Addressing "The Real Mud on The Golden Girls"

I was ready to publish a completely different post today, but I feel this is far more important.

This article posted on Vulture, by Dr. Steven W. Thrasher, basically lays out all the things that are wrong with The Golden Girls, especially as it pertains to racism and rape culture.

As a huge fan of the show, I’ve known about the problematic phrases, references and topics that have been part of The Golden Girls’ life cycle. There have been many times when watching that I’ve thought to myself, “Oh. That’s disappointing.” I wondered how it would play out as we progress and continue to chip away at the entanglement of so many ‘isms so deeply entrenched in our society.

I’m part of a Facebook group where people have been going back and forth with one another about the scene in “Mixed Blessings.” (Blanche and Rose are seen wearing mud face masks. It also happens to be the same episode and scene where Dorothy’s future in-laws, a black family, comes to the house to meet for the first time.) I’ve been asked by a few people what my opinion is on Hulu’s decision to pull the episode from its streaming services.

And ultimately, I don’t see how my opinion is relevant.

Sure, I know the episode. I agree with Dr. Thrasher that given the context of the scene (which truly is about them wearing beauty face masks made of mud,) there are far more racist jokes and topics discussed throughout those 30 minutes.

However as a white cisgender woman, my opinion will never (and should never) carry as much weight as those who have suffered at the hands of racism. Ever. Why would what I think ever outweigh the lived experience of an entire population of people?

That’s not an opinion:
it’s sensible logic.

It’s not that people are suddenly “easily offended” by things like this. These types of references and jokes have always been offensive and were never okay in the first place. It’s just that now, thanks to things like social media paired with mass organizing, people feel more confident that they will be heard and that change may finally take place.

As much as it pains me to criticize the show, there are many instances in which racism, transphobia, rape culture and ableism rear their ugly heads, which brings me to my question:

Why is it so difficult to write comedy without making a specific group of people the punchline?

Is it a lack of creativity? Laziness? A lack of intelligence? Are we so used to “othering” people who are not white, cis-heterosexual that it feels natural? Why is it that some feel they have the right, as an outsider of that group, to criticize and attempt to veil it as “humor?” Is it because so many people feel so wildly insecure that dragging down an entire group will deflect from one individual’s shortcomings?

There are so many things one can joke about that are just human traits.

Personally, the jokes I have always found to be the most humorous on The Golden Girls are the ones in which we see their true personalities in a relatable and quirky sense.

All these personality traits have nothing to do with race, culture, religion or any other identifying factor limited by one’s specific culture.

These are qualities of a culture known as humanity.

There is so much good in this show, but the missteps in many of the episodes can not be dismissed with a simple, “Oh, that’s just how it was back then.” It’s unfortunate that something so special to so many people is mired by the truth, but that discomfort does not make it not so. Quite frankly, as more about our culture is revealed, this experience will happen again and again, and many folx will have to grapple with this reality as it pertains to many things they once loved.

I don’t have the answer as to how die hard fans wrestle with this confrontation and come to terms with the fact that something once considered sacred is actually very flawed.

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Thrasher said it best:

There is no salvaging past work entirely; work that is free of (or at least not centering) rape culture and racism can only possibly be made by artists and writers who are not beholden to the dominant power structures of the present and the past, and who can dream of comedy and drama of the present and future differently. So, much more important than any or all episodes of The Golden Girls or my complicity in nostalgia about the show is that we, as a society, make space for new work — new work from new voices that media usually doesn’t offer opportunities to. (Thrasher, Steven W. “The Real Mud on The Golden Girls.” Vulture. July 2, 2020)

We must face the sobering reality that some of the humor on The Golden Girls came at the price of respecting and other’ing vulnerable populations.

I’m not suggesting that any fans stop watching the show or write it off completely; what I’m saying is that we can acknowledge the dichotomy, move forward knowing better and ultimately, do better as we choose what to consume.


I will continue to love the show and recite lines that I find to be especially hilarious. I can only hope that as progressive as The Golden Girls were considered from 1985-1992, if the show existed today:

  • Dorothy would be teaching anti-racist workshops to white folx

  • Rose would provide counseling for domestic violence survivors and drug addicts

  • Sophia would continue to volunteer at the hospital with HIV+ patients

  • Blanche would advocate for rights for sex workers


What do you think their roles would be today if the show existed in 2020?


With warmth and gusto,

H

Hillary Scottvulture magazine, The Golden Girls, Dorothy Zbornak, Blanche Devereaux, Sophia Petrillo, Rose Nylund, anti racist, the real mud, steven w. thrasher, heck yes y'all, heck yes y'all apparel, hyyapparel, rape culture, racism, anti racist work, domestic violence2 Comments