after all this jaxx twitter drama, this was a very refreshing read. to the racists who think that cancelling song of the wasteland is considered "censorship," i must ask you to read this piece and carefully think of the differences.
i see people saying things like "you cannot tell how historically accurate a period piece will be from just one chapter," but that clearly isnt the case. i'm assuming this takes place in the deep west of america between 1870-1905ish (i could be wrong), and i've read/watched a lot of queer media made throughout the 20th century depicting this time (movies like red river (1948), the tin star (1956), etc lmk if you want movie recs lol).
unlike Gerald from sotw, Fran is not depicted as a hero to people oppressed by white americans. he has a deeply troubled past that we can only infer about, depending on the exact year he was born. we arent meant to sympathize with him, and we certainly arent meant to look up to him. it's more about acceptance and new beginnings, however short this may be. Gerald on the other hand is meant to be seen as a war hero who let his slaves free. the man selling him the land even corrected himself with the word "laborers" after calling them slaves, which is incredibly unlikely, even for union states post civil war.
now comparing what little we learned about Ezra with Toto, i'd first like to focus on looks. although it is said ezra is only half native, it is almost genetically impossible for him to be born with blue eyes. i wont say much on the short hair, as there are reasons he could have cut it. but uneducated authors in the east can obsess over the features westerners have. that, along with overlooking necessary accuracies, can offend those who know the whitewashing of natives in the 19th and 20th centuries.. they were forced to fit european standards by cutting their hair, beaten for not knowing the whitewashing man's language, etc... all in their own homeland. and Ezra calling himself Gerald's "humble slave," even in a teasing way--should be seen as deeply offensive.
i cant say much on their relationship, as we will likely never see the rest of SOTW, however i am glad that jaxx ultimately decided to cancel the work altogether and reflect. i am not familiar with this author, but the accuracy of the time period compares to those who grew up learning american history. color me very impressed.
after all this jaxx twitter drama, this was a very refreshing read. to the racists who think that cancelling song of the wasteland is considered "censorship," i must ask you to read this piece and carefully think of the differences.
i see people saying things like "you cannot tell how historically accurate a period piece will be from just one chapter," but that clearly isnt the case. i'm assuming this takes place in the deep west of america between 1870-1905ish (i could be wrong), and i've read/watched a lot of queer media made throughout the 20th century depicting this time (movies like red river (1948), the tin star (1956), etc lmk if you want movie recs lol).
unlike Gerald from sotw, Fran is not depicted as a hero to people oppressed by white americans. he has a deeply troubled past that we can only infer about, depending on the exact year he was born. we arent meant to sympathize with him, and we certainly arent meant to look up to him. it's more about acceptance and new beginnings, however short this may be. Gerald on the other hand is meant to be seen as a war hero who let his slaves free. the man selling him the land even corrected himself with the word "laborers" after calling them slaves, which is incredibly unlikely, even for union states post civil war.
now comparing what little we learned about Ezra with Toto, i'd first like to focus on looks. although it is said ezra is only half native, it is almost genetically impossible for him to be born with blue eyes. i wont say much on the short hair, as there are reasons he could have cut it. but uneducated authors in the east can obsess over the features westerners have. that, along with overlooking necessary accuracies, can offend those who know the whitewashing of natives in the 19th and 20th centuries.. they were forced to fit european standards by cutting their hair, beaten for not knowing the whitewashing man's language, etc... all in their own homeland. and Ezra calling himself Gerald's "humble slave," even in a teasing way--should be seen as deeply offensive.
i cant say much on their relationship, as we will likely never see the rest of SOTW, however i am glad that jaxx ultimately decided to cancel the work altogether and reflect.
i am not familiar with this author, but the accuracy of the time period compares to those who grew up learning american history. color me very impressed.