Colin's Last Stand, Episode 33: HBO's Confederate, Amazon's Black America & Professional Outrage

I suppose ranting would be the wrong term here, to specify It shows in this video that you feel strongly about the opinion your sharing with us and I've always enjoyed this side of you.

Where the hell was this outrage when Man in the High Castle came out. A fiction story that if it did happen probably meant that every single person of Jewish desent was wiped off the map. Now I love Man in the High Castle

Tom Koch

I will say that, despite the concerns I have written about here concerning how "Confederate", and the response to it, might play out, I do find the speculative history in both it and Black America to be fascinating. Regarding "Confederate", your theories about what led to the "second civil war" seem very likely, with a global view worthy of Turtledove. What I don't quite understand is how slavery would continue into even the second half of the 20th century, much less 2019. It was, at core a means to acquire the cheapest manual labor when such a thing needed to be in high demand. But even in real history, the Industrial Revolution would have drastically reduced this need, and done so I think mostly by the 1890's or 1900's at the latest. After which, I do fear, most slaves would have been deported back to Africa or, a possibly worse outcome; genocide of people no longer needed as labor but also never to be made citizens in a Confederate nation. Perhaps the show will decide to take the term "wage slaves" to a literal extent, with people in perpetual indentured servitude even in white collar jobs, based on race or other stratification. As for Black America, the biggest question I have about its premise would be: how did former slaves ever manage to negotiate reparations of any kind, much less for a lot of very valuable land sufficient to found a completely separate nation? In the history we know, Jim Crow occurred largely because former slaves didn't generally have that kind of leverage or bargaining power; they were mostly migrating north to avoid the worst effects of attempts to nullify the reconstruction amendments. It's fascinating. A bit concerning still, but fascinating.

Stephen J Seidler

I'm of the mind that, if this show offends you, makes you feel fear, angers you...it's FUCKING SUPPOSED TO. It's a COMMENTARY on racism to EXAGGERATE its evils by making the issues more prevalent and relatable. Trying to censor this actually keeps the populous numb to racism

Ryan Berry

You make very fair points about those who openly, or otherwise, seek to shut down freedom of expression. That is wrong, full stop, and I will advocate for this or any other art-form's right to exist. All that matters to me is my right, in turn, to question the quality, themes or execution of said art at my discretion. Free Speech is never un-contested speech, and those who don't believe there's any harm in how "Confederate" may play out may not hush *me* to silence for disagreeing. My concern about "Confederate" (which may prove unfounded or valid) is that, in the current political climate, a show like this, if done insensitively, may have a similar societal effect as did DeMille's "Birth of a Nation", which fictionalized the "heroic" aspects of the Ku Klux Klan in its narrative, and also had the effect of inspiring a major resurgence of the *real* KKK, who caused real harm and cost many people their real lives for decades afterwards. Life can imitate art under the right conditions, and in the current environment, where many feel the need to re-evaluate whether Black people do or ever have contributed positively to America outside of slavery, those conditions may be at hand. I will, for now, treat HBO's "Confederate" as I have always treated the actual Confederate Flag: I never have and will never endorse banning it, but I will also never go where it's shown & will advise anyone I know not to do so. Free Speech all around.

Stephen J Seidler

😉❤️ Love you too, bud!

BettyAnn Moriarty

I just love your approach to these unnecessarily controversial topics. Thanks as always for the level head. :-)

Nicole Webb

Great, great episode. I honestly have no idea why there is so much organized outcry (sometimes I have the feeling that there are a lot of social bots being created for the sole purpose of expanding the sole outcry of a single person in order to "fake/create" a movement solely based around a single hashtag) over a 82-word preview for a TV show that is going to be on HBO in ... probably 2 years or so? Well... on to more pressing matters... why is there a THIRD civil war... right? My current guess is the following: Imagine the end of the "first" civil war and the creation of two seperate United States (I will now introduce the terms the "North" and the "South" here for abbreviation). Extrapolating into the future, the next big (military) milestone in world history is World War I, which the "real" US entered in 1917. My guess would be, that one of the two countries (with high likelihood the North) will enter the war and try to help the Triple Entente (i.e. England, France, Russia) against the Central forces in Europe around the German Empire. At that time, while the North is shipping their troops to help in the front in France, the South suddenly makes an alliance with Germany and attacks the more or less vulnerable North as their troops are on their way to Europe, thus starting the second civil war. It could lead to a scenario where the German Empire wins the Great War (as a result, there will be no Weimar Republic and no rise of Hitler that will end up in WW2) and at some point the CW2 ends. Then, it's quite interesting where the show will start. Will it jump to a alt-50s or 60s scenario or a major jump to alt-2019 (assuming that's the airdate). Both premises, of this and of Black America sound awesome to me. But I wonder, why no one thought of another alternate history scenario pitch... What about Britain won the American revolution... I think the Twitter outcry would be tremendous :-)

