@3g0st oh you’re absolutely right. I just meant that I spent a lot of time binging this particular channel last month when I was having trouble sleeping. I do try to consume as much of this type of content as possible (day or night) and have for a while. I just became a big fan of these BMBs in the last month or so :)
this part! it's why i've always rolled my eyes seeing white twitter social justice warriors. It is for their ego, it's about their follower and like count. Overall I think it's a poor platform for social justice just because of all the misinformation that can easily spread, and that 90% of the tweets on racial discussions on that platform are driven by ego & recognition on the platform, instead of actually helping ppl. Not to say there aren't any good ones, but unfortunately the ppl who garner the most attention are usually white, or they are black ppl looking to build their social media presence.
"Starting fires in communities they don't live on behalf of people who don't want them there" that is it right there. The biggest issue with allies is when that instinct to overcorrect drowns out the words and actions of the marginalized people they're ostensibly there for! Thank you for really laying all this out
Yeah "de wypipo" are the ones who came and burned your neighborhoods in 2020...you know the wypipo put on blackface to loot stores and shoot up Chicago every weekend just to ruin your reputation! Them awful wypipo! :D
What Justin said about being a real ally really resonated. My (white bougie) parents moved to the South in 1961 to be a part of the civil rights movement - my Episcopal minister Dad worked with MLK's group, the SCLC, through the 60s & early 70s. Some 40 years later, I asked him what that was like. His answer: God sent me to Memphis to teach me humility.
Well in my opinion the human race was lucky to have your father for the simple fact humans can be one of two things: dedicated to following a moral code tied to the concept of equality, or unable to see the world through any other vantage point besides their own. It’s clear which side your father chose to join and I salute him as well as every other white person from that era who knew things were wrong and took action to change it. Full stop. Theres plenty of gray area related to some “allies” and their true motivations for why they allegedly support the causes they claim to support, but there’s also a large subset of people who realize their individual impact may be minimal yet don’t let that stop them from calling out hypocrisy and hate in their own family/friend networks. If we’re going to make any meaningful changes in terms of race, it’s got to happen at a local level like the Avon cosmetics business model. As opposed to the Walmart/big box store model of pursuing true equality… which is essentially “do nothing, but come up with catchy slogans and campaigns involving posting a black screen on social media”.
So personally I feel like I’m in an odd situation. I’m an indigenous kid from the Navajo Nation and now that I’ve left my state for college I feel like I’ve definitely felt this ally issue, but mainly from other marginalized people’s. I still have white friends, but rarely have we gone into topics like this. Where I mostly have these talks about allyship are with my politically active Black and Hispanic friends who want to help/discuss my community’s issues but often don’t quite understand the specifics or simply just compare it to theirs. Since I’ve left home, I’ve learned and I get that a lot of people (especially ones that grew up in urban and suburban areas) don’t have much experience with Native Americans or the culture in general. It’s just a bit awkward at times because it often feels like sometimes people think that just because they’re invited to the Cookout that means they also get a free pass to the Pow Wow. They’re definitely similar, and we’re all stronger together than apart, but there’s nuances and it’s important not to project your own experiences on other groups. I’m optimistic though and I believe most of this awkwardness just stems from the fact that we’re young and still figuring these things out. I think as we keep talking and learning from one another we’ll grow to understand and support each other in better ways.
That sounds like an important aspect of allyship to consider: the diversity present and another aspect of the flexibility and humility that needed in order to participate.
I'm interested to hear more about what you're saying so I'm betting that these folks would also appreciate to understand the nuances as well. They won't know unless you tell them. If they're already speaking the language maybe they can learn some new words. Metaphor! Lol good luck!
Oh I feel this as an Indigenous person too (apihtawikosisan)! I'm in the tech field and in Canada (so it's a bit different), but still there seems to be such a disconnect. There's almost this super big discomfort. Maybe it's because they have to reposition themselves as being complicit in the systems of Indigenous oppression and that can be a hard mental shift. Like they have to go from being the one who has/needs allies to being the one who needs to be an ally.
@@AMortifyingOrdeal I can confirm there's a big discomfort with being complicit in a system of oppression that I'm also not intended to benefit from. That's a complex issue and I have lots to learn. Thanks for your posts.
When you were talking about the "Savior" ally it kept reminding me of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope. Where a female character, despite being a primary character, often is used to only move the narrative of the male lead. The value of the plot and any growth is never really in her benefit. Her history, dreams, and struggles are shallow and only there to frame what the male lead needs in order for them to make some break through.
Thats generally the case because the movie isnt about the manic pixie dram girl. Its about the lost and confused dude. The story is about him, not her.
@@aureateseigneur5317 Yes, but the point is that when it's a movie about a male character saved by a female lead, at least saved in a more conceptual, not so literal sense, the focus shifts back to the male lead. So the "savior" becomes the secondary character in these movies.
I remember being forced to read "to kill a mockingbird" in school. And I remember needing to write a paper how you feel about it. I HATE that book. I know it was good for the times, or whatever, but they're so many better stories for black lives. Heck, it's not even about the white savior it was about his kids. I remember going into detail how it was boring and why I hated the characters etc, and after my teacher drowned it in red ink, because I wasn't giving the white savior trope any room to breathe. She did not like perspective as a black girl
I personally like the book and believe it was really well written but damn, as long as the critique was constructive the teacher should've been more willing to see another perspective. Academia way too often neuders the effectiveness of older media by refusing to create any discussion on it. I think it's a good book but it's just mindnumbingly boring when you're just being told how and why to enjoy something. The author herself would've likely been more interested in such critique. I feel like this happens a ton in white culture; once counterculture becomes accepted it's blindly praised; often being treated separately to the time period it was created in and it looses the meaning it once held and the lesson it can currently provide.
@@randomguyontheinternet7940 I will say the trial was by far the most interesting and well done. However the rest of the book for me wasn't entertaining. There just wasn't enough there for me to actually care about the kids. Especially when there's a innocent person being framed for something he didn't do.
I did a book report on that. Yes it was less about the white lawyer who was willing to represent the black man falsely accused of R and more about the father of the woman who attempted to unalive 🙄 his kids and their friend because of this, and how the black man they were afraid of saved their lives. I didn't hate it I guess, but I mean the little girl, was it finch is the protagonist right. To me it was a story with 2 running main themes
"Being an ally should never be about you." PREACH! You hit the nail on the head when you said the ally often uses the marginalized group to virtue signal that they are different but then it becomes politicized and peeps from the suburbs come into the marginalized communities to start havoc and it's painfully obvious that these two peeps are talking to each other and are using the marginalized group as a conduit to air their grievances. You and that interviewed gentleman put into words things I've felt but didn't know how to say. Thank you thank you thank you.
"Being an ally should never be about you.” Have mixed feelings on this On one hand it makes sense that allyship needs to be about the cause and the end goal not just for your benefit or issues but i find it debilitating to say it shouldn’t be about you in any capacity, when you may be the one putting your life, health, and the life and health of your family or others in danger by following the cause.
@@mckenzie.latham91 Your life is about you. The political cause and the political conversation isn't. No one's saying that you don't matter as an individual with individual experiences, just that those individual experiences don't substitute or supersede systemic issues nor should they be treated as the same thing in a political sense. That applies to both negative and positive personal experiences, you can have a conversation about yourself and your life but it's just not gonna be on the same level as a political conversation about systems.
The stuff about Schultz and Europeans trying to distance themselves from Americans is pretty confronting, as a Dutch person. White progressives in the Netherlands love to criticize the US about the murder of George Floyd and to post black squares, but when it's december and our blackface tradition comes along again, lots of them are a lot less outspoken. This is very deeply rooted in our culture, where in history class we get taught more about slavery in the US then about slavery in the Dutch Antilles or Indonesia. In the media, there is more focus on racial issues in the US then in our own country and when we think of the civil rights movement, we think about Martin Luther King instead of the people who fight for racial justice here at home. As a Dutch white guy trying to help marginalized communities, but inhabiting mostly white communities myself, it's a constant process of learning but also mostly of unlearning. Which is why these kinds of videos are very valuable. Thanks a lot!
That's the most progressive thing I've heard a white Dutch person say. It's often, we're not as racist as the Americans meanwhile negating their country's history and wealth came from building slave ships and having overseas colonies. But yeah, lets focus solely on the Americans instead of looking inward. Thank you for sitting with that uneasiness and actually looking at it in the face.
Same, the only historical contribution to racist oppression we get taught in school as far as I remember is the role of the VOC and especially WIC in goods made through slavery and directly in slave trade and how it led up to what we call 'the golden age' of wealth. Since there still appears to be less overt racism in the Netherlands it's often difficult to relate content from the US to our situation. But as you said the analysis of Schultz was nevertheless incredibly helpful in emphasising the need for us to look at our own sphere of influence. For example advocating for making Keti Koti, the abolishment of slavery, a national holiday (Sinterklaas seems to be losing to Christmas anyway so might as well replace a blackface holiday with the exact opposite).
