you get it.
some people are defending this because "anything goes" and "why couldn't there be a Korean bl series about American history", and I don't even really disagree with that. any kind of story can be told by and about anyone. but that doesn't mean or that it won't promote or reinforce lies, harmful ideas or that it'll be free from criticism.
anything's possible, so maybe this creator will turn out to have done their research and not be insensitive or ignorant, but I'm already skeptical due to the choice of character backgrounds. like of all the kinds of people and stories you could tell about this time period in this place, why are these the ones chosen? what's the appeal of their dynamic? why choose this setting and time period for that? if the creator hasn't done their due diligence, those questions will have very unflattering answers.
simply having characters who are enslaved or setting the story during a time of slavery isn't inherently a problem, but as with most ideas, it's all in the execution and framing of thing.
as it stands, it looks like a very deliberate choice to write around the existence of Black people who lived during that time even though their presence is integral to the livelihoods of the MCs. maybe the author thought they'd avoid the backlash they're now getting by doing that, but that's still an expression of racism, by ignoring that Black people are also people who want their stories and experiences told and treated with respect. and if the author didn't want to include Black people, which they're ultimately not obligated to do, they would have been better off choosing another topic and setting to write about, because like it or not, when writing about American history, you'll have to grapple with the racial dynamics of this country one way or another, to say nothing of the civil war era (even postwar) where the crux of the conflict was "what are we going to do with Black people (are they even people?)". to then make the only Black people in the story be faceless mobs seemingly only with the intention of making the white MC look good and ethical, just rubs salt in that wound. if the author wanted an interracial cowboy romance with this particular dynamic, they had other options for time and setting (and not to mention that those power and racial dynamics are present in other times as well).
every choice a creator makes in their story reflects their knowledge and interests, which are not free from bias. intentional or not, I see a lot of opportunity for missteps here.
I liked these threads for more background info - https://x.com/SPLover1863/status/2069382347972063697
https://x.com/SPLover1863/status/2069512321475465603
I entirely agree w/ your sentiment. Idk if you’re American or not but either way props to you for being this culturally aware in the landscape of race and history in the U.S. It’s really to see yet again another author who just doesn’t get the importance of racial context. I also just don’t see the point of setting this story in this time period. Like cowboys still exist in Mexico and the U.S. even if they’re less common. Or maybe even set the storyline in cowboy sports like bull riding or competitive lassoing heards. Idk at this point I just wanna make my own webcomic that isn’t culturaly insensitive, I’ve had enough of ts.
I'm African diaspora American, so it's very much in my interest to be culturally, historically, and racially aware (original recipe woke). in times like these, everybody needs to be putting on their critical thinking caps. let's all research! head to you local library and/or museum! do some digging! cease putting heads into the sand when ignorance is called out! embrace criticism!
definitely work on your ideas and put your story out there in some way! the world needs it!
here's a rec for something more self-aware
https://x.com/MeanFujoLesbian/status/2069623166113112319
100% agree. Especially now during these times w/ the our current administration, certain propaganda keeps getting pushed to ppl even outside our country. It’s our duty to educate ppl on these topic, and the important of the cultural context in the United States. I usually rely on internet articles and searches to find out more abt our history, and critical race theory but have been wanting to find research thru physical media that can’t be edited or erased. Thank you for the push, I’ll look forward to do some research at my local library sometime this weekend! Thank you for all the info as well!
Once I get better at drawing I’ll hopefully be able to start a series, I’ve been in discussion w/ some of my friends abt making it tg. They are also artist like me.
I'm ngl, coming into this Manhwa drop, I was initially excited to see a Western BL. Especially as a Mexican American w/ indigenous ancestry. But looking at it now, this story might not be the best idea. Just the way it's set up kind of made me realize after reading ch. 1 that maybe only this type of story could be written by someone who is Black American or really educated in the topic. It is really insensitive to place a poc as a slave and a love interest to a yt person during this era. This story could also be seen as insensitive b/c while we're still in the first chapter, I think it is important to highlight the horrific things black American had to go through during this time. Not just push them to the side on the first ch. I see now that my initial excitement of seeing a new series by Jaxx blinded me from seeing its problematic sides. Unless Jaxx heavily focuses on the horrific things black ppl in America and other POCs had to go through, idk if this story could be done appropriately. Idk is there any other Americans here that have opinions on this?