MovieChat Forums > Merlin (2009) Discussion > Doesn't black people get offended?

Doesn't black people get offended?


This tv-series is utter crap. It is inaccurate in all ways - not just to the Arthurian Legends - but also to silly things as breastimplants (no they didn't exist during those times), modern values, and bla bla.

However, when the producers decide to rape the story and introduce serveral black people to the line-up; my big wonder is what do black people think? How would they react if Mel Gibson was cast as Martin Luther King and Tom Cruise played Malcolm X?

Is this a matter of political correct affirmative action gone completely wrong?Or am I a damn racist (such a nice word to throw at people) for implying that it is ridiculous to cast Guinevere as a black woman?

Come on flame me ;)

reply

Are you suggesting that there wouldn't have been black people during this fictional fairytale time?

Plus Martin Luther King Jr. was a real live person. I love how you critique diversity but not the talking Dragon. LOL troll good try. I won't feed you with anger but give you a little nibble with your own incompetence.

reply

Yes - I am suggesting that there is absolutely nothing in the legends to say that the legendary queen of England was black. I also find it ridiculous and mind-numbingly stupid that they cast boob-operated chicks. It gives youths the idea that that is hos people looked and should look.

Talking dragons and fairies from the lake belong in Arthurian fantasy legends.
Making a political statement by casting several black people is offensive - why didn't they cast people from China and India or native Indians then?

Stupid and silly programme!


If I'm not back in 5 minutes...
Just wait longer..

reply

You just got trolled hard time by the writers.

They didn't choose Gwen because she was black and that would rise whatever cultural/political trolls like you, but because her darker skin made her look much more humble and dirty, and they did this to impose the effect of a poor servant with no fortune. They did this to make a contrast between how good a life nobles have and how poor the non-nobles are.

reply

lol damn racists then :))))

happy new year!

If I'm not back in 5 minutes...
Just wait longer..

reply

Happy new year to you too.

What I don't get about gwen is why she wears those stupid dark red dresses after she's bad queen. She looks horrible in them.

reply




That's not what the producer said. He said he deliberately chose an unattractive woman to make her like the show "Ugly Betty".

And I agree with the OP, while Gwen is sweet, she is no Guinevere, the real one in the legend.

reply

i wish they would have had morgana service

reply

But she isn't unattractive at all.

Just some food for thought,
Peace, Y'all!
Loralee :)

reply

>>Yes - I am suggesting that there is absolutely nothing in the legends to say that the legendary queen of England was black.<<

The key word is LEGENDS.

But still - go ahead and find me something that says she was white. There were plenty of black people knocking around in Britain during the Roman occupation, and ever since.

reply

The earliest reference of the Arthur(ian) Fairy Tale/Myth/Legend appears in the 'History of the Britons', written in AD 830 by Nennius, where he is depicted as a heroic general and a Christian warrior. Later references date from the early 12th century, and include Geoffrey of Monmouth's chronicle Historia Regum Britanniae ("History of the Kings of Britain"), and later, the works of Chrétien de Troyes and Thomas Malory.

Black people were in Europe even earlier than that.

The TRUTH ABOUT BLACKS IN EARLY EUROPE:

"As earlier stated, many Anthropologists, Researchers and Academics, still refuse to acknowledge that Africans were the first Human colonizers of Europe. To hide this fact, they prefer to use the terms Aurignacian and Gravettian cultures; which is fine, it still means Grimaldi. However, the current fad of attributing Grimaldi artifacts (such as the Cave paintings at Chauvet France, not far from where Grimaldi entered Europe; picture on the left), to the Humanoid Cro-Magnon is in all ways mystifying. Firstly, Cro-Magnon was not a "Fully Modern Human": Whites themselves describe Cro-Magnon as an "archaic" Human - meaning characteristic of an earlier or more primitive Human. (He was actually a later "Hybrid" Human: Modern man is much older than the Hybrids Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal).

So then, the White myth goes like this: The "Fully Modern Human" Grimaldi; enters Europe at about 45,000 B.C. He then sits around doing nothing for 10,000 years. Then at about 35,000 B.C, the "archaic" Humanoid Cro-Magnon enters Europe; he then immediately sets about creating the most magnificent art known to ancient man - all the while - "modern Man" Grimaldi (he's Black you know); sits around doing nothing. And it is from these magnificent Cro-Magnons, that White people later evolve. Wanting to be agreeable: Okay that could work - providing Cro-Magnons were "Idiot Savants" (a person affected with a mental disability - such as autism or mental retardation - who exhibits exceptional skill or brilliance in some limited field (such as art, mathematics or music). But of course, that still doesn't settle the racial issue: because thought different, Cro-Magnon like Grimaldi, was a Black African - and as we shall see, they didn't turn into "White Europeans" as some laughably suggest.

