THE STORY: This interesting documentary TV series from the FX Channel, produced by Ice Cube, uses the reality television format to explore one of the most vital issues of American culture: racism. The premise of the show is to provide two families of comparable backgrounds, one black and one white, the chance to walk in each other’s shoes. Each family is made up with realistic effects to look like members of the opposite race in order to experience what life is like for someone not like them. In the process, the intricacies of how racism is expressed in often subtle and surprising ways are exposed
THE REVIEW: I remember a Saturday Night Live episode twenty or so years ago with Eddie Murphy wore white makeup and went into the world as Mr. White. Black. White is a carbon copy of that skit—the difference was that Murphy did it all in fun but he actually touched on a lot of truth. This series, Black.White., created by Ice Cube does a similar thing but with two families—one that is black and one that is white.
The only two real interesting people on the show are the kids. The white father is too naive and the black father is too far on the other end of racism and sees race around every corner. We know racism exists but this show never gets deep enough to figure it out. First off, putting the two families together in the house doesn’t do much of anything. It only allows for arguments that never get deep into the heart of matters. It would have been better to allow these families to make real strong friendships with people—maybe hold a job with people of the opposite race—and then after 30 days or 60 days tell them the truth. Meeting someone for a couple days and then springing it on them does nothing. People don’t get comfortable with others in a few days. It takes time to build a trusting relationship where you can say what is truly on your mind.
Another problem was the cameras. What would you think if cameras were following some guy around as he sat their talking to you? Wouldn’t you find it odd? That surely didn’t help this social experiment.
THE EXTRAS: Each episode comes with a commentary by RJ Cutler and occasionally with the cast and crew. Nothing is truly mind-blowing or eye opening. The second feature is cast videos. Again, nothing really exciting here—same goes for Rose’s poetry extra.
FRANKLY: Eddie Murphy’s skit on Saturday Night Live told you more through satire than Black. White. does in six episodes. Had the cameras been hidden and the white family not been so naïve and the black family not so bitter the show might have been able to find some middle ground on which the show could really do something. This could have been a real social experiment that opened peoples’ eyes. Instead Black. White. did nothing more than make viewers tune out.
+ Charlie Craine
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