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Black People Love Us!! [forward as email] I was recently passed a link to a controversial web site http://www.blackpeopleloveus.com. The site can be viewed as both funny and sad. What is more interesting is how people have responded to the site. I suggest you visit the site and make comments here as to your impressions. What you should know is that the site is meant as a discussion tool to make us think about racism and social stereotypes.
You will also find an attached article from the New York Times that explains the site in detail.
-- Randy Keith, November 26, 2002 10:04 am Attachment: Explanation of Black People Love Us.doc - Explanation of Black People Love Us
Re: Black People Love Us!! [forward as email]
I have seen the website and feel that it is a sad display of how people react with eachother. The purpose of this website is not known therefore we know nothing on why the creators wanted to do this. For all i know, we live in a world where things don't always go our way. Whether or not we have friends from other backgrounds doesn't matter. It says nothing of our character. This website to me is singleing out a group of people, specifically Blacks, and showing that they are proud to have Black people loving them. Makes no sense at all as to why this matters. Quite frankly it is a waste of space in the computer world. Everyone in the world has special qualities, and everyone should be happy and excited about the friends they have regardless of race. Wow, i also have black friends, but this doesn't push me to make a website about it. The white and black barrier have long gone and there is no reason for us to not be happy with our friends no matter who they are.-- Anonymous Anonymous, December 02, 2002 08:31 pm
Re: Black People Love Us!! [forward as email]
I agree with some of the points you make, but I wonder if you had a chance to read the article explaining the site. Let me know if you did or if your opinion changes at all. It is the second link in the message starting this thread. It is a New York Times Article explaining the site and its pupose and motivation.-- Randy Keith, December 03, 2002 09:02 am
Re: Black People Love Us!! [forward as email]
Hey Randy, My computer has no program that can open this file. I feel that if the article laid down some solid reasons on why this site was created and what the purpose was, it might, just might, influence me to change my mind on this topic. If you can, try giving me a summary of what the article was about, specifically the purpose and reasons for the site. If you can do this I can reply to your response.-- Anonymous Anonymous, December 03, 2002 06:40 pm
Re: Black People Love Us!! [forward as email] Better than that. I'll post it. And I don't think a change in your opinion is needed. I think the site provoked just what it was designed to. A response to begin a dialogue on racial issues and how we see stereotypes as harmful. Article below.
__________Black-White Harmony: Are You Kidding Me?
By LOLA OGUNNAIKEYou can't help but be intrigued. Sally and Johnny, a smiling, chin-chucking white couple, are claiming to have mastered the art of making friends with African-Americans. Skeptical? Well, they have proof. Visit www.blackpeopleloveus.com, click on "Hanging Out" and you'll find picture after picture of the couple cavorting with happy, smiling people of color. It's one big yellow submarine.
Accompanying other happy photos on the site are testimonials from their black friends. "Sally loves to touch my hair," writes a woman who is pictured in dreadlocks. "She always asks how I got my hair to do this. That makes me feel special. Like I have magical powers."
One man writes: "Johnny calls me 'da man.' That puts me at ease, because I am black and that's how black folks talk to one another."
Yes, it's a joke. Sally and Johnny are fictional characters portrayed by friends of the site's creators, and the site is a satire of the racial stereotypes often faced by blacks in predominantly white environments. Though it has only been up for a month, the site has received 600,000 visitors, many of whom have posted their responses, not all of whom got the joke.
"This ridiculous display of self-righteousness is exactly the kind of white privilege that keeps me mistrustful of your type," wrote one angry surfer. "You should be disgusted with yourself."
Scroll down and the temperature cools: "We've been laughing for days. From all of us who make up the intensely diverse architecture graduate student body at Yale, we thank you."
Chelsea Peretti, 24, a struggling stand-up comedian who is one of the site's creators, said: "It really shocked us how quickly this site took off. We were expecting a huge response, but not this huge."
Ms. Peretti, who wrote all of the site's content, and her partner (and brother), Jonah Peretti, 28, who designed the site, describe blackpeopleloveus.com as a form of social activism, a way of examining the infinitely complex subject of race relations.
"Because the site is funny, we knew it would reach people who might not ordinarily think about these issues," said Mr. Peretti, an adjunct professor of digital design at the Parsons School of Design and the director of research and development at Eyebeam, a nonprofit arts organization in New York. "We wanted to promote dialogue, to get people talking about these issues."
It's not the first time the siblings have used multimedia to court controversy. After visiting Nike's Web site last year and learning that they could order customized sneakers, Mr. Peretti requested a pair emblazoned with the word "sweatshop." Nike refused the request in an e-mail message, which Mr. Peretti forwarded to 12 of his friends. It went on to reach millions, Mr. Peretti said, and culminated in a face-off with a Nike executive on the "Today" show. "Katie was on my side," Mr. Peretti joked.
