New TV show about race in America: Black White

[Count of Montesano]

I'm just curious if anyone caught the new reality TV show on Fox called "Black: White." It's produced by rapper Ice Cube and features two families - one white and one black - living together for a few weeks in LA.

Here's the kicker: both families are made up by Hollywood's top make-up artists to look like the other race. While disguised, the two families get to experience what life would be like if they were born black or vice versa.

Here's the show's website:
http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/orig...hite/main.html

I found the first episode to be interesting but I found both the black father and white mother to be irritating.

The two fathers go shopping in Beverly Hills with the white father (Bruno) disguised as a black man. The black father (Brian) keeps pointing out how women shy away from them on the street and how the service at upscale boutiques are rude and pushy. Bruno on the other hand believed he got excellent service at the stores they visited. IMHO I believe Bruno was indeed correct - Brian was jumping at shadows, believing every time a store clerk approached him it was because he was black and the clerk was afraid he might steal something.

However, Brian does encounter some real racism when he goes to a sports bar disguised as a white guy. One of the guys sitting across from him starts talking about how it's a nice middle-class white neighborhood and how he doesn't want other races migrating in and causing problems.

My biggest issue is with the white mom Carmen. She's your typical clueless upper class liberal who thinks she's so enlightened when she really just comes across as being catty and ignorant. For example, she dresses up in traditional African garb to go to a black Baptist Sunday service (where all the other women were wearing nice dresses) and tells the other mom "whaddup my *****" as a way to get "in character."

Curious if anyone else saw the show and if so, interested in what you thought.

[Caelius]

It's not the first time something like this has been done, but overall I think it's a good show. Don't be too surprised that some Black people have a mentality of "jumping at the shadows" though.

[Count of Montesano]

But the question you I have to ask is why do black people still jump at shadows in 2006?

When I lived in Japan I sometimes experienced the same kind of racism Brian talks about in the show - not getting the same service at stores (even though I spoke decent Japanese) and some women edging away from me because I'm a 6-foot white guy with an Army haircut. I even experienced some serious hostility after two American Marines raped a 13-year-old Japanese girl in Okinawa.

For the most part I laughed it off and realized those women who were so afraid of me - the "big bad gaijin" - had more to fear from the well-dressed but completely perverted businessman sitting next to them on the train. I'm not sure why Brian can't do the same and I truly believe most of his alleged problems with racism are self-delusions.

[Kanaric]

But the question you I have to ask is why do black people still jump at shadows in 2006?

When I lived in Japan I sometimes experienced the same kind of racism Brian talks about in the show - not getting the same service at stores (even though I spoke decent Japanese) and some women edging away from me because I'm a 6-foot white guy with an Army haircut. I even experienced some serious hostility after two American Marines raped a 13-year-old Japanese girl in Okinawa.

For the most part I laughed it off and realized those women who were so afraid of me - the "big bad gaijin" - had more to fear from the well-dressed but completely perverted businessman sitting next to them on the train. I'm not sure why Brian can't do the same and I truly believe most of his alleged problems with racism are self-delusions.

They were probably afraid of you because they thought you were in the military, which you probably were right? Its the same in Korea, if you were a tourist or regular businessman or something simular to that they act far better.

They steriotype the American military in those countries.

[Ahlerich]

i want a reality show "jew & german" or "jew & human" (sarcasm)

[Blaven]

I only saw up to the part where Black Bruno and Brian were walking through the streets, but all ready I can't stand that Brian d*uche. The only thing that he was justified in was the bar thing (both what that guy was saying to him, and he was also probably right when he said he wouldn'tve gotten hired had he been "black"). And honestly, had he been a white guy applying for that bar job in an all black neighborhood, think he woulda got the job?

[Darth Wong]

I suppose this is slightly off-topic, but it bugs me the way TV land seems to assume that there are only two races relevant to the race issue: blacks and whites. Everyone else can be happily portrayed as a two-dimensional stereotype and forgotten.

[wilpuri]

I suppose this is slightly off-topic, but it bugs me the way TV land seems to assume that there are only two races relevant to the race issue: blacks and whites. Everyone else can be happily portrayed as a two-dimensional stereotype and forgotten.

Well I guess the whites are there because they're the big bad majority, for the moment, and the Blacks I suppose have the most negative stereotypes connected to them. The show would be a lot less controversial (and interesting) if they had whites and east Asians. Both are relatively successful as races in the U.S.

