'Dear White People' Director And Star Break Down Why Black People Can't Be Racist
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2stepz_ahead
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https://www.yahoo.com/news/apos-dear-white-people-apos-173427676.html
Netflix’s “Dear White People” has been described as astrong modern-day take on race that is both clever and dynamic in its approach.
The show, directed by Justin Simien, was adapted from his 2014 film of the same name, and is set on the fictional and predominantly white campus of Winchester University. Simien crafted a season filled with diverse portrayals of the black experience ― told through the lens of several students on campus ― that speak to the varied ways people of color are impacted by race.
The show touches themes like interracial relationships, police brutality, the complexities of the n-word and what it can be like to speak out against racism in the face of opposition ― something that feels especially timely. Simien and the show’s star, Logan Browning, stopped by HuffPost Black Voices to discuss myths that often come up in conversations about race and racism.
In the video above, watch as Simien and Browning explain why double standards around racism simply don’t exist, like: Why a show titled “Dear Black People” would be offensive, why the n-word is off-limits to white but not black people; Why minority-focused spaces like HuffPost Black Voices exist but HuffPost White Voices does not; and why there’s simply no such thing as reverse racism.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost .
Netflix’s “Dear White People” has been described as astrong modern-day take on race that is both clever and dynamic in its approach.
The show, directed by Justin Simien, was adapted from his 2014 film of the same name, and is set on the fictional and predominantly white campus of Winchester University. Simien crafted a season filled with diverse portrayals of the black experience ― told through the lens of several students on campus ― that speak to the varied ways people of color are impacted by race.
The show touches themes like interracial relationships, police brutality, the complexities of the n-word and what it can be like to speak out against racism in the face of opposition ― something that feels especially timely. Simien and the show’s star, Logan Browning, stopped by HuffPost Black Voices to discuss myths that often come up in conversations about race and racism.
In the video above, watch as Simien and Browning explain why double standards around racism simply don’t exist, like: Why a show titled “Dear Black People” would be offensive, why the n-word is off-limits to white but not black people; Why minority-focused spaces like HuffPost Black Voices exist but HuffPost White Voices does not; and why there’s simply no such thing as reverse racism.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost .
Comments
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Honestly, ? those PWIs.
HBCUs for the win. Can't worry about racist ? if I'm at a school where the majority of the faculty and student body are just like me. -
Is this ? worth watching??
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Honestly, ? those PWIs.
HBCUs for the win. Can't worry about racist ? if I'm at a school where the majority of the faculty and student body are just like me.
color scheme of hbcu's slowly changing -
Black people can be racist.
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2stepz_ahead wrote: »
Not as much as you'd think. I know I'm being biased but I feel like every black person, and especially black men, needs to experience at least 1 year at an HBCU. It's something powerful about seeing a concentration of young, intelligent, ambitious African Americans working towards their goals. It flies in the face of all the ? America tells us that we are.
There's a level of pride you develop. There's having to solve ? issues (i.e. financial aid problems, dealing with the different socioeconomic black students), cultivating the grind u have in u, etc A black student union at a PWI ain't giving u that. Going back to homecoming and sharing past experiences with folks and seeing what an hbcu education did is something I can't put into words. Personally, being able to walk the halls and live in the same dorms as Samuel L. Jackson, Dr. King, Spike Lee, etc. had a ? hype. My future kids don't even have a choice between an hbcu or PWI, if im keeping it 100 -
As far as the thread title, I do see the argument made that we cannot be racist because we do not have the power to oppress.
Basically the argument says that we're too weak, underprivileged, and powerless to be racist.
It's the same premise in the argument liberals use to show that women can't be sexist. -
Racism is irrelevant.
Oppression and subjugation damages communities, cultures and societies.
Dear white people sucks though -
I've seen black people with power (how little or big it can be) be racist as ? . Anyone can be a racist.
Dear White People was boring as ? . -
Honestly, ? those PWIs.