The brother-sister team next created the Rejection Line, a phone number to hand out to annoying pick-up artists in bars. When callers dial it (212-479-7990), a recording offers the option to press 1 "to talk to a comfort specialist," press 2 to listen to a "sad poem written by a kindred spirit," or press 3 to "cling to the unrealistic hope that a relationship is still possible."
But blackpeopleloveus.com is by far the Perettis' most ambitious project. "When you talk about race, it touches off a lot of people's individual issues," Ms. Peretti said.
Though much of the site's humor isn't that original — comedians like Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock have all lampooned white people's flubbed attempts at relating to blacks — the fact that the dialogue is transpiring on the Internet allows for user participation and a more honest exchange of views than is often afforded in daily life.
"I think the anonymity of the Internet allows people to discuss issues without self-censoring and that's politically useful in discussions of race," said Omar Wasow, the executive director of BlackPlanet.com, the most heavily trafficked African-American Web destination, according to Nielsen NetRatings.
Mr. Wasow stopped short of calling the Perettis' project social activism. "This is more to me like a prank," he said. "A clever, socially engaged prank, but a prank nonetheless."
Some visitors have taken to submitting their own mock testimonials, which the Web site posts alongside their head shots. "Sally is so thoughtful," writes one African-American woman. "She always tries to set me up with every black man she knows."
"I love Johnny," a male visitor wrote, "cause when he's looking for some weed, he knows I'm the go-to guy."
Ms. Peretti said she has been "freaked out" by some hate mail she's received from neo-Nazis and black extremists, although she's recently incorporated some of their responses into her stand-up acts. "The site should come with a warning," Ms. Peretti joked before adopting a throaty baritone: "This is a satirical Web site. Think critically while browsing."
Some, like Adina Ellis, 26, a black public relations account executive based in Manhattan, are thinking very critically. Ms. Ellis finds the site "hilarious," she said, adding that she's experienced many of the scenarios depicted there, namely the overwhelming interest past co-workers have had in her changing hair styles.
"Whenever I walked into work with a new look," she recalled, "I would prepare myself for the press conference, the endless questions about how my hair got that way and if they could touch it." Ms. Ellis, who has also been a victim of the "you go girl" phenomenon, added: "I know that they're not trying to be rude or offensive. They're honestly making an attempt to relate, but just going about it in the wrong way."
Kibwe Chase Marshall, a fashion designer in Washington who attended the Sidwell Friends high school (Chelsea Clinton was a classmate), has spent most of his 23 years as the lone black face in majority white settings.
He said he related to the satirical "testimonial" on the Web site from a man praising white friends for calling him articulate, and he has forwarded the site's address to both black and white friends. "A U.S. citizen having a firm command of the English language should not be regarded as shocking," Mr. Chase Marshall said. "A poodle dancing on two feet is remarkable. A black person who isn't grammatically challenged is far more common than recognized."
Naturally, people are curious about the Perettis' race, a fact that they have not revealed when asked by visitors to their site. They said they didn't want their race (they are white) to influence how people viewed the site.
"Part of the purpose of the site is to have people think about what is this and why it exists and not who is behind it," Mr. Peretti said.
The Perettis, raised in Oakland, Calif., have a Jewish father and an Italian mother. Their parents divorced when they were toddlers, and their father married again, to a black woman, and their experiences with their stepmother have shaped their views of race in America.
"We've walked into restaurants together and had people assume we're not with her," Ms. Peretti said.
Mr. Peretti added: "I don't want to overplay it, but it did have an effect. I think our background makes us very attuned to cultural differences."
Attuned, perhaps. But many visitors to their site will probably wonder what gives the Perettis the authority to speak on behalf of African-Americans. Not having actually experienced the frustrations they ridicule, are they qualified to spearhead this discussion?
Yes, the siblings argue. "There is a mistake that people have made about the division of labor," Mr. Peretti said. "It's like racism is something only people of color can think about. Feminism is something only women can think about. But it's important for white people to get involved in the critique too."
A friend of the Perettis featured on the site, José Germosén, a black Dominican, insists the siblings aren't suffering from a case of white liberal guilt. "I don't think they set out to defend the Negroes; they just had a genuine interest in sparking dialogue," said Mr. Germosén, 26. "A lot of white people of the hip-hop generation are a lot more sophisticated about how this game got started and they're just as interested in freeing up the blockage as we are."
-- Randy Keith, December 04, 2002 10:35 am
Re: Black People Love Us!! [forward as email]
Well, I still think that i will keep with my opinions of the website. It still doesn't occur to me as to why someone would make a site that would actually post this issue which everyone already goes through. Thank you so much Randy for posting the article.-- Dallas Teo, December 04, 2002 07:27 pm
Re: Black People Love Us!! [forward as email]
If these folks had addressed the same issues of 'blackpeopleloveus.com' in a non-satirical manner the site and message would have been glossed over and forgotten almost as soon as it was posted.I for one am glad that there are white folks out there that 'get it'.