Every thing you have said is on point. Living in The Netherlands for over 30 years and counting I find many Dutch use passive/aggressive tactics when it comes to issues of race. They tend to speak/act as if they are the expert, especially on issues of race. I've had many try to tell me all about racial issues as they pertain to America because they've read/ heard all about it, while totally dismissing my having been born and raised as Black in America. As for Dutch racism, it's very nuanced in its applications and often is passed off as naivete about those they see as "other". Funny thing, not really is how as a Western Black I'm treated as a "unicorn" until I point out their hypocritical treatment of non-western Black and PoC, then they go on the offensive.
As a trans lesbian, thank you for always bringing the intersectionality up constantly in these video. The savior type is a huge problem in the LGBT community. They mean well but they pick fights with the conservative types that they are not prepared to fight nor should fight at all and it ends up just giving people like Ben Shapiro fodder to spread their hate and say "look how ridiculous these LGBT people are". In the end it just does more harm than good 99% of the time. This video really help put into words why those types are bad for me
Hell yes. This exact dynamic is what made the saga following Vaush's jab at J.K. Rowling so irritating. Like, bruh, you're being asked to back off. That should be enough. Also, love the pfp, that's a great template
In my experience as a queer woman, I agree that humility and willingness to make sacrifices (even small ones) are what make a real ally. Being able to listen, reflect on your own bias, and take your cues from actual marginalized people separates those who are here to help others and those who are here to help themselves. And if you can't risk even a tiny transgression or contribute real resources to the cause then you are, from a practical standpoint, useless to it.
RE: fruit flies, putting bowls of vinegar covered in Saran wrap with holes in every room coupled with dumping boiling water down every drain twice a day is cheap and reliable. After 2-3 days the number of flies buzzing around will be hugely reduced and after a week your roommate will leave rotten bananas out on the table for banana bread that will never get made and they'll all be back. Works every time.
I specifically recommend apple cider vinegar, and to add a drop of dish soap to it. Apple cider vinegar smells like rotting fruit to the flies, causing them to fly in and land, but the soap breaks the surface tension so the flies sink and drown.
yeah - fruitflies pretty much go away entirely if you remove their open foodsources their lifespan is so short, that they just die off on their own if they cant reproduce so make sure your trashcan is fairly well closed off and your trashbags are watertight (i once had stuff from the trashbag dripping to the bottom of the bin which was an excelent breeding ground) dont leave food (especially fruit) out in the open and empty out your trash somewhat regularily - another time i had issues with fruitflies, i was using a massive trashcan that i rarely needed to empty out...which gave the buggers plenty time to breed in there that should mostly take care of the issue
"shultz and candie argue, fight, kill and die over who is the least brutal oppressor, and black lives are hanging in the balance" i think every single white "ally" needs to hear this. I'm so glad khadija brought me to your channel, love your insights and thougthful analysis.
"i think every single white "ally" needs to hear this.” I’ll remember this the next time people, try and get me to care about another black shooting, after all i better stay in my lane to not get other people caught in the crossfire guess? again this is not saying anything this is not telling us what to do or how to help, it’s just wagging the finger at us for our faults like we’re the only ones who have such fundamental flaws that sabotage us and others.
@@mckenzie.latham91 Come on, is that really your response to a statement like this? Your comment is an unfortunate oversimplification of what is being talked about here. I think the video clearly explains what is beneficial and what is not. Instead of buying into the ethos of the us/them mentality maybe just put more thought into what is actually being said here. Why are you getting so upset about a "group" you "belong" to being criticized? Why do you feel so offended? Is this this really a statement on your personal character or something else? Ironically, this is the embodiment of the behavior white "allies" are criticized for in this very video. Will you only "help" if you are praised for everything you do regardless of whether or not it is actually helpful? I'm not trying to make you feel bad about having an emotional reaction, really. Like F.D. commented on poignantly, this entire process takes a large degree of humility, and people need to be willing to be wrong and examine their thoughts and behaviors, which is obviously difficult for everyone. Its complicated, and that's the reason why F.D. plugged that organization, because they specifically exist to help people like you and I who may be confused as to what is productive and what is not. At the end of the day, the biggest thing that has helped me and may help you is to really think about why we viscerally react to instances of criticism, learn to separate that criticism of our broader "group" identity and carefully apply it to ourselves (think, have "I" specifically done or thought this? why/ why not? If not, then it doesn't apply to me, but what can I do better etc.) and then evaluate why it is you are trying to help ( am doing this to make myself feel better or am I doing this see tangible change?)
@@zackwalker5701 " I think the video clearly explains what is beneficial and what is not. “ It doesn’t actually, and it leaves out key context. For example using Django Unchained, F.D. tries to portray Shultz as a bad ally based on his actions there, which was a screw up, even Shultz himself admits it before he dies but the point i would make is look at Shultz’s actions throughout the film 1. Frees Django from the slave line 2. Not only frees django, but also frees the other slaves, instructs them which way is north and freedom, and then advises them how to kill the surviving slaver, so that his body wont be found and they can get farther away to escape 3. takes django under his protection, teaching him to not only defend himself but gain the skills he can use to take revenge and rescue his wife later on 4. Actually agrees to help Django find his wife and tracks her down for him 5. Accompanies Django into Candy land even hutch he cannot stand Candy or the slavers hpcorsy and pretense of sophistication (as well Prussia/Germany did not participate in the slave trade, so the line about the brutal oppressor" dick contest doesn’t even hold water) Yes Shultz screws up at the last minute but that is because he’s not perfect and was prone to flaws, like any human being. I think shultz can be considered a flawed ally but not a bad ally, as he is undeniably the only reason Django ever got freed and or ever found his wife, period and yet that doesn’t factor in at all to how he was an ally... And that’s the point, we’re expected to be allies but then when we do things that do help its ignored the moment we fail or drop the ball on one thing, and those other things just are assumed to never have happened. It’ the same struggle that many civil rights leaders gave LBJ for taking his time on the civil rights act, even though LBJ wasn’t dragging his heels, it was cause he was doing all he could, but was having to manage his fellow Dixiecrats as well as ensuring he could get enough votes to make a veto proof legislation and yet many POC would call him out for this as if he didn’t care and or wasn’t motivated at all, even as he was doing his job. F.D even admits that the whole reason for that scene in Django was also to ensure the big shoot out happens, and yet people and him act like the film is portraying a bad idea even after admitting entertainment was the main goal i even saw someone in here call out Tarintino for writing that scene despite supposedly being an ally in real life, even after the person admits that it was more for entertainment purposes. "Will you only "help" if you are praised for everything you do regardless of whether or not it is actually helpful?” I don’t care about praise, i just want credit where credit is due...If someone is trying to be an ally and help, even if they may screw up or fall short, it should not land them labeled a total bad ally if they are trying to use and or benefit from the “cause” for their own personal gain, then yes, call them out but not everyone is perfect and going to be able to be perfect in every situation you want and i don’t think that discloses someone who generally intendeds to help or means well as not being a good ally. Like i said Shultz screws up, but everything else he does in the film helps and benefits Django, and yet somehow that isn’t factored into him being an ally at all...
"and that's the reason why F.D. plugged that organization, “ Yeah that’s another thing i checked that organization out and i was surprised to find it’s not a non for profit, it’s a paid three day seminar, for profit organization which turns my head a bit.
@@mckenzie.latham91 No one is forcing you to be an ally or forcing you to care. If you're getting so up in your feelings about not being given credit, or being berated when you do allyship 'wrong'... then don't be an ally. Go about your business and stay out of it. The actions you're describing of Schultz are more white saviourism than allyship. He saves Django, then trains the childlike savages to rise up against their oppressors, then magnanimously gives his life killing a white man who's more racist than he is, to prove how good a white man he is. Okay. But those were his decisions. After freeing Django, he could've gone his way or helped in other ways. But he literally centred himself to death because he was so stuck on feeding his ego; Django becomes essentially a cardboard cutout in his own story, dragged into conflict when he didn't need to be, just so Schulz can be centre stage. If you want recognition for being an ally, maybe you're doing allyship for the wrong reasons. Instead of being bitter and deciding not to care, you could take a look at yourself and ask why you're so wrapped up in this ally identity. Who are you doing it for? Right now, it sounds like you're doing allyship for yourself. And because you're not being made to feel good about it, you turn on the marginalised people you claim to want to support. It's not their fault you're a shit ally, it's yours. So do something about it, or stop complaining that you're not getting adulation for being an ordinary decent human being.
