You've GOT to watch this video. Check your first reactions, think about what you think it means, think about whether or not you think it's racist, and then watch the follow-up video by the video's maker. I will only say, at this moment before you've had a chance to watch it, that my mouth was hanging open most of the time.
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5 comments:
Best. Commercial. Ever. I'd buy stuff from them if I could. They're not saying anything racist at all, just pointing out the truth: black people and white people (and Hispanic people) all shop there. They get my seal of approval.
Jessie
(a black person)
I love it. I often question the auto-response by some folks to label anything with a racial componant "racist" unless the speaker, author or creator invests in hours of time researching historical context and completing cultural competency courses. This is, in my opinion a position of privilege. This video bravely says we have freedom to be together, in difference, without needing to feel judged or monitored for that!
Kudos!
It made me uneasy. Regardless of its intent there is no reason to bring race into it. I have to question those who do. Not everyone accepts Hollywood's use of stereotypes either.
sr
i think it's dead on. We will never overcome racism until we acknowledge race and then accept such diversity as part of a new "norm".
The distinction between racist and racial is important. The video is clearly done tongue in cheek.
The suggestion that furniture would be good for a black person, or white person mocks the notion of racism that suggests race differentiates us, that black people are different than white people. (which by the way does not hold water from a biological perspective. Remember learning this in high school science, ways of grouping living things: remember? Kingdom-phylum-class-order-family-genus-species. no race anywhwere...
The distinctions are class based and cultural, and are artificial. They are not biological or real. This video points this out in a funny way.
I think this is great.
Race can and should be brought into whatever conversation one is participating in if one feels the need or want to bring it up.
Race shouldn't make people feel uneasy. I wish people would stop thinking race and ethnicity is a dangerous topic. It's something that many Americans are just learning to celebrate, and I think that's great. We shouldn't be a melting pot of races; we should be a mosaic.
Furthermore, how shall we confront racism and prejudice if everyone is overly sensitive and worried they may say the wrong thing and so don't bring it up at all??
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