Vampires are supposed to be an oppressed minority in the True Blood verse. We get this shoved down our throat all the time (especially in the current season). Except all the vampires are white. I can think of only two non-white vamps in the entire series and they were in an episode each and had next to no lines.
Um.
Alan Ball has said that all vampires are pansexual, but our main vamps who are regularly given sex scenes (Bill, Eric and Jessica) are all in straight relationships and don't appear to show any real interest in people of the same gender. And it's not like the vampires who are gay or bisexual are portrayed as the bad guys or anything- oh, wait. They are.
Um.
So take away the fantasy element of being vampires, and you have straight white people. And that's not an oppressed minority. At all. I know what Alan Ball is trying to do, but I'm very uncomfortable with the major representatives of a so-called minority being straight white men, since they are the most privileged group in society. I mean, really Alan Ball? It didn't ever occur to you that presenting straight white men as being part of an oppressed minority might be a bit problematic? Really?
Also, the idea is that people are prejudiced against vampires because vampires are stereotyped as being violent murderers. Except they are violent murderers. The only vampire to have never killed a human was that vampire Jason kidnapped way back in Season One (was his name Eddie? I can't remember), and the show killed him off pretty quick. So the 'vampires are a symbol for oppressed minorities!' line is made even more offensive by the fact that the apparent stereotypes that are perpetuated by people prejudiced against vampires are in fact very true.
A hint, Alan Ball: Want to show that stereotypes and prejudice are wrong? DON'T HAVE YOUR OPPRESSED CHARACTERS PROVE THE BLOODY STEREOTYPES. Because all I'm getting so far is that prejudice against vampires based on the fact that they're violent killers is actually kind of justified.
So Alan Ball, shut the fuck up. You're making a male gaze oriented, mildly racey soap opera and you have no idea how to write female characters either (this may be a separate rant). Stop trying to make out that it's something it's not.
