Racism and the Backlash Against Black Hermione
I had a long layover in Minneapolis when I was flying out to Launch Pad at the start of the month, and ended up in a bit of a heated Twitter exchange, as one does. It started with this Tweet.
Folks pissed abt. Hermione being black b/c “she’s white in the books.” Oops! Can’t use that excuse for your racism. pic.twitter.com/AhVH7M1nt4
— Jim C. Hines (@jimchines) June 1, 2016
Naturally, this led to responses like, “Why make this automatically about racism? People can’t disagree just because they don’t think it’s true to character?” and “Assuming they’re racist w/o knowing anything else about them makes you guilty of same prejudice you accuse them of,” along with the ever-popular, “Is that actress best audition, or was production going just for ‘diversity’?”
What is it about the suggestion that someone or something might be racist that makes people lose their minds? It reminds me of a conversation I had years ago where in I was told, in all seriousness, that yeah, racism is bad, but being accused of racism is worse.
Some thoughts in the aftermath of that argument earlier this month:
1. Saying, “Hey, this thing/comment/whatever is racist” does not mean “You personally are a horrible person who should be shot and stabbed and otherwise killed to death for your horrible horribleness.”
We live in an imperfect world. It’s pretty much impossible to grow up in a context of racism and sexism and other forms of inequality and discrimination without having some of that garbage get into your head. We all stumble. We all make mistakes. We’ve all absorbed messed-up ideas and assumptions. That doesn’t mean we’re all horrible, awful people. It means we’re human.
Doubling down on racism and other ugliness, on the other hand? Defending and trying to justify it? Belittling and minimizing it? Assuming it’s so much more important to wave your “I’M NOT RACIST!” flag than it is to actually, you know, try to fight and reduce racism? Yeah, that crap steps you closer to the horrible person category.
2. Questioning whether a person of color was picked just for the sake of diversity? That’s pretty messed up. And yeah, racist. Let’s talk about why.
Take a look at this chart, from a PBS article about race in Hollywood.
In 2010, non-Hispanic whites made up 63.7% of the U.S. population, but we consistently have about 75% of the roles in these films. We’re overrepresented. And yet how often does anyone ask if a white actor was cast not because they had the best audition, but as a result of their whiteness? To meet some unconscious white quota, or for the sake of making sure the film is white enough to be comfortable for “mainstream” audiences, whatever that means?
If you assume white actors (or authors, or speakers, or whatever) got the job because they were best qualified, but question whether people of color were chosen to meet some kind of diversity quota, guess what?
3. Reading comprehension is important.
Before you go off with knee-jerk defensiveness, make sure you understand what’s being said. Re: Hermione, one response I saw was that people had gotten used to Emma Watson as Hermione, and between that and illustrations in some editions of the books that portrayed her as white, it was totally understandable that people might stumble over seeing a black actress take over the role.
Personally, I’m having trouble adjusting to all of the new actors, having imprinted pretty strongly on the movie cast. But that’s not what I was tweeting about. I didn’t say anything about people who were having trouble resetting their mental Hermione. I was talking to people who are pissed off about it.
If the only casting change you’re struggling with is the role of Hermione, and if you’re actively pissed off about that one change? Please see the previous gif.
4. What’s up with the whole, “Talking about race/racism makes you racist!” fallacy?
It feels like elementary school-style arguing. “I know you are but what am I?”
Pointing out that white people are overrepresented in Hollywood doesn’t actually make me racist against white people, no matter how much you want to play the “I’m rubber, you’re glue,” card.
It’s almost like people don’t understand what racism is. Or they don’t want to understand. They don’t want to learn, or to try to change anything for the better. They just want to shut down the conversation.
Or maybe it’s the colorblindness fallacy. The idea that “I don’t see color” is a good thing, and falling short of that ideal makes you racist. The thing is, “not seeing color” means refusing to see or acknowledge the whole of who people are. It means ignoring systemic inequality and discrimination, because how can you see racism when you refuse to see race? It’s a luxury, a way or turning your back on very real problems. Basically, it’s a cop-out.
