Jose Antonio Vargas to helm it.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: At first, hearing that MTV is releasing a new program called “White People” might lead you to believe a new parody is afoot.
However, instead of indulging in base humor, the upcoming documentary aims to take a long and serious look at the topic of white privilege in the United States. In order to make the vision a reality the network recruited Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, who earned the accolade for his coverage of the Virginia tech shootings in 2007.
“Whiteness often remains unexamined in conversations about race in this country, even as it acts as the implicit norm against which other racial identities are judged,” Stephen Friedman, president of MTV, wrote in a press release. “By shining a spotlight on whiteness, we hope ‘White People’ will serve as a powerful conversation starter that encourages our audience to address racial bias through honest, judgment-free dialogue.”
Vargas, 34, works specifically with five young adults to delve into how they understands racial identity, white privilege, and similar topics, according to MTV’s news service.
“We cannot have an honest conversation about race in America until we explore and unpack what ‘whiteness’ and ‘white privilege’ mean in America,” Vargas wrote in a Facebook post. “This is not an easy, simply or comfortable conversation. So let’s get uncomfortable. Let’s talk.”
It’s with his varied perspective that Vargas attempts to foster a “judgment-free space” for students to get out of their comfort zones, according to the Washington Post.
“Perhaps only in America can an undocumented gay Filipino who looks Asian has a Latino name and graduated with a Political Science and African American Studies degree can make a film for MTV called ‘White People,’ ” Vargas wrote in a different Facebook post.
The documentary, which is slated to air on July 22, is part of MTV’s “Look Different” campaign, which seeks to foster conversations among youth on topics like race, gender, and LGBT rights.
The trailer can be viewed here.
3 Comments
Why don’t these Jewish writers write about Jewish privilege in Israel? Write how awful Palestinian Christians and Moslems have it over there. Oh, right. No, they won’t do that. Their goal is only to tear down white CHRISTIANS.
http://nypost.com/2015/07/06/bystanders-laugh-at-man-beaten-to-a-pulp-in-chilling-video/
Where’s the beating in Cincinnati on Saturday night? 40 blacks beat one white guy to near death, mock him as he lays bleeding, and you want to talk about “white privilege”?
When & Why Did Our Moms Become Less Than Human
Hi. I am puzzled by something, perhaps someone can help?
Who is responsible for influencing or conditioning many young Americans of African descent to characterize our moms, sisters, grandmas, daughters and aunts as less than human creatures?
Growing up in the 60s, year after year I’d roll out of bed in the morning, crank up my 9v transistor radio listening to contemporary sounds, including a new genre of American music its artists, composers, lyricists and producers called Motown.
My Motown musician friends wrote and performed music that made me smile, wanting to dance, celebrate life and wanting to experience the love between a man and a woman they were constantly telling me about. Every hour of every day I could tune in my radio and listen to my talented Motown musician friends singing songs praising and loving women
Listening to these musicians celebrating life and loving women conditioned me to believe they are good, peaceful people deserving of respect, admiration and a large “Thank you” for sharing their musical talent with me, my friends and neighbors.
What I am trying to figure out is why today, many of my Motown friend’s children and grandchildren are writing contemporary music performance lyrics that clearly are demeaning and HATING on each other, as well as writing lyrics demeaning women, our moms, sisters, grandmas, daughters and aunts, characterizing women as witches and bhores, essentially less than human not deserving of respect? Which is pretty much how greedy or genuinely ignorant early Euros characterized the African people they abducted and enslaved.
What happened? Why have females fallen out of favor with many young people who write rap hip hop performances?
Another question. Today when ten-year-old American kids wake up, tune into their fav contemporary radio station, listening to lyrics describing anti-social activities and behaviors their parents, community and educators are telling them are harmful to them, their neighbors and community, what opinions, if any, will these 5th grade children form about the music performers writing music lyrics describing anti-social behaviors and activities that often emotionally traumatize and physically harm individual peaceful people and the neighborhoods they live or work in?
Thanks.
#RestorePrideInParenting #EndChildAbuseNeglect
#ProtectKidsFromIrresponsibleCaregivers
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