It’s Thursday night in the US and Black women across the nation are gearing up to watch the season premiere of Scandal. For those not familiar, (those that have lived under a rock for the last few years) Scandal is a runaway hit show on ABC whose lead character is a Black woman that does crisis management in DC. It’s “loosely based” on a real woman named Judy Smith who served as a press during the second Bush administration.
The leading storyline for the show that has so many Black women watching and loving is Olivia Pope, the lead character, is having an illicit affair with the POTUS. And supposedly they are both deeply in love with one another, therefore making the affair ok in the eyes of the Black women who hoard around TV sets and have Scandal parties, so that they are able to converse with like minded Scandal lovers during the broadcast.
When asked about their love of the show, all but a few will quickly point out that they love it because Olivia is a tough, respected, business minded, independent woman, who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go out and get it. Bravo for her, I feel you all on that! Olivia is someone that Black women can look up to, especially knowing that the character is actually based off of a Black woman who was the things and more. I’m cool with that.
But herein is the problem! The President was married when she first started dealing with him and still is married. Somehow this scenario is cool with these women, even though it advocates cheating on one’s spouse. “But it’s just TV” says these women! “We wouldn’t advocate having an affair with a married man in real life” they’ll readily blurt out. They justify their love for the show based off a real person but love the fantasy twist that’s being added for dramatic purposes.
So the breakdown goes, Black women love the show because the character is a real person, who is Black, and the storyline makes it even better because the POTUS is “in love” with Olivia, and is willing to leave his wife and destroy his presidency because of this great love they share! Do I have that right? Of course I do!
On one level, this sounds cool, but adultery has been frowned on by Black women and any other color women forever, but because this is supposed to be “real love adultery” it’s perfectly ok. Here’s something to think about. Don’t all high powered men that commit adultery tell the woman that they are cheating with that they are going to leave their wives? But it’s just “complicated” right now! Aren’t those the go to lines for men who never have any intention of ever leaving their wives, yet millions of women believe the BS in real life and then fall into a trance over more fantasy BS every Thursday when this show airs?
Now for the real kicker, Black women!
If the President in this show was Black, with a Black wife and Olivia Poe was a white woman, would you be championing this show like you do?
Hell no!
You’d be complaining about it to the ends of the earth on the internets to the point where it might not have made it to its second season, but here you are putting together watch parties and some of everything for the premiere of season 3. The whole fantasy adaptation of the affair would become oh so real to you and it would be an f’ing problem, but hey it’s perfectly alright that it’s a white man and Black woman.
GTFOH with that hypocritical BS!
Seriously!