5. Some commentary from folks who aren’t me.
I Don’t See Color” – An excellent article by Michi Trota.
The Effect of Media Representation on Self-Esteem. “Television exposure predicted a decrease in self-esteem for white and black girls and black boys, and an increase in self-esteem among white boys.” Is anyone shocked by this?
As a black girl who identified with Hermione soooo much growing up, thank you @jk_rowling. Twelve year old me is crying happy tears.
— A.C. Thomas (@acthomaswrites) December 20, 2015
I love how Hermione being black is somehow more implausible to some people than a universe where the entire postal system depends on owls
— Count Snooku (@QueerDiscOx) December 20, 2015
We found the best actress and she’s black. Bye bye, now. https://t.co/1fGmP5znHP
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 10, 2016
Beverly
June 19, 2016 @ 9:51 pm
Before the movies I always had a mental image of Hermione as someone with African heritage. I love the new Hermione. Half of the joy of reading (or watching a play or movie) is to get a glimpse into the life of someone who is not me, and whose experience of the world is different from mine. I cannot (and really don’t want to, thank you very much) imagine why a person would be angry about the race of a character.
Eleanor C Ray
June 19, 2016 @ 10:06 pm
You know what I appreciate about this article? What it is that I find really helpful? The idea that as a white person, I may make mistakes, apologize, learn better and *not make them so much*.
It means that I don’t have to get defensive every time I fuck up. Instead, I can admit wrong and take it to heart, because I am allowed to be human, as long as I don’t do the dumb things I can help doing. Part of “us-them” thinking is not just that “us” are more perfect than “them” (for whatever value of us and them), but that “us” are not allowed to break ranks with “our own”. This is minotaur shit (bullshit, but also distinctly human).
When I realize after fifty years of using a word (or an idea) that it is genuinely racist, I will apologize, and stop using it as quickly and thoroughly as I can.
Getting defensive because I don’t “feel” racist to myself is not only unhelpful, it is unnecessary–I am not expected by sensible people to be perfect, just to have a good, motivated learning curve. This makes progress much easier for me–I am not having to defend my ego from something, just having to admit there is something to change about my thinking. I am sorry people often seem to think these are the same thing.
Kristin
June 19, 2016 @ 10:14 pm
My kneejerk reaction to hearing of black Hermione: “Whuh?”
Second thought: “Why not?”
Third thought: “Sure, even makes sense. And why not?”
Lenora Rose
June 19, 2016 @ 11:37 pm
This says it all so well.
Carpe Librarium
June 19, 2016 @ 11:44 pm
Thank you for this.
Slightly off-topic, but regarding representation and self esteem; have you seen the delightful video of a young girl receiving a Doll Like Me with a prosthetic leg to match her own? It’s a superlative example of how important it is to see ourselves reflected in the world.
Jayle Enn
June 20, 2016 @ 12:00 am
I remember being one of the angry voices protesting the casting of a black man as the Kingpin in the Daredevil movie. I don’t remember why, especially given I wasn’t a fan of the comic, but I think it came down to ‘accuracy’ in adaptation. These days I know it’s silly (Samuel L Jackson makes a hell of a Nick Fury!), and that it’s par for the course for the opposite to happen, with white actors getting roles written for characters of colour.
As for other people, the ones who are truly -angry- about a black Hermione, or a black Rue from the Hunger Games… that’s a mindset I’m not comfortable trying to fit myself into.
Lance Adams
June 20, 2016 @ 2:02 am
Jim this is a great post and I really appreciate you taking on this topic. As a more public figure than most, you stand to make a bigger impact (yay), but you also face bigger “risks” of public censure, condemnation etc.
Your comments were very timely for me because just today I saw a show about how MTV’s early years were fraught with absentee racism (is not racism if the group in question–black musicians–just aren’t represented). I realized that a residual effect of this type of racism was that I could be allowed to be oblivious to the impact of the absence of presence of black musicians on MTV. Put simply, I didn’t know what was missing (role models and performers of “black only” music like rap and hip-hop). I saw white dudes performing…I saw me, or a potential me up on stage and subconsciously I felt validated, accepted, encouraged. Too bad it took so long for me to see what I was missing. Thanks for pointing it out in another medium.
