Anybody seen this show on the FX channel?

It's a reality tv show dealing with racism. Two families (one black and one white) basically switch roles.

The white family is put in "black costumes" and visa versa....and it's the most amazing makeup job I've ever seen - I can't even describe it, it's just something you have to see. The black family truly look like they're white and the white family truly looks like they're black.

Anyways, I think it's really interesting. Some of the family members are more open to the experience than others but nonetheless, I really liked the episode that I saw.

I'd rather watch a show about race that deals more with the biological differences between races, pertaining to evolution, genetics, etc. Maybe it's because I am forced to watch Oprah everyday, or the Crash backlash, but I don't know what more could be said about racism that hasn't already been said.

You don't think it's at all interesting to be able to literally step into someone else's skin?

To be fair, my original statement about it being a tv show dealing with racism is far too narrow. It's more about people being able to have first person experiences with cultures that they're not apart of.

Don't knock it until you see it.

I want to see this show. It looks interesting. It reminds me of the book Black Like Me that I read a few years back.

OK, the adults are not going to learn shit! The white guy doesn't believe that racism exists and LOVES to use the word "nigger." He sits in a room full of black people and he's the only one saying "nigger" over and over again. The other people int he room have NO CLUE what the fuck he's doing. All he ends up doing is pissing off the black guy who doesn't believe that racism ever stops.

The white woman has clearly never even seen a black person before. The white daughter is the only one of the six that's even open to learning something from the experience or that seems to take any responsibility for the sensitivity of what they're doing.

The black family keeps doing "white" things that I've NEVER done. The black guy was impressed that as a white man, the shoe salesman actually measured his foot and used a shoe horn to help him put the shoe on. WHAT? No one's done that for me since the 70's! That's not a white experience. That's an expensive shoe store experience.

And the black son went to etiquette class for his "white experience." Who the fuck goes to etiquitte class??? I can't even spell it!

Lastly, I was really ashamed by the white patron in the bar where the black guy is working. He was rambling that he was happy living in the last white enclave in Los Angeles and wants to keep minorities out. I've never had or heard a conversation like that about minorities. Here in the South, the cool thing now is to talk about the homos.

The white dad is getting on my nerves the most. He's got his own agenda to prove as opposed to just being open to the experience and same goes for the black dad, too.

The moms seem to be pretty indifferent for now. The white daughter is by far the coolest one on the show - she's completely open and willing to go with the flow and I think that as time goes on the black son will open up more.

They've still got 5 weeks to go, though. I think once they all settle down and stop having so many expectations as to what it's supposed to be like in another culture that we'll see some pretty cool things.

I love you.

I only watched the first half of this - couldn't miss Young Neil on TDS. But most of what you said is dead on. I think the white dad does have a little bit of a point - a lot of it *IS* attitude, and how you approach people. I've worked in retail - I've done it. But I'd watch the WHITE kid swaggering along with a 3x too big wordrobe before I'd watch a BLACK man in dress slacks and a nice shirt. But he needs to express himself better, and stop assuming that ALL of the racism that the black dad has experienced is because of that. But seriously, I can't wait til Black dad pops him one for using the N word so much. LOL.

I love the daughter. She's adorabe, and easily the most intelligent one in the bunch, combined.

The guy in the bar - I've heard these conversations before. Hell, living in one of the last safe neighborhoods in Philly, I've HAD this conversation. So, as 'racist' as it sounds, I totally know where the guy is coming from. If you live one place for 40 years - suddenly, the nighborhood next to you turns into a war zone. Then the other side. Then above you. . . and the only obvious factor of change is the color of the population - what else are you supposed to think?!?! Is it still racisim if it still might be a little tiny bit true?

Until you posted that, I was starting to think that the dude in the bar was a plant by the producers. I mean, he called the place a "caucasian enclave." My neighborhood is split about 60/10/30, white/asian/black. We blame most of the vandalism on some white kids who dress punk with their scary colored hair.





Anyhow, if they keep sending the black family to do "white things" that I've never heard of, I'm gonna start blowing off the show.

We do have some mix in our neighborhood, and the amount of problems varies with where they live. (ie - my street, no problem. The cheap condos a block from Brad? lots of mini ghetto problems.) Basically, if it's a family that has worked hard enough to afford a house around us (not that we're rich - far from it, but the values have gone up) then they're fine.


And that pic really makes me wanna go get some manic panic.

The show is ridiculous, at least making the people try and look white and black. The black people just look like really light skinned blacks. The whites kind of look black.

I completely disagree with you here.

The scene at the end where the white daugher is dancing with the poetry class...there's no fucking way anybody would suspect anything.

If they were given more than five weeks to pull this off and had some very serious speech lessons and whatnot, there's not a chance in hell people would suspect anything at all.

As it is now, they look the part but most of them aren't playing the part very well, which pisses me off - especially the black son. He's put the least amount of effort in it so far, but then again I don't think I blame him. He doesn't look like he wanted to do it in the first place.

jimmac, I thought the same thing, but in reality, I don't think we question what we're presented with that much. I can't imagine what circumstance would make me suspect that someone I met was actually made up to look like a different race then they were. I'd just think they were ugly or weird, and I meet LOTS of ugly, weird people every day.

... and some are beautiful and weird.

I didn't catch the whole episode last week, but I saw Bruno talking to black man, who told him that he didn't think even white people would be able to tolerate him because his obliviousness to the sensitivities of others must spill out into all facets of his life.

I don't know about all whites, but I sure can't stand him.

And thank God the daughter finally said, "Etiquette school isn't a 'white kid' thing. It's a 'rich white kid' thing."

You know, I thought I'd be really into this show, but I turned it off half way through, thinking I'd catch a rerun, and never bothered to watch it again.

The girl was the only one in the show with any sort of redeeming qualities. She should have her own show.

"The Not Entirely Objectionable Girl Show"?

Noooo. . .

the

"Best by Comparison".

It's catchier.