"Walkabout" discussion

[ruuger]

This is the discussion post for the episode 3X18 "Walkabout". Spoilers for the whole of the series, including the spin-offs and tie-ins, are allowed here so newbies beware.

Summary:
Kosh' replacement arrives on B5, Sheridan and Lyta test Shadows' weakness, and Franklin tries to find himself on a walkabout in Downbelow.

Extra reading:
The article for "Walkabout" at Lurker's Guide.

Comments

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

I have never actually managed to get through this episode, because I always watch as far as the explanation of what a walkabout is, and have to switch off.

Because while it's true that going walkabout was an essential part of some Indigenous Australian cultures, it is also part of a very old racist cliche, that Aboriginals are not to be relied upon, as they will go walkabout when there's hard work needing to be done. Those damn black people are just so lazy. Etc. I remember vividly reading dialogue along those lines in several Australian kids books from as late as the 1960s.

In short, aside from the fact that it hits me as being extra dodgy that it's The Only Black Regular who is going off on his own right before a really devastating and predictable war is about to begin, he's also saying, "BRB, have to achieve enlightenment through cultural appropriation". And that just makes me uncomfortable.

[widsidh.livejournal.com]

I think you are being over-sensitive here; it doesn't really compare.

Franklin is not an Aborigine but probably African-American (guessing by his Western name and American accent; I think it is never said - and it does not matter). He has dark skin colour but there the racial similarity ends; large parts of the world's population have dark skin. If he'd been shown with an American racist cliche, it would have been more worrying. I rather suspect that JMS just was not aware of this association in Australia.

Also, he is not claiming to perform an Aboriginal spiritual exercise, but one of th Foundation. He says the Foundation borrowed it from Aboriginal cultures, implying it has made it its own now - one may even speculate that parts of its practice were changed. Personally, I like the idea that the Foundation does not only incorporate Western religious traditions.

I think we are meant to see a character undergoing a spiritual exercise from his particular, inclusive religious background, no more no less.
B5 is one of the most tolerant and inclusive shows I've seen. Biggs himself has commented that he like playing a character rather than a *black* character in the show.

So go ahead, give it a chance!
It may not be the best episode in the season, but it ain't the worst either.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

I think you are being over-sensitive here...

I'm sorry if recognising racism that originates from my own country seems over-sensitive.

Franklin is not an Aborigine but probably African-American (guessing by his Western name and American accent; I think it is never said - and it does not matter).

Er, yes. It is still appropriative.

If he'd been shown with an American racist cliche, it would have been more worrying. I rather suspect that JMS just was not aware of this association in Australia.

While I freely admit that I'm applying a 2010 sensibility to a late-'90s product, I am still uncomfortable with JMS unthinkingly reproducing Australian racism, and then applying it to his only regular character of colour. It's an ugly kind of carelessness borne of classic white privilege.

Also, he is not claiming to perform an Aboriginal spiritual exercise, but one of th Foundation.

Yes, hence the cultural appropriation.

He says the Foundation borrowed it from Aboriginal cultures, implying it has made it its own now - one may even speculate that parts of its practice were changed. Personally, I like the idea that the Foundation does not only incorporate Western religious traditions.

Appropriation seems to be the particular schtick of the Foundationists. If they put as little research and thought into their beliefs -- and apparently, speaking to an actual Indigenous Australian was beyond them -- I can only assume they spend a lot of time being laughed at.

I think we are meant to see a character undergoing a spiritual exercise from his particular, inclusive religious background, no more no less.

Yes, that is obviously what we are meant to see, but the result is considerably different. And I am white; I can only imagine what an Aboriginal person would make of it. The intent to be tolerant and inclusive is admirable, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't discuss what happens when intent doesn't match result.

So go ahead, give it a chance!

Er, no thank you.

[4thofeleven.livejournal.com]

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...

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I wouldn't argue for a second that JMS was being deliberately offensive or careless, but at the same time, a little research never killed anybody.