Beyond True Blood's Sensationalism

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From the first time I heard about the concept behind HBO's True Blood I was a little bit horrified. Vampires are "coming out of the coffin" and want equal rights? Since television producers (and especially HBO) want to make shows that are as sensational and scandalous as possible, I had my doubts about whether they could provide commentary about social justice struggles in America without being painfully offensive, ignorant and stereotypical. I am unhappy to report that, no, they completely failed.

Warning: there are some spoilers for season two.

Visit http://www.feministfrequency.com for links to other great blogs and articles that discuss True Blood

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• True Blood
• Vampires
• HBO
• Feminism
• Feminist
• Race
• Gender
• Alan Ball
• Anna Paquin
• Sookie Stackhouse
• Bill Compton
• Stephen Moyer
• Sam Trammell
• Ryan Kwanten
• Rutina Wesley
• Nelsan Ellis

[JukeLane]

I would just like to say that alan ball (showrunner of the show) specifically said that the fight for vampire rights in True blood was NOT an analogy with the fight for gay rights and that the people who were seeing that in the show were misinterpreting it.

[feministfrequency]

@JukeLane He can say whatever he wants but it doesn't change the fact that it is so clearly a major thread in the entire series from the intro, to the way that vampire rights is played out. If it wasn't intentional, then he majorly failed as a writer because that is the take away from the show.

[snowheyoh321]

The thing about Lafayette being stereotypical (the same is said of Kurt on Glee) is that while it may be true, that image is CELEBRATED. It's not shunned or mocked or anything like that .These shows are making gay characters who are likeable, not gay characters who are just kinda off to the side and boring.

[feministfrequency]

@snowheyoh321 I think Lafayette's character has gotten fuller and more complex since I made this video.

[dirtyboypdx]

How exactly is it "feminist" to criticize Lafayette for being "stereotypically feminine"? Lafayette is a strong, multi-dimensional working-class character who frankly shows how kick-ass he is when he takes on rednecks in one of the first episodes. The fact that he engages in prostitution to survive, which many working-class gay youth actually do, isn't stereotypical - it's a realistic portrayal of what people with limited options do. And showing that is a good thing, not a bad one.

[colleen305]

I am very intrigued by this commentary and the comments. I however a reader of all the novels and a watcher of True Blood see it very differently. To me the attraction of Sookie Stackhouse is her ability to remain true to herself, sometimes yes wavering but who doesn't, in spite of all the evils around her! Sookie who tries with every ounce of her being to walk the path taught to her by her grandmother is surrounded by evil and yet keeps her values. Also I think it is a good message that we c

[shanaleex]

I find it really funny that when Lafayette got together with Jesus, he stopped the drug dealing and the prostitution.

[Simim23]

@feministfrequency "No. I'm not going to be with either of you. I love you both, but it's not going to work."

There have been times where she's flat out ripped Eric a new one.

Eric, in the series and the novels, is a douchebag. If he became a non-douchebag, he would not be Eric.

Bill was raised in Civil-War era, and reflects it as such. He's always trying to "protect" her because he thinks all the drama she's in is his fault. Presumptuous, but self-loathing.

[Simim23]

@feministfrequency The premise of the show is that Sookie's your stereotypical Southern girl. Southern girls get raised in a conservative political and religious environment. At the same time, she's been raised by her grandma to be a strong, independent woman.

And frankly, I fail to see how Sookie isn't an independent woman. She has her own job, her own faults, her own opinions and her own issues. She has the guts to walk up to two old-ass vampires who could rip her to shreds and tell them,

[Simim23]

@feministfrequency True Blood is based off the Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris. Alan Ball may have put his own spin on the plot, but Sookie and the rest are fairly on par with their characters.

If anything, Ball's been putting more of an open spin on it. Tara's not even remotely as prominent in the novels as she is in the TV series. Neither is Lafayette. There is/was no "Jesus."

[princesssookeh]

@neosoontoretro overcomes? is that what that was? I think that both the books and the series prove that he hasn't overcome anything.