As a white guy I was really humbled when a guy at my job was being discriminated against and showed way more grace than I wanted to with the situation. Following his lead I stayed clam, and ended up being able to see a lot more racism in our workplace, against him and others. I played my role and a lot of managers ended up saying things either directly too me or within earshot that could be reported, and were. Lots of the managers ended up leaving the store due to the constant write ups and the whole store ended up closing a few months after all this came to light, thankfully most people had already moved on or barely needed the job anyway.
I want to validate the 'homie ally' existing in the disability community. My disabled friends and I often joke about our disabilities with each other. But... Abled people who spend time with us can get too comfortable and chime in. For us these Jokes are a survival mechanism but there is no reason for them to chime in. *This is not to center the conversation around me. I am listening. But just want to validate that phenomena existing in other communities as you mention.* Love this video and love your work.
I've also noticed that people tend to co-opt their assistance as being something more than it really is. My sister is disabled so I've seen it plenty of times from classmates to the nurses who come in in the mornings to assist. Maybe I'm biased because this has been my life for like 23 some odd years now so I'm used to assistance being required in her situation, it's not really a big deal; but to someone who maybe doesn't have the opportunity to work with disabled people regularly it can seem a bit more monumental of a task to lend a hand with her. I dunno, I've noticed stuff like this in a lot of communities, especially in LGBT+ spaces.
Why is it suddenly not ok if an abled person makes these jokes? What do you even mean by "survival" mechanism? And why does your jokes supposedly being a "survival mechanism" make it no ok for other people to joke with you?
@@hoominbeeing i mean if you'd watch the video you're commenting on then you'd get the gist of why you shouldn't just let yourself into communities you're not a part of, it's not really anybody's job but your own to educate yourself on how to be a better person. grow the fuck up
"Allyship is more than the catharsis you get by doing the right thing." Dude, i mean come on, I don't know you're able to distill complex ideas into hard-hitting single sentences like that! I know conversations like this should never be boiled down to punchy one-liners, but damn it's still impressive when you punctuate a well argued point with a fucking fire line.
Honestly these are the sound bites we need on the left. American leftists have always sucked at coming up with "marketable" messaging and we suffer for it.
"the catharsis you get by doing the right thing.” That’s the reason the vast majority of anyone, black, white, hispanic, asian etc. etc. ever do the right thing pretending like the majority of people do the right thing for any other reason than personal or some form of selfish means is wishful thinking. Very few, if not incredibly rare breeds of people who do what they do for 100% altruistic means is one out of every ten million etc. etc that’s why so few of these figures have ever existed in history and why they are such outliers among the masses.
@Mckenzie .Latham Stop being so naive and reductive, no one here is saying anything close to what you're straw-manning, reality is far more complicated and bleak than what you describe yet it is easy to see that people can do the right thing for any number of reasons. Regardless treating certain people as outliers (both statistically and focusing on historical figures instead of "the masses") is neither accurate or moral.
Kinda weird that Quentin Tarantino, of all people, was able to so deftly express that flaw present in many white allies of placing his own "honor" above the well being of the people he's supposed to be helping.
@@Temudhun I think it reads as pretty clearly deliberate. Django and Brunhilda clearly just want to get out of there and go live their lives. That was the plan. And giving into his pride is clearly a grave error that could have ended with all of them dead (and Schultz does die).
Nah it wasn't on purpose. Tarantino is just a genius storyteller and knows a lot about black culture. When you're like that you just stumble upon deep insighful stuff without even trying. I'm 100% certain that Tarantino conceived Schulz as a genuine noble _selfless_ character.
@Boubouh I think it was mostly a vehicle for having a bloody climax but I also think it was intentional because they built up his difficulty reconciling his pride as a good white with “refined european tastes” and him having to play the part of a slave owner when dealing with candy
@@andreja9425 Oh yeah, if I were to guess at the writing process: THING ONE: This plan needs to go badly so Django has to have a bloody shootout climax. So how? Maybe theres a major slip up at a critical moment? Or just some random event that Django and Schulz couldn't foresee? No, it would be more narratively satisfying if they fuck it up... no, not Django... Schulz fucks it up. And he dies for it. So how...
'True heroism is minutes, hours, weeks, year upon year of the quiet, precise, judicious exercise of probity and care-with no one there to see or cheer. This is the world.' - The Pale King
I just want to say how much you've helped me grow and opened my eyes to thins I have done that don't correspond with being a good ally. I'm sad that it took others to hold me accountable, but regardless...thank you
I have to applaud Roberts willingness to be vulnerable and admit he was unclear on what Ally means.. I wish more people had that kind of emotional bravery.
As a sidenote (and at the risk of sounding like a "actually" boy), Alexandre Dumas was the son of a black father and white mother. It was his father, Thomas-Alexandre, who was the son of a white slave owner father and a black slave woman. Thomas-Alexandre went on to become a General of the French Army, and along with Toussaint Louverture remained the only two black men to become generals in western military until the 1970s. He died in poverty after Napoleon undid some of the French Revolution's gains (going so far, if I'm not mistaken, as to prohibit black people from living in Paris) and being basically hated by Napoleon on a personal level. Not salient to the video, I know, but I think it's worth pointing out the life of Thomas-Alexandre.
While we're being pedantic, Gen. Benjamin Davis was promoted to Brigadier General in the U.S. Army in 1940, so you can add him to the (exceedingly short) list alongside Dumas and Louverture.
Also add to the list, Vicente Guerrero who was Afro Mexican and became a Mexican President (who coincidentally abolished slavery over 30 years before the US). Add, Jose Antonio Maceo the “Bronze Titan” of Cuba who helped make Cuba independent of Spain.
He was captured after a battle and normally in that time you would ransom out your generals an example is george washington was ransomed out by england during the english french war, the reason he wasn't ransomed out was he was popular enough to be a threat to napoleon. He was released after the french beat ferdiand 4th, with no back pay, partially paralysed, blind in one eye and deaf in a ear from what he thought was poisoning. he died a few years later and his statue along with is his son's and grandson's were taken down during the nazi occupation of france.
Also add Ivan Abramovich Hannibal, General in Chief of the Russian Imperial army, and his father Abram Hannibal, also a General in Chief of the Russian Imperial Army.
This is some real ass shit. Ive asked my self that alot lately. Do I really care for marginalized people of color or do I just despise all the dumb, southern, conservative bs ive had to be brought up around. I know I care about other people but its in that vague "everybody get along" type mentality. Youve given me aot more to think about. Awesome video dude!
I’ve especially seen this kind of thing with trans people (as a trans guy myself) but also a lot with Jewish allyship?? Like, it’s never “trans liberation now” or “Jewish voices matter in this topic”.... it’s always “fuck terfs” and “punch a nazi”. It’s about hating the oppressor and not helping the oppressed.
@Maxwell Long It's a fraught topic. I know that Nazis and TERFs hide behind people that look like me, so calling them out is my job. But is it my place to pick whose voices from another community should be uplifted? Clearly not, right? Plus, look at how the people that get uplifted by the dominant society usually aren't the ones that really challenge the power. Then that "sit back and listen, don't make it about you" thing kicks in and not wanting to fuck it up makes "uplifting" people complicated. But it's easy to see how kicking the Nazis and TERFs out of the "town center" and giving marginalized people a bigger place in our conversation helps, and it helps in a way that white folks know is their work to do, and it doesn't rely on us to pick who we want to platform. Maybe there's going to be a clearer path to mutual empowerment in the future but right now it can be hard to feel like you're doing the right thing unless you're listening a lot, getting out of the way a lot, and mostly just sabotaging the systems of oppression that live in your own community.
With me a question is sorta like Elphaba's from "Wicked" "[Am] I really seeking good? Or [am] I just seeking attention?" So far my answers are "I do want a better world, a better country for all people because I don't want to be complicit in oppression, but my desperate need for validation because I have trouble producing it in myself seeps into that sometimes and I need to watch out for that because that helps no one. Not oppressed minorities or myself."
@@readytobebolder As a trans person I agree, and as a life-long hater of nazis, it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize I should actually learn about the jewish community. Although, most of the "fuck terfs" people are trans, I think...? But yeah I would love if even one person said "Don't talk over trans voices". People act like we're lab rats, like we can't possibly have relevant opinions about our own bodies and experiences.
So, this got recommended to me today, and the European moral high horse resonates so much with me, because while racism may not be as obvious and overt as in the US, it is still present. I've been living here 30 years, one of my parents is European, and yet people are always shocked when they hear me speak the language without issues. Yesterday someone (who's known me for at least 5 years and knows that I got ALL of my schooling done here) asked me whether I got used to the climate and I was so peeved by the question that I answered "After 30 years, I don't even remember what the climate was in South America..." People in Europe like to think that they're very open and welcoming and not racist, but they still have racism related prejudice and they don't even have the awareness to see it.