HBCUs for the win. Can't worry about racist ? if I'm at a school where the majority of the faculty and student body are just like me.
Yeah...that's not true..for one there's still white folks at HBCU's...and 2 most of them are still in the South...which means racism.... -
And there's plenty of classism at HBCU schools which cause alot of division
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I highly recommend watching the Netflix series.
5 stars in my book.
It's way better than the movie.
It actually hilarious. Its gives great added dimension to each character which the movie was unable to do.
check it out. -
The tv show is way better than the movie. The concept works better as a show because you need time to flesh out the characters which a movie doesn't give you time to do
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Honestly, ? those PWIs.
HBCUs for the win. Can't worry about racist ? if I'm at a school where the majority of the faculty and student body are just like me.
The world is white dog. HBCUs aren't a reflection of the real world. -
Lol no ? Asian has the most people then black people.. You trippin -
Black people can be prejudice. Their idea of "black racism" is down to name calling. Real racism is systemic using power and influence to subjugate a group of people.
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Undefeatable wrote: »Black people can be racist.
Technically true. But the number of instances where this happens is far less -
Racism is irrelevant.
Oppression and subjugation damages communities, cultures and societies.
Dear white people sucks though
True, but racism isn't necessarily irrelevant, or maybe that was just an overstatement. But yeah, too many people focus too much on the ever-so-popular "racism" but don't pay nearly as much attention to classism, culture, other forms of oppression, etc. -
5th Letter wrote: »Black people can be prejudice. Their idea of "black racism" is down to name calling. Real racism is systemic using power and influence to subjugate a group of people.
Even though most people use it, I don't think "racism" is a good (enough) or accurate term in this case. And I'm not sure what "real racism" means. Literally speaking, racism can be perpetrated by anyone. We know this.
I think a better, different term or further, clearer qualification of the term "racism" is needed, because I get what you're saying, but the semantics is off. -
The problem is that they're using "racism" to mean "systemic racism" and it adds to the confusion.
The literal, Webster's definition of "racism" has nothing to do with systemic, social rules and practices. The term for that is "institutional racism" or "systemic racism". So ? already get the side eye from me for that dumbassery.
And more to the point...only someone deeply ignorant of history or the world outside of the US would make a statement like that.
Half a million dead black Tutsis, killed by the hands of their neighbors, the black Hutus, who thought they were "inferior" and "cockroaches" would beg to differ with the declaration that black people can't be racist. -
Yeah because, Black people aren't a diverse people and culture. We are clearly all the same. FOH and ? . -
Black people can be "racist" but technically speaking it involves the power to exert.. We dont have that.. we often use certain words interchangeably like racist and bigot.. bigot is just not a fashionable term.. So its "racist"
My thing is you cant call a person who beats up a bully a bully.
Basically the people who inflict racism create the conditions which lead to a certain segment of black people to become "racist"..i think more often that not black people are leery.. for good damn reason of white people.. That is not racism. That is a byproduct of the nuture/nature of White Supremacy Racism -
Sandinista wrote: »The problem is that they're using "racism" to mean "systemic racism" and it adds to the confusion.
The literal, Webster's definition of "racism" has nothing to do with systemic, social rules and practices. The term for that is "institutional racism" or "systemic racism". So ? already get the side eye from me for that dumbassery.
And more to the point...only someone deeply ignorant of history or the world outside of the US would make a statement like that.
Half a million dead black Tutsis, killed by the hands of their neighbors, the black Hutus, who thought they were "inferior" and "cockroaches" would beg to differ with the declaration that black people can't be racist.
You nor Webster get to define racism as it pertains to ones history, race, experience and culture.
It's not ignorant to make the statement that Blacks cannot be racists because, the term "Black" is almost exclusively used in America to denote it's darker skinned people. Most people we (Blacks in America) consider Black don't identify as such. They identify as Brazilian, Dominican, Senegalese, Nigerian etc, etc.
