OKAY SO HEY IT'S ME.
i don't know how many people on here are still alive but i wasn't sure where else to post this lmfao hopefully at least someone reads it and gets what i'm saying. THIS IS GONNA BE A LONG POST, so sorry lmfaooo i just have so much on my mind regarding all this.
but anyways, hamilton is on disney+ now. 4-5 years ago, this musical meant EVERYTHING to me. i mean, the music, the actors, the storyline, EVERYTHING. this musical kept me from a very dark place in my life and my love for it surpassed most of my other obsessions throughout the years. if you knew me back when this blog was in its prime, you'd know that i spent so much of my time, i poured all of my heart into this interest of mine, as well as all of my effort into this blog to share my passion for history & this musical (fun fact: this blog was made even before the musical was even announced. it was originally solely a history blog & about 3 months after, lin-manuel announced he'd be putting hamilton in the public theater for the first time. #TBT!!!!!!!!)
well now, fast forward all these years later, and i'm a very different person. this WORLD is a very, very different place. i saw this post on twitter stating that the criticism over the movie is a clear signal that the world has changed, and for the better, and i agree with that sentiment 110%. but this musical still means so, so, so much to me. watching it for the first time brought a sense of happiness to me that i haven't felt in a long, long time (i have been struggling hardcore with my mental health for these past few months) and it sparked my love for the musical all over again in ways i didn't think would ever be possible.
HOWEVER, i wasn't expecting the criticism. at first, i felt defensive against it before i realized WHY it was receiving criticism, and it's for all the right reasons. like i said, the world back in 2015/16 is a MUCH, much different place than it is today. it's not like the things people have been saying are new either. i've seen it all before, even when i was still running this blog. i've also never been too keen on lin-manuel, as he's proven to be a problematic asshole time and time again. but this musical was never made with negative intentions. to enjoy this musical was never something people have done with negative intentions. this fandom was comparable to the thousands of other fandoms on this site where we had stupid ships & made stupid shitposts about historical figures that we shouldn't have made because it put those people in a positive, funny light when they shouldn't have been.
IIRC, this fandom had always been adamant on saying that there was a huge difference between the musical character and the actual figures themselves. hamilton: the musical IS historical fiction. the same way there are books about george washington/other historical figures doing things that never happened in real life. the same way FANFICS exist. that's not saying that it validates the act of romanticizing these people who participated in slave keeping/trading, but it does take away the idea of it being made with malicious intent when really all it was was some dude getting some good ideas after reading a good book.
all in all, i don't personally believe that liking this musical makes you a bad person. you may have to educate yourself some more and understand why it's fundamentally problematic, but we ALL have problematic interests. i can, with my whole heart, say that hamilton changed my life. it SAVED my life at one point, and i will always hold it in a very special place in my heart. but i do accept that it is flawed. it's creator is flawed as well. running this blog gave me a sense of belonging that i'd never felt before and allowed me to meet so many great people that i would've never come across otherwise. i'm sure other people feel the same exact way.
but please, do not argue against these criticisms. the conversations people are having are GOOD. educating yourself as to why hamilton & lin-manuel are problematic is GOOD. this musical gave so many wonderful POC actors/actresses the chance to debut on broadway, an industry that POC seldom make it in due to rampant racism across many casting boards. but don't ignore these conversations. don't try and justify any of what the founding fathers have done just because you liked how daveed diggs portrayed jefferson. that wasn't the intention of this play back then, and it definitely isn't now.
