The “Game of Thrones” creators’ concept for a new drama — set in an alternate reality where slavery is still legal — inspired a social media campaign that was a trending topic on Twitter on Sunday night: #NoConfederate.
“Confederate,” was announced less than two weeks ago by HBO and the “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. It will be set in a world in which the South successfully seceded during the Civil War. In this world, slavery will still be legal, and the show “will chronicle events leading to the Third American Civil War,” HBO said in a statement.
Despite Mr. Benioff and Mr. Weiss’s record-smashing success with “Game of Thrones,” their new concept has been under attack on social media for its potential insensitivity to race, and tangled questions of history and politics.
Now, many are calling on HBO to abandon the project. Last night’s #NoConfederate campaign was spearheaded by April Reign, a media activist with nearly 100,000 Twitter followers. She also created the viral #OscarsSoWhite, that has spurred conversation about racial representation in the Academy Awards.
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On Friday, she tweeted:
This Sunday at 9pm ET, during @GameOfThrones, we ask you to stand with us. We want to send a message to @hbo using hashtag #NoConfederate.
— April (@ReignOfApril) July 28, 2017
Others responded and retweeted.
So far, HBO has stood by the show in the face of the internet outcry. Last night was no exception. In response to #NoConfederate, the network released a statement on Sunday.
“We have great respect for the dialogue and concern being expressed around ‘Confederate,’” HBO said.
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Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/31/arts/television/confederate-hbo-inspires-noconfederate-hashtag-campaign-twitter.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
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