film major is a slur

She's fat and gets the guy and no one bats an eye.

She's fat and the hottest chick in the sorority and that's normal.

She's fat and an actress and she gets good roles.

She's fat and she's funny and she has character depth and growth.

She's fat and the main character and no one mentions her weight once.

It is the writers being racist in that line, specifically, cause it seems like she is insulting his Blackness. Claudia was never one for that, that we saw. If she wanted to insult Louis’s hair, I’m sure that there is a way that she could insult those glossy finger coils that I do not know. He must’ve spent hours getting those done!

hi! in short- yes. i do absolutely believe that an unapologetically black Claudia would say "nappy-headed."

firstly, as you have pointed out "nappy-headed" is originally a white insult to degrade black hair. but it is also one of the racist terms that have been "reclaimed" by some black people, but not all, in the same way the n-word is used. (i personally never use that word because i don't like it, but there is a large majority of black people who do because they have reclaimed it and i have no problem with it. it's personal choice.) but back on topic, it's really common to have the phrase used in 'comedic banter' between black people, and it is also used as an insult between black people. older generations often still say the term, and it is used a lot in relation to colourism, so no, not a nice word, but it is still used by black people towards each other today.

secondly, not to be pedantic but (to me) Claudia is not being racist. she's using racially charged language but she is also black so what she says is not racist. Claudia is insulting Louis' blackness because the entire purpose of the scene is to belittle him and to degrade him as a small fraction of punishment she thinks she deserves (i think it's interesting how she uses language to put Louis down in this scene considering that is usually his preferred line of attack). insulting Louis' blackness is obviously hypocritical considering that she is black, but she has often used such language. she does previously refer to herself and Louis as slaves, and Lestat as her slave master. she often sees things in a racial binary, that's just who she is.

yes, it's rough that Louis must have spent time getting his hair done just to be insulted, that's also part of the point. she has always mocked Louis in some regard of the other for being a dandy ( "just because he can't take you ballroom dancing and call you pretty, to hell with him then?" 2x01) so now adding the racial component to that is just another layer to her belittling of him.

im kind of struggling to articulate here without just repeating the same things over and over again (forgive me) but black people tearing at each other's blackness happens more often that you think. i think that scene was quite shocking to some non-white people who were unfamiliar with this, but some black people were not too bothered by it because it's quite the common experience. some black people were offered by it, some (like me) weren't. my point here to you is just try your best to consider that black perspectives of racism are not one size fits all, and some may not find the same things as others as racist. in the nicest way possible, telling me that you do think the scene was racist doesn't change my opinion. it's very hard to describe but racism is the kind of thing that is 'felt' to me. i can't really explain but in my previous history of receiving racial abuse, i receive it as a physical sensation in my body that i can't articulate. i have never felt that way whilst watching this show (of course the scenes in season 1 with Fenwick aside)

i don't think the show writers are racist. i have never once felt like the show is gratuitously trying to insult its black audience. @cbrownjc has made a few brilliant set of posts explaining this probably a bit better than i can! but here is a post i made a short while ago with the "fried chicken" discourse that might explain my own opinion on the "writers are racist" narrative that some have.

And, at its heart, this discourse is being done by white people who do not understand that.

The "fried chicken" discourse was very different than this because it was a white man, Daniel, who said it about a black person/character. So yes, that is why some people -- black people, as well -- read that comment as microaggressive. Because it was a white person who said it.

However, many black people say these kinds of things to each other without blinking because of that reclaimation of the word among ourselves and our culture. The only thing that is unique here is that Claudia said that to Louis in front of a white person, Lestat.

If that scene had only been between Louis, Claudia, and Merrick? Claudia would have said the exact same thing, and again, most black people wouldn't have blinked an eye at it.

For many, however, it was her saying that in front of Lestat -- a white person -- that told us how angry she had to be at Louis, because it is very rarely something black people will say to/or about another black person in such mixed company.

So yeah, that is what many non-back people do not understand about all of this. This is a US black culture thing wrt Claudia telling him to get what she was saying through his nappy head. And it falls under the same umbrella as black people in the US calling each other the N-word.

We say these kinds of things to each other, and it is only for us to do so. And no, when we do so, we are not being racist. Just like with some using the N-word with each other.

But if a white person does it? Then it is very much a different thing, and it always will be because of the racist history and motivation to which white people coined and used the term in the first place.

There are many things about US black culture that people in this fandom very much do not get, that is clear. And many of you, instead of actually listening to black people and trying to educate yourselves, would rather just sanctimoniously ignore or talk over us.

Including when it comes to the black actors on the show.

And many of you have been doing so since Season 1, in all honesty.

* * * * *

And I have to say, some people really don't seem to get it that if a black person had been on staff to write that scene, it might have actually contained way harsher language than it actually did. Check out this person's interpretation of that scene if you don't believe me:

Also --

So yeah, any idea that people have that that scene wouldn't have had the language it had if a black person had been on staff? Is to look at black people as a monolithic entity, and to also not understand the many intricacies of US black culture, and how we talk to each other, among each other.

so here's a super long post about strokes in general, and mine in particular/what I went through.

Lestat had the floor (albeit under duress) to give a persuasive, melancholy performance, while Claudia was relegated to the place of the accused.

This time, Claudia had the floor (albeit under duress) to give a jarring, baleful malediction, while Lestat and Louis were relegated to the place of the accused.

This is the most beautiful scientific diagram I've ever seen.