Standback
June 20, 2016 @ 4:43 am
Errrgggh. Look. Listen.
I love Black Hermione. Black Hermione is awesome.
But you’re conflating two very different claims here: one is “It’s wrong to have a Black Hermione,” (bzzzzzzt, no), and “Hermione wasn’t black in the books.”
And, well, the claim “Hermione *might’ve* been black in the books!” is one I have… difficulty with.
I think you’ll agree that a lot of the problem with representation in media is the idea of defaults. The idea that there exists a “default” person. Who is white. And male. And straight. And so on. The idea straying from that “default” somehow requires justification.
But that default is, in fact, with us. You wouldn’t let me argue that there’s already ample LGBT representation, on the grounds that practically every character in fiction might be bisexual. Conan Arthur Doyle never stated outright that Holmes isn’t trans.
Quick sidetrack on the difficulty of definitions:
It’s hard to define what one means when one says “Character X wasn’t really Y,” because Character X is fictional. It might be canonical that X is Y-ish, or that they aren’t, and then everybody’s pretty much in agreement. But if the canon is silent, do you mean:
* “The author intended X to be Y”?
* “The author is willing to admit the possibility of X being Y”?
* “I read X as being Y”?
* “Reading X as Y feels right and makes the story more significant”?
* “It is hypothetically possible for X to be Y even if it’s not particularly plausible”?
Different questions (and different responders!) will net you different answers.
So (sidetrack over!), when people say “Hermione wasn’t black in the books!”, and you (and Rowling!) say “Well she might have been!”, what are each of you actually talking about?
If you make the claim that Hermione’s race not being necessarily white, in some “inherent”, canonical way, then consider what follows from the possibility that she isn’t white.
* To me, if Hermione isn’t white, that implies that the Harry Potter books were written in an awfully color-blind way, where people of color aren’t seen as remarkable by literally anybody across seven novels. Or does Harry Potter’s Muggle London mirror our own mundane world, in every aspect except nobody remarks on race?
* In a world full of teenage rivalries and nastiness and very explicit fantasy-racism, Hermione earns scads of mockery, but it’s never race-related. Does that read white to you?
* If Hermione isn’t white, then casting Emma Watson in the role would be a horrible, horrible case of whitewashing.
So if your claim is “J.K. Rowling never particularly intended Hermione as being white,” you’re basically claiming that by 1997, Rowling chose to create a color-blind setting and also to never mention that in any way. Which… I don’t know about you, but I have trouble finding that plausible, and even more trouble seeing the possibility as laudible in any way.
Whereas if your claim is “Yeah, it’s safe to assume J.K. Rowling intended Hermione to be white, but there’s a lot of good reasons to reimagine her as black” — then it doesn’t matter whether the books say she’s white or not. And wrangling over yes-canon/no-canon is a miserable sidetracking of the conversation that isn’t leading anywhere but mutual outrage and accusations.
Standback
June 20, 2016 @ 4:48 am
(Whoops. I expect many outraged replies at my mistaking the name of Holmes’ illustrious creator as “Conan Arthur.” :-/ )
Sus3an
June 20, 2016 @ 6:57 am
Making some good points there. Pretty fine points, but good for refining the message.
I read all the books once, saw all the movies once. Pretty good, but I’m not buying the series, so this isn’t a race that I really have a dog in. Sure Hermione can be black. I doubt it was the original intent, but it’s a fine casting choice. In the books I could have sworn one of the guys in Harry’s dorm was in fact mentioned as black. And one was Irish.
And wasn’t Harry’s potential girlfriend cast as Asian in the movies? I swear I heard nothing about that being a miscasting.
Hermione being black lends a slightly different timbre to the discrimination she faces as the daughter of a “mixed couple”. The discrimination being based on only one of her parents being magical and not her race points up the differences of the magical world while giving the singling out an uncomfortable parallel. Interesting choice.