Man, I'd love to hear your take specifically on Hispanic allies, because while we share a lot of struggles in the US, a lot of Latin America is mega racist, or think racism is over and just an American thing, and since "Hispanic" allows any skin color, even within a Hispanic community, you'll have white Hispanics being racist towards black Hispanics, and while Hispanics love to think that "your fight is our fight", I think it's way more complicated than that (it's a great sentiment, though). We're also not treated the same by whites based on how we look (as you can see from my profile picture, I have a pretty light complexion, my nickname sounds pretty American, and I don't usually have a noticeable accent (years of training), so I have the privilege of getting to avoid a lot of racism), and to complicate matters further, Hispanics were also slave owners. One of my ancestors was straight up a slave trader after the natives were enslaved and then wiped out and they had to bring in black slaves. Excuse any weird wording, English isn't my first language.
This is a good topic to touch on. I was born and raised in Newark and grew up around Spanish, Asians and black folks, so a lot of the N word, Spanish and Asian slurs were thrown around both as a term of endearment and as a term of hate. Racism is alive and well within our black, brown and yellow communities, as well as homophobia and sexism. While both communities have become more inclusive and diverse, and sure we both have shared similar struggles, the racism’s is still prevalent today. I too have avoided some of the harsher side of racism and because I’m Latino, I was accepted into racist white circles where I was told “you’re one of the good ones”, a comment I thought was a compliment in my youth but later realized what it was.
I’m part white Hispanic - the castiza thing is real. I benefit in the USA being light and also in Spanish countries. Frankly, I think whites in Hispanic and Latin countries are far more racist than whites in the USA. Though I will say my white Hispanic family in Puerto Rico is far more racist and biased than my family in Valencia, España. I have found Spaniards to be far more aware of their history than others in the Hispanosphere.
Racism is all over the globe due to imperialism, colonialism and chattel slavery. Since the US is the empire that dictates how things work globally then that comes with conditioning and propaganda of the masses of people on how to see people, things and the entire planet as a whole. Nonetheless, allow that are symptoms of the problem. If root of the problem is not rooted out, it will mutate and create others symptoms to the problem.
THIIISSS!!! I moved to the UK from Chile a couple of years ago, and it is so confusing. I have white privilege in Chile but not in the UK...and even though I'm mixed (lebanese-chilean-italian), the way people see me in Chile, where there is a lot of racism and elitism, is as italian, meaning white...but not in the UK. I have tried to explain my parents this and they don't understand, they actually think there is no such thing as racism in Chile...when they visited, I tried to explain my dad (who is white) that I have been followed around in shops but that he probably wouldn't have that experience, and he looked at me like I'm talking nonsense. And people from my background don't understand that we have erased black citizens from our history, or that we are ragingly racist against indigenous people. Also, it's been a whole new thing to acknowledge my own privilege while at the same time working on my biases and on receiving bias in a new country...ver eye opening and difficult. This is what we lack in Latin America, the awareness that this touches us also.
Blindspotting came out the same year as Green Book, and the fact that the former is an underground gem and the latter won Best Picture is ludicrous. Also, on a purely technical level, Blindspotting not getting nominated for Best Film Editing at the Oscars while Bohemian Rhapsody won the damn thing is a sin I will never forgive.
You talking about the older movie with the two guys that work for a moving company and the one guy witnessed a cop commit murder? That's a great film! There's a recent show called that that's trying to cover up that movies existence, I swear.
It's a shame how easy it is to be ignorant of marginalized people until it's someone that you care about deeply, and then you feel compelled to be an ally. I myself have been guilty of this until recently. I just want to thank you for your content, and how eye opening it's been. I'm sure my girlfriend feels the same way. She absolutely doesn't have time to explain every little thing to me, and you really help me do my homework, and gain a broader understanding.
“It's a shame how easy it is to be ignorant of marginalized people until it's someone that you care about deeply, and then you feel compelled to be an ally.” The issue is that this is actually the way 90% of the population works, empathy builds better when he we can see and or feel it happen to those closest to us as opposed to seeing it far off and or not having the same personal connection. This does not make you inherently flawed as it seems to be implied. It just means you have be more open to expanding your empathy and understanding of situations when it deserves it.
@@jermanizer Everything in this thread is an unnecessary comment. You commented and you comment because you want to, not because you are obligated and or it is required for you to add your two cents that’s the whole point about these public forums.
It's taken me years to see how I have perpetuated and accepted "ally" behaviors as a mixed POC with lighter skin. It's insidious how much I internalized anti-blackness and assimilated with white culture to survive at the expense of my more marginalized friends and myself. Thank you for this video. A reminder to keep reflecting, unlearning, and listening.
the discussion of allyship always brings up for me this quote: “If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” ― Lilla Watson
How to be an ally: just be a good friend, do as you would hope your best friend would do for you, and don't be confrontational, but make it known you're aware of what's going on and you are disappointed. It's sad you have to call that an ally, but here we are, having to construe being an ally with being a good friend
Not sure it’s same as being a good friend.. I can be a good friend without interrogating my own biases and conditioning, by being on their “side”, like that’s the “homie” right? Ally ship shouldn’t be based on receiving friendship in return, it’s about social bonds to ppl you don’t have any person bonds to, sometimes over your bonds with your friends. That requires regular humility and continuous self deconstruction. Friendships can often re-affirm your worth and self perception rather than challenge it. So yea, think there’s a difference 🤷🏻
@@Pandemonius88 Ooh yes, well said. You can be or have a good friend who gives you the things you want emotionally and cares about you. Being an ally requires the effort to really look at their marginalized identity or identities (asking questions respectfully or doing research to learn more), unlearning your unconscious/internalized biases and reprogramming those to be a more sensitive friend and person. But a good friend to a marginalized person should be an ally or be working on it.
@@Pandemonius88 on a superficial level, yes. I can see how you're right. However, what kind of friend would I be if I only cared about how I interacted with them. I mean, you're objectively correct if all I cared about was how we interacted with each other. When with friends of color, or loved ones(my ex fiance, who I'm close with still), you start to notice shit and you ask questions. I think anyone with a reasonable sense of humanity in my position wouldn't consider yourself just an ally, but a good friend to the cause too. The way I see it, an ally just fights with you, but has no personal vestment in the matter. One of my best friends, my cousin, my previously mentioned ex, several childhood friends, and my band teacher would all have to mean less to me in order to be an ally. It's not only the solipsistic nature of human interaction, I genuinely care about their well beings, as well as being upset about what they have to go through. That goes deeper than just being an ally. I get what you're saying, but for me to call myself an ally is for me to deny myself of an entire life's worth of close personal relationship to say "I'm still with you", when I always was. It's personally demeaning, in my case, in my opinion. And please don't think I'm being pretentious about it, I just feel like maybe there needs to be a different word other than "Ally" for the white people who literally grew up at, or around the cookout, you know? I'm by no means saying that people in my shoes understand that struggle, but I can say that I've known about it longer then it's been recognized as a problem, and I've been called defamatory names by white people by my association with people I just considered to be "friends". So being told what I am, and am not, is a bit demeaning. This is the culture I literally grew up in, I don't know anything else. My friend are my friends, I love who I love, and I'm a product of my environment. I can't change my proximity just because it's now a national issue. I always was a friend first, and I spoke out when I needed to in public, but i am always a friend first.
@@DrJellyFanguzzz "but for me to call myself an ally is for me to deny myself of an entire life's worth of close personal relationship" - Why? I'm not sure why you recognise inter-personal relationships and allyship as mutually exclusive. Allyship is a political designation (AFAIK), your personal relationships are irrelevant to it. You are an ally solely because of the societal position you hold (i.e. white) in relation to the 'cause' (i.e. black liberation). However much your upbringing was 'around the cookout' doesn't change that societal position. It's a broad term that bears no meaning on your personal relationships or your motivations. Perhaps a more interesting question is "what does 'ally' mean to you?" (just food for thought).
I am not black, hell I am not even American. But being a minority in a country riddled with theocratic fascism, your videos are really giving me strength and making sense of my experience as a minority.
“If we commit to doing better, and being careful in engaging in sensitive conversations that we’re new to, and also just be willing to learn, we’ve got a lot going for us in that regard” Now THAT is simple and actionable. Thanks for the perspective 🙏
I just have to say, 1. Content is phenomenal as usual. 2. I’m so thrilled you are sponsored! 3. That you have a sponsor that isn’t a deviation from your content or one that is over saturated and just a cash grab (i.e. Hello Fresh, Skill Share, etc.). I love that you are specific and intentional with who you sponsor with.
Your the first person in social media that i´ve heard say that you can't become an expert in a topic only by researching a couple weeks, or simply adressing this point. I think sometimes it's to easy to forget about that, and how most people who engage in this topics are just learning, not experts. Even experts have trouble understanding and arriving at some basic consensus when the topics are so complex. Just wanted to say it's great!
Interesting acknowledgment that Robert is just a kid. I saw his videos pop up in my recs and I watched a few, and my biggest take away is "oh, this is a kid". I don't think what he says is completely without value, but I'll be more interested to see where he is on ten years from now after he has a lot more life experience.
