It really is a problematic storyline on a lot of levels. And while I'm sure JMS was unfamiliar with the racist subtext of 'walkabout', it's not as if US culture is free of 'lazy, shiftless blacks' as a common trope - and if you're going to not just reference a foreign cultural practice but base an entire episode around the idea, it does behoove you to do your research properly...
no subject
Date: 2010-03-30 09:50 am (UTC)