There would be much fewer if no essays in support of, critical of, or utterly in hatred of Scandal. It would blend in with the network lineup of so many shows that already have White leads; which would be ALL of them, except for Deception on NBC. It wouldn’t matter that “Harrison” is also Black; many network shows have one Black male cast member and NO Black women, lead or supporting characters (kind of like many TV commercials). No one would desperately want it off the air; many wouldn’t care either way.
Whether or not she is “immoral” for having an affair would be irrelevant. (Think about how COMMON affairs are on primetime network dramas.)The sheer act of being a character with sexual desire (as a PART of her identity) wouldn’t be reduced to being labeled as a “Jezebel” even when the character is CLEARLY more dynamic than solely existing as a sexual object. This label is never applied to White women as it doesn’t historical apply to their experiences because of White supremacy. Even when a White female character IS solely a sexual object, outside of perhaps White feminists circles, she would still be deemed human enough. Humanity, with complexities and flaws, as characters and as people, is the luxury of White privilege.
The idea of her being desired by “Fitz” and desiring “Fitz” in return wouldn’t be questionable. Many people find their affair unbelievable and “unrealistic” since who would truly desire a Black woman, no matter how beautiful or smart she is, over a wife in a cold, distant marriage—a wife who cheated herself? The questionable believability of desire fades if “Olivia” were White. (Now the last episode, Season 2, Episode 13, ended with “Fitz” going back to his wife [since she has always been “up front” with her deceptive tactics in his mind, which renders her “honest” when juxtaposed to the other people in his life, including “Olivia,” since he felt hurt and betrayed by her over the election rigging, which “Velma” told him on her death bed], which is a “relief” for those who need“Olivia” to only be a sexual object; but she isn’t only that. And as the whirlwind of episodes have revealed on numerous occasions throughout season 1 and 2, their MULTIPLE goodbyes, are never goodbyes. Albeit IF it were goodbye now, I would be okay with that. I think NO to both “Edison” and “Fitz” is best at this point; but the “hook” of the show dissipates somewhat.)
The actual White actors could more likely expect award (i.e. Golden Globe, Emmy) nominations. For example, the actors who portray “Mellie,” “Cyrus” and “Huck” (technically, he is Latino) continually provide stellar and compelling performances (in addition to Kerry Washington as “Olivia”), bringing Shonda Rhimes’ and her writers’ stellar scripts to life, which become award-worthy once the pesky problem of “Olivia” being Black is out of the way—what makes the overall quality of the show questionable in the first place. Even the most recent episode as of the writing of this post, Season 2, Episode 13 (called “Nobody Likes Babies”) had an incredibly powerful scene between “James” and “Cyrus;” acting that in any other show would be deemed at least worthy of some award nomination. But again, that “pesky” lead Black woman character makes the overall quality of the show consistently questionable.
The anger over Black women enjoying the show would subside. Black women’s interest in other television shows with White leads isn’t repeatedly attacked. I know of many Black women who are fans of The Good Wife, Criminal Minds, NCIS, Person of Interest (which actually has a Black female supporting character), and similar primetime network dramas. They seem to be able to watch these shows, with these shows’ problems and complexities, without clicking through endless attacks on them or being directly attacked on Twitter. The sheer interest in Scandal, just like our interest in Beyoncé, or Michelle Obama, or Rihanna, or our statuses of not being married/being single or our weight or our hair or anything else where our focus and attention may be means more critiques are needed, yes? Scathing ones, yes? Negatively reductionist ones, yes? Ones inaccurately applying stereotypes to actions for which they don’t fit, critiques contradicting themselves within the posts themselves, absolutely anything to render whatever/whomever a Black woman is interested in as pathology/pathological, yes?
I get it. The Real Housewives of Atlanta (which I am not a fan of as I dodge most reality TV) is “bad” but Mob Wives and any wives show based on White women are not? An affair on Scandal is “bad” as it involves a Black woman; affairs on The Good Wife and similar primetime network dramas aren’t? Beyoncé’s clothing is too revealing but White ice skaters’, singers and volleyball players’ even more revealing clothing is okay? Black women with unconventional hair colours are “ghetto” but White women with them are fashionistas and creative? Omorosa was a “monster” for being confident on The Apprentice but Lisa Lampanelli could say whatever she wanted, use racist slurs, utterly bully anyone she wanted and throw out typical White tears to be excused of her behavior on a different season of The Celebrity Apprentice? Michelle Obama is “anti-feminist” for loving her children, motherhood and her husband (in addition to having the exquisite résumé); White women can “have it all” and be feminist icons? White privilege.I’ve never stated that Black women, as characters on TV or in film (as I’ve critiqued some myself and study many media critiques) or as real living persons are above critique. I’m simply tired of shallow critiques (primarily from Black people concerned with the politics of respectability and the White gaze) solely meant to harm, faux feminist critiques from White women solely meant to racially pathologize (and even when not about all Black women ARE about all Black women, by proxy), and the double standard in critiques, ones scathing for Black women; ones normalizing for White women; not meant to explore sociopolitically problematic issues of culture and media itself but solely meant to demonize Black women. And, all of these are what a character like “Olivia Pope” and a show like Scandal uniquely face, all because “Olivia Pope” isn’t White.
Related Post: If “President Fitzgerald Grant” of Scandal Were Black
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If "Olivia Pope" Of Scandal Were White
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