This thread also cracks me up. Sure sure, Jordan Peele who was raised by his white mother and has a white wife is totally trying to start a race war

You do realize that some of those people believe the things you describe are how the a race war is being waged.

Duncan Idaho said:

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You do realize that some of those people believe the things you describe are how the a race war is being waged.

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Some of those people are ridiculous

fig96 said:

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The fraction of shows that you're complaining about is kind of fascinating.

I'd bet easily 75% of mainstream tv is shows about white suburban/middle class characters, much less not shows that focus on racial division. And of that remaining 25%, maybe a handful are focused on race and portraying primarily negative events.

Even then, it's really sad that I learned about an event like the Tulsa Wall Street Massacre from an HBO show and not a textbook. Just because a show deals with inflammatory topics doesn't mean it serves to divide people. We learn through allegory and storytelling, and a story needs to show both the ugly side and the successes to be effective.

And even then, this is a show focused on a group of African American characters in the 50s. Should it be whitewashed and show them just living a wonderful life with no problems, or should it show some of the struggle these characters would have gone through?

Recent events have shed light on things that lots of people haven't ever really thought about because it doesn't affect them in our day to day lives. Your concept of just ignoring those things and all getting along makes it easier for those people, but it doesn't serve to help people who are still dealing with those issues every day.

So yeah, sometimes we do need shows that don't just show us as all getting along despite our minor cultural differences, because oftentimes the world isn't like that.

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I know this is an old post, but I just watched this show this weekend and just found this thread so I just found this post but ****ing THANK YOU. My mind was just blown earlier in this thread when someone complained about this show becasue HBO had just done Watchmen as if having a WHOLE TWO SHOWS take this approach to race relations in this country was just TOO MANY.

The first time I ever heard about Tulsa was Watchmen. LC did it even better. Everyone in this country needs to know about Tulsa. Its criminal that its never taught.

TCTTS said:

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Tibbers said:

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I alluded to city of angels, a great show that focused on race in a meaningful way. It's just a pattern of behavior across most entertainment outlets. As I mentioned earlier, it's being incentivized and encouraged in film school.

As to why its a problem, I think the best way to deal with race issues is to show that they are only mental constructs. We are all the same except for cultural differences. When we can learn to laugh about those differences and not be inflamed by an incredibly small percentage of bad actors (racists), we can grow beyond focusing on color.

Now, and this is devoid of sarcasm, I'm sure your show will handle the subject matter gracefully. I have great confidence in your ability and think you will knock it out of the park.

Seriously, congratulations dude! That's an incredible accomplishment! I will watch your show as well.

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Re: my show, I appreciate the support. I really do. At the very least, it'll be different from anything you've seen, and will tackle some of these themes in a way that's completely fresh and unique.

As for your race-as-a-problem explanation, however, we simply have a fundamental disagreement there.

I know you and others mean well with the "I don't see color! We're all the same!" sentiment. I get it. I do. But the more I've listened to people of color, the more I've come to understand how dismissive that sentiment can be. Because the fact is, in many instances, we ARE different. Beyond just the color of our skin. Our experiences, our history, our traditions, the way we're treated, etc, can at times be very distinct and separate, sometimes in very tangible and horrific ways. So, in that sense, certain black people don't want to hear the platitude that race - i.e. their history, traditions, the way they're treated, etc - is merely a "mental construct." Because it's not. It's so much more than that. Black people are instead saying, "We ARE different, and we want you to accept us ANYWAY." And only when we realize that - when we stop dismissing their experiences and point of view as nothing more than a "mental construct" and "victimhood mentality" - will they be validated in the way they're seeking. But that validation can only come from empathy on our part, which, as I spoke to earlier, is what they're ultimately seeking in these stories they're telling.

In other words, as long as people like you keep saying, "Race doesn't matter, get over it," the more people like them are going to keep making race a priority in the stories they're telling, as a means to try and get you to understand that it *does.* Yes, the goal is to eventually "grow beyond color." But we can't do that until our differences our first acknowledged, and then truly reckoned with.

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And while I'm dredging up old posts that are good, this one nails it too.