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Related: About this forumHow To Protect White People's Feelings In The Workplace (or DU)
"White Privilege might seem like everything is easier all the time...and it is"
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nolabels
(13,133 posts)Drama, what a concept 
saidsimplesimon
(7,888 posts)This is a great reminder of how humour and love always win over hubris. I was a fan of both men. Oh. the memories of the many laughs at myself when they parodied.
BumRushDaShow
(128,849 posts)
martin mike
(82 posts)
Tom Kitten
(7,346 posts)It is funny. I saw this about a week ago but it was a twitter feed. Good to see it on youtube, the comments should be... interesting, in a haz mat kind of way.
Dr Hobbitstein
(6,568 posts)Thanks for sharing!
geardaddy
(24,926 posts)
BumRushDaShow
(128,849 posts)
LiberalLovinLug
(14,173 posts)Because it waters down real racism. It further puts off any more conservative person that would benefit from being made aware of actual racist attitudes and only cements their attitude that liberals are living in an overly PC bubble.
Its not funny either, but looking beyond the attempted humour, the main point is that it further muddies the water of what real racism sounds like. These examples are at the most about being 'insensitive', or putting your foot in your mouth, not racist.
1. So one woman commenting about liking another women's hair and putting out her hand to touch, something I'm sure goes on in many offices all over the country, is racist if the woman wanting to touch is white and the other black? The actor is very aggressive about it which is rude but that could happen to any two women. Some women, and men, are just brash. The only thing I can guess is that there is an assumption that the white woman must be really thinking " Ewwww a black woman. But I'd better force myself to be friendly, and even, eww, touch her hair, just so she doesn't think of what I really think about her!" That is a huge assumption. And frankly paranoid and means that one must always assume that any compliment from a white person must be disingenuous. To me that only stokes racism.
2. This one was even more puzzling. That situation will happen no matter what races each of them are. She feels guilty that she got a bigger raise. But does she know for a fact that its because she is white and that her boss hates Asians? The viewer is supposed to assume this. I guess that could happen but this is supposed to represent some kind of common occurrence. So if the races were reversed, would it still be racism? Or...just plain "feeling guilty".
3. Putting aside the over-acting for dramatic effect, Yes its insensitive to assume another's birth place based on how they look (or how you think they look). But as is the case above, there was no intent to demean. In fact the purpose was to connect with a fellow worker of color. I am Canadian, but I have, more than once been taken as American when I've traveled to Europe, or Mexico. One British person apologized profusely for his "mistake". I assured him that it was fine. Why would I be offended? Sure there is an initial inner voice that goes "Hey!!!..." but why would one not understand almost immediately that the other person had no ill intent?
4. Okay, this one is borderline racism. But I'd still consider that behaviour extremely ignorant though more than anything. A white person saying to a black person how they "get" BLM, or repeating "all lives matter!" And basically saying it like he knows it all. But again, even though he is the height of insensitivity and ignorance, he is at least engaging, or trying to, on the topic with a person of color. There's an opportunity for the black person to educate (it doesn't have to be a choice of either silence or an explosion)
I think this kind of perhaps well intentioned video, only exacerbates the problem. It stokes those of color to always assume the worst of any intention of a white person. It pushes a false narrative that dumb, insensitive behaviour is the same thing as bald faced racism. Like "Mexicans are rapists" or conniving to make sure no black person rents in your building. Or changing voter ID laws to favour the white Republican voter, and reducing voting hours in minority districts. Many other examples of true racism. This video does more harm than good IMO because it blows up a real problem to include weak paranoid assumptions of racism and makes everyone walk on pins and needles and afraid to say ANYTHING. This kind of dumb incendiary crap is what Trump and Faux News feeds on to paint liberals as "fragile" and bound in overly PC paralisis.
Skittles
(153,150 posts)you will be accused of "whitesplaining"
Behind the Aegis
(53,951 posts)Despite your verbose post, I fail to see how it "waters down real racism"? Of course, one must first start with, "What is real racism?". I also fail to understand why the sensitivities of "conservatives" are even an issue. Their "concerns" aren't really central to the message of the video. Though you describe racist issues/problems in your last paragraph, they aren't the only examples of racism nor does racism have to be "in your face." My president, Barack Obama, said it best (my emphasis added):
"Racism, we are not cured of it. And it's not just a matter of it not being polite to say nigger in public."
"That's not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. It's not just a matter of overt discrimination. Societies don't, overnight, completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior."
So while your examples are 'clear-cut' examples, those in the video are, in fact, bigoted and those forms of bigotry are just as impactful, especially over time, and can be just as demoralizing as being called a bigoted epithet or having some other stereotype launched at you.
You make quite a few assumptions. Touching other people's hair goes on in many offices all over the country? Really? Then you launch into, well, let's be honest, a negative stereotype with "but that could happen to any two women". Sure, you try to "soften" it with your next statement, but it is out there. Then, you make a negative assumption about "white women". At least you acknowledge it is an assumption, but it does demonstrate a narrow view, but you really kind of prove the point of the video with your last sentences. You are actually making assumptions about the thoughts and feelings of women of color and therefore, the white woman was "just trying to be friendly."
I am actually dealing with the flow of the video, so that is why your #3 is my #2. From the video, the Bolivian didn't seem offended, simply corrected the other co-worker. This sentence: "In fact the purpose was to connect with a fellow worker of color." is nothing but an excuse for the ignorance of the white co-worker. Literally, you are making him the victim. Also, why must the burden of "understanding" be on the minority, didn't you just claim the white co-worker was trying to be understanding (by connecting)?