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
June 20, 2016 @ 7:34 am
Beautifully put.
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
June 20, 2016 @ 8:35 am
You are correct; Dean is described as black, as is Kingsley Shacklebolt. And the Patil twins are clearly of Indian heritage, given their names. Harry’s potential girlfriend is Cho Chang; Chang is a common romanization of a Chinese surname. I can’t recall any instances of racism in the books towards any of the POC characters within the wizarding world, leading me to think that the wizarding world may actually have gotten past seeing color as an indicator of status/worth/humanity.
As you point out, the wizarding world has its own form of prejudice in the distinctions made (by purebloods and followers of Voldemort) between those with two wizarding parents, those with one wizarding and one Muggle parent, and those born of two Muggles. (Incidentally, both Hermione’s parents are Muggles, leading to Draco’s sneer about “Mudbloods”.) The parallel with racism is clearly deliberate on Rowling’s part, just as what happens at the Ministry of Magic as Voldemort gains power has clear parallels in 20th-century European history (particularly Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia.)
My main point being, race as such doesn’t appear to be an issue in the wizarding world, which means that people upset over a black Hermione are missing the point in more ways than one.
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
June 20, 2016 @ 8:39 am
Personally, I think the casting is just fine. Nor does it come out of nowhere, at least to many fans of the books. There’s been a strong movement in fan art and fanfic to portray Hermione and other characters — including Harry — as other than white. When I first came across this on Tumblr, my first response (like one of the respondents above) was to be taken aback; my second was, “hey, why not?” and my final reaction was “That’s cool; I like it.” It pushes me to rethink my own unconscious assumptions, a product of decades of being white in our culture. Much more importantly, it gives validation and a voice to people who have struggled to see themselves in popular media.
Jim C. Hines
June 20, 2016 @ 9:31 am
“So if your claim is “J.K. Rowling never particularly intended Hermione as being white,” you’re basically claiming that by 1997, Rowling chose to create a color-blind setting and also to never mention that in any way. Which… I don’t know about you, but I have trouble finding that plausible, and even more trouble seeing the possibility as laudible in any way. Whereas if your claim is “Yeah, it’s safe to assume J.K. Rowling intended Hermione to be white, but there’s a lot of good reasons to reimagine her as black” — then it doesn’t matter whether the books say she’s white or not. And wrangling over yes-canon/no-canon is a miserable sidetracking of the conversation that isn’t leading anywhere but mutual outrage and accusations.”
My “claim” has nothing to do with Rowling’s intentions. I’m saying the argument “She was white in the books” is a non-starter. I don’t disagree with you about the assumed default generally being white in absence of evidence one way or the other. Hell, sometimes people make that assumption even when there’s evidence to the contrary. (See the backlash about Rue in the Hunger Games.)
That default *is* an assumption. One I think it would be good for folks to be more aware of, and maybe even start to reconsider or challenge.
Allison Michelle
June 20, 2016 @ 10:33 am
Heck, even if J.K. Rowling explicitly described Hermione as white, that wouldn’t be a good reason not to cast a non-white actress. The movie version of a book should _not_ slavishly follow the book, as the techniques a book uses to tell its story don’t generally work well in a movie and vice versa. Harry’s, Ron’s, and Hermione’s race isn’t an essential part of the story, so if casting a non-white actor/actress for any or all of those roles allows the movie to better tell its story, so much the better. IMHO, one of the biggest weaknesses of the _Hunger_Games_ movies was that they hewed too closely to the books and thus stuck to techniques that worked well in books but not movies.
Actually, even if race/ethnicity _is_ an essential part of the story, casting someone from a different r/e can (if done well) actually tell the story better. For instance, I’ve always thought that I would love to see a staging of _A Merchant of Venice_ with an African American actor cast as Shylock. It would probably get the point across to modern audiences better than an obviously Jewish actor.
P.S.: I’m reserving judgement on the casting for Hermione until I see the movie. As I would for any casting decision, especially when I’ve never heard of the actor/actress.