So, those of use who identify as Black know exactly what these brothers are saying. And while doing so, can totally agree that a situation such as the Rwandan genocide was clearly based on racism. Rwandan racism.
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You nor Webster get to define racism as it pertains to ones history, race, experience and culture.
Silliness. Objective definitions are absolutely necessary for real discussions otherwise all you're getting is "feelings" and "opinions".
If Websters doesn't define "racism" but cultures reserve that right then Whites can indeed claim to be victims of "racism" since...according to you...they don't have to abide by Webster's definition of the word and can create their own definition of racism based on their "experience and culture".And while doing so, can totally agree that a situation such as the Rwandan genocide was clearly based on racism. Rwandan racism.
Racism is racism is racism...whether it be here, Rwanda or Timbuktu. The feeling that a race or ethnicity or tribe is better than another and that the inferior group deserves to be oppressed, marginalized or killed is universal. Africa is rife with racism and many of African immigrants bring that racism with them when they immigrate.
My mom works with refugees...she has seen Dinka refugees refuse to eat or sit with Nuer refugees (both groups from the South Sudan) because they considered the Nuer to be "? " and "inferior". But I guess that wasn't "racism".
Is it still "African racism" when it's happening in Roanoke, Virginia?
You need to seriously travel. You sound uneducated and completely ignorant of the wider world.
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Sandinista wrote: »You nor Webster get to define racism as it pertains to ones history, race, experience and culture.
Silliness. Objective definitions are absolutely necessary for real discussions otherwise all you're getting is "feelings" and "opinions".
If Websters doesn't define "racism" but cultures reserve that right then Whites can indeed claim to be victims of "racism" since...according to you...they don't have to abide by Webster's definition of the word and can create their own definition of racism based on their "experience and culture".And while doing so, can totally agree that a situation such as the Rwandan genocide was clearly based on racism. Rwandan racism.
Racism is racism is racism...whether it be here, Rwanda or Timbuktu. The feeling that a race or ethnicity or tribe is better than another and that the inferior group deserves to be oppressed, marginalized or killed is universal. Africa is rife with racism and many of African immigrants bring that racism with them when they immigrate.
My mom works with refugees...she has seen Dinka refugees refuse to eat or sit with Nuer refugees (both groups from the South Sudan) because they considered the Nuer to be "? " and "inferior". But I guess that wasn't "racism".
Is it still "African racism" when it's happening in Roanoke, Virginia?
You need to seriously travel. You sound uneducated and completely ignorant of the wider world.
We aren't discussing Africa and neither were the brothers in the op. They were speaking on American racism.
Again out of touch. Stop using your experiences that have nothing to do with BLACK America to make your false equivalences. Your mother doesn't work with Black Americans. She works with Africans who do not IDENTIFY as Black.
I am extremely well traveled and I have completely obliterated your ass in previous debates. And that will continue so, long as you attempt to bring your foreign opinions to debates concerning domestic issues.
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manofmorehouse wrote: »2stepz_ahead wrote: »
Not as much as you'd think. I know I'm being biased but I feel like every black person, and especially black men, needs to experience at least 1 year at an HBCU. It's something powerful about seeing a concentration of young, intelligent, ambitious African Americans working towards their goals. It flies in the face of all the ? America tells us that we are.
There's a level of pride you develop. There's having to solve ? issues (i.e. financial aid problems, dealing with the different socioeconomic black students), cultivating the grind u have in u, etc A black student union at a PWI ain't giving u that. Going back to homecoming and sharing past experiences with folks and seeing what an hbcu education did is something I can't put into words. Personally, being able to walk the halls and live in the same dorms as Samuel L. Jackson, Dr. King, Spike Lee, etc. had a ? hype. My future kids don't even have a choice between an hbcu or PWI, if im keeping it 100
Bruh...the level of frustration my friends who went to HBCU schools had to deal with dealing with financial aid is not just a "? issue"...they seriously play with peoples futures doing that ? . That's not a prideful thing you develop. That's a lack of being able to run ? properly
