-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
HBO orders alternate universe Civil War drama [update: interview w/ producers]
- Thread starter Cornballer
- Start date
- Status
excelsiorlef
Member
You don't do the show.
Like read that article they never really articulated why they want to do this, and what they want to say. They claim they want to examine unspoken off elements of modern racist America but that's vague as fuck...
The Artisan
Member
Game of Thrones isn't great because of them. They just had the privilege of tackling a set of books.
I don't disagree.
The Artisan
Member
which can only mean that you agree!
How many prestige black tv shows about slavery are there? I can only think of underground
excelsiorlef
Member
Note or movie
The Faceless Master
Member
red auction lol
The Faceless Master
Member
even Ramsay got fans B
AlimNassor
Banned
Fuck this is going to embolden White Supremacy and you know it will.
Frozenprince
Banned
To quote one "Snoop doggy Dogg"
Enough with this slave shit.
Enough with this slave shit.
We'll have
White liberal guilt hero
Irredeemable villain
Villain with a conscience who switches sides
Rebellious idealistic girl
Oh and some minority charming
Can't fucking wait for Black Panther.
Mister Wolf
Gold Member
Don't forget the self hating black character who's one of the good ones and fuck the other blacks because I got mine. That one will probably be the most villainous in the whole show.
Moltisanti
Member
this
imagine a show w/ GOTs budget where the black characters are actually empowered and not held to the same tired ass tropes and stories
Elegant Weapon
Member
I like how they got black friends to help them write this show...
why didn't they have black friends to help them write Game of Thrones?
Really, we already live in a damn dystopia...
The fact that people are asking why black people don't want to watch a show where we're still enslaved in the present day...
why didn't they have black friends to help them write Game of Thrones?
Really, we already live in a damn dystopia...
The fact that people are asking why black people don't want to watch a show where we're still enslaved in the present day...
We got to give it a chance fam you know
AgentChris
Member
Write your history. We are not talented enough.
Lightning_Roller
Banned
Hell no. Not having any of this alternate reality bullshit.
Would've enjoyed it a decade ago I guess, but not in our current society.
I quite enjoy alt history but between this and The Man in the High Castle I have to wonder why people don't want to envision a future where the fuckheads don't win.
I quite enjoy alt history but between this and The Man in the High Castle I have to wonder why people don't want to envision a future where the fuckheads don't win.
Elegant Weapon
Member
I've already seen people bring up Irish slaves...
on fb, lots of people were like "why don't shows about if the nazis won get this backlash?"
some Mexican dude said "Jews got Israel & reparations from America, black people got a mediocre apology"
on fb, lots of people were like "why don't shows about if the nazis won get this backlash?"
some Mexican dude said "Jews got Israel & reparations from America, black people got a mediocre apology"
Lord of Castamere
Member
Near exact same modern world, where slavery is a modern enterprise.
Alternate reality where Civil war ended in stalemate, split US for 152 years.
Pick one, both are impossible. A better route would have been a timeline where Lincoln agreed to put slavery in the constitution, as a citizens right, to appease the South. Still stupid, but at least the butterfly effect would be easier to manage.
Alternate reality where Civil war ended in stalemate, split US for 152 years.
Pick one, both are impossible. A better route would have been a timeline where Lincoln agreed to put slavery in the constitution, as a citizens right, to appease the South. Still stupid, but at least the butterfly effect would be easier to manage.
Systemwarrior
Member
I have very little faith if any at all in this project and I absolutely love GOT. I dont think this subject matter is going to be handled that gracefully. Still just picturing tuning in every Sunday to see fantasy racism and to hear the n-word. I hope they make me eat crow and produce something truly groundbreaking.
The Artisan
Member
me neither! just got back from watching spiderman and they showed the trailer in front of it.
There's no open chattel slavery any longer, but in many regions there is plenty of bonded labor, forced labor, domestic servitude, sex trafficking with a healthy overlap of human trafficking, and child recruitment as soldiers.
Just because slavery is no longer an enterprise in the United States doesn't mean it vanished from the world.
BlazinSkatinAxel
Member
They trying to see black women as negro bedwenches to fulfill some sick fetish.
Because in recent Western history, the fuckheads have not won militarily.
Claude Augario
Member
The interview did nothing to change my opinion. Sounds like it's going to be as fucking dumb as I expected.
They should write a novel on this idea first over the two years they have to wrap up GoT. Because while they think there are interesting ideas to explore, I really don't think there actually are when you get down to the details. It's not going to hold up when they take it beyond a stark script.
True.
If we're talking Turtledove-esque stories I'd love to see Between the Rivers get adapted.
