portrayals of black people as troublemakers in reality tv

Reality shows are competitions that are often understood as unscripted and 'real'. However, there’s a certain pattern that many people believe that a lot of reality TV shows seem to follow. That is the portrayal of black people (mostly black women and black queers) as 'troublemakers'.

It is quite common to spot a black woman or black queer person being angry, loud, sassy, or/and aggressive towards others in reality television, from Tiffany Pollard being depicted as a troublesome black woman that seems to fight with anybody in Flavor of Love, to the stubborn Omarosa Manigault Newman in The Apprentice, the sassy Nene Leakes in The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and most recently, various black (drag) queens being portrayed as ill-tempered in the Emmy-award-winning show Rupaul’s Drag Race. Speaking of the problem, many of these queens, after the show, admit that they fall victim to the "villain edit" - a theory used by drag racers and fans to describe that a queen is being edited to appear as if she is a "villain" when, in fact, she might not.

Image by Getty Images via them. magazine

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It is easily understandable that when in reality shows, people are put into a 'bubble' and they have to compete with each other to win something, so the chance of fights happening is very likely. Besides, viewers also need someone that they can root for and the producers know that drama 'sells'; therefore, in order for these to happen, a certain type of 'storyline' has to be made and edited in the show [1], that’s when the protagonist and antagonist edits take place. In the case of Rupaul’s Drag Race, the antagonist side appears to fall mainly into the black contestants, or contestants that are people of color in general, and it seems to be a pattern that has been used repeatedly in the show. Black queens are always depicted as bitter drama-starters making judgements or "throwing shade"[2] at others that causes fighting and tension. In contrast, the white contestants are often portrayed positively or neutrally, or sometimes they are the protagonists that are victims of the jealousy and bitterness of the antagonists. These racial-related fights can be seen very often in many seasons of Rupaul’s Drag Race, such as the bitchy Roxxxy Andrews versus the "sleepy princess" Jinkx Monsoon on season 5, Kennedy Davenport versus Ginger Minj on season 7, or most famously, the feisty The Vixen versus the 10 th -season winner Aquaria and the "elephant queen" Eureka, etc.

While addressing the controversy, many editors and producers of the show dismiss such claims about the "villain edit"[3] . However, the contestants and their fans would say otherwise. The Vixen gives a pretty convincing reason indicating that conflicts between the queens might actually happen in the show but the dramatic and enhancing focus on the fights of black or POC queens but easy-going on those of the others makes these black and POC queens seem villainy [1]. Many fans also speak out in support of the 'villain' queens, saying that these queens are actually really sweet and great when they meet them in real life; and sometimes the queens that fought each other in the shows are, in fact, friends in real life.

So, why does the show do such a thing?

To explain this, the Them magazine reasons that it is because the media has a long history of "casting marginalized people as villains"[1]. Marginalized groups have always been poorly portrayed in the media because of the hegemonic and 'othering' mindset of the dominant groups. They negatively exoticize the characteristics of the other groups to make these groups appear inferior to theirs and to intensify their dominant powers. This can be seen in many movies and television in which white people mockingly caricature Asian folks, or the gays are subjected to the flamboyant and weird lifestyle. Therefore, because of this effect, it can be easier and more effective to make marginalized people, or in this case, black people, become the antagonists rather than giving these roles to the white counterparts.

However, though this 'black people as troublemakers' edit might make good television for the audience and the producers, it can tremendously harm the black people that are victims of it. Let’s get back to the stories of the black queens in Rupaul’s Drag Race. Many of these 'villainy' black and POC queens have been suffering from such bad edits after they leave the show. The Vixen, Brita Filler, and other black folks have received tons of death threats and emails from 'fans' threatening to harm, or worse, to kill, the queens if they meet them in person. Also, these queens have to face many negative and hateful comments on their social media. It is so devastating and mentally draining that they have to shut down their social platforms [4]. Some might even have to stop doing drag and cancel all their shows/tours for health and safety purposes [5].

So, while we, the viewers, might seem to be enjoying such dramas and fights in reality TV, should we, for the sake of our entertainment, continue to do it and let such poor things happen to black people that still have to suffer from negative depictions?

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REFERENCES:

[1] Rodriguez, M. (2020, September 9). Is the “Villain Edit” on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Real? Here’s the Truth. Them. Retrieved from: https://www.them.us/story/rupauls-drag-race-villain-edit

[2] Wikipedia contributors. (2021, September 9). Throw shade. Wikipedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throw_shade

[3] Duffy, N. (2020, September 2). Drag Race editor issues vehement denial after being accused of throwing queens ‘under the bus’ with villain edits. PinkNews. Retrieved from: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/09/02/drag-race-villain-edit-editor-jamie-martin-rupaul/

[4] Menchavez, A. L. (2020, May 21). RuPaul and Drag Race: Racism, fracking, and transphobia galore. The Daily of the University of Washington. Retrieved from: https://www.dailyuw.com/opinion/article_945fbd6c-9b0a-11ea-81db-ff871a85f1cc.html

[5] Queens That Quit Drag And Why... (2021, July 25). [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbxj-5bWUfU