Member-only story
Racism, Sharks, and “Handmaid’s Tale”
We were in the Bahamas, snorkeling off a beautiful reef in crystal blue water. One of our fellow divers asked a perfectly reasonable question. “What about sharks?”
“You want to know how to tell if there are sharks around?” Our guide asked, face gone serious.
“Yes.”
“All right, I’ll tell you a secret. You stick your finger in the water. And taste it.”
“Yes?” we asked eagerly.
“And if it is salty…there are sharks.”
###
Here’s a little exercise. Try it with a friend. Ask her to tell you how many blue objects are in the room. Give them ten seconds to look.
Now. Have them close their eyes. And ask them…to name all the RED objects in the room
So much fun.
######
Interesting article about racism in “feminist” narratives, specifically television.
The problem with “Handmaid’s Tale” was there in the original book, when they slaughtered all the black people, literally committed genocide, and no one even commented on it. Not in the book, not the author, not any of the fans or critics. That told me everything I needed to know. When the series came on, I watched the first…