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What is The White Lotus a satire of, exactly? (Patreon)

Published:
2022-12-16 19:42:54
Edited:
2022-12-17 00:26:11
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

Content

Set on a luxurious Hawaiian resort, the first season of The White Lotus took aim at imperialism and colonialism. The second traveled to Sicily, and its attention to sexual relationships. At first glance these feel like totally separate conversations, but I don't think they are.

What is it that ties the colonial themes of the first season of The White Lotus to the sexual commentary of the second season? Power.

Files

What is The White Lotus a satire of, exactly?

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Comments

Prof. Robert Ballantyne

"[The White Lotus] could also be read as forgiving, that these are systems that are way bigger than just us, and that while we should continue to improve, you still have to hold space to understand that you're human." Yes! This is the insidious part of this series, I think. Imperialistic drives are indeed part of human nature. But just because imperialism is a thing, that doesn't mean that racial biases are unconscious. Or that upholding a racially-constructed caste system is just the way it is. All of this inequity and corruption is not natural, but because White Lotus leans into incrementialism, ineffective liberalism and systemic passivity, cloaked in self-aware satire, it still ultimately reinforces this master message with its scenic beauty interstitials and big cock shots (the Brit guy, of course, was packing the most heat in S2). Sure, colonialism corrupts the colonized -- it's designed to convince the colonized that their oppression is natural and pre-determined, after all -- but just because minorities participate in colonial systems that oppress them for either survival or to even indulge in its priviliges, that doesn't make it a fixed condition or natural. Your closing comment definitely reminded how the series leans into "The Way That Everything Is" as natural, and how HBO-amusingly droll it all is, in a problematic way. Don't think. Just do. It's just the way it is. We're only human, after all. (I loved your latest video despite the critical thinking it inspired above!)

Muaaz Saleem

Thank you for another great video!

Skip Intro

While I think the critiques of The White Lotus are valid, I also think that they can be a little reductive. Colonialism and imperialism and sexism and other power dynamics are bad and problematic, but we also exist in a world where they are all too common. I think that it can be very, very hard to unlearn our behaviors when it comes to these systems that benefit us—something that we see in so many different arenas. I don't think that these systems are inevitable/pre-determined/fixed, but I do think that they are huge, gigantic systems that are not easily dismantled. So what are you or I to do? We should absolutely be interrogating and challenging aspects of ourselves and our society, but I also think that we should have some kind of space for ourselves to know that it's a work in progress and that change is difficult. While I don't think the show is perfect, I do appreciate that it is trying to criticize people who benefit from power (men, white people, the rich) while also having space for the understanding that the work of trying to improve is hard and filled with failures. I am no fan of Albie and the way he uses his "feminism" to be entitled, but he is undoubtedly further along than Dominic, who is further along than Bert. Yes, Albie falls into the same systems of patriarchy, but I think it's unrealistic to believe that any one individual can buck an entire power system, even if they are well-intentioned. I think that you can read it as "it's just the way it is" but I don't think that's the only reading. I don't think the show is about actually dismantling those systems or critiquing them at large, but more about how we individually exist within them and perpetuate them. Personally, I don't walk away from The White Lotus feeling as though these things are good or that they're inevitable, but rather that they are bigger than us and hard to change through individual action or attitude.

Skip Intro

Perhaps I'm way off-base here! I don't think the show provides solutions, only tries to understand the situation of the problem with empathy for everyone. Does that undo the erasure of Hawaiian stories in the first season? No. That is still a decision that deserves criticism.

Actual jeff bezos

Power! Thank you, I couldn't really pin down the word I wanted to use to explain the show to a friend. My friends are definitely more interested in the casual viewing and entertainment aspect of the show (that intro is a certifiable BANGER that I never skip), but I plan on bringing this video up to stir the pot a bit. I think your take is very interesting, especially about the nature and forgiving aspects. I considered the nature shots to add to the extravagance - it's a beautiful place full of beautiful people and beautiful things. While I do agree that exerting power over others is pretty normal when we look at other social creatures (hell, I'm gonna publish a paper about fighting for power in animals!), I'm not fully on board. But, you did really convince me about how the show isn't being entirely cynical. Watching the white lotus felt different from watching Succession - they're incredibly similar shows, but watching Succession just made me depressed and nihilistic and the white lotus made me laugh. Despite both having those with the most power never facing any real consequences/zero accountability, the white lotus didn't feel as hard to swallow. I felt pretty conflicted with the brother at the end of S1. Most of me was like "oh great another white transplant" but then there was another part that was actually relieved and happy. I think it was because *something* changed and that part of me would like to believe it is for the best. Same with how S2 ended, Mia and Lucia have been grinding and working hard with very little progress...until it finally pays off (literally). Although the systems aren't dismantled or anything, at least there's possibility for SOME good. Which, by this point, is something worth celebrating.

The Bog Queen

I wasn’t big on the first season of White Lotus, so I put off watching the second season. Seeing the lavish lifestyle of the wealthy makes me uncomfortable, and it seemed pointless cruel in a time when everything seemed that way irl. It’s similar to the issues I have with Succession, I intellectually know it’s good tv, but it pokes a sensitive spot in me, so it’s hard to “enjoy” watching it, and since enjoyment is so hard to find right now, I end up putting it off indefinitely. But anyway, I finally watched it just so I could watch your video, and I’m glad I did. I like this second season a lot more, I liked the ambiguity of the plot, the awareness of the narratives we present about ourselves and how they are perceived, the sexual politics, the body as a site of both transaction and desire (sometimes at the same time!), it just all worked for me. And I really appreciated the way your video examined but did not excuse the missteps in the first season where it came to race. As always, fantastic analysis, great video, thank you!