Speaking as one of them, I think the current generation both in and just leaving college is in a similar boat. Lots of very upset, motivated, and intelligent individuals that want to see real change where it matters, but right now are bereft of real-world experience needed to make that impact.
Before I press the start button... Hollywood portrayal of being an Ally: The Help Blind Side Green Bulls*#t Book Me: How NOT to be an Ally: Chapter1: The Help Blind Side Green B🤢 ( sorry threw up a lil bit.....) I am still mentally scared by both 😩couldn’t do the Green one- trailer was good enough 😬😬😬 Congratulations on the sponsor!!!
Maybe a big problem of all depicted types of allies is that they most always just do what they think is right, instead of actually listening to the group they wanna support or asking them what they can do. For me personally an „ally“ isn’t necessarily someone who jumps in and solves my problems when I’m struggling, but more often someone who can help me to find strength to help myself. Someone who is there because they actually like me and care for me, not out of some kind of obligation or dread. Not a savior, a supporter.
11:20 thank you for bringing up other groups who do experience this. I am not black, I am queer and (this may sound strange but i have pretty severe neurodivergence) it is valuable to me as a queer person to hear someone from another marginalized group foster a sense of community and empathy between marginalized groups. It not only validates my (and many others) queer experience, but it continues to solidify the solidarity, empathy, and respect that we should have for one another as minorities and human beings.
I feel as though the partner role is the most beneficial placing in “allyship” due to the equal footing and common ground goals they have. I enjoy the content wholeheartedly.
It's a dumb nitpick but you mixed up Alexandre Dumas with his dad Thomas-Alexandre Dumas. The point still stands of course since his dad was able to become a General in the French Army precisely because his father was a French nobleman who took him from Haiti to France to be educated.
I caught this because I'm in middle of reading "The Black Count", a biography of General Dumas. His story really does show how the lofty ideals of equality that fueled the French Revolution clashed with the oppressive reality of Europe and its colonies during that time
Thank you so much! I’m definitely a homie to the Latino community in my area. I grew up in a diverse neighborhood, am “conditionally” white as a white Latino, and have adopted a lot of Latino culture even though I was raised by a white mother and learned Spanish as a teenager/adult. I never heard the term ally until the last few years and thought the idea was odd considering my position. I’m like, just be kind to folks and recognize that racial injustice is real and pervasive in our society. What’s all this talk about allies?! That being said, I get defensive when I’m made aware of my privilege and certain aspects of my identity are surely an attempt to overcompensate for my “homie” status. Thanks again! I just started watching your videos! Love them.
The saviour ally part reminded me so much of how in movies and tv-series featuring crime and victims of crime and trauma basically end when the story of the saviour, the protagonist ends, they saved the victims from the perps, from the abusers, monsters but the victims story is far from over, they'll have to live with the traumas and the longterm effects of the crime but there is no interest to show that part as the protagonist's story has ended. That has always felt exploitative with how such media in essence "create" trauma victims for the amusements and thrills of an audience. Not sure where I'm going with this but it felt related with how in the end when the saviour think they're done the victims, the disadvantaged groups still have to live with it all, in it all.
Wow, I hadn't thought about the fact that those saviour movies are more about them than the marginalised group/individual, but as soon as you pointed it out, it about smacked me in the face!! The point that solutions are systemic rather than individual is another thing that I hadn't thought about. Thanks for educating me 🙂
It's always grinded my gears whenever us Americans are talking about issues in our country, and a white person from another country butts in and tries to gloat, mock and make fun of our issues when their own country hasn't even begun to pinpoint their racism problem. At this point, I've just gotten used to outsiders watching us for entertainment and to sling mud at us and not because they actually care about the cause.
My best friend used to work with a German who loved to decry American racism. Her father had served with Das Reich (yes, that Das Reich) and his opinions of Jews, the Poles, the French, all came down intact. Racism is not the problem of any one nation.
see the things that bothers me the most is that people from here (Italy in my case) don't really care about this stuff because they like to think that only the US "has a historical racism problem" and so it's their problem to solve, while we elect politicians who want "illegal immigrants who steal our jobs" out of the country and ALSO not providing them, or anyone who is really poor and COINCIDENTALLY either from North/Central Africa or Middle-Eastern countries, a living wage, housing and education. Trust me, our universities are whiter than the marble they are built with.
@@jossaccountofmadnessandmem1844 ok, there is a difference between racism and xenophobia. América is drowning in racism, you can't really compare the refugee crisis of Europe to any problem the USA has, take into account that people didn't allow black and White citizens to share a bathroom till 1964, very different situation.
As a "homie", I fell into some of those traps when I was younger. I grew up in a predominantly Black town and am a minority myself as a bisexual trans man. I'm also married to a Black woman whom I've been with for 12 years. I distinctly remember when I started being seen as "part of the community" and not just a white friend. When I was younger, I was so stuck in what it meant to *me* to be part of that community, that I forgot what it meant to the community for me to be there. There were times where white people would say things around me, or I'd witness something and I couldn't let it go. I saw it as an attack on the people I loved. The people who loved me. I reacted to these things with vehement rejection, blind to the privileges that allowed me to voice such vehemence without the same fear of reprisal. I still have these moments, but my wife definitely helps keep it in check. Some of it is that's just who I am. When people step up against the trans community that I have a call to since birth, I can't abide that shit either, but I've learned to temper it as I've gotten older. It's rarely about me. And unless I can use relative privilege to give other people the platform they're denied, I've learned to stop making my loved ones' lives harder.
I think about that The Legend of Aang's scene with Iroh alot when thinking about allyship: Zuko asks his uncle and one of the strongest firebenders, Iroh, to finish his brother(Zuko's father) and end the reign of terror. Iroh being the figure of wisdom throughout the show replies with somehing like "Even if i could do that, imagine what it would mean for history: the war didn't end at all, the world only saw brothers killing eachother for political power". Of course it's not in a racial matter, but i think the message is about how we must be carefull of our actions when we make dificult and deep decisions like these. If your acts of "allyship" only benefit yourself, a privileged person who is part of the problem, how can they help the ones who are strugglin'? The only ones who benefit with a image of "privileged savior" are the privileged ones themselves. Sorry for the bad english.
I really love your videos, they have really helped me realize how much I, a white man who wants to be an ally, really don't know. I've recommended your channel to a few people now in the hope that they, like me, realize how much they don't know about being an ally to marginalized groups.
As an Xennial, I find it frustrating to talk to Gen-Z folks about marginalized communities, especially LGBTQ+. A lot of that comes from the fact that I lived through worse times for the community, and I have shit I still need to unpack from living through the 90s and early 00s. On one hand, their baseline hopefulness that things will progress is encouraging. On the other hand, I've experienced so many periods of backlash that it's hard to not be cynical about their outlook.
Love the point about needing to be flexible and able admit fault. I wonder how social media impacts the ability to do that, a lot of our political discourse these days takes place online, and it's probably a lot harder to listen when you are addicted to getting thumbs up notifications and able to cultivate an echo chamber.
thank you! there's so much to think about. i'm autistic and before i knew that, it was too easy to go from 1 to 10 on topics i was passionate about, i definitely was being a savior. it's still hard to fight that impulse, but it's getting easier. communication has always been hard for me, i cry easy or my selective mutism kicks in, but transitioning this conversations to more text based has helped me slow down a little bit and get something coherent out.
This is the best explanation I've seen in a while of the types of *allyship. I'm reminded of what a gay friend once said- "you don't get to call yourself an ally. If we see you as an ally, we will call you one." And seriously, if you have a need to label yourself an ally, you probably aren't one because you're making it about you. Allyship is an action, not an adjective.
I think a big thing surrounding the three ally archetypes is agency. While the homie has about the same amount, and the partner has a little bit more agency than the POC character, the savior holds most, if not all of the agency. Backing up to allow marginalized groups to strategize and make their own plans is a crucial aspect of being an ally. Knowing when to duck out is just as important as knowing when to take action
Hi, for some reason youtube started recommending your videos to me, some random white chick from Brazil, so I'm definitively not invited for the cookout. I like to listen to my black friends' perspectives and do the best I can to be a good ally. idk if I'm doing it right, but I like to listen to what my friends have to say: it isn't up to me to decide what should be said, but them. And this is why I believe that channels like yours are very important. Thank you for putting this out here.
Fantastic sponsors! I went to the "How to be an Ally" Virtual Summit with my workplace - would highly recommend. This video added a lot more depth for me on how to stop gatekeeping, be ok with being uncomfortable and wrong, and continuing to listen and strive to be a better ally. Really enjoy your videos and I'm looking forward to the next ones!
i felt really called out by the segment about "feeling right." and that's good, btw. ive got a lot to think about. especially about how i relate to both these issues, and the people that i conceptualize in my head as the enemy. i really appreciate this channel. thanks for calling me out.
