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skamofcolor · 5 years

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@frogmp3 replied: especially since sana/imane are both depicted as only begrudgingly accepting of the notion LGBT people at first as well... it’s like they really think only poc have a homophobia problem

I feel like this comment really hits the nail on the head, jfc!!

Skam and Skamfr consistently have portrayed their Black characters and Muslim characters of color as the main perpetrators of homophobia. They're literally demonized for multiple episodes with very flat resolutions:

In og S3, we have that scene where Isak basically attacks Sana/Islam for being homophobic. Sana then gives her speech about how being gay isn't supported by evolution. Towards the end of the season, Sana apologizes and says she was wrong, but then Isak like, snaps at her about Islam again? Also she never gets an apology for his Islamophobic statements.

Also in og S3, there are rumors going around the school that Mahdi attacked Isak because everyone thinks he's Muslim (and therefore homophobic). This is "resolved" with Magnus laughing and Mahdi asking, "So you think it's funny that the entire school thinks I'm a homophobe?"

In og S4, there are rumors going around the school that the Balloon Squad attacked Even/Isak because they're Muslim (and therefore homophobic). Sana literally ignores her brother for like two weeks because she believes these rumors over talking to her own brother. This is "resolved" when Isak admits he attacked Mikael first over jealousy.

In Skamfr S3, in the scene where Lucas questions Imane, we not only have Imane saying the evolution speech but also giving the biphobic statement of like, “yah I’m against being bi but i don’t judge Alexia for it”? Then when Lucas comes out to Yann, he stresses that Imane and him only ever fight about lgbtqia+ people

Also there's Lucas's paranoid vision? Where he sees Alex D. doing a blowjob motion? EDIT: And also, Lucas and Alex are barely friends, barely have interactions beyond Lucas asking about Elliot, so... why exactly does Alex come up for Lucas in his fears about being outed? Like does that make sense?

And now we have this scene where instead of being the supportive and caring friend that he usually is, we have Yann straight up walking away from Lucas right after he comes out? Like regardless of what Yann does later or honestly why he did it, look at the majority of the fandom's reaction to it? Like they were looking for reasons to vilify Yann, and yup, here we go.

And this isn't to say that every single white character reacts positively to Isak/Lucas being gay, they don't. But why is it that almost every person who is associated with violence and homophobia is Black and/or Muslim?

Since Skamfr S3 isn't over yet, I can't say really say more than I have because we don’t know how it will go. But og Skam definitely had a nasty habit of using their Isak character to use "Islam" and "Muslim people" as placeholders for "religious institutions" in general, which has done three major things:

It removes the historical context and nuance of Norway as a Christian-majority nation (and being a country where the majority base their morals on a Christian ethical framework)

It erases the historical and contemporary context of non-Christian religions and people being persecuted

It blames Muslims for being the main perpetrators of homophobia in Norway

No other characters - including Isak's own parents - are ridiculed and grilled the same way the Sana is, despite them being Christians in a Christian-majority country. We def get glimpses of Isak’s mothers religiosity and that scene where he’s in a church but ultimately, the main focus of homophobia via religion on-screen has been through Sana. And especially in the context of Sana basically being the only Muslim representation for three seasons, the show (perhaps inadvertently) makes her the spokespeople for their entire religion. It's great that Sana learned, grew, and apologized for her statements in the end of og S3. Like, we stan multi-faceted characters who make mistakes and then learn from them. But there was never any resolution for Isak's Islamophobia in the first place, and then as the seasons go on, the show just continues to perpetuate this idea with no resolution.

Like to be clear, I'm not saying that these characters should be shown as non-homophobic just because of their race and religion. And I'm also not saying these shows shouldn't have realistic depictions of what white, non-Muslim people in these countries think of Black and Muslim people. But this honestly feels like it goes beyond "realistic" depictions of how white/ethnically Norwegian and French/non-Muslim people view Blackness and Islam. It honestly feels as though the shows themselves are promoting discrimination and urging Black people and Muslims to apologize for... being "inherently" homophobic.

Like ofc homophobic Black and Muslim people exist but why tf are they the only ones constantly being blamed for homophobia? Why do these shows focus on these marginalized characters without equally (actually, moreso) criticizing the widespread homophobic views of the dominant cultural and religious ideologies of Norway and France (namely, Christianity)? Why don't the shows go out of their way to depict the Islamophobic/racist characters as wrong in their assumptions? Why are they making the Black and Muslim characters basically the only visible wrongdoers to fulfill these storylines?

(We know why.)

- mod Jennifer

#sorry yall i went into an essay again #answered ask #(sort of)#skamfr

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