This is really fucking stupid.
Here's the thing: chattel slavery was hated and looked down upon in the 1860s by the other European countries. A CSA that is basically the historical CSA in 2017 isn't going to exist unmodified into the 21st century because: 1) chattel slavery was failing as an economic institution back when we fought a civil war over it, so an agricultural slaveowning society would easily be as backwards as North Korea, and 2) half the world would have teamed up to wreck their shit already. All the US would have to do is ask.
Also, it's worth nothing that it was impossible for the CSA to have won the Civil War outright. This is simply basic arithmetic: the Union had the advantage in manpower, armament, industrialization, and infrastructure. All the CSA could hope to do is make continuing to fight the war sufficiently unpalatable in a political sense for the American leadership. The CSA's deficiencies in industry will only get worse as warfare becomes more industrialized (World War I is seen as the first industrial total war), which means that its weaknesses as a military power will only grow worse..
The CSA might have survived a First American Civil War, but it would have gotten slaughtered in a second one, especially if the US were to receive support from the European powers (since the CSA are sure as hell not going to).
Here's the thing: chattel slavery was hated and looked down upon in the 1860s by the other European countries. A CSA that is basically the historical CSA in 2017 isn't going to exist unmodified into the 21st century because: 1) chattel slavery was failing as an economic institution back when we fought a civil war over it, so an agricultural slaveowning society would easily be as backwards as North Korea, and 2) half the world would have teamed up to wreck their shit already. All the US would have to do is ask.
Also, it's worth nothing that it was impossible for the CSA to have won the Civil War outright. This is simply basic arithmetic: the Union had the advantage in manpower, armament, industrialization, and infrastructure. All the CSA could hope to do is make continuing to fight the war sufficiently unpalatable in a political sense for the American leadership. The CSA's deficiencies in industry will only get worse as warfare becomes more industrialized (World War I is seen as the first industrial total war), which means that its weaknesses as a military power will only grow worse..
The CSA might have survived a First American Civil War, but it would have gotten slaughtered in a second one, especially if the US were to receive support from the European powers (since the CSA are sure as hell not going to).
Isaac Otherworld
Member
After Get Out, I can imagine someone like Jordan Peele taking this concept and creating a great show that's a blistering scathing take down of the confederate traitor worshipers and white supremacy as a whole. And to be honest I feel like the country really needs someone to do that right now.
But I really don't trust D&D with this.
But I really don't trust D&D with this.
The general rule with these alternative history takes are that the setting isn't actually researched any further than "hey, wouldn't this be interesting/cool".
Well I never asked for this, but I'm gonna watch the first episode when(if) it airs and go from there. So, right back at ya?
Chie Satonaka
Member
Boombloxer
Member
I would've signed up for that, because it's a well-defined series.
This? Nope. Not even going to watch.
Dash_Riprock
Member
Thats only when it comes to "Confederacy takes over the whole US" scenarios. Anyone who does even basic research would know that it was NOT gonna happen barring a meteor taking out Washington DC or something.
"Nazis take over the world" scenarios are slightly more plausible, though they require the US/UK/Russia to be really stupid and/or incompetent.
I wish we saw more "Napoleon isn't a moron and doesn't attack Russia" AHs, since that really would've changed the course of history.
lightskintwin
Banned
I remembered the outrage with the Roots remake and Underground television series.
And guess what? Those turned out really well.
So although I understand the concern, I plan to at least watch it and see how well it's handled and executed before working myself up for what maybe nothing.
And guess what? Those turned out really well.
So although I understand the concern, I plan to at least watch it and see how well it's handled and executed before working myself up for what maybe nothing.
JonnyDBrit
Member
Therein lies both the appeal, but also the inherent problem, with alt-history as a genre in, well, general. It's built on novelty, and it does seem rather apparent that one of the most novel things in the world to Benioff and Weiss is amateur ethical debates, particularly the idea of putting up with the immorality of others because they wield power. The Confederacy surviving the Civil War has an obvious appeal to that kind of mindset, in a 'hey, what if the bad guys won and we had to normalise their shit' kind of way.
I imagine the actual political what-ifs are secondary to all that.
AuthenticM
Member
Yeah, Jordan Peele would be perfect for this.
ryutaro's mama
Member
Ocarina_117
Banned
They've greatly mishandled the GoT source material. This will most likely be a clusterfuck.
Isaac Otherworld
Member
Okay to be fair the seasons where they actually had source material, 1-4, are some of the best TV fiction ever produced. It's Seasons 5-6 after they caught up with the books that dropped in quality.
- Status