The tv show.

It's on cable on the FX channel. Who's watching? What are your thoughts on its subject?


Please note: No bullshit, please! Keep your personal shit to yourself. I just want a civilized discussion.
[Edited 3/8/06 19:18pm]

it's recording to my DVR right now. I'll check back once I watch it.

DAMN IT!!! I knew I was for getting something!

Looked interesting, I mean they bombarded us with ads for it.

just got done watching it ... will be interesting to watch as the stories unfold more with each show

this show! Looking forward to seeing future episodes.

I could tell right from the advertisments that it is just going to be another style of "reality television" show that through production leads the watcher to believe what ever it want.

I meant to watch it but I completely forgot.

How was it?

It was pretty entertaining. I mean, I thought it was a lot more relevant than watching husbands swap wives and all those other stupid/pointless reality TV shows that people watch every week.

Anyway, there are a lot of Bruno's (the white dad dressed in black skin)on my job. They just don't get it, they think that everyone has the same opportuniites, and that blacks always want to pull the race card all the time. What the Bruno's of the world fail 2 realize is that most blacks act the way they do from their life experiences. It's learned behavior, I just don't wake up and say this perosn hates me cause i'm black, it's just something that's obvious to me from living my daily life. It's funny how some people are so obliviois to what goes on...

I think the daughter is actually more attractive in black skin. Do u guys agree? She's actually kind of hot, LOL And she was moving with rhythm in that poetry class. She is really embracing the black culture. I'm curious to see if she falls 4 a black guy.

The son just doesn't give a shit, he's so boring, I mean WTF, just play along and have fun with it dude.

Well, those r my observations....

John Howard Griffin's Black Like Me is still the standard for this experiment, but this show is good, the BBC did something like this as well.
Ice Cube is doing something unique for TV nowadays. The Men seem to be really stubborn and fixed. The show is really about how the families deal with each other. Good Tv.

goat2004 said:

So then, it's an ongoing thing? If so, I'll have to catch the next episode.

The only major issue I have with the show so far is one setup. The hidden cameras are fine and there is a pre-text for having visible cameras in on the poetry session and the discussion groups.

The camera set-up in the bar the Black man works at is odd. They obviously had a visible camera when he went in the first time, the audio was just too good and there was camera movement and close-ups. So there had to be a pretext for bringing a camera along, one could be made up of course. They certainly couldn’t place a hidden camera at a job they had no idea he would be hired at.

But now that he has the job, do they still have a live camera on him? If so, under what pre-text? His employers don’t know he’s Black so there not in on it. Look at the scene where the white patron talked about the neighborhoods, there was a slight pan, the audio was good, lot's of coverage. Where is the Camera or Cameras? If it’s visible, have the producers given a reason why this man needs to be filmed other than he’s pretending to be White? If it’s hidden, which it’s doesn’t appear to be, why is the bar allowing a hidden camera (s) to be setup? And remember the shots in the bar are not of the small low quality type like the ones they used on the street, HQ hidden video on that level requires some work. So I wonder under what circumstances is this place allowing a TV crew to film this employee or the bar in general. Why won't they tell us?

I just hope they are keeping it real as possible.
[Edited 3/8/06 22:53pm]

lilgish said:

I've always questioned camera placement in all those so-called reality shows. How could the "unsuspecting" people not suspect anything with someone filming?

I think it's going to be interesting to see how it all plays out. The cast was on Oprah recently and there's still tension. I think both men are too busy trying to prove their points. A problem with humans in genral, we just have to be right.

I think it'll annoy/disappoint me ultimately BUT I feel like I have to see it. The promos looked really good but they showed some clips on Oprah that made me

I dunno, definitely an interesting experiment.

But to me the Black family doesn't look White at all, I don't know how anyone was fooled.

CalhounSq said:

Really? I think the son does alot. I was watching the show with my own teens and they were blown away with how the teens looked so comfortable and good in their 'new' skin.

The adults, no way! Their black features are very prominent even with the great make-up jobs.

CalhounSq said:

well, all you so called huge Oprah fans will remember a few years back a young White academic did the same thing, only he took high dosages of melanin tablets which turned his skin black, so Calhoun, he looked like the real deal.