I have a burning hatred for Green Book. I was legitimately disgusted when it won best picture. Blindspotting is one of my favorite movies of all time and it should have been nominated for something back in 2018. That being said, I dig your content. Keep up the good work.✊🏿
Even though it wasn't as well known, as critically acclaimed, and in a number of ways was a lot better than Green Book, I was even more disappointed with "The Best of Enemies." Partly because it's based on something that happened in my old hometown of Durham , tldr a local civil rights leader named Ann Atwater and the local head of the Klan, C.P. Ellis ended up on a charrette, a kind of community council, to discuss desegregation. The two longtime enemies found out once they talked face to face they had more in common than not, Ellis realized his racist views were wrong and left the Klan to become an AFL-CIO leader and a civil rights activist and lifelong friend of Atwater. Broadly speaking the movie gets these parts right (Atwater's family had a much higher opinion of Best of Enemies than Shirley's did of Green Book) but there were still a couple things that irked me, like making it look like Ellis was the deciding vote on the school desegregation decision in the most white savior moment in the film, which lol no he didn't, even he knew segregation was done (this was 1971) and he went on the charrette to try and do a "softer" desegregation because the charrette was about how to implement desegregation, not whether to desegregate. The movie also devotes less time to Atwater than it should even though her life was hella interesting too. The movie also downplays or ignores a lot of the class elements that went into C.P. Ellis' life, including his decision to renounce racism because Hollywood still doesn't know how to talk about class without being condescending and certainly isn't willing to talk about the areas where race and class intersect. And leaves out that being a "savior," or even just doing the right thing for a more accurate version of what went down, comes with a price tag. His decision to leave the Klan cost him every white friend he ever had, because all the poor whites were (and a lot in Durham still are) Confed-waving flag kinda racist and consider him a traitor, and he couldn't relate to the middle-class transplants that came from the north that have come to the city in recent years. To be fair, part of this is the real story doesn't have a good three-act structure, a faithful telling would be drier and with more personal stakes for Ellis, rather than treating it like the grand victory for civil rights that it was. In fact, a third of the original book is more a history of the city of Durham and the social context behind the story before it even gets to Ellis and Atwater. But a lot of it happened because Hollywood and the Academy is lazy as all get out in how it wants to talk about race. I do recommend the original nonfiction book of the same title though. It is excellent and an interesting read.
ohmygod thank you for admitting that you also like to be right. I was feeling so down on myself at that point, it really gives me hope when other people that I admire admit they're not perfect also
The young man you interviewed was very wise to be so young because he is smart enough to know that he doesnt know it all and still open to learning. I admired his humility
Hey FD, I just wanted to personally thank you for giving words to a feeling I’ve had for so long. Throughout my life I’ve identified with the homie. As I’ve gotten older I’ve noticed some of the inadvertent issues that existing within this archetype. It’s been hard for me to find the words to put to the feeling, but I am truly grateful you’re willing to teach me (us) about the shortcoming I (we) are experiencing. You’ve truly helped me. Thank you for being a wonderful writer, articulator, and person💖. I hope you have a great one!
We should all be kinder to each other, intermingle, and share our experiences. As Prince said, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called Life."
God, some damn hard medicine to swallow for someone like me, cis white straight dude. I've spent so much of "allyship" defensively trying to prove I'm "one of the good ones" or just distancing myself from other forms of white supremacy and racism. You're sooo right in your observation that this is less about trying to support the marginalized group, and more about trying to build up my own ego and sense of morality. Even if it started from a genuine place, ultimately it's not real work, it's just wokeness masturbation.
Gotta give you the tip of the cap: so many content creators in your "genre" can be real snoozers, but I always enjoy your stuff. Even when I'm thinking, "I don't know if I want something heavy and thoughtful rn..." your stuff still hooks me. Well done!
i learned a phrase when dealing with my severe depression that I think applies to this subject. it has to do with intent and effect when dealing with people that want to help: "there is value in understanding that you do not understand" my experience trying to be a "white ally" has brought me to a simple set of rules: shut up, let black people talk, and this is not about you. i only speak up to facilitate those things elsewhere and silently join in when an opportunity presents itself. i am a volunteer. a set of hands. a body. thats a good start.
Another great video. Just finished “Racism without Racists” 5th edition Eduardo Bonilla-Silva per your recommendation and it was really eye opening. Highly recommended.
I know its not the practice to post without seeing the whole video, but I’m at the sponsor part and kudos to you for finding a sponsor that aligns with your goals and commentary/analysis. And your FIRST sponsor too.. that’s really impressive! Makes me hopeful for what’s to come
I attended the Uplifting Impact 3-day training last year and it was great! I HIGHLY recommended!! Especially if you are truly looking to be a ally and don't know where to start. I've gain so many additional resources even after the training.
I love your videos! I’ve been binging them. Your savior ally reminded me of something. I took a Holocaust in film and literature class in college, and my professor hated Schindler’s List because it’s known as “the Holocaust movie” but it’s about a German who saved some Jews. 9 times out of 10 that was not the case. It’s supposed to be about the oppressed, but it was really just about the oppressor doing something most oppressors didn’t do. This is similar to Green Book, Freedom Writers, and The Blind Side. The movies are supposed to be about the struggles of the black community, but end up just being about the white protagonist doing the right thing, when 9 times out of 10 they didn’t.
White non-Jews from less recent generations always cite Schindler’s List as their source on the holocaust. Younger generations of White non-Jews often cite The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and lament how horrible the holocaust was- which they know, because they saw the movie. Which was sooo sad. About the German son of Nazi and he dies at the end. But nooo we like him!! I could go on about this type of movie for hours. People with no stakes watch some media that centers other people with no stakes and think they suddenly understand what the stakes are.
I think my first lesson about the holocaust came from a book my mom gave me. The book was a historical book with facts and actual pictures from the time period. I remember it was like a punch in the gut seeing them. Those examples of holocaust movies are eerily similar to how museums have been showing certain parts of history. I'm studying in the museum field or watever to call it in english. Anyway. One example of showing the treatment of mental illness in Sweden is to focus on the doctors and their attempt to save the poor patients even though the methods and the living places at the times were horrific. Instead of focusing on the patients the story is often about the doctors and the medical progress. Sort of like those "before" and "after" photos. Because of this there have been an attempt to change the narrative and focus on those who lived in the hospitals as patients and bring out their stories. Theres also a debate on how to properly present all groups of people without othering them. It's also hard to find the balance of telling a coherent story without ignoring important people or create stereotypes. At the moment there is a lot of trial and error and learning how to be mindful.
As a queer person this also really goes a long way to saying a lot about queer allyship. It's also been particularly helpful to learn about being mindful as someone who wants to support others in other groups, thank you!
Allyship shouldn’t be over complicated. If you know without a doubt that you and another party have similar goals, then you can work together. Any moral posturing on either side slows down the work towards the goal. Once the goal is achieved, you probably should part ways. Any pretence of camaraderie outside of specific goals always backfires. This is in contrast to friendship, which is primarily done for its own sake.
The entire concept of allyship is incredibly counterproductive and I question the intent of anyone who would claim to be an ally as even claiming said title is self serving. If you are an “ally” it would be evidenced by how you treat others and your overall beliefs and the ideas you reinforce. Humility and the capacity to learn from both the history and experiences of those who you know things you can’t know shouldn’t be exemplary traits. Rather they are required traits in general for true growth as a human being.
Bro this video is amazing. Thank you. I have been trying to tell this to my many white friends who really want to be an ally but I am not as blessed in knowledge and vocabulary as you. This is a great way to show them the error of their ways.
Great content as always, Fiq! I particularly appreciate your ability to simultaneously show empathy and remain firm on the critical points. That can be a really tall order.
love the shirt - fake allyship is temporary, wu tang is forever.
@Barry white liberalism is weak af… wu tang clan is nuthin to fuck wit 😎
Wuuuuuu Taaaaaang!!!!
System of a Down x Wu Tang collab is my kind of allyship
@@Nuvizzle oh shit, I didn't know that existed! Gonna check it after this video!
@@Nuvizzle I always thought I was the only one who heard that. Then again, all my friends but one have no idea who System are.
“Along with my first sponsor!” Immediate tears.
And what a great sponsor, perfect for the vid “and most importantly stay out of my DMs” 😂😂😂😂
YEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!
And it’s not a mobile game app or skill share lol
*sniff* they grow up so fast
😂 Love the honesty. ❤️
“Being an ally should never be about *you*. “
Just wanna say you’re my favorite creator and I’ve learned a lot from you during my insomniac phases.
