By: I’Tashia Edmond
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HBO series “Watchmen” is a one season series that is made up of nine detailed episodes. This modern tv show was a spinoff to the well known movie that was created by Lawrence Gordon back in 2009. This series is about an African American woman who struggles with her identity and pours herself into her work as a masked vigilante named Sister Knight. The series takes place in a town that goes by the name of Tulsa. In this town the police force and Angela take on the Seventh Kalvary, the last known group of the KKK.
First and foremost, the series begins with a murder of a police officer by one of the Kalvery members. The officer who was murdered was also masked like the others on the force. The masking is supposed to protect the identities of officers and hopefully keep them and their families safe. This unfortunate death of the officer then sends the entire force on a warpath to stop the Seventh Kalvary once and for all. The force then sends their well known and respected African American “weapon” Sister Knight to figure out who is running their organization and how to put a stop to them. Additionally, as I was watching the show I saw many similarities between the Watchmen universe and our present day society. One event in particular is the Tulsa Massacre of 1921, this event is a huge event in African American history. African Americans built a wealthy town from grown up that had all black owned businesses, factories, and warehouses. The town was doing so good it even got the name “The Black Wall Street”. In the middle of the night, white supremacist stormed into Tulsa burning down houses while people were in it, killing civilians, leaving the town in dust. So what? While the show incorporate historical realism while showing a lot of fiction and other things, it has a real fight against racism. Does this out weight some of the complex plots that take place during the series?
This is not the first or last time you have heard about racist acts to minorities, especially individuals of the African American community. Racism and discrimination is something that has been going on in the United States for centuries, and unfortunately has not yet come to an end. In the series Angela takes nostalgia, a memory jogging drug that then exposes her and her family's past. While recalling all of these memories Angela had to face traumatic events such as her parents murder and the truth about her family as a whole.
Racism in Our Country
Racism has been a recurring issue in our country from the beginning of time. Unfortunately, this issue occurs in a bunch of countries across the world. In the show, there are racist characters. These characters appear to be normal but to only find out they have a hidden agenda. In our modern society we have struggled with the same issues, our former President Trump is a known racist. In German Lopez’s article “Donald Trump’s long history of racism, from the 1970s to 2020”, he has given multiple examples of the former presidents racist remarks and actions.
Additionally, the most recent one of Trump's racist remarks came at the start of the global pandemic. There were multiple occasions Trump publicly called COVID 19, the “Chinese virus”. This just goes to show how unimportant the minorities are. It was never professional or respectful to associate anything with a specific racial group or religion. That is one of the many things that have been said.
As I mentioned in the show watchmen powerful figures are secretly racists and have hidden agendas to ruin the African American community. Watchmen again ties into our world because these are things that are happening in society. Although this has been happening for some time, racism should not be “normal” and we should no way have to accept it. After years and years of mistreatment and discrimination we as a country should finally put a stop to it.
The Portrayal of Racism in Watchmen V.S Real World
One of the themes of the show is racism and this is one of the plot lines that clearly showed it. After watching the series I would say that the portrayal of racism in the show is extraordinary. This is the first show that is one hundred percent transparent on the racial roles and issues in the world. Although the show is based on fictional characters and some fictional events, the Watchmen use many historical events in our history and change the name. The show was loved by millions of people across the world but unfortunately the show was not renewed for a season two due to the show's transparency.
Another plot line for racism that sources have shown is police brutality. The show also highlights the issue of police brutality. In the show the officers of Tulsa weapons are locked and when needed have to be buzzed out and have a valid reason for use. In our society African Americans face police brutality. Being killed for no reason in the streets and being killed in the beds of our own homes. In The New York Times article “How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody”, Evan Hill highlights how George Floyd was murdered by police for a misunderstanding about counterfeit $20 bill. “Seventeen minutes after the first squad car arrived at the scene, Mr. Floyd was unconscious and pinned beneath three police officers, showing no signs of life”.
Does Angela Really Win?
The question now is, does Angela actually win her fight against racism? The series had a bad ending leaving supporters with questions. What happens to Dr.Manhattan? Does Angela and her grandfather begin to bond? What happens to Tulsa now that Joe Keene was exposed for his try colors? This show was created to spread awareness and essentially wake those who are not clear on our country's history and reality. By the show being discontinued there is no other tv show being as transparent about these
With the show having a protaganist navigate the scene, were they anything lost with some many other plot lines? One of the weakest plot lines in the series was Dr.Manhthhan roll. What is his purpose? Is it Angela fault since she knew the whole time? This plot line was misleading and confusing.
Whats impactful about the show is it almost identical to the real world and racism. This is effectful because we can take ideas from the series and implement them into our society. In Tulsa the officers has to have their weapon padged out and have a vaild reason for use. Without those two authorizations Tulsa PD weapons stay locked a way on dash. I think this is a great idea to encorperate in our society to put and end to police brutality and dicrimination to African Americans.
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