By Rachel Zurilla
Dear White People is another one of Netflix’s new shows that has premiered recently. Like Thirteen Reasons Why, it has also stirred up some controversy. For those who haven’t seen it yet, it takes place at a fictional Ivy League university and focuses on a group of black students who are working to combat the racism they experience on their campus daily. Lead by biracial student Sam White, the show focuses on her radio show titled “Dear White People.” The storyline kicks off with a group of white students on campus hosting a “Dear Black People” Halloween party, in which everyone shows up in blackface. After the party, more events occur that realistically depict the subtle and blatant racism people of color can, and do, face.
Don’t Judge It By Its Title
As I’m sure plenty of people have seen, there are many offended by the title alone. The comment I see most often is “can you imagine if a white person made this and titled it Dear Black People? There would be outrage!” But if you take the time to actually watch the show, you’ll see that this isn’t some reverse racism narrative meant to demean white people. The title is meant to elicit that reaction, and by doing so starts a conversation that needs to be had about privilege – much like Sam’s radio show does.
The Show Avoids Stereotypes
The setting of this show makes its message even more powerful if you ask me. By having it take place on an Ivy League college campus, it shows that racism and discrimination are not just something that disappear because of an environment that consists of money or power. The characters are shown to be smart, hard-working, high class people and they still face racism and are looked down on, despite being equal to their white classmates in essentially every way. One of the characters, Coco, grew up on the southside of Chicago and worked her way to Winchester and she still faces prejudice because she is black – something she points out to Sam because she is biracial and therefore doesn’t face some of the treatment Coco receives.
The Show Also Embraces Stereotypes
While the show avoids depicting the stereotypical black person television often sees, they embrace the stereotype of the white person who doesn’t acknowledge their privilege. There’s the guy who doesn’t understand why he can’t say the ‘n’ word even though it’s in a song, the guy who dismisses talk about racism because “I know, I know it all goes back to slavery,” and even the police officer who pulls a gun on a black student because he doesn’t believe he is a student at the school. All of this shows why it is so important to be aware of the privilege you have and why it is so important not to marginalize an entire group of people simply because you don’t understand where they are coming from.
Students at Miami NEED to Pay Attention
While watching the show, I was struck by the similarities I noticed between Winchester University and Miami. Miami is similar to Winchester in many ways: we are a “public Ivy,” the students are predominantly white and wealthy, and the diversity in social groups is quite low (just take a look at Greek life). While I have never personally experienced blatant racism on this campus, we all know it’s there in subtly and it needs to be addressed and corrected.
No one is shaming white people for being white. Rather, we all need to step outside of ourselves and realize that being white comes with privileges; just as being male comes with privileges, being straight comes with privileges – the list goes on. I am a firm believer that people get what they work for. But I also believe that there are subconscious prejudices that work against minority groups every day. I believe that if we are lucky to be born with privilege of any kind, we need to use it to ensure that everyone is treated as an equal human being deserving of the same opportunities we are allowed. Dear White People is a show that depicts the struggles of black americans in a realistic, yet humorous and heartfelt way.