#billy s2

I don’t see Billy as racist because that’s how I’ve interpreted the media I watched/read. Nothing Billy did on the show or in Runaway Max shows him to be explicitly racist. Some of you (who would have hated him regardless) have just chosen to view his scenes that way and that’s your right. And while I get where you and others are getting that from considering Billy’s behavior towards Max and Lucas there is just as much evidence to support the other side.

Billy easily could have acted the same exact way if it had been Dustin he’d seen Max with. Billy didn’t once bring up Lucas’ race when he confronted Max about him which was only after Billy had watched Lucas and Max fighting and had seen Max visibly upset. He also asked Max why she was so upset, if Lucas was causing her trouble, and said that they were family that it was his job to look out for her. If Lucas’ race plays a role at all I think it’s more about Neil and how Billy knew that if Neil found out Max was spending time with someone who was black it would be Billy who would have face to Neil’s wrath (just like he did when Max ran off). I think Billy only went after Lucas at the Byers because he was upset after being attacked from his father and he took his anger out where he could. He blamed Lucas for Max running off and knew he couldn’t really do anything to Max so he went for Lucas. None of it is right but to just brush it off and say well he’s racist and the only reason went after Lucas that night is because Lucas is black is ignoring all the other things that went on before that happened.

And even if Billy has some racist viewpoints he learned from his abusive father why is it not okay for me to believe he can change and be a better person? I do agree that Billy has been violent and abusive towards other and I don’t agree with his behavior but I don’t see anything he’s done as so bad he’s completely irredeemable. Billy is a teenager who has grown up presumably most of his life in a toxic environment, I know what that’s like. What’s wrong with me being able to relate to him and believe he can do better?

Here’s an article where the Duffers talk about Billy:  https://www.vulture.com/2017/11/duffer-brothers-recap-stranger-things-2-will-the-wise.html

And you’re right they do say that he’s a racist but here’s the thing what the show runners said and what was portrayed on screen is another story. Well they may have intended billy to be a racist nothing he did was explicitly so, similarly while they may have intended Billy to be a totally straight stereotypical 80’s male a lot of the way his scenes came off were coded as gay.

A writer or show runner can have all the ideas in the world for how they see their characters and how they intended their characters to come off but that doesn’t mean that’s how their audience is going to perceive it.

There’s also the fact that everyone is going to experience the show differently to gravitate towards certain characters more and interpret scenes differently than how they might have been intended and we’re all entitled to do so. I can understand where people are getting the idea that Billy is a racist based on what the Duffers said, considering he was one of the main (human) antagonists of season 2, and most significantly he was a white guy who man handled a young black boy. That said everything that was presented on screen with regards to Billy and Lucas is definitely open for interpretation as it was never made explicit on screen that Lucas’ race is why Billy had an issue with him.

As far as I’m concerned there is all the evidence in the world to support the fact that Billy went after Lucas much the same way he’d have gone after anyone who Max was hanging with for extended periods of time. This is also an idea that Dacre supports: https://www.newsweek.com/dacre-montgomery-stranger-things-billy-racist-701443

The reason being is anything Max does that she’s not supposed to doesn’t get her in trouble it gets Billy in trouble. While Billy’s behavior towards Max, Lucas and Steve was completely out of line in season 2 it’s clear the abuse he suffers from his father plays a big factor in why he behaves the way he does. And no I’m not excusing Billy’s behavior but I do think it’s okay to try and understand where it comes from.

I think if Billy does have any racist ideas it connects back to Neil. There’s a high probability that Neil is a racist (given his abuse of Billy and his homophobia) and Billy has likely grown up listening to his father use a certain type of language. It’s likely that Billy doesn’t want Max hanging out with Lucas because his father doesn’t like black people and Billy knows he’d bear the brunt of his father’s anger if he found out.

I think a lot of Billy’s lashing out at Max and then Lucas over the situation is Billy trying to take back some control. His first real face to face interaction with Lucas only happened after his father physically assaulted him. I can tell you as a kid who grew up in an abusive home how out of control you feel after being hit. How easy it is to lash out at those around you especially siblings who are favored like Max is (which is highly common in abusive households).

I do think that whatever ones opinion is on Billy and his behavior in season 2  it’s incredibly unfair to write off an abused teenager as a piece of shit racist who can’t be redeemed. Because that’s the logic I’ve seen a lot of people in the Stranger Things fandom use.

We can excuse Kali even though she used her influence over El to get a vulnerable child to help her commit crimes. Then later used her powers to mentally manipulate El in to trying to get to stay (when she made her see Papa)We can excuse Steve even though he acted like he was better than everyone for most of season 1, broke Jonathan’s camera, wrote Nancy is a slut on the movie theater, said some horrible stuff to Jonathan about how he was a queer and his whole family was a screw up, and then got into a physical fight with Jonathan.

Yet Steve became one of the most beloved characters in the entire series and I know there are many who love Kali despite the fact that the Lost Sister wasn’t super popular.

In Defense of Billy from Stranger Things S2