Wrote a Short Essay on Race and Supernatural, Want to Read It?

 

My friend sent me this link and when I got to the end I went “OOOOOO!” because, I won’t lie, I had to do some thinking about the character Portia and where the show was coming from and weighing her role in comparison with other black characters on Supernatural and how they were written/portrayed. In the end I chose to embrace the character because despite the collar and the whole “Master” thing, she was a strong character and obviously considered an equal if James was willing to break the community’s rules to be with her. And this episode was written by the same writing team that wrote “Route 666”, Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming, which I know is a sort of a pariah in the Supernatural fan community, but storyline aside, I give the episodes props for trying to tackle a touchy subject (and also for letting Dean hook up with a black woman. Gives me hope, you know? As if I had a chance).

But I think that comes back to what the main article is all about, being able to discuss certain aspects of an episode from a racial perspective and not being able to because the majority isn’t the same race as you. I just have a feeling that if I was to bring up that the reason I have a soft spot for Route 666 is because of the whole racial plot and I like that the show tackles it, or if I voiced my concern/interest in seeing black hunters and why aren’t there any (this was before I got to season 2), or that I sometimes feel uncomfortable that that number of villains played by African-American actors is a little higher than the number of Winchester allies played by African-American actors to the Supernatural fandom at large it would cause so much drama and I would be accused of stirring the pot or asked why I am bringing up race or am I trying to imply that the actors/writers/producers are racists, and be shamed into silence. So, when I come across other fans of the show that are the same race as me, once I get to know them, I tend to slowly voice my ideas and if they are receptive, continue to talk to them about my feelings and it’s nice when they give what I have to say some weight and we can have a dialogue about them without worrying about being hassled.

I remember reading a review about “Man’s Best Friend with Benefits” episode on EW.com and posting this on Facebook:

“Reading the comments on for the Supernatural recap of last night’s episode ‘Man’s Best Friend With Benefits’ and saw this comment:

‘As a Black, female fan (cue someone po’d at me for bringing up race) I was just SO happy to see an attractive Black woman cast in a role for a change. Now, the fact that her “alter ego” was a dog might have been, well, a problem; but, I was getting thoroughly sick of the Cookie Cutter White Girl of the Week casting.

But, I’m a HUGE fan and it was just nice to see (like Kevin, an Asian who is playing an important role.)

Thank you, for once (or twice) casting director…’

Just glad I wasn’t the only one thinking about this. I always feel bad when I bring race into my TV/Movie viewing, which is something that has only happened within the past decade, as I try to enjoy the work for what it is regardless of who is in the cast; just focus on the performances and the overall story/plot. But every now and again, like last night, it does cross my mind.”

I try to watch TV for the sake of watching TV. I will watch anything that catches my fancy. As long as the characters and stories are compelling for me and touches on what I like in my entertainment I will watch it. And for the most part, I watch television color blind, I do not let race be a huge determining factor in whether I watch a show or not. But, I do give props to shows that try to not only include diversity into their shows but do it without falling into stereotypes and giving minority actors the opportunity to step outside of the usual roles that are given to them. And I want to say that Supernatural has done this and I give the show more props than any actual criticism in that area.

As I begin to explore and become more and more a part of the Supernatural fandom, the one thing that has surprised me, especially when I went to the Supernatural convention, was how many other black Supernatural fans were out there. I thought that it was just me, my newly converted 16 year old niece, my 30 year old niece who has been a fan longer than me, and my 16 year old niece’s cousin on her dad’s side that she told me about once. I was especially surprised to find out about my new friend Alexis George and the fact that she ran the Supernatural Vegas page! I was like “WHAT?!?!?! More than just me and the 3 other people?! And that one chick in the con that made Jensen uncomfortable with the question about doesn’t the writers realize that once you go black, you don’t go back? (Referring to Dean hooking up with Cassie)”.  I don’t know why, because as I get more into fandoms and go to conventions of all sorts, I realize that I am no longer the “lone wolf” anymore, that there are other black nerds out there gladly waving their geek flags around, regardless of what other people (black or not) feel about them, which is just so awesome! And like I was saying before, because I have found my own kind I can now have conversations about why Sam and Dean haven’t done a case in the ghetto and then brainstorm an episode called “Boyz in tha Hood” and laugh about Dean playing “Gangsta’s Paradise” from the Impala speakers in order to blend in.

But for all my talk about race and fandom, I. LOVE. YOU. ALL! Every single one of you. I love sharing my crazy obsessive love with other Supernatural fans from all over the US and the world. I love that I have a voice now within fandom and people who are willing to listen to me and gush with me over Sam, Dean, Castiel, and any other character that I have taken into my bosom. Whether we are black, white, Mexican, Asian; from Austria, Ohio, Virginia, or here in Las Vegas, NV we can all come together in harmony and agree that Jensen, Jared, and Misha are some of the most good-looking white boys to walk the earth. And I definitely would not mind having their cream in my coffee 😉 .

Here are the links that deal what I am writing about:

A Search For Black Fandom

Soulmate Shows