I don't think the site was make for Black people, I think it is for whites to see themselves and possibly reflect on their own behavior and make changes.
-- Naughty Dred Lox, December 24, 2002 10:48 am
Re: Black People Love Us!! [forward as email]
Naughty Dread, I must agree. As I said earlier. It's good to have to topic out there to take it to a larger audience.-- Randy Keith, January 03, 2003 12:57 pm
Re: Black People Love Us!! [forward as email]
I personally think this website is hilarious, it's racist, yes, but it is humour based, if you actually take this seriously than you are an idiot.-Ben
-- Ben Miller, November 17, 2005 08:59 pm
Re: Black People Love Us!! [forward as email]
I can't believe that people are angry about this website. It was one of the funniest sites I've vistied.I've actually seen white people do and say these things. I hope that people will take a good look at themselves after seeing this. I'm sure that I am not totally innocent (although I've never done or said any of the things that the white couple did or said,thankfully)I've probably been guilty in the past and was not even aware of how I was perceived.-- Jacinta Rogers, June 23, 2006 02:34 pm
Re: Black People Love Us!! [forward as email]
this site is tight dawg, let the black people love dem whities-- nigs bewyln, July 04, 2007 10:20 pm
Re: Black People Love Us!! [forward as email]
The site black peopl love us is a shot at racist stereotypes, and a very good shot indeed. It makes fun of the ignorance and gullibility of people to accept stereotypes without question or research. Take a look at the page that has links tro "things black people care about. As a African (american) man of 52 years old, I laughed till I almost bust a gut.I knew right away what it was about. the testimonials alone should alert a person that this is a volley into the racist cauldron which cooks up these abtuse lies as mis-information and misdirection, they who create this slick stink stew, seek to devide this nation.
You know God is not a respector of persons as men often are. He sees us all the same. we are sinners or we have accepted Christ as savior, and have been made justified by the blood of Jesus Christ, and made to stand before God blameless. the racist and the victim both need the salvation one can only recxeive through faith in Christ. He is the way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man come to the Father except by Jesus Christ. I'm glad no one race has a lock on access to God.
-- mike dennis, October 01, 2007 08:57 pm
Re: Black People Love Us!! [forward as email]
I give an Amen. I agree spiritually and ethically--though for a moment I thought was five again and back in church.I am glad the site prompted this discussion.
The cultural differences between blacks and whites are both inherited from previous generations and perpetuated by the unspoken hidden guilt of Pop Culture.
And here's one of my personal sources for my hidden guilt. Growing up with modern education, learning the wrongs of racism, I remember my sweet grandma say really bad things from time to time. It was difficult to understand on one hand I had a well-educated sweet woman who taught me manners and decency. On the other I had a school demonizing people who said such things. Who was right? As a kid and a teenager, it’s hard to resolve or understand these conflicts.
Then I came to a conclusion. Were my grandma comments wrong? Yes. Was my grandma a bad person? No. Was she programmed by her times? Absolutely.
How do we better this situation?
Time: over the coming years more blacks will move into the middle and richer classes, easing their frustrations a bit.
Intermarriage: people fall in love, from various cultures. Cultures merge. This is how new ethnicities are born
Education: racism really comes from ignorance so smarting up in this lifetime will relief some pressures.
Be careful who you follow: take extreme caution of political activists on both sides. Many preach intolerance for the opposing view and never sit down for an honest discussion. Instead they keep us excited and keep their jobs. We don't need anymore excitement right now.
-- Nick Womancharmer, November 21, 2007 10:27 am
Re: Black People Love Us!! [forward as email]
that is halarious! i don't know if they are trying to make fun of the situation, or make fun of the black community... i wonder if sally had ever had a relationship with a black man..., do you think she is searching for once you go black you will never go back... lol! and johnnie, well i don't know how or what to say about johnnie...-- patricia lee, August 13, 2008 02:23 pm
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Re: Black People Love Us!! [forward as email] I think that this web site is very racist. And being a young, black, independent, never stole anything a day in my life U.S. citizen i really don't appreciate it. White people always talkin bout how black people is this and black people is that and wonder why we kick ya'll asses thats why. What you people did to us ya'll should have the respect to not have stupid ass shit like this on the fucking internet. This shit is not cool and people wonder why black people hate white people because of shit like this. You people swear we ain't shit and when we make it pass all of the dumb shit you make us a stupid ass web site like this. Me personally do not love white people as a matter of fact i don't even like them for shit like this. Ya'll are not right and i don't even understand how you can sleep at night. Are ya'll serious? Ya'll take us as a joke? We are not furry little animuls we are humans just like you we have emotions just like the next person doee and we dnt deserve this. We are all equal no one is better than anyone and if you do you will have to be judged not me. But just keep in mind that we are not aliens, or animals we are humans just like you.-- Marquita Wilson, December 08, 2009 10:05 am
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