Black. White.

One show I’ve been looking forward to for a while is Black.White. Here’s the TV Guide blurb:

Debut: Black and white families switch races (through the work of makeup pros) and live together in this six-part series. In the opener, the black Sparkses of Atlanta and the white Wurgels of Santa Monica, Cal., are made up for the first time and begin to get to know each other. They also get a taste of the other race. For black dad Brian, it’s stellar service in a golf pro shop. White dad Bruno doesn’t foresee any problems, and this annoys Brian.

Glenn Garvin, a middle aged white guy, seemed discouraged in his Miami Herald review.

The picture that emerges is a bleak one. Though the most obvious and egregious blights of the pre-civil-rights era have disappeared — nobody in Black. White. is blocked from voting, has to drink from a water fountain marked ”colored,” or worries about being lynched — the signs of mutual suspicion and incomprehension are everywhere.

Well, that sounds about right. I’ve lived in the south (still do) and I’ve lived in the north, and concluded that blacks and whites in both regions live in two disparate cultures and the twain rarely meet. With the best of intentions, I have inadvertently insulted black coworkers and acquaintances. And they’ve done the same to me. I don’t have any close black friends. Not because I don’t want one, but because the opportunity just hasn’t presented itself. I’m a pretty typical middle aged middle class white Christian southern woman.

Their other similarity: a crippling tunnel vision when it comes to matters of race. Brian [the father in the black family] is convinced that every real slight his family suffers in life — and not a few imaginary ones — is the product of white racism. Bruno [the father in the white family] believes that white racism is mostly illusory and always inconsequential. They rant at one another without the faintest awareness that they’re two sides of the same counterfeit coin. Bruno: ”You see what you want to see.” Brian: “And you don’t see what you don’t want to see.”

I suspect both men are right. By any rational standard, racism has dramatically decreased since Jim Crow – which as hard as it may be to believe, existed in my lifetime. I’m 37 years old. The world has changed a great deal since then. And yet, a decade ago, after seeing a coworker on the local news for being in the Olympic tryouts which were held here in New Orleans, I commented, “It’s nice to see a young black man on the news for something positive.” With that one sentence, I diminished his achievement and put the burden of mistakes done by others who share his skin color on his back. It took me a good 6 hours to realize what a stupid, hurtful comment that was. I tried to apologize the next day, but the damage was done. I did not intend to insult or hurt him, but I realized later that’s exactly what I did. Now multiply that by millions of well meaning white folks… having to deal with that would wear me out. Now the flip side of it – I struggle with empathizing with racism when I hear rap music that glamorizes racism, criminal behavior, and hate. When I hear that black kids who achieve in school are accused of “acting white.” I honestly don’t understand why the word “nigger” is not offensive ALL the time*. It’s okay for Ted Rall to use the word about one of the most accomplished black women of her generation, but a misinterpreted comment – intended to be a mild compliment to an old man and not an endorsement of the Dixiecrats by any stretch of the imagination – cost Trent Lott a leadership position while former Klansman Robert Byrd is well-regarded by his black constituents. It’s all very perplexing. And I really would like to understand.

Apparently Oprah had these two families on her show recently and Et al. tackled it from the perspective of white privilege.

If you enjoy fiction, one really enlightening book that involved race relations is Randy Alcorn’s Dominion. He did a LOT of research. He does a good job of explaining white privilege and the practical aspects of modern racism. It’s a great, entertaining Christian mystery novel and a worthy sequel to Deadline.

As to the TV show, Black.White. if it sparks some soul-searching and maybe provokes some thoughtful discussion, then I’m all for it.

*UPDATE: Just found this excellent column in the St. Louis Post Dispatch on the use of the “N-word.”

As far as I’m concerned, anybody using the word – rappers, racists and all in between – should be forced to read books and watch hours and hours of documentaries on slavery, Jim Crow and segregation eras. If they understood the acts committed while uttering the “conversational phrase,” perhaps they wouldn’t use it so liberally.

Excellent idea – not enforceable. But I would love to see a program put together – like a day seminar or something – and made available at public libraries and offered to school libraries. This is an important a part of our recent history. It still does have impact on people today, and letting it pass from our collective memory is a mistake.