Arvel Crynyd

I hear you, although I'd say that you could probably have it both ways, no? =D Then again, I can barely find time to fit in video games. It's all reading and TV shows for me (and much more the former than the latter). So I see where you're coming from, ultimately.

Colin Moriarty

Thanks! Although I don't think this came off as too ranty...

Colin Moriarty

I hadn't even thought of that, to be honest. Lemme see what I can do in the near future.

Colin Moriarty

There's truly no explaining their stance, at the end of the day. People are consistently and constantly seeking something to upset over and offended by. It's an incessant search.

Colin Moriarty

I figured both shows would be interesting to you, ma! I hope you're well. Love you!

Colin Moriarty

That seems to be the status quo for the regressive left.

Colin Moriarty

I really am stoked that the audio quality is shining through for folks. Finally!

Colin Moriarty

Glad to hear it! Pardon the pun.

Colin Moriarty

I agree in the sense that HBO won't care one way or another who's watching, so long as they're watching. I suspect both shows will be big, including Amazon's foray.

Colin Moriarty

I hope you enjoyed!

Colin Moriarty

Awesome show!!! I love ranting Colin.

Hey Colin! Looking forward to both these shows as well. Quick question: one thing missing from the new shot is the white board with the quote. We liked reading those relevant quotes. Any plan to bring that back?

Chad Lewis

The outrage regarding the shows element on slavery is perplexing. The description that HBO put out to detail the show's plot paints an undertone for the show that because the south was not defeated things are topsy-turvy. Shouldn't that help the reader of the description understand that we are going to explore these concepts, including the shows element on slavery, from a point of view that many of the things we see as good or bad coming out of the civil war will be ratcheted up instead of resolved or improved? Meaning there was no condoning of slavery or racism in the description, and I actually read the description as this horrible thing from history could have persisted if a few things had gone the other way for either side. We don't know what the show is going to be about, but I am certain that there is zero intention of having viewers walk away from the show with an affinity for slavery. HBO makes really smart and popular shows. They don't want to make a show that aims to alienate. Just look at their other major hits. Other than the Sopranos HBO's content is very diverse (Vice, GOT, Ballers, boxing, Insecure, The Night Of, The Wire, and I could go on and on). HBO has the most diverse casts and content. More than any other major content provider. Compare to Netflix, Hulu, and any major network's line up.

Brian Fuller

I'm excited to see the alternate history and what the bent will be in each. It fascinates me- forces me think deeper about - well - everything. Can't wait. And the hoopla over fiction=ridiculous, in my opinion anyway. There are so many other 'realities' to worry about....

BettyAnn Moriarty

Loved this video. I was called a "fake black profile" on twitter because i thought all this drama about Confederate was dumb

James Little

Didn't know about these two shows. Probably because I deleted my Twitter. The outcry is not the slightest bit surprising though. The virtue signaling is strong with some. Great audio quality BTW.

The sound has found its way to perfection, well done!

Aaron

Oh man, yeah those things are out there.

Great episode - the SJWs out there will all be secretly watching both shows when they air to further add to their hypocritical viewpoints.

ScKeptiC17

Great episode! Can't wait for ibtimes and polygon's write up of this 😂. Quick sidenote, my FAVORITE tweet I read was someone saying "Confederate is horrible! This would be like someone making a show about the nazis winning WWII!!" And then like.... hundreds of responses all informing her of The man in the high castle 😂

Christopher Lee

*pulls up a chair* Oh dis gon' be gud.

Steven Camilo