We Need To Talk About Hamid: a thread (1/18)

When I first started RQG, I was thrilled to see Hamid Saleh Haroun al-Tahan among the characters. a brown man descended from one of the most powerful beings in the world? sign me the hell up. and yet, as time went on, I felt less and less like Hamid was a POC at all. (2/18)

Now, disclaimer: these are just my opinions about a specific subject. I don’t speak for anyone but me, etc. feel free to ignore! There will be lots of spoilers through s4 im this thread as well. (3/18)

as a Black person myself, though, I wanted so badly to relate to Hamid. I too understand what it’s like to never see myself among my peers, to be alienated and feel the pressure to conform to some dominant standard. and yet... something was holding me back. (4/18)

at first it was just little things: Hamid’s lack of any connection to his culture at all— and never expressing that he felt disconnected from it. Even at his sister’s funeral, there was no connection to his culture— no comfort food, no traditional clothing. (5/18)

As Bryn is white, I could excuse these things to an extent. But eventually it got to the point where things just... hurt. None of Hamid’s experiences as a POC felt authentic— or even IN-authentic. They just didn’t exist. Hamid calls himself “the only Brown-skinned person” (6/18)

—in school around episode 90, yet spent more time talking about his alienation as a halfling.

So when the sensitivity metacast rolled around, I hoped for the best. Instead, I heard that Hamid had gone to English boarding school because /Bryn/ could empathise with that. (7/18)

Hamid’s cultural heritage was erased in favour of a narrative that Bryn, a white man, could never understand— being a POC in an entirely white place. My friends who are poc and who have gone to dominantly-white boarding schools have faced incredible amounts of racism— (8/18)

—on TOP of the alienation of being the “other.” And none of that was relevant — or even PART OF — Hamid’s story in the least.

So I DM’ed Bryn about it. It was a pretty chill conversation, but something said still sticks out to me. He said“I’d assumed a European cultural— (9/18)

“—colonisation would have standardised dress across the meritocratic world.”

This creates a very specific grief for me. There was no research done into the clothes Hamid would be missing, what he’d feel alienated from. It was assumed that European dress was the norm. (10/18)

Hamid isn’t a whitewashed POC. He’s a brown-washed white man.He’s based on a white man’s experiences of a majority-white school system, so that said white man can find a way to relate to him, rather than creating a slightly-incorrect attempt to delve into Hamid’s culture. (11/18)

Because: white people when you’re creating characters of colour, you will not do it perfectly! And that’s FINE! I would much rather see a slightly-inauthentic attempt at creating a character of colour than a white character with brown skin. (12/18)

Because that’s what Hamid is. Hamid does not have any experience with his Egyptian culture. Hamid does not have any experience with racism. Hamid does not have any disconnect from the traditions he was raised with, nor does he have any connections. (13/18)

Hamid, who takes so much pride in his style, knows just about as much as 1800s Egyptian dress as I do: nothing.

This becomes ESPECIALLY evident when Azu is added into the picture. Look at the Kenyan robes she’s wearing in the official art! (14/18)

When a friend of mine DM’ed Helen asking for clothes references for Azu, she received image upon image of ideas— ideas that reflected Azu’s Kenyan background. Azu brings up her upbringing! Her traditions on her mountain! Phrases and idioms from her village! (15/18)

Azu’s connection to her culture is realised and full and delightfully whole, and her experiences as a Black Kenyan speak for themselves far outside any racism she may or may not have experienced in the past. (16/18)

As a poc in general, I can find myself relating to Azu in my experiences, whereas my situation is much more like Hamid’s. And when I break down the reasons why, it becomes abundantly clear. (17/18)

Final statements: this thread isn’t an attack on any character or player; I love Hamid dearly, but I think that we are obligated to criticise the media we love. It is a-ok to retweet, and thank you for sticking with me! (18/18)