D. D. Webb
June 20, 2016 @ 12:21 pm
Thank you once again, Mr. Hines; I can always come to this blog to find facts, statistics (and often charts!) neatly summarizing issues on which I’ve been hesitant to jump into debates due to my lack of facts/statistics/charts/etc. Saving this one for later use.
This whole kerfuffle reminds me of the ridiculous flap that ensued when an Asian actress was cast for the role of Cho Chang in the movies. No, really, that is a thing that happened, because there was a vociferous group of people who apparently had assumed a character named Cho Chang was white, and were quite upset at having that expectation thwarted.
I’m glad you take the time to underscore the actual logic to the people who’ll listen to it, of whom there are fortunately always some, though they unfortunately tend to be the quieter group. It just goes to show that actual racism is a wildly irrational thing; logic is its mortal enemy. That, and compassion, but it’s sadly hard to force-feed people much-needed hugs over the Internet.
hlynn
June 20, 2016 @ 1:49 pm
Yes, thank you. Rowling originally wrote Hermione as white; she said she modeled her after herself as a girl, and the white-washing would be egregious if this wasn’t true. I’m fine with black Hermione, and I can see how others imagined her as non-white, but this revisionist ‘Hermione was always black’ thing helps no one. That said, her being white isn’t the most important thing about the character and Hermione can be black/another ethnicity. Casting a role is adaptation, which requires a certain amount of freedom to change the source material. Collins was super specific about Rue being black in the Hunger Games, and people who imagined her as white did a poor job with context clues.
Jim C. Hines
June 20, 2016 @ 2:05 pm
I haven’t seen anyone claiming Hermione was always black…
efrat
June 20, 2016 @ 3:12 pm
maybe this is a little of-topic, but especially in theater the suspension of disbelief can accept all sorts of casting easier than in movies.
i’ve seen a production of Shakespeare’s “Richard III” featuring a black Queen of England
https://cameri.co.il/xmedia-cameri/repo/feats/lg/richard_3.jpg
and it really didn’t matter. the original Queen was probably played by a male actor, and the audience managed.
Tasha
June 20, 2016 @ 6:34 pm
People are upset with black Rue? Rue is literally written as a black character.
Fraser
June 21, 2016 @ 1:58 am
Which apparently flew over people’s heads–there was a huge outcry about “OMG, why did they make her black?” when the first movie came out. Which I was going to mention in a comment but now it’s done.
Sally
June 21, 2016 @ 6:46 pm
What I love about this casting is that, aside from skin/hair color, the little girl looks just like “Ron”! The nose and the smile are the same. If you showed me this picture without context, I’d absolutely believe they were related. That’s good casting.
Alex
June 23, 2016 @ 5:40 pm
Notice that those who whine about “racism” are anti-White.
Jim C. Hines
June 23, 2016 @ 5:57 pm
Thanks for demonstrating this sad but common twist on the ignorant illogic I mentioned in point #4 above. Well done!
D
June 26, 2016 @ 9:49 am
My issue is that Rose is clearly described as a red head with her fathers blue eyes. If the play was truly cannon, then Rose would be fair-skinned and red headed.
Nenya
July 7, 2016 @ 2:46 am
Okay, I scrolled back up to the photo and you’re right. 😀 That’s adorable. They already looked like a family to me because of their body language, but that’s pretty neat too.
Nenya
July 7, 2016 @ 2:47 am
My only problem with the casting in that picture is that Ron isn’t ginger enough. I’m a redhead who has far stricter definitions for what counts as “red” than a lot of people, LOL.
Bring on the unexpected (if you haven’t been following the “black Hermione” trend in fandom) but entirely plausible casting of Hermione as not white, I say.
Anon
July 8, 2016 @ 4:25 am
Yeah, i’m not buying the Hermione was black all along argument either, for reasons pretty much summarised in this video https://youtu.be/i8lEE44Oa-s
The cynic in me wonders if this is just a ploy to drum up controversy before the play.