ThinkProgress

In light of the violence that erupted in Charlottesville, Virginia after a white nationalist rally organized to protest the removal of a General Robert E. Lee statue, Game of Thrones showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff — whose upcoming project Confederate, an alt-history exploring what America would look like if the South had won the Civil War, has sparked considerable controversy — released separate and thoughtful statements in response to recent news events.

“Let’s keep the battles and bloodshed over fallen generals to the fantasy shows. Be safe America,” Weiss tweeted. A few hours later, Benioff added: “We are saddened by what’s transpired and as artists we are going to take these recent events into consideration as we move forward with Confederate.”  

The pair later clarified their tweets in an interview with Vulture. “Let me be clear: what happened on Saturday couldn’t be further from what we are envisioning for our project,” Benioff said. “We want our show to encourage the heroes of today, not empathize with the villains of our past.”

These sentiments are bold, thoughtful, and unfortunately completely invented.

In reality, Weiss and Benioff — who don’t actually have Twitter accounts — have been noticeably silent in the wake of the Charlottesville protests. The two showrunners haven’t taken any steps to address how recent news developments might influence their upcoming project, which got a lot of pushback even before the events of last weekend.

“It’s at their own risk that they’re being so silent,” Jamie Broadnax, editor-in-chief of the pop culture website Black Girl Nerds and one of the critics leading the #NoConfederate hashtag that has caught on like wildfire, said in an interview with ThinkProgress.

Before neo-Nazis invaded Charlottesville, Weiss told Vulture, “One of the strengths of science fiction is that it can show us how this history is still with us in a way no strictly realistic drama ever could.” The irony in that now is astounding. Perhaps a realistic drama couldn’t scratch the surface, but reality certainly did.

“A lot of the storyline that their show, so far as what’s been reported — this alternate history of what the South would have looked like if it won — we’re seeing play out right before our eyes,” Broadnax said. “People have been joking on social media, but it’s really the truth, that we’ve already seen episode one of Confederate.”

HBO itself has only tepidly weighed in, releasing a statement to the New York Times on Monday that reiterated its support of the project.

“We support everybody’s right to express an opinion but the suggestion of irresponsibility on our part is simply undeserved,” the network said. “HBO has a long history of championing intelligent storytelling and we will approach this project with the same level of thoughtfulness that has always defined our programming. We recognize the sensitivity of this project and will treat it with the respect that it deserves. Our creative partners should be given time to develop the series rather than face prejudgment.” [MORE]