That brings us to the crux of the matter - White racism. It is not known exactly when racism became institutionalized in White people. Because though carefully hidden, the founding White civilizations – the Hellenes continuation of the Black Greek civilization, and the Latin continuation of the Black Etruscan and Black Celtic/Gaul civilizations, were extremely “Bi-Racial”. And the “Bi-Racial” nature of European society continued well into the middle ages – and beyond. At which times, many of the Noble families of Europe were still Black or “Mixed Race”.


QofH3arts

reply

What did you smoke?

The TRUTH ABOUT BLACKS IN EARLY EUROPE:

"They were very rare. As rare as seeing a woman with a moustache. But sure they existed. Depending on the level of civilization, they would either be well treated or treated very poorly."


If I&#x27;m not back in 5 minutes...
Just wait longer..

reply

How early do you want to go? The first people to colonise Europe were black Africans; after all, humanity developed in Africa! We're all descended from the same tribe if you go back far enough.

Not sure why someone's resurrected this thread, though; I can't even remember how long ago I posted whatever it is he's just responded to.

reply

Me neither :) Nobody says we didn't come from Africa. Except the creationists.
What somebody said was that black people were rare in Northern Europe 1500 years ago. Then some black-rights people started pulling amazing stories about the Black Prince and Elizabeth II being half negro out of their arses.

If I&#x27;m not back in 5 minutes...
Just wait longer..

reply

It's looks like you read your History unlike someone people. yes Black people was on Earth before white and Jesus wasn't white eaither. stop brainwashing yourself people

reply

your an idiot who on the cast had implants

reply

troll :p

i will troll you back and answer "Merlin"

If I'm not back in 5 minutes...
Just wait longer..

reply




I hate to tell you this but there is evidence that Arthur existed and Guinevere, etc. Geoffrey of Monmouth, the monk that all this is originally sourced from and wrote a lot of books on it (only 48 survived) said that he was translating this book from another book and it was real. They've found evidence of the castle in Wales.

http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/student_orgs/arthurian_legend/england/arch /

reply

I hate to tell you this but claiming authenticity and translation from another book is a common medieval literary device among chroniclers - not proof of historical authenticity. Geoffrey of Monmouth is no exception to the rule.

There is some archaeological evidence at the right time period (ca. 500) in several places, not just one castle in Wales, for a powerful and rich lord and "kingdom". The extant of such a kingdom, and whether its unknown leader was in any way related to the Arthur of much later literature, remains to be proven. All we have so far are many historical hypotheses as to who the original Arthur might have been, if there ever was such a thing as an "original Arthur". Here's a quick summary of the most famous pf these hypotheses.

http://www.arthuriana.co.uk/historicity/arthurappendix.htm

"Occasionally I'm callous and strange."

reply

The poor people on this thread who think Merlin is real and call for 'historical accuracy'. I guess BBC are that convincing... to some. I'm not going to try to explain why dragons and pixies are fairytales, unless you tell me you have gotten past the family security and are actually too young to be surfing the web on your own.

reply

beautifulof2006
Are you suggesting that there wouldn't have been black people during this fictional fairytale time?

Plus Martin Luther King Jr. was a real live person. I love how you critique diversity but not the talking Dragon. LOL troll good try. I won't feed you with anger but give you a little nibble with your own incompetence.



and your telling me the only races were black and white?





jakslevMaking a political statement by casting several black people is offensive - why didn't they cast people from China and India or native Indians then?



exactly but then again people dont want to watch them




paul-heyes But still - go ahead and find me something that says she was white. There were plenty of black people knocking around in Britain during the Roman occupation, and ever since.




thats hotly debatetable






rosine-528-829866
I was a bit shocked the first time I saw Gwen. In the stories I had read, Queen Guinevere was described as particularly blonde and pale. Her name even means something like "white spirit" or something like that. So seeing Angel Coulby I was very surprised, as I was expecting an actress with long, blonde hair, very pale skin and the usual standard face.

I was also very shocked that they made her a servant!

But then I realized that many things in the show are not like in the legends anyway, and I got used to Gwen. I think she's beautiful, lovely and an excellent actress.



