Ellington

Mark your calendars: F/X debuts the reality show "Black.White." on March 8 at 9 PM CST. It is an experiment where two families switch ethnic identities for a few weeks while living in the same house.

The cast was on Oprah February 16, and from the clips I saw, I came to the conclusion that NO ONE will want to miss this. (I plan to get a tape.) Lessons will be learned, minds will be opened, sparks will fly and tears will fall.

It would probably be a good idea to get together with friends and/or family to watch the show and discuss it. I would even like to see a public viewing where people of different ethnic groups can watch it together and have a Q & A afterwards.

Look for updates on http://www.fxnetworks.com.

Previous Comments

ID

104939

Comment

L.W., You are right. It was one of the few Oprah episodes i have seen lately that has given an honest look at race relations. I will have to say, though, that after seeing the show, I was forced to remember that some things are so engrained in us that we will spend our entire lives sorting it out, racially or otherwise. Take for instance the "shoe experiment" from Oprah's show. Little things like that are not always done intentionally, but of course doesn't make it right. It boils down to what we say saw often: each one teach one. Otherwise we'll just live day to day in self-imposed ignorance.

Author

c a webb

Date

2006-02-20T02:18:09-06:00

ID

104940

Comment

This sounds a lot like the show they did called 30 Days. Morgan Spurlock was behind 30 Days and it took people from one walk of life and threw them into a completely different one. For instance, one episode involved a man that was pretty much anti-gay willing to be thrown into the heart of gay culture -- the Castro in SF. His mind and eyes opened and a lot of realizations were made. I personally like shows like these.

Author

kaust

Date

2006-02-20T16:09:15-06:00

ID

104941

Comment

Awesome show(30 days) i watched the marathon saturday night until i could take no more at around 2 am

Author

*SuperStar*

Date

2006-02-20T17:32:00-06:00

ID

104942

Comment

I've been seeing the trailers where on the treadmill at the Y. (Can I just state for the record that I hate they've turned them *all* toward TVs, so I can't look out the window and dream?) Anyway, my thought was: This will be either really good or really bad. And I couldn't help but wonder about the race of the producers and such. Hopefully, the creators are a diverse group.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-02-20T18:07:53-06:00

ID

104943

Comment

... WHILE on the treadmill at the Y ...

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-02-20T18:08:12-06:00

ID

104944

Comment

This show kinda reminds me of a classic SNL skit featuring Eddie Murphy made up to resemble a white man, to show the differences between black experiences and white experiences in America. Of course, this was done strictly for laughs, but it was also biting satire of the challenges black people experience in getting loans, being respected instead of feared, and being treated as equals by their white peers.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2006-03-06T14:54:19-06:00

ID

104945

Comment

makes you wonder if that is where the creative part of it came from. My favorite line in that skit, even though it is older than i am, is when the newsie tells him to take the paper and not to worry about paying cause he's white.

Author

*SuperStar*

Date

2006-03-06T16:13:44-06:00

ID

104946

Comment

I remember an expose' done by 20/20 years ago where a white man and a black man, equipped with hidden cameras, each went to certain places (a car dealership, a bank for a loan, etc.) to see what would happen. They did not receive equal treatment, and the confrontation by the reporter has the business owners hiding in their offices like escaped inmates. I believe it was also 20/20 who did an expose' on business owners, landlords, etc. who discriminated against people based on their voices over the telephone. If you sounded black, Latino, etc., a landlord, for example, would lie and say they had no apartments available when they actually did. A case like this was investigated in Cincinnati in 2004.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-03-06T18:42:56-06:00

ID

104947

Comment

Don't forget - the show premieres tonight! I can't wait to get your opinions on this.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-03-08T11:52:04-06:00

ID

104948

Comment

this show should be as hilarious if not more than Flavor of Love... GO HOOPZ!!!!

Author

JSU

Date

2006-03-08T12:23:16-06:00

ID

104949

Comment

I CANNOT watch Flavor of Love. To me, that show has another flavor, and my beliefs prevent me from saying that word.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-03-08T13:18:38-06:00

ID

104950

Comment

L.W.- Flavor Flav is an acquired taste. His humor is unmatched in TV today. He's a star and it shows. He's been this way since forever. but don't get it twisted, he's a very intelligent individual.

Author

JSU

Date

2006-03-08T13:47:56-06:00

ID

104951

Comment

Well, I watched the show and was amazed at some of the conversations that went on. Bruno, the white male, seemed so anxious to experience racism so that he can show how "we" ought to handle it. He also seemed to enjoy saying nigger as if to say, "Gee, I can say this word and not get my butt kicked by these black people." He also minimalized racism as if blacks are just overly sensitive or something. I really hope that Bruno learned something during the experiment. I'm anxious to see what he experiences next.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-03-09T13:13:45-06:00

ID

104952

Comment

I was planning to watch this show but changed my mind at the last minute. Decided I didn't need a TV show to tell me how much disparity and racism there is in America. But I hope it's entertaining and enlightening for viewers as well as for the participants.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2006-03-09T14:04:48-06:00