Video about race at a high school sparks controversy in local town

[moriah]

http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/29185159/video-about-race-at-a-high-school-sparks-controversy-in-local-town

BEDFORD, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- A controversial video about race at a local high school has parents demanding answers from school officials.

The video, entitled (Expletive) White People Say: BHS Edition, was shown during the Wednesday morning announcements at Bedford High School on its student-run show "BHS Live."

In the video, students acted out vignettes that included stereotypes white students might say about African American students.

"I'm very offended by what I saw," said parent Bob Marshall. "It was a very disgusting video, very hurtful video."

:boggle: Yes, Bob Marshall is a white man. And so very offended indeed.

Edit to add: Seriously, can anyone identify why people would actually be offended by the video in question? I watched it, and aside from the word "shit", which I'm sure did not fall on virgin ears, I did not see at all what was so offensive.

[GreatGazoo]

1. Here is the video...

[cali]

13. it's a good little video

You have to be a real racist asshole to object to it.

[GreatGazoo]

19. yes, for a student video it is well done

The Fox News report made it sound like it WAS inappropriate and the way they reported the school's reaction to the parent's threats made it sound like the school was admitting to some kind of mistake so I thought it would help the discussion to just see the video in question.

[oberliner]

2. A very disgusting video?

Somebody needs to lose their job over it?

What exactly did this Bob Marshall guy see? What exactly what the disgusting part?

I agree with your comment - his reaction makes no sense.

Having watched the video, the biggest problem I had with it was the poor sound quality.

[lookatme]

4. It's offensive , turn it around and have some white students stereotype black students

Would you say the same thing? I think not...

[oberliner]

5. There is not a history of institutionalized racism against white people in the US

There is a history of institutionalized racism against black people in the US. Sadly, there are more than a few remnants of that history still prevalent today. Thus, there is a significant difference in "turning it around". I think it is reasonable to presume that the black students at that high school have had to deal with some level of racism and ignorance that white students have not.

[lookatme]

6. There's no difference at all...not one bit

It assumes a stereotype

That is offensive for all races...even whites

[GreatGazoo]

17. the video does not portray "white stereotypes" but rather calls attention to

the insensitivity of some baseless assumptions.

It is focused on what is said, not what the speaker is or is not. This video lays it out well:

[trumad]

7. Wow...

Really?

[lookatme]

8. Stereotyping a race is wrong , any race

[trumad]

9. That's your word for this....

African Americans go through this shit everyday of their lives. White people do not.

[lookatme]

10. Did the video portray a stererotype of white people

Yes or No ?

Is stereotyping a race wrong? Yes or No?

Being a Democrat and I'm just going to assume a progressive like I am.

I think I know your answer to these questions already.

On top of the stereotype of whites in the video.
The girl donned a blond wig and portrayed the white girl as a dumb blond
by her mannerisms and tone of speech.

The video is offensive

[trumad]

11. No....

The girl played a white girl.

I've always been fascinated by white people arguing shot like this. Weird.

[uppityperson]

12. Pointing out racist things white people say and do is offensive?

Addressing racism is bad?

[Luminous Animal]

18. When is the last time a black woman asked to pet your white person hair? Never for me...

but for my black woman friends… yep… all of them have been asked.

[moriah]

21. Strangely, I have had girls ask to touch my hair.

I'm a redhead. In 7th grade it was down to my waist. When I started at a new school, several of the girls at the bus stop asked to touch my hair the first day, and one reached out and did, then asked if she could braid it. I felt weird about it, but I handed her the brush from my purse and let her, because I didn't want to rock the boat. I was the new girl and I wanted to make friends, so I was happy they were being friendly to me (and I was far more used to getting teased about my hair, being a ginger makes you stick out). And yes, they were black, but so were a lot of the kids in my school and neighborhood.

That was the only time anyone attempted to touch/braid my hair outside of a sleepover when we all did each other's hair (with prior consent of course).

Key things:

1) We were all kids, and kids sometimes do rude things without meaning them that way. I've heard of grown white women reaching out to touch people's hair, though -- they should know better!
2) If they'd grown up with people asking to touch their hair and/or doing so without permission, they might not have realized that it was a boundary that was acceptable to have. Given how much it weirded me out to have it happen once, I don't doubt those who have written articles about the damage it does to young girls to be expected to submit to such requests routinely -- it's early education that they are not allowed to control what happens to their body.
3) It probably would not have happened even once if I had hair that was a normal color. By me stating my personal experience, I'm not attempting to suggest this is something white women experience often, or excuse the level of rudeness it shows.

[lookatme]

3. It can be taken as offensive

It makes stereotypes of white students in the school







stereotype type of a person on welfare which we know is not the case. Offensive? yes

[JanMichael]

14. AUTOMATED MESSAGE: You alerted on a post which was already alerted. ARGH!

Unreal DU. This country and more than half of DU can bite my ass.

AUTOMATED MESSAGE: You alerted on a post which was already alerted
Mail Message
On Sat May 30, 2015, 05:23 PM you sent an alert on the following post:

It can be taken as offensive
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6753124

REASON FOR ALERT

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

YOUR COMMENTS

over the top ugly. i would deep six - tombstone - this d-bag myself if i could.

JURY RESULTS

Someone else already alerted on this post before you alerted on it, and only the first alert was sent to a Jury. A randomly-selected Jury of DU members completed their review of the post on Sat May 30, 2015, 02:58 PM, and voted 3-4 to keep IT. Please note that even though your alert was not sent to a Jury, it has been forwarded to the Administrators who review all alerts.

Thank you.

[hunter]

15. My high school was Ivory Soap 99 and 44/100% pure white.

"Colored" and "Asian" friends had a respected place in the high school hierarchy. Stephen Colbert's "black friend" is reality in many places.

By unspoken agreement it was up to the bankers, real estate agents, and police to keep the "undesirables" out of our fair white city, even after such discrimination was made illegal. "Driving while black or brown" citations were a favorite sport of our local police. Real Estate agents would direct non-white people to the designated "bad" neighborhoods where the trashiest white people were shooting up heroin and prostituting themselves.

I ran away from that world to more cosmopolitan places. Everyone in my family has.

[Blue_Adept]

20. There's a fair number of these types of videos out there

With teenagers and the like making them to highlight the crap and weird and inappropriate things that are said to them.

The next generation of kids coming up are using tech and social media to raise awareness for others how to not be assholes, weird, rude or just plain inappropriate.

That's going to discomfort some people as they realize that they've done it themselves. Or simply because they cannot process the style or why of it.

It's a good thing these things are being done, because they get heavily shared among the younger crowd because it speaks to them the right way. While they'll laugh, they'll also learn and change and adjust.

What's disgusting is that people alerted on it. Basically means that the point went flying so high over their head.

[Exilednight]

22. It's a Fox station. I'm amazed the words "reverse racism" wrere not used.