Nothing against the actress but Gunivere was white not black and white





However, unlike the OP, I asked some black people for their opinions and they were pleased with the casting.



why wouldnt they? Chinese and Muslim never get casted in things like Merlin



its only black and white




therealmandos

I get frustrated at black people portraying the characters of British legend, just as I'm frustrated at Jake Gyllenhaal being cast as the Prince of Persia. Utterly ridiculous, in both case. To each culture their own. Promotion of the idea that Britain has no indigenous culture is rampant, politically engineered and imh immoral




How the heck was the Prince of Persia black




aroxox
But Merlin is set in the dark ages, which is after the Roman invasion, and since the Romans had black slaves isn't it possible that some stayed even after the empire fell? So there is a small chance that Gwen could have been black, although it isn't likely.



How the *beep* did Romans have black slaves!

they had black pirates in Pirates of the Carribean and there were no black pirates black slaves owned by pirates yeah but no black pirates



99.Zerose9% white people? Archaeological findings suggest otherwise. Look up 'A Lady of York; migration, ethnicity and identity in Roman Britain', for example (if you can't find a copy, then this post may do as it's a summary of that article: http://afroeurope.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/roman-grave-reveals-that-black-people.html). Like so: "Archaeologists have discovered that wealthy black Africans lived in Roman Britain in one of the country’s earliest examples of multiculturalism."

suggests a mixture of 'black' and 'white'

is that a suggestion or fact!!??!!




ButterscotchCrumpetpatch
I don't think this is set in 300AD, it looks later to me. But also it's set in "a land of Myth and a time of Magic", just think about that for a second.




yeah so where is the chinese knights and wizards?






jakslev In the future when you conduct historical research; please remember to follow the rule of falsification. Since you clearly doesn't know what that is I am almost tempted not to explain it and hear you make a complete arse of yourself. Yes I think I will do that :o)





yeah blacks love to falsifcation alot just like saying we are more native then white must have been shocking to take the DNA testing and be more related to the WHITE ON WHITE ancestor then native





sabar-1
Black people during these times is completely feasible. The Roman empire covered vast areas, including halfway down Africa. At least three Roman emperors were African, probably the most notable being Severus. There were also Middle Eastern "romans" of varying colors. This is like someone saying there were no blacks in the West because there weren't any in John Wayne movies. A lot of our society gets their notions from what they see in entertainment. Over 30% of western cowboys were black but many Americans have no knowledge of that.





and your telling me there were during that time period>

So if there were none why is it that the aniu look more white looking? IN
Japan



Lucious-Nightingale
Its make believe you idiots, there were no dragons in the dark ages cause they never existed, black people did, not to many the story has been changed and retold countless times lancelot was made up by the french its a french name



So did chinese and no one wants to talk about that or to show that in Merlin







ParanoiaPoliticianDiva77
1. Do you know why as general knowledge people don't think there were black people in Europe and England in the dark and middle ages? Because history is written by white people. White racist people who would like to show off their bloodlines. There's been a lot of historical discovery and talk of the black population during those times, and the fact that there were black nobility.





where is your factual information?? Not the ones where you say it orally






2. Why on earth does it matter? Fairytale or not, it's about giving opportunities to the people in your community. That includes the acting communities, and therefore the film industry. This is why in England they colourblind cast black and Indian actors in stuff like Arthur and Doctor Who. It's about opportunities. This is why in the USA they have colourblind casting opportunities for the latino and black populations. And here in Australia we have indigenous actors in a lot of roles. It is not racist to give people opportunities they would have previously been denied on the grounds of race, because the white people are in everything, they dominate western culture and hollywood and the BBC. They are the sole reason people of colour have experienced such horrors in the past centuries. So when there's plenty of "white" characters and not many written black characters, offering them to actors of colour is not racist or politically correct. It's simply right.
Whereas casting Mel Gibson as Martin Luther King jr would be disgusting and vile; it's white-washing history and black people's achievements yet AGAIN





How is there color blind for the chinese at Camelot? Throughout the shows run BLACK and WHITE


Oh its still very much PC and Diversity









rosine-528-829866
For example let's take Harry Potter. Harry Potter is based on fantasy elements, just like Merlin. Just like Merlin, Harry Potter is also set in a specific time/space (more-or-less-modern day UK). Wouldn't you find it weird if a vast majority of characters in Harry Potter were played by Asiatic actors? It would be kinda weird, because we know more-or-less-modern day UK is not populated mainly by Asiatic people. Fantasy or not. I feel the same way about a black Queen Guinevere. It doesn't matter whether Merlin is a fairytale or not. It still happens in Britain around the 5th or 6th century.






