Comments on: BLACK PEOPLE LOVE US!

By: Shaula Evans

Shaula Evans — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 08:55:48 +0000

The site looks like it is “trying” to be a sendup of stereotypical white denial/condescension about racism. Granted, I’m of Northern European descent myself, so my vote on this doesn’t count. That said, the site falls well outside my own confort zone.

It might be trying, but I don’t find that it succeeds. It seems to be aiming for the same kind of snark comedy as You Knit What?!” or Maddox. Well, they’re no Jon Stewarts. Snark is hard to do well, and I don’t find they succeed.

Please don’t discount my comments as oversensitivy–I do believe strongly in the importance of combatting prejudice of all kinds, starting with one’s own. I just don’t find that poorly executed parody on a sensitive and important topic is particularly appropriate.

The think the goal of the site, which really does seem to be exposing the psychology of racism, is laudable–but the execution leaves much to be desired.

For example, I think EnjoyTheDraft does a much better and more effective job of using parody to highlight an important issue. (Disclaimer, I’m a friend of two of the site’s founders, and helped out with some editing when they were launching the site.)

My verdict on BlackPeopleLoveUs?– If you’re going to try for parody, make sure you are better at it than this.

By: Floyd

Floyd — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 13:52:01 +0000

Shaula!

I had to edit out the spam stuff.
On the original issue, did you reciprocate?

By: Shaula Evans

Shaula Evans — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 16:32:40 +0000

Yes, you’re all linked up.

By: Gail

Gail — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 03:10:20 +0000

Hi Floyd
Thanks for leaving a comment at 12thharmonic - pleased to meet you! And you are a wordpress blogger too! We have added you to our blogroll. My blogging partner is American and I am an ex-pat pom. We live in Australia. Its great to find a like-minded UK blogger - our blogroll is a bit short on Brits. Many of your links are new to me and I’m looking forward to exploring them. Thanks for adding us!

By: Tina

Tina — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 08:29:04 +0000

Well, I posted the link for Black People Love Us over at my blog for a bit of a laugh. Then I had a good look at the site and was amazed at the short-sightedness of some of the commenters over there. Perhaps we British are better at getting things than others, but none of the people who visit my blog thought it was anything but a very clever parody of the “I have black/gay/Asian/disabled friends” brigade, who use this as an excuse to belittle certain sections of society. I think a lot of problems with breaking down prejudices comes from the fact that people take themselves far too seriously. Others are happy making assumptions about what people might find offensive, rather than actually talking to people and asking them. How are we ever going to move on if we can’t talk to each other. Things like the Black People Love Us site at least open up a forum for discussion and education. They make people think before embarking on tokenist gestures towards minority groups. It’s a start.

By: Floyd

Floyd — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 21:24:09 +0000

Gail !

The pleasure is mine, be sure to subscribe to the site’s RSS feed.
I sure will be keeping in touch with yours.
Keep writing.

Later.

By: Floyd

Floyd — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 21:46:18 +0000

Tina!

It’s interesting that some people do find the site offensive.
I get that they may indeed be the very ones who like to tell others what is offensive as opposed to asking the “Targets” what it is that offends them!
Could it be simply an attempt to mask their own bigotry?
You may be familiar with the phenomena where the “Target” of the discrimination is the last one to be believed? They tend to need an advocate who looks like the discriminator, often that doesn’t work either!
As we are learning the “psychology of racism” is a rather twisted one.
Then again does that really surprise us?

By: Mitch

Mitch — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 02:00:40 +0000

I discovered this page about 3 years ago, and I wasn’t sure what I thought at the time. Truthfully, I don’t even know if it’s actually a black or white creation. But I can say that I’m not troubled by it at all, and I’m glad I found it because I then found, off their links, the MBNet.com page, which is worthwhile at times.