About Dear White People
The best thing about Dear White People was telling my friends that those sorts of overt racisms still exist. (My friends and I graduated from HBCUs.)
The rest of my feelings are stated below in a text message conversation with my friend Hope (Hope and I graduated from a PWI.)
Queen Ombaba: So about dear white people, I don't really like it.
Hope Speaks: Yeah. I've heard that a lot. And I do [like the movie] in spite of some reasons that I questioned it, which worries me. Where did you see it? What's the deal?
QO: I didn't like the make up of it. I don't like how they praised this idea of the interracial relationship and made the black folks look crazy because of [their relationship]. They made post-modern black movement look stupid and unorganized.
I loved the whole bringing to light some forms of racism but at the cost of having black experiences dumbed down to four characters who ALL have a problem being black-not being labeled as black but being black period.
Black experiences dumbed down to four characters who ALL have a problem being black- not being labeled as black but being black period.
I def think it made people more aware about blackface and some forms of racism. The dialogue was good and true but not well connected. But really, it’s like whet do I learn from this film besides random anger with little historical context.
I think I’m still caught up in my feelings about undergrad and how exhausting organizing was. The conflicts in there were shitty and forced.
HS: Right. I think I’m still caught up in my feelings about undergrad and how exhausting organizing was. The conflicts in there were shitty and forced. Like at least one person in that “radical crew” gave no fucks about the interracial relationship. There should have been another protest anyway if they cared that much (because they would have).
How the hell did they not use facebook to organize that entire damn time?
QO: I can understand the frustration because I spent the entire time saying, “that’s exactly how they think” or “that’s exactly what we do.”
HS: Also, the crap at the end when home dude left old girl hanging. How the fuck is the only non-interracial relationship not going to work? Why doesn’t Sam have any black female friends who talk?
Why doesn’t Sam have any black female friends who talk?
QO: Yeah. It was just like a story but not the one I would’ve told. But you’re a better than Sam like Same wanted to be you.
Right. They (the other black women) only look and make comments about other comments made by men. It was just about messed up black people looking for a way out of rules they follow to be successful but it didn’t explore the complexity of these situations.
And like it wasn’t really about white people really.
HS: Hahaha. Yeah. It’s just sad because they have marketed it as a story about this black girl but it’s obviously not about her. It’s barely about “being a black face in white place.”
Right! The white people just had this unnamed issue with black folks. I mean I guess it’s okay for us to come in the middle of things but that shit didn’t make any sense. Why are the white people even there?
Why are the white people even there?
QO: Exactly!! Right [explaining the presence of white characters] to say some racist things and make racism distant because white audiences can say, “that’s not me” or “I don’t do that.”
I hate being over critical of black film/work but honestly, I’m more disappointed that the film didn’t do what it said it would do, which is call white industry out on their bull of [uplifting] white identity.
HS: Right. Part of me wonders if it [the film] got the Hollywood treatment or if this was its poorly thought out plan all along. I guess people who know about racism didn’t really work on this film. I was glad a working definition of racism made it in but in retrospect, it seems like it served to make Sam look like a demanding child.
The criticism is necessary though because just because it’s the first [film about post-modern racism] doesn’t mean it’s the last. And it can hopefully get better.
The criticism is necessary though because just because it’s the first [film about post-modern racism] doesn’t mean it’s the last. And it can hopefully get better.
QO: Right like [it made her look like] she, as a woman, was unreasonable. But I agree. I think we’ve got a long way to go.
HS: Are you going to blog about it?
QO: Girl. I wanna just write this short convo [up] with credit to you of course and have it explore my love/hate relationship with the film, which exposes my love/hate relationship within myself and blackness.
HS: That works! And yes. I think that’s it exactly. That movie does open up some questions. [It] Answers them poorly but the questions are still good.
QO: I agree and I haven’t seen any real conversation about the film so that’ll be interesting to research.
HS: Me either.
QO: I hate he cut his fro but he also looked like he never combed it once.
HS: He tried to at the end, but that was too late. He didn’t grease or plait it or nothing. That wig was killing me.
I did like the scene where they were getting ready for the party though.
QO: I hated that wig [fro wig]. It looked like a wig.
Yeah. I like lots of decisions from the director[s]. Like my favorite part was when the guy moved in and they did those mirror scenes to connect them.
HS: Her hair [CoCo’s wig] was so bad! I was happy to find out the actress has a big head of natural hair.
QO: Oh yeah. She’s like the natural hair gawd. She has the best styles always.
HS: It was nice to see black people in a film style I had grown accustomed to see white people in. But I also see the merging of the directorial styles of both black and white directors.
She does! [the actress who played CoCo]
Still tripping that it perpetuates the same mythical black women versus black men b.s. Like why couldn’t he develop the women well?
QO: Exactly and I didn’t realize the directors were black and white. Last thing: 1. I’m not here for how he got away with saying mullatto. 2. Once again they didn’t develop how black spaces are created on white campuses. 3.
Reggie was my favorite character because he represented more than himself in a more harmful way. He’s looking for an outlet, for a movement because he knows he’ll never be it [the leader of the movement].
He knows he’ll never be it.