This one isn't "puzzling" at all, it is you simply don't understand she feels "guilty" because she assumes the other woman didn't get a bigger raise (or similar) because of her race. Again, it is the concept of "white guilt" being the central role of the situation rather than just feeling "bad" because she got a bigger raise, and not making it "racial."
No offense, but you finding this scenario "borderline" racist made me laugh. You couldn't understand how "touching a black woman's hair", "assuming the wrong nationality of a co-worker" or the concept of "white guilt" being about white people are racist, but this, this, scenario is "borderline"? To whom!? White people? Again, we see excuses being made; "he is at least engaging", "There's an opportunity for the black person to educate". Again, the burden is placed on the minority! Also, I don't think the choices are "silence or an explosion", that's not even an issue with this video. The MINORITY people NEVER "exploded". Did you miss that? It was only the WHITE people who did; which was the point of the video...THEIR hurt feelings were what was important.
As for your last paragraph, how is it that "touching a black women's hair" isn't "real racism", but this video "exacerbates the problem"? You then go on to assume such a video "stokes" POC's to "always assume the worst of any intention of a white person". REALLY?! See, now we are back to the central problem, "worrying" about the feelings of the majority over that of the affected minority by placing the burden on the minority of being "sensitive" to the majority, which is the theme of the video!
I can honestly say, I don't give two shits, or even one for that matter, on how "Trump and Faux news" types view things like this, some of those people think the original "Birth of a Nation" is 'awesome history.' While it is true, there are some liberal types who are "overly PC", understanding the minority perspective is not such an example. Why is there a "Black History Month"? Why is there now, finally, a national African-American History Museum? Because their history (as well as those of other POC's, women, and other minorities) are ignored, not taught, devalued, or maligned.
The "victims" in this video aren't really victims.
geardaddy
(24,926 posts)Thank you.
LiberalLovinLug
(14,173 posts)OK, yes "real racism" is a loaded statement and there is a problem with generalizing. But I was attempting to for the sake of argument.
Of course there are nuances and nothing is black and white (!). Some would say that almost everyone is a racist to at least a tiny degree. By that I mean that we may generally feel more comfortable with those that have experienced the same culture, grown up in the same neighbourhoods. Of course more and more new citizens are growing up in more multicultural environments. The point is growing up with suspicions of the 'other' doesn't mean as humans we can't overcome those more juvenile impressions. We learn as toddlers that we can trust others outside of our immediate family and slowly, hopefully, expand our social awareness to the point where we, while not ever completely understanding, at least be open to empathy and historical education of others race, gender, or sexual orientation.
For the sake of argument, I would say that 'real racism' is when a person actually thinks that other races are inferior. They may overtly spout out their bigotry ie. white nationalists, or they may hide it from most of their community and only express themselves say if they've had a few drinks sitting with an acquaintance or two that feel the same.
The characters in these videos, as I read it, do not knowingly have those beliefs and this video is, comedy aside, a statement on warning fellow whites, on how POC will feel (implying that they will always have a knee-jerk victim response) and that they should hold back, think before they speak, to avoid something called "white guilt". That they may say something inadvertently that a POC will take as racist. In fact the first POC uses that charge. You say " You are actually making assumptions about the thoughts and feelings of women of color". Its not me that is assuming how POC will feel, it is the maker of the video. This assumption is the basis for the theme of the video, to warn whites on how to avoid the guilt of making POC feel slighted, as defined by the Caucasian woman that made the video.
I do think the video is somewhat confusing in that some of the examples are 'spaining to whites how to avoid "white guilt", but at other times, it is whitesplaining to POC how to set aside a perceived racist act or comment to avoid a tense situation. My issue is that most of these examples are not based in RACISM, and more about general insensitivity. ( Other than the last one that I said was borderline racist....ie.. more extreme than the other examples, not less) And in so doing, the video redefines 'racism' falsely, and thus makes defeating 'real' racism, as I defined it, an even tougher task, because those that actually need the help, even though you don't give two shits about them, will never even attempt to empathize with the very real issues that BLM is championing, if one hands them an easy way out by punching so many holes in the definition of racism.
I'm not a woman. I guess my handle shows that. But I've worked in enough mixed workplaces to know that it is not unusual for women to comment on one anothers hair, and even reach out and touch it. I don't know how you think this is some kind of odd behaviour. This video is implying that that kind of behaviour jumps to RACISM if it happens between those of different skin colours. If it were a Chinese person or other minority who commented (positively) on the hair of an AA, or if the races were reversed in characters would it still be a racist act? To be honest, when I first started watching this, I thought it might be a right wing attempt at satire, in an attempt to ridicule elite white PC liberalism.
Anyways, I think its important to be able to talk about issues from each others points of view. I appreciate that. I don't think we should dismiss being made aware of how insensitive or ignorant we may come across to others, but that is a much broader issue than racism. I just think fighting racism is much too important to create a radioactive environment where the definition of these kinds of commonly rude or insensitive situations can be interchanged with definition of racism.
Dr Hobbitstein
(6,568 posts)
Mojo25
(2 posts)Dr Hobbitstein
(6,568 posts)Mojo25
(2 posts)
ismnotwasm
(41,976 posts)LiberalLovinLug
(14,173 posts)To say that without any backup or examples explaining.
So...does that mean you are being a racist? What is your skin colour? If its different than mine then it must be racism!
mdbl
(4,973 posts)To me the funniest part is how they made it look like one of those cheesy company training videos.