yes it would be weird


But whats weirder is the movies almost only had black and white actors




Michelle_Crayon
I don't care if they get offended, I was close to produce a hysterical laugh when a black ex-servant girl became a Queen in medieval Britain. I mean you'd think - the writers couldn't screw it any way more, but I obviously under-estimated them lol.
And tottaly agree with the comment about an Asian Harry Potter or Black Harry Potter or a Latino Harry Potter - one thing if it was written like that in books, but from his background we were given he does look more like Dan Radcliffe than young Densel Washington or Antonio Banderas lol.



well I was just like wtf!

and angry Arthur died

Well I wish Authors would be more clear about a characters race and Gunivere was very clear and its British PC and diversity





jakslev
In other words. That is utterly ridiculous and a mix of times and cultures and languages. It is a blatant demonstration of someone that has ABSOLUTELY no idea of how we can interpret history, but someone who has a very clear political agenda. It's a shame and if I was black (which I might actually be since I am wearing black clothes right now) I would be offended!




exactly






To have Mel Gibson cast as Martin Luther King would be equally ridiculous.
But Martin Luther King actually existed. Merlin is not a biographical film; it's fantasy. Make-believe. I find it preposterous that you can accept things like Merlin and Arthur being the same age, dickhead dragons with prophecies that never come true, Morgana's totally inexplicable transformation from compassionate do-gooder to sociopathic mass murderer...but a black FANTASY character bothers you?! 

I would find it ridiculous if they cast a non-white man as JFK just as I would find it ridiculous for them to cast, say, a Chinese actor as Martin Luther King. But for a make-believe character in a fantasy world with dragons and magic, that is neither trying to portray real life people NOR even the Arthurian legends themselves, when you get right down to it...it's laughable and definitely a sign of bigotry that you would give a sh!t what race or ethnicity the actor is.




Okay I will give you that but then why no chinese japanese or korean people in camelot?






BullingdonGame of Thrones does a much better job of having a diverse cast that fits the world it's set in.



How is diversity only black and white?




wondernita
Not offended, in fact I loved it.
It's about time they started showing Black women as the lead and love interest. And I am huge fan of the Kind Arthur/Guinevere/Merlin mythology.
I have seen some of the most inappropriate White actors take the role of all involved; yet I enjoyed the story every time. This show was fabulous until the racist destroyed it!!!




then where is the leading chinese man or woman?















reply

@Mattinbell


What the fck! You show up here with all your damn waste of fcking space to spill your bull**** again? Move the fck on, because you ain't saying s*** worth addressing.

reply

I assume you mean 'don't' rather than doesn't?

'To you, Baldrick, the Renaissance was just something that happened to other people, wasn't it?'

reply

I think the OP meant "Do black people get offended?".
Wait a sec, Guinevere is black in this show?
I didnt realise through-out the entire show.
God damn plot-holes.

reply

No.. No.. I mean't doesn't... Why would I mean "don't"? That's so 1982.. In fact I find that the word "don't" is an ugly one.

Do not black people get offended? Sounds stupid! I am pretty sure that whole sentence is *beep* up, but then I am not a native English speaker but a post modern European fart :o)

reply

http://youtu.be/N4vf8N6GpdM

If I'm not back in 5 minutes...
Just wait longer..

reply

wow. You are filth.

Or am I a damn racist

You have to ask this? lol

I believe in God but I don't believe in religion.

reply

Even though he is kind of weird in his wordology, I do not believe he is being racist. I think he is asking a real question that has occurred to him. Obviously, black people can be whatever they want to be. They have so very often in our world; however, I can see it being an honest to goodness question by someone who is not well versed in the culture or demographics of the Arthurian time period. Just because the word 'black' is in a question or a statement, it does not logically follow that--automatically--the question or statement is racist. smh

Just some food for thought,
Peace, Y&#x27;all!
Loralee :)

reply

I was a bit shocked the first time I saw Gwen. In the stories I had read, Queen Guinevere was described as particularly blonde and pale. Her name even means something like "white spirit" or something like that. So seeing Angel Coulby I was very surprised, as I was expecting an actress with long, blonde hair, very pale skin and the usual standard face.

I was also very shocked that they made her a servant!

But then I realized that many things in the show are not like in the legends anyway, and I got used to Gwen. I think she's beautiful, lovely and an excellent actress.


reply

The whole story of Arthur is a myth, so factual accuracy can go to hell.

However, unlike the OP, I asked some black people for their opinions and they were pleased with the casting.

