Oprah
- Thread starter SuzyZ
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Here's the website for the network and show, if anyone's interested:
http://www.fxnetwork.com/shows/originals/blackwhite/main.html
http://www.fxnetwork.com/shows/originals/blackwhite/main.html
I saw the epi and wonder why it was even done or the show that will be airing. I mean, I think the world is pretty open minded today. Of course, there will always be people who are prejudice of anything (skin color, gender, religion, oritention), but everyone has civil rights and they are laws against being discrimanted against. I just don't see the point of a show like that in our society.
purselova34 said:
i think it was to show that racism and prejudice is alive and well out there, and that we should not be fooled into thinking that it was just a thing of the past. there has been great strides made, but we have a very long way to go. i mean, there are racists out there who don't even know or realize they are racist. they are the first ones to gloss over the issue. racial matters have always been a difficult and intricate problem that it is easy for people to downplay matters or deny that it even is still a problem in our society. if you look at some statistics out there, you will realize there is still very much a need for shows like this. and just because a law is in the books, does not mean it is always enforced.
purselova34 said:
I think it's a really interesting social experiement. It's sweet, but naive to assume that everyone is as open-minded as you or I are. As ugly as it sounds, descrimination is alive and well in our society. There are reasons that women make less than men, and that women who are ehtnic minorities make even less. Sometimes we live in a bubble where we don't see what goes on in the real world, I live on a really diverse campus and it's been really eye-opening for me. I think the show is really important because it will help a lot of people understand things a little better. I can't wait to watch it.
Dani said:
I'm not saying no one is racist, but I feel it's not the way it once was. I also think, more people are against gays than say people of different races. When applying for college, I noticed there are a lot of scholarships, grants, and finical aid for blacks (and other minorities). So, I think, while in the past they were limited and discrimatined against, I feel that is almost gone. Will it ever be completely gone? No, but there will always be racists, sexists, and other prejudice people. I just feel like shows like that are saying basically, african americans were once slaves or once segregated (sp?) or once could not be president of a company. What's the point of acting like it's like that now? We should learn from our mistakes, but we shouldn't say something is happening because it once was. I feel in american society people who are Arabic are currently more discrimanted against. Why not make a show about that? To show people the mistake we are making right now. That way we can fix it.
Dani said:
It was also interesting to see how differently the two families perceived certain situations based on their experiences. The black family having experienced racism and discrimination more directly were more attuned and sensitive to it.
I thought it was an interesting expression of priviledge on the part of the mom in the white family when she said that she didn't want to have to be careful about every word that came out of her mouth. It really highlighted how priviledge in our society is often invisible to those who have it. (When I say "priviledge", I'm speaking in relation to other groups, not implying that all white people have the same level of priviledge.) The fact that she didn't want to acknowlege that a word that was very neutral or even positive to her might have very negative meanings for someone else and that she should consider that was very telling.
pseub said:
I definitly agree. There's not point in arguing that prejudices don't exist, and they ARE still very bad- whether some people want to admit it or no.
There's not point in saying that affluent, white men have the most advantages in life ( disagree? look at all the major CEO's). I think the show is really interesting eye-opening idea- I guess I can't undersand why someone would actually believe that we actually live in a happy bubble where no one is going to discriminate on you because of your sex or race.
purselova34 said:
I haven't seen the FX show, nor did I see the Oprah episode, so what I'm speaking on is just personal opinion.
A show like this is made and aired because the world is not as open minded as people think. The Civil Rights era was only 40-50 years ago, and true a lot as improved but trust me, in many cases things still have not changed. Racism still exists, discrimination still exists...
