Black. White.

I am all about some documentarys. I think its because I am so nosey and voyeuristic (I am the youngest child, after all). Anyway, I was really excited because last night I got to watch Black. White. on FX. It is produced by Ice Cube and it has two families (one black, one white) of equal status and income level switch places and races and be thrust into many situations to see how different it is to be in the others shoes.

I think this is a valid experiment. I am insanely interested in race relations and sociological differences. Before I went to college, I used to kind of think that people made too much fuss about the black people and white people being so different. Maybe its because my best friend as a child was black and she was way wealthier than my family could ever dream of being. I have since learned that it is ignorant to ignore the differences between black and white people. I mean lets face it, some situations are just gonna be different. I think it is necessary to just respect these diffferences.

I kinda wish that there could have been a documentary about my freshman and sophomore year in college where I was the lone white girl in an apartment of three strong black females. Coming from a graduationg class of 450 that had only 11 black people in it. It was an awakening. I almost miss knowing all the rap songs way before they came on the radio (after all...I taught all my friends what "air force ones" were and the "remix to ignition" was old school to me by the time it started coming on The Party!) and reading Essence and Black Hair Magazine on the toilet.

I would like to think that I taught them something too. Maybe even if it was just that white people couldn't so easily be pigeon-holed (for example, I can throw down on some collards and black-eyed-peas and have been since I was since I was born!)

Thats why I never understand when I am watching the Real World, and there is always that one bitchy individual that is like "I am sooooo isolated!!!!!!!!!!!! waaa wahhh!!! bitch, bitch, bitch"....etc. Just deal with it. Have fun. Go to a Step Show for the historically black fraternities and sororities! Its kinda fun...after you get used to the fact that you may be one of the only white people there.

Sorry...I really don't think any of that was all that coherant. But, I promise...it made sense to me! I guess the lesson is, befriend a black person, you'll be glad you did!