Its that man again!!

reply

The whole story of Arthur is a myth, so factual accuracy can go to hell.

That's true. It's just... surprising. If I saw a movie strongly inspired from a Congolese myth, I would also expect the actors to be black. If one of them suddenly were white and blond, I would find it weird too.

It's no big deal. After the first shock I had no problem with Gwen. It was just very surprising at first. Not offensive, just surprising.




reply

The choice of Martin Luther King was a poor example.

But how about caucasians playing *legendary* non-caucasians?

I get frustrated at black people portraying the characters of British legend, just as I'm frustrated at Jake Gyllenhaal being cast as the Prince of Persia. Utterly ridiculous, in both case. To each culture their own. Promotion of the idea that Britain has no indigenous culture is rampant, politically engineered and imh immoral.

reply

Maybe it should only be an issue when what is being played out, whether book or film etc, is about race e.g. Othello or something factual say a film about Hitler, just to save the audience's confusion.

reply

Maybe it should only be an issue when what is being played out, whether book or film etc, is about race e.g. Othello or something factual say a film about Hitler, just to save the audience's confusion.

Your idea makes sense. :)

However, it would bother me even if it is not about race. I don't know, like Antonio Banderas playing an Arab in the 13th Warrior. Or those ridiculous westerns with lots of white actors with lots of paint on their faces playing the Native Americans. It just bothers me. Why can't they cast someone from a more accurate ethnicity?



reply

Completely agree on the Prince of Persia thing.

Considering the role movies play in our society, they really should be as accurate as possible. I am not even going to comment on the Marvel Thor recreation that has a black man playing Heimdal the Fair, guardian of Valhal.

If I'm not back in 5 minutes...
Just wait longer..

reply

I am not even going to comment on the Marvel Thor recreation that has a black man playing Heimdal the Fair, guardian of Valhal.

XD That's funny!

reply

....about Caucasians playing "legendary" non-Caucasians?

Do you mean like Orson Welles playing Othello (you know - Shakespeare's Moor)? Is that what you mean? I'm pretty sure I could come up with more examples of Caucasians playing non-Caucasians (especially fictional non-Caucasians), but Orson is the first that springs to mind.

reply

True. The whole story is a myth, so why not go ahead and make Excalibur an AK-47? After all, factual accuracy can go to hell.

Amirite?

reply

Not sure Excalibur as an AK-47 has been done, but all sorts of takes on Excalibur have. There's also a Grail as the atomic bomb in Donald Barthelme's The King. The Arthurian legend is a legend for all ages, and all sorts of spins have been put on it so far. I believe it is safe to bet all sorts will happen still in the future. As they rightly should. The more, the merrier. Anyone who wishes to study the original aspects of the legend is welcome to do so, the texts are still there for anyone to read. Nothing new will ever damage the old. It's been around for several centuries and will be still for (I hope) even longer than that.

"Occasionally I'm callous and strange."

reply

Or perhaps we can tell original tales instead of regurgitating and/or perverting those that already exist?

That would be refreshing, no?

reply

Does it have to be either one or the other? I'm OK with both. And I don't see a retelling as a perversion.

"Occasionally I'm callous and strange."

reply

But Merlin is set in the dark ages, which is after the Roman invasion, and since the Romans had black slaves isn't it possible that some stayed even after the empire fell? So there is a small chance that Gwen could have been black, although it isn't likely.

reply

But Merlin is set in the dark ages, which is after the Roman invasion, and since the Romans had black slaves isn't it possible that some stayed even after the empire fell? So there is a small chance that Gwen could have been black, although it isn't likely.

Sure, there is an extremely small chance that she could have been black. However, I think this would be really unlikely.

When I look at the Brits it seems obvious that they had very, very few black ancestors. The probability is really small. Especially for a Queen. In this show she's a servant, but in the legends she was from a noble family.

Plus, if she were black, wouldn't that be mentioned in some way in the stories? It would have been a quite unusual trait, definitely worth mentioning somehow.


reply

When I look at the Brits it seems obvious that they had very, very few black ancestors. The probability is really small. Especially for a Queen. In this show she's a servant, but in the legends she was from a noble family.

Plus, if she were black, wouldn't that be mentioned in some way in the stories? It would have been a quite unusual trait, definitely worth mentioning somehow.


