearing the bindi
It's cultural appropriation within the confines of the show is actually something that someone tweeted. No, honey
It's cultural appropriation across the board worldwide just in the real world its appropriation
But obviously cultural appropriation only matters when somebody is stealing Lexa's bindi
or Lexa's Brownface, I guess
Like I don't I don't know how else to say this it took me so long to actually
Like I've done several takes of this video because I wanted to get it right because I wanted to be clear and precise and
and and and
Purposeful about the message that I was conveying to you all but I don't know how else to say
wearing
wearing anything spray tan
foundation
bronzer
Wearing too much highlighter to make yourself appear to be darker than what you are for any
Purpose even if it's just to say oh they're outdoors a lot so she's tanned.
But she could have gotten a natural tan. It's wrong
It's wrong
It's wrong
And you cannot say that they wanted to say they wanted to portray Lexa as an
outdoorsy type of person because for most of our time with Lexa she's always indoors
There are several scenes where she's like outside sure
That one scene where she was training the kid Nightbloods to die, she
was outside
In the daytime I'm not including times when she was outside in the nighttime, because there's no sunlight for her to get tan.
That one time they run away from Pauna
Even when they have that meeting in in
2x09
In Remember Me. Even when they have that meeting in Remember Me, they went downstairs into a covered area with tables and chairs
To have their little banquet meal
They're not an outdoorsy people or at least Lexa isn't an outdoorsy woman
There's no reason to believe and that also does not change the fact that she went from being light in her introduction episode to being
Tanned just a few episodes later
And we know thanks to the timeline that's been set up for us officially by Kim Shum before she left the show
The events of season 2 happened over the course of days like its not even months, it's a matter of days
So for Lexa to go from being white to tan in like two days
unacceptable
ridiculous not logical not likely
hyperbole
It's wrong, and I don't really I'm tired of the defense I'm tired of the idea that because I like this character this character
Can't do anything wrong
Or because I like this character this characters
Characterization this characters costume this characters outfit this characters makeup cannot be wrong
here is an important bit of information that a lot of you all need to take in so that you can actually start consuming the
media that you enjoy critically you can like something and still say this is wrong I
Do it every day
Obviously, that's why people follow me on tumblr
That's why you're watching these videos right now because I still watch The 100 because I still like The 100
But then it does not mean that I cannot be aware but it has severe issues with race
and
That it needs to be fixed, but it's never going to be fixed if everybody just sits there and they say oh
I like this show so I can't sat anything bad about it. That's not the way
critical
This is not the way critique works in order for things to change
You have to open your mouth you have to be willing to be openly critical about what you are seeing
And until we reach that point
This show is never going to get any better
This fandom is never going to get any better when people are afraid to open their mouths and say anything that could be even
That could be construed is even remotely negative about a fan-favorite character
Nothing's gonna change and
to say that Lexa is wearing brown face is not even a criticism of Lexa herself it is a criticism of the
Costume department it's a criticism of a casting director
It's a criticism of a showrunner who decided that this culture
Strongly based on cultures of color should be run by a white woman and and because because this culture
is savage in it's origin and its nature
They can't poss-, she can't stay white. We have to paint her over so that people don't begin to associate whiteness with savagery
That's their fault so
When I say that Lexa's wearing brown face that Lexa is wearing a bindi and
That's racist. That's not a criticism of the character because she's fictional and she didn't make those decisions for herself
it's a criticism of the show itself and
I should be allowed to say that as should every other
person of color who points out these issues and
The white allies who are trying to magnify our voices and our statements
It's wrong of you to shut these conversations down because uh because it's wrong of you to shut these conversations down
We all know why these conversations get shut down
Because people are afraid to be accused of being lesbophobes if they say Lexa's character
wears brown face Lexa's character wears a bindi and that is racist
They're afraid of being called lesbophobes
Instead of somebody listening with an open mind and saying hey, you know what you're right. She is wearing brown face
She is wearing a bindi that's absolutely wrong
I still love her character, but I really wish they would have chosen a different costume for her
look how easy that is and
nobody's a lesbophobe
People of color should be allowed to be offended by the things that offend them when you steal them from their culture
and use them for
entertainment purposes you guys
Like this isn't this?
This isn't Lexa was invited to a wedding
Where it would have been culturally appropriate for her to wear a bindi
This is Lexa is a ripoff of certain very specific cultures
And it's racist
Is racist
It's racist
Yeah, so I've calmed down now
That is the end of today's video it seems abrupt because I just realized that I
Want to spiral into another topic that should honestly be another video because otherwise I'd have you if you're watching me for an hour
and I don't want to do that so I'm gonna stop the video here today as
Always, thank you guys so much for watching
I love talking to you about things like this if you have any comments questions or concerns drop them down below
And I will see you guys
next time
Hey guys, don't forget to hit that subscribe button or follow me on Twitter or tumblr
Usernames below have a great one
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