@3g0st oh you’re absolutely right. I just meant that I spent a lot of time binging this particular channel last month when I was having trouble sleeping. I do try to consume as much of this type of content as possible (day or night) and have for a while. I just became a big fan of these BMBs in the last month or so :)
this part! it's why i've always rolled my eyes seeing white twitter social justice warriors. It is for their ego, it's about their follower and like count. Overall I think it's a poor platform for social justice just because of all the misinformation that can easily spread, and that 90% of the tweets on racial discussions on that platform are driven by ego & recognition on the platform, instead of actually helping ppl. Not to say there aren't any good ones, but unfortunately the ppl who garner the most attention are usually white, or they are black ppl looking to build their social media presence.
Haha I also go down holes of video essays during my insomnia phases~
Insomnia club!!!
Although this subject is not new to me as I live in it; I concur. Watching at 4ish am. I need 😴
"Starting fires in communities they don't live on behalf of people who don't want them there" that is it right there. The biggest issue with allies is when that instinct to overcorrect drowns out the words and actions of the marginalized people they're ostensibly there for! Thank you for really laying all this out
Damn straight.
I’m glad that other people have seen blindspoting
Yeah "de wypipo" are the ones who came and burned your neighborhoods in 2020...you know the wypipo put on blackface to loot stores and shoot up Chicago every weekend just to ruin your reputation! Them awful wypipo! :D
The only people I’ve ever heard say or post “acab” are white kids who’ve never had a bad experience with law enforcement.
I want to see this channel become so huge that the cookout disclaimer becomes the standard intro.
Excellent comment and I'm honored to be the 69th like
What Justin said about being a real ally really resonated. My (white bougie) parents moved to the South in 1961 to be a part of the civil rights movement - my Episcopal minister Dad worked with MLK's group, the SCLC, through the 60s & early 70s. Some 40 years later, I asked him what that was like.
His answer: God sent me to Memphis to teach me humility.
Well in my opinion the human race was lucky to have your father for the simple fact humans can be one of two things: dedicated to following a moral code tied to the concept of equality, or unable to see the world through any other vantage point besides their own. It’s clear which side your father chose to join and I salute him as well as every other white person from that era who knew things were wrong and took action to change it. Full stop. Theres plenty of gray area related to some “allies” and their true motivations for why they allegedly support the causes they claim to support, but there’s also a large subset of people who realize their individual impact may be minimal yet don’t let that stop them from calling out hypocrisy and hate in their own family/friend networks. If we’re going to make any meaningful changes in terms of race, it’s got to happen at a local level like the Avon cosmetics business model. As opposed to the Walmart/big box store model of pursuing true equality… which is essentially “do nothing, but come up with catchy slogans and campaigns involving posting a black screen on social media”.
So personally I feel like I’m in an odd situation. I’m an indigenous kid from the Navajo Nation and now that I’ve left my state for college I feel like I’ve definitely felt this ally issue, but mainly from other marginalized people’s. I still have white friends, but rarely have we gone into topics like this. Where I mostly have these talks about allyship are with my politically active Black and Hispanic friends who want to help/discuss my community’s issues but often don’t quite understand the specifics or simply just compare it to theirs. Since I’ve left home, I’ve learned and I get that a lot of people (especially ones that grew up in urban and suburban areas) don’t have much experience with Native Americans or the culture in general. It’s just a bit awkward at times because it often feels like sometimes people think that just because they’re invited to the Cookout that means they also get a free pass to the Pow Wow. They’re definitely similar, and we’re all stronger together than apart, but there’s nuances and it’s important not to project your own experiences on other groups.
I’m optimistic though and I believe most of this awkwardness just stems from the fact that we’re young and still figuring these things out. I think as we keep talking and learning from one another we’ll grow to understand and support each other in better ways.
That sounds like an important aspect of allyship to consider: the diversity present and another aspect of the flexibility and humility that needed in order to participate.
I'm interested to hear more about what you're saying so I'm betting that these folks would also appreciate to understand the nuances as well. They won't know unless you tell them. If they're already speaking the language maybe they can learn some new words. Metaphor! Lol good luck!
Oh I feel this as an Indigenous person too (apihtawikosisan)! I'm in the tech field and in Canada (so it's a bit different), but still there seems to be such a disconnect. There's almost this super big discomfort. Maybe it's because they have to reposition themselves as being complicit in the systems of Indigenous oppression and that can be a hard mental shift. Like they have to go from being the one who has/needs allies to being the one who needs to be an ally.
Wow. This was such a powerful revelation for me.
@@AMortifyingOrdeal I can confirm there's a big discomfort with being complicit in a system of oppression that I'm also not intended to benefit from. That's a complex issue and I have lots to learn. Thanks for your posts.
When you were talking about the "Savior" ally it kept reminding me of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope. Where a female character, despite being a primary character, often is used to only move the narrative of the male lead. The value of the plot and any growth is never really in her benefit. Her history, dreams, and struggles are shallow and only there to frame what the male lead needs in order for them to make some break through.
Thats generally the case because the movie isnt about the manic pixie dram girl. Its about the lost and confused dude. The story is about him, not her.
@@aureateseigneur5317 yeah, and saviour movies are about the saviour and not the people they're "saving"
here's just a reminder to (re)watch 500 Days of Summer, which beautifully subverts that manic pixie dream girl trope :)
@@DS-wp2dj Yea thats gebnerally how that works. Thats why it says SUPERMAN on the poster and not LOIS LANE. Its about Superman.
@@aureateseigneur5317 Yes, but the point is that when it's a movie about a male character saved by a female lead, at least saved in a more conceptual, not so literal sense, the focus shifts back to the male lead. So the "savior" becomes the secondary character in these movies.
“Perfection in allyship is not your goal, allyship is your goal” a bar
I remember being forced to read "to kill a mockingbird" in school. And I remember needing to write a paper how you feel about it. I HATE that book. I know it was good for the times, or whatever, but they're so many better stories for black lives. Heck, it's not even about the white savior it was about his kids. I remember going into detail how it was boring and why I hated the characters etc, and after my teacher drowned it in red ink, because I wasn't giving the white savior trope any room to breathe. She did not like perspective as a black girl
I personally like the book and believe it was really well written but damn, as long as the critique was constructive the teacher should've been more willing to see another perspective. Academia way too often neuders the effectiveness of older media by refusing to create any discussion on it. I think it's a good book but it's just mindnumbingly boring when you're just being told how and why to enjoy something. The author herself would've likely been more interested in such critique. I feel like this happens a ton in white culture; once counterculture becomes accepted it's blindly praised; often being treated separately to the time period it was created in and it looses the meaning it once held and the lesson it can currently provide.
@@randomguyontheinternet7940 I will say the trial was by far the most interesting and well done. However the rest of the book for me wasn't entertaining. There just wasn't enough there for me to actually care about the kids. Especially when there's a innocent person being framed for something he didn't do.
I did a book report on that. Yes it was less about the white lawyer who was willing to represent the black man falsely accused of R and more about the father of the woman who attempted to unalive 🙄 his kids and their friend because of this, and how the black man they were afraid of saved their lives. I didn't hate it I guess, but I mean the little girl, was it finch is the protagonist right. To me it was a story with 2 running main themes
not to be dramatic or anything but seeing the notification for this upload just made my week
I LOVE YOUR VIDS!
Hi Yhara Love Your Videos
SAME!!!!!
It brings me joy that you follow each other. Great creators supporting each other.
frickin love your videos
"Being an ally should never be about you."
PREACH!
You hit the nail on the head when you said the ally often uses the marginalized group to virtue signal that they are different but then it becomes politicized and peeps from the suburbs come into the marginalized communities to start havoc and it's painfully obvious that these two peeps are talking to each other and are using the marginalized group as a conduit to air their grievances. You and that interviewed gentleman put into words things I've felt but didn't know how to say. Thank you thank you thank you.
"Being an ally should never be about you.”
Have mixed feelings on this
On one hand it makes sense that allyship needs to be about the cause and the end goal not just for your benefit or issues
but i find it debilitating to say it shouldn’t be about you in any capacity, when you may be the one putting your life, health, and the life and health of your family or others in danger by following the cause.
@@mckenzie.latham91
Your life is about you. The political cause and the political conversation isn't. No one's saying that you don't matter as an individual with individual experiences, just that those individual experiences don't substitute or supersede systemic issues nor should they be treated as the same thing in a political sense. That applies to both negative and positive personal experiences, you can have a conversation about yourself and your life but it's just not gonna be on the same level as a political conversation about systems.
The stuff about Schultz and Europeans trying to distance themselves from Americans is pretty confronting, as a Dutch person. White progressives in the Netherlands love to criticize the US about the murder of George Floyd and to post black squares, but when it's december and our blackface tradition comes along again, lots of them are a lot less outspoken. This is very deeply rooted in our culture, where in history class we get taught more about slavery in the US then about slavery in the Dutch Antilles or Indonesia. In the media, there is more focus on racial issues in the US then in our own country and when we think of the civil rights movement, we think about Martin Luther King instead of the people who fight for racial justice here at home.