Agreed the Black mother shouldn't be foolin' anybody, but What about the White father? He looks only slightly better than Al Jolson. The makeup jobs on the teenagers look the best, but unless the pigment is changed, the makeup still doesn't resemble skin.
[Edited 3/9/06 8:29am]

I saw the commercial for this and it looked very interesting.

I couldn't help but think of that old SNL skit with Eddie Murphy when he went white for a day. The bus driver letting him get on the bus without paying fare ... Anyone remember that? or am I showing my age?

Found the transcript: http://snltranscripts.jt....ddie.phtml

I caught the last 1/2 of the show.
Like and understand the whole premise But I agree the fathers were so bull
headed and very few of the participates really wanted to learn how it was to be the other race. To myself I believe they were more concerned with passing for the other race based on stereotypes.

lilgish said:

I saw the clips on Oprah a while back. The dad looks like Dave Chappelle as the white reporter I can't think of that character's name right now, but if you watch Dave's show you know who I'm talkin' about.

AnckSuNamun said:

LOL!! He does!

Here is a good article on this show, which I haven't seen but it sure sounds like a load of crap to me:

http://www.theage.com.au/...32867.html

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[Edited 3/9/06 18:32pm]

yamomma said:

DUDE, that's the first thing I thought of when I saw it

I watched it while eating a black & white cookie.

The programme was covered on the BBC morning news today, I agree with previous posts about the positive concept behind the show. Beats the other recycled fly on the wall shit for that reason alone.

The white daughters makeup was amazing! Didn't see much of the others. Hope we get it over here soon.

yamomma said:

classic

JasmineFire said:

Eddie's transformation.

I watched the show last nite.

I agree that both father's seem so bullheaded that I don't expect either of them to gleam much from the experience. It seems they are both just looking for things to confirm their already held stereotypes. Of course, Bruno is MUCH worse about this.

My favorite person so far is the white daughter. She seems very level headed and totally open to the whole experience. I do feel bad for the situation they put her in with the slam poetry class. She seems to be going about it in a VERY good way. But that class involves soooo much personal interaction and revelation that it seems a recipe for hurt feelings and regret. Then again, based on the daughter's reactions so far, SHE could pull it off.

I'll keep watching, although it was making me uncomfortable at times. That can be a good thing.

CalhounSq said:

Same here! I mean, he looks just like the Eddie Murphy character except that Eddie was even pailer. I think I'll watch it when I get home. It's on this DVD - titled, Eddie Murphy, the Best Of Saturday Night Live.

Finally saw the first episode. It bugs me that the White father is SO damn eager for "some action"! "I can't wait until someone comes up & says, 'Hey nigger!'" He said that 3 times in the first episode! While I know they could have simply edited it this way I just can't understand why he's so fucking eager to say the word & SO looking forward to something so ugly & hurtful. It's like he's just looking @ the height of the moment & not what any of it really means to anyone. Strange to me...

And that he's convinced that racism can be obliviated by simply "walking in a store, being respectful, carrying yourself well" I do that ALL the time & am still watched/followed at times. He's odd to me...

The Black family is more convincing close up than far away, though the mom still looks like a Black woman to me.

Didn't dig how in the poetry "audition" the White daughter was told that she was using too many big words Wonder how Saul Williams would like that shit

Like they said on the show it is less of an experience for the Black family b/c Black people are surrounded by White culture all the time - there's fewer "lessons" needed in the process, while the White family is entering a whole new world. It just makes me cringe when the White dad does the walk & rolls his neck & shit, he's loving every stereotype he's ever seen/heard I feel for the White mother. I think she's genuinely misunderstood (to come in future episodes) & is really trying to understand & come into the experience open, yet keeps "messing up" unknowingly. The thing about the word "bitch" is just stupidity/too much tv on her part I think, but the "creature" comment @ the poetry thing was innocent so it gets kinda fucked up. But that's why this is kinda good - dialogue can lead to some kind of understanding. Yes feelings get hurt, but feelings have been hurt for years & years now - I think the resistance is about who's feelings are getting hurt...

Anyway, cool show, interesting, frustrating... I'll keep watching...




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[Edited 3/14/06 6:38am]