Some things I'd like to point out in Ahiga's post:

I mean, I hear that persians are fair skinned, even in the modern day. Does that make them white? We apply the Term "arab" to the entire middle east and north africa, which is about as accurate as calling all brown skinned africans blacks...

I don't think I'd be able to tell Arabs and Persians apart most of the time, but neither Arab nor Persian are races, they are ethnoses. I believe both belong to the Caucasoid race, as do most Europeans. As for calling brown skinned Africans black, what's so inaccurate about it? I've never seen a literally black person, they are mostly different shades of brown. Black is not a race, Negroid is.

What ethnicity do Indian's fall under? Or Afgans or Central Asians who don't looke Far eastern asian? Aren't a lot of "Asians" fair skinned too?

India is a collection of different ethno-cultural groups and racial types, which someone like Manji could explain in depth. Afgans are for the most part Caucasoid, but can also have strong Mongoloid influences from what I've been able to deduce through various media.

[Erik]

Well I guess the whites are there because they're the big bad majority, for the moment, and the Blacks I suppose have the most negative stereotypes connected to them.

I think Arabs (or muslims in general) have a far worst image at the moment.
What about doing Jew & Muslim next?

Maybe they choose black and white because it gives the most dramatic change in looks. (TV is a visual medium afterall)

For example, she dresses up in traditional African garb to go to a black Baptist Sunday service (where all the other women were wearing nice dresses)

I happen to like traditional African clothes.
But I agree it's not very "Afro-American"

[internationalist]

I think Arabs (or muslims in general) have a far worst image at the moment.
What about doing Jew & Muslim next?

Maybe they choose black and white because it gives the most dramatic change in looks. (TV is a visual medium afterall)



I happen to like traditional African clothes.
But I agree it's not very "Afro-American"

I think they chose Black and White because the traditional racial conflict in the U.S. is between...blacks and whites.

[wilpuri]

I think Arabs (or muslims in general) have a far worst image at the moment.
What about doing Jew & Muslim next?

Maybe they choose black and white because it gives the most dramatic change in looks. (TV is a visual medium afterall)

Well the Arab/Muslim immigrants of Europe have a very different image as far as I understand than they do in the US.

[vopohame]

I love the US media when they list the four groups blacks, whites, hispanic and asians then forget to mention native americans at all. But generally the US media just mentions blacks and whites and hispanics and generally leaves out asians or puts asians and american indians in the other category.

I think hispanic is the worst classification hispanics from mexico are majority american indian while ones from cuba are black, white mix mostly.

[Erik]

Well the Arab/Muslim immigrants of Europe have a very different image as far as I understand than they do in the US.

In what way?
I think since 9/11 they are heavily disciminated against on both continents.

[Ahiga]

That's a good point Darth Wong. As a matter of fact, race really seems to get convoluded when it goes away from europeans (Whites) and Africans below the Sahara (Blacks), except perhaps for Hispanics.

I mean, I hear that persians are fair skinned, even in the modern day. Does that make them white? We apply the Term "arab" to the entire middle east and north africa, which is about as accurate as calling all brown skinned africans blacks...

What ethnicity do Indian's fall under? Or Afgans or Central Asians who don't looke Far eastern asian? Aren't a lot of "Asians" fair skinned too?

[Ahiga]

What about whites and Hispanics? They are the 'largest minority' in America, last time I heard.

(That's such a bloody oxymoron. Your a minority but your a majority )

[Blaven]

Hispanics are a mix really of European (mostly Spanish) settlers/immigrants, Native Americans and blacks.

[BrianBergh]

As a Dane, i would say its pretty much a problem goes anywhere these days :-)

Anyway, as 60. minutes show told us all, Denmark ia postcard county where we only think of ourself. BAH!
Not being rasicm, but generely im just happy with keeping out blonde big breasted girls for outself.

Could be fun to make a "Black family in Denmark" and then see how they really actully will be treated friendly.

[Kino]

Deleted by user.

[Skyhigh]

i saw a commercial where the people turned into the weirdest looking peope i have ever seen
the black people still looked black and the white people still looked white, just their skin was a non black or white persons looking skin

[Kanaric]

i saw a commercial where the people turned into the weirdest looking peope i have ever seen
the black people still looked black and the white people still looked white, just their skin was a non black or white persons looking skin

LOL, i saw that and laughed. Then i heard on the radio the black guy saying "noboy knew I was black" and laughed myself half to death wondering what the hell kind of idiots scripted the show.