Based on a few comments I see here, it seems that people find issue with Williams article. But for many reasons I found it to be brilliant–not necessarily because of the points that are made, but simply for the fact that they are made.
How the black body is depicted and received by audiences is a topic rarely talked about whenever I have discussions about film or television, so it’s refreshing whenver this rare topic does come up in a class of mine. The psychoanalytical mindset of Williams can be offsetting to people who are determined to destroy any sort or Freudian interpretation of media. But I love how he brings up the fact that the spaces many of the black male characters in the show exist in can be interprested as being homoerotic/places for intimate homosocial relations.
Of course this doesn’t mean that the creators of the show INTENDED it to be this way…But I often feel like taking into consideration a creator’s “intentions” for a work can make viewers blind to how it can, nevertheless, be interpreted (and consequentially affect) large audiences.
I especially feel like William’s exploration of black male homosocial relationships to be important, as I feel like it’s a topic that’s (especially in hose communities) is avoided like a plague. I also feel like the same should/can be applied to female relationships in shows, but often that’s overlooked.
One response to “The Williams Article – a spectacular incite on scopophilia and the black body in media”