You've already contradicted yourself though and pointed out why it doesn't matter that they cast a black woman. You are saying there would have been some mention in the stories of such a trait - and others have said she is described as blonde and fair in the stories - yet in the same post, you admit that the show has already strayed from said legends by making her a servant rather than of noble birth - so why would you expect to find mention of her being dark skinned in the legends when the show clearly has gone for a different kind of Gwenevere?

And yes, there is an extremely small chance she was black. Just like it was an extremely small chance that a commoner, a servant, should ever be made queen in that time. So by making her black, they are almost emphasizing how she should not have become what she did become - which is why it was a remarkable and groundbreaking thing.

reply

But Merlin is set in the dark ages


Says who??? certainly not the show. Says history? Too bad then because if we go with history, Arthur and Merlin never met. Whatever historical Arthur you go with.

"Occasionally I'm callous and strange."

reply

Dude, it's a fictional story based off the Arthurian Legend which is folklore and creative invention. Given there were black people in England at that time why does her skin colour bother you???????????????????????????

reply

Because it is silly. Of cause Guinevere wasn't black. That's as silly as saying Obama isn't American.

It bothers me because it is an example of political correctness gone wrong. Affirmative action that points fun at all races! Either they do it right and according to the sources go COMPLETELY political correct and cast all races, all sexual ideas and all religions.

Personally I would enjoy seeing the transgendered black Tristan wearing glasses and trying to get it on with chinese muslim Isolde while her husband is participating in a swinger part with his fellow dwarves.

That would make for a good tv-show!


If I'm not back in 5 minutes...
Just wait longer..

reply

Should read: DON'T black people ... -- not Doesn't.

Amazing how much awful grammar there is on the message boards.

reply

yes! I hate that did you ever google "grammar nazi"? fun youtube vid there :)

If I'm not back in 5 minutes...
Just wait longer..

reply

Not everybody on here is a native English speaker. Isn't it also amazing how many people all over the world speak understandable (if not completely correct) English?


reply

As I said in another thread, they seem a bit out of place. Not because of their color but because it's an obvious gesture to appease one race.

Where were the Asian, Arab, Hispanic, and Indigenous characters? I find it amusing that you throw in a token black character and it apparently represents all minorities.

A token black character is last decade anyway. You need a GLBT main character these days, to show that you're compassionate.

reply

As supposed to just appeasing the white race by casting all white like many shows? Yeah, how awful. At least some representation is better than the suggestion by some in this thread- which is no representation at all.

I think that comparing fairytales people who don't exist to modern day history is pretty one-way thinking. No, they wouldn't cast a white guy for Martin Luther King, because he actually existed, suffered through racism and fought with his life. This is more than any of us can say- so he does deserve accurate representation. But then again, they wouldn't cast a black woman to play Jackie Kennedy.

So no, your point is not taken. Some people are/were real, others fake. And as this thread shows, some people are always going to try to justify their racism, even if they can't make sense of it.

reply

So no, your point is not taken. Some people are/were real, others fake. And as this thread shows, some people are always going to try to justify their racism, even if they can't make sense of it.

I don't understand why you jump to this conclusion. The characters in the show are fictional, but the story is anchored in a certain historic background nonetheless: Britain in the 5th or 6th century. Which was populated by, like, 99.9% white people back then. I really don't see how it makes anybody a racist to try and be historically accurate. This puzzles me.


reply

"The characters in the show are fictional, but the story is anchored in a certain historic background nonetheless: Britain in the 5th or 6th century. Which was populated by, like, 99.9% white people back then."

99.9% white people? Archaeological findings suggest otherwise. Look up 'A Lady of York; migration, ethnicity and identity in Roman Britain', for example (if you can't find a copy, then this post may do as it's a summary of that article: http://afroeurope.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/roman-grave-reveals-that-black-people.html). Like so: "Archaeologists have discovered that wealthy black Africans lived in Roman Britain in one of the country’s earliest examples of multiculturalism."

reply

Remember that black people are not the target of racism in all countries.
Calling Arthurian Legends "fairy tales" would and could be considered as a bigot attacking the founding myths of England. If I was English I would take offence, as I would if you cast our Viking King Sweyn Forkbeard as a black man or a Chinese! Especially if you did so because you called our history a "fairy tale".

Kiss and hugs



If I'm not back in 5 minutes...
Just wait longer..

reply

There's a reason they are the Arthurian Legends or the Arthurian Myths, not "Arthurian History on a day-by-day basis". Few people are going to get upset of you call them fairytales, except that bloke who has changed his name to King Arthur Pendragon and claims he found Excalibur in an antique shop.

Bullshot! We're so terribly proud, you've really saved the day!

reply