Why Noelle’s Sow “joke” is a racist and dangerous stereotype and why you should care
tw: racism, slavery, anti-blackness, police brutality
I have seen countless people wondering what to think about the comments that Noelle Stevenson & their crew made on the twitch stream yesterday.
Disclaimer: I truly do not think Noelle knowingly and explicitly meant to be racist. However, impact matters more than intentions, and implicit racism/bias and racial stereotypes need our full attention because they travel in subtle and insidious ways in big fandoms like She-Ra. Especially when children are involved.
First and foremost: I am Black, an American descendent of slavery, and a teacher. Many of my students love She-Ra. I wanted to use this moment to teach them (and maybe some of you) the history of the slave stereotypes that Noelle’s Sow drawing evokes.
I think being informed is a huge first step in this climate. That way, you can learn the context and then decide in what ways you, personally, can hold Noelle accountable.
Here is a link to Noelle’s comments. They start at 56:50, and I have transcribed the relevant bits below:
Q: Do any of Bow’s siblings have names or occupations?
Noelle: “… Their names rhyme with Bow. So there’s like Oboe and he plays the oboe. And then there’s Gough and like Van Gough he’s missing an ear. And like he [Sam] would come up and just be like which one of them tills the fields? And I was like which one Sam? And he’s like Sow. [crew laughs].”
On their twitter, Noelle posted the picture they drew that goes along with the “joke”:
While honestly, I could pick apart “Woe,” “Gogh,” and “Woah” for their own unique problems and stereotypes, I am mainly going to focus on “Sow” here.
[Image ID: In Noelle’s drawing, Sow is wearing a straw hat and chewing on a straw. He has a bandana around his neck. He is smiling a wide dopey smile and is dirty and disheveled.]
This is the first image that popped into my mind when I saw the art. (You know, since my ancestors forcibly picked cotton in South Carolina on a slave plantation):
[Image ID: An old black and white photograph of a family of Black American slaves looking serious and forlorn as they pose for a picture in a field of cotton.]
BUT HE’S JUST A FARMER, you cry. Noelle said Sow tills the land, can’t black people be farmers?!
Yes, we can, but first, listen… Let me show you some of the most famous stereotypes of African American men from American history and literature. You’ll recognize all of the elements from the Sow art and insidious patterns that go along with each. I think it really IS that deep.