As a Dutch white guy trying to help marginalized communities, but inhabiting mostly white communities myself, it's a constant process of learning but also mostly of unlearning. Which is why these kinds of videos are very valuable. Thanks a lot!
Thank you for being aware. Keep pushing. It helps.
That's the most progressive thing I've heard a white Dutch person say. It's often, we're not as racist as the Americans meanwhile negating their country's history and wealth came from building slave ships and having overseas colonies. But yeah, lets focus solely on the Americans instead of looking inward.
Thank you for sitting with that uneasiness and actually looking at it in the face.
Very well said Sir 💯👀👍🎯
Same, the only historical contribution to racist oppression we get taught in school as far as I remember is the role of the VOC and especially WIC in goods made through slavery and directly in slave trade and how it led up to what we call 'the golden age' of wealth.
Since there still appears to be less overt racism in the Netherlands it's often difficult to relate content from the US to our situation. But as you said the analysis of Schultz was nevertheless incredibly helpful in emphasising the need for us to look at our own sphere of influence. For example advocating for making Keti Koti, the abolishment of slavery, a national holiday (Sinterklaas seems to be losing to Christmas anyway so might as well replace a blackface holiday with the exact opposite).
Every thing you have said is on point. Living in The Netherlands for over 30 years and counting I find many Dutch use passive/aggressive tactics when it comes to issues of race. They tend to speak/act as if they are the expert, especially on issues of race. I've had many try to tell me all about racial issues as they pertain to America because they've read/ heard all about it, while totally dismissing my having been born and raised as Black in America. As for Dutch racism, it's very nuanced in its applications and often is passed off as naivete about those they see as "other". Funny thing, not really is how as a Western Black I'm treated as a "unicorn" until I point out their hypocritical treatment of non-western Black and PoC, then they go on the offensive.
As a trans lesbian, thank you for always bringing the intersectionality up constantly in these video. The savior type is a huge problem in the LGBT community. They mean well but they pick fights with the conservative types that they are not prepared to fight nor should fight at all and it ends up just giving people like Ben Shapiro fodder to spread their hate and say "look how ridiculous these LGBT people are". In the end it just does more harm than good 99% of the time. This video really help put into words why those types are bad for me
I see this shit all the time lol nothing worse than seeing someone argue your opinion when they don't know what the fuck they're talking about
Hell yes. This exact dynamic is what made the saga following Vaush's jab at J.K. Rowling so irritating. Like, bruh, you're being asked to back off. That should be enough.
Also, love the pfp, that's a great template
That and the paternalistic talking over us when we're in the room, and telling us what's in our best interests and what we shouldn't be worried about.
That's always a problem when moralism rather than empathy becomes the motivating factor for activists.
❤️
In my experience as a queer woman, I agree that humility and willingness to make sacrifices (even small ones) are what make a real ally. Being able to listen, reflect on your own bias, and take your cues from actual marginalized people separates those who are here to help others and those who are here to help themselves. And if you can't risk even a tiny transgression or contribute real resources to the cause then you are, from a practical standpoint, useless to it.
Underrated comment
RE: fruit flies, putting bowls of vinegar covered in Saran wrap with holes in every room coupled with dumping boiling water down every drain twice a day is cheap and reliable. After 2-3 days the number of flies buzzing around will be hugely reduced and after a week your roommate will leave rotten bananas out on the table for banana bread that will never get made and they'll all be back. Works every time.
I specifically recommend apple cider vinegar, and to add a drop of dish soap to it. Apple cider vinegar smells like rotting fruit to the flies, causing them to fly in and land, but the soap breaks the surface tension so the flies sink and drown.
yeah - fruitflies pretty much go away entirely if you remove their open foodsources
their lifespan is so short, that they just die off on their own if they cant reproduce
so make sure your trashcan is fairly well closed off and your trashbags are watertight (i once had stuff from the trashbag dripping to the bottom of the bin which was an excelent breeding ground)
dont leave food (especially fruit) out in the open
and empty out your trash somewhat regularily - another time i had issues with fruitflies, i was using a massive trashcan that i rarely needed to empty out...which gave the buggers plenty time to breed in there
that should mostly take care of the issue
@@AmandaDavis6130 THIS! worked WONDERS for me.
"shultz and candie argue, fight, kill and die over who is the least brutal oppressor, and black lives are hanging in the balance" i think every single white "ally" needs to hear this. I'm so glad khadija brought me to your channel, love your insights and thougthful analysis.
"i think every single white "ally" needs to hear this.”
I’ll remember this the next time people, try and get me to care about another black shooting, after all i better stay in my lane to not get other people caught in the crossfire guess?
again this is not saying anything
this is not telling us what to do or how to help, it’s just wagging the finger at us for our faults like we’re the only ones who have such fundamental flaws that sabotage us and others.
@@mckenzie.latham91 Come on, is that really your response to a statement like this? Your comment is an unfortunate oversimplification of what is being talked about here. I think the video clearly explains what is beneficial and what is not. Instead of buying into the ethos of the us/them mentality maybe just put more thought into what is actually being said here. Why are you getting so upset about a "group" you "belong" to being criticized? Why do you feel so offended? Is this this really a statement on your personal character or something else? Ironically, this is the embodiment of the behavior white "allies" are criticized for in this very video. Will you only "help" if you are praised for everything you do regardless of whether or not it is actually helpful? I'm not trying to make you feel bad about having an emotional reaction, really. Like F.D. commented on poignantly, this entire process takes a large degree of humility, and people need to be willing to be wrong and examine their thoughts and behaviors, which is obviously difficult for everyone. Its complicated, and that's the reason why F.D. plugged that organization, because they specifically exist to help people like you and I who may be confused as to what is productive and what is not. At the end of the day, the biggest thing that has helped me and may help you is to really think about why we viscerally react to instances of criticism, learn to separate that criticism of our broader "group" identity and carefully apply it to ourselves (think, have "I" specifically done or thought this? why/ why not? If not, then it doesn't apply to me, but what can I do better etc.) and then evaluate why it is you are trying to help ( am doing this to make myself feel better or am I doing this see tangible change?)
@@zackwalker5701 " I think the video clearly explains what is beneficial and what is not. “
It doesn’t actually, and it leaves out key context.
For example using Django Unchained,
F.D. tries to portray Shultz as a bad ally based on his actions there, which was a screw up, even Shultz himself admits it before he dies
but the point i would make is look at Shultz’s actions throughout the film
1. Frees Django from the slave line
2. Not only frees django, but also frees the other slaves, instructs them which way is north and freedom, and then advises them how to kill the surviving slaver, so that his body wont be found and they can get farther away to escape
3. takes django under his protection, teaching him to not only defend himself but gain the skills he can use to take revenge and rescue his wife later on
4. Actually agrees to help Django find his wife and tracks her down for him
5. Accompanies Django into Candy land even hutch he cannot stand Candy or the slavers hpcorsy and pretense of sophistication
(as well Prussia/Germany did not participate in the slave trade, so the line about the brutal oppressor" dick contest doesn’t even hold water)
Yes Shultz screws up at the last minute but that is because he’s not perfect and was prone to flaws, like any human being.
I think shultz can be considered a flawed ally but not a bad ally, as he is undeniably the only reason Django ever got freed and or ever found his wife, period
and yet that doesn’t factor in at all to how he was an ally...
And that’s the point, we’re expected to be allies but then when we do things that do help its ignored the moment we fail or drop the ball on one thing, and those other things just are assumed to never have happened.
It’ the same struggle that many civil rights leaders gave LBJ for taking his time on the civil rights act, even though LBJ wasn’t dragging his heels, it was cause he was doing all he could, but was having to manage his fellow Dixiecrats as well as ensuring he could get enough votes to make a veto proof legislation
and yet many POC would call him out for this as if he didn’t care and or wasn’t motivated at all, even as he was doing his job.
F.D even admits that the whole reason for that scene in Django was also to ensure the big shoot out happens, and yet people and him act like the film is portraying a bad idea even after admitting entertainment was the main goal
i even saw someone in here call out Tarintino for writing that scene despite supposedly being an ally in real life, even after the person admits that it was more for entertainment purposes.
"Will you only "help" if you are praised for everything you do regardless of whether or not it is actually helpful?”
I don’t care about praise, i just want credit where credit is due...If someone is trying to be an ally and help, even if they may screw up or fall short, it should not land them labeled a total bad ally
if they are trying to use and or benefit from the “cause” for their own personal gain, then yes, call them out
but not everyone is perfect and going to be able to be perfect in every situation you want
and i don’t think that discloses someone who generally intendeds to help or means well as not being a good ally.
Like i said Shultz screws up, but everything else he does in the film helps and benefits Django, and yet somehow that isn’t factored into him being an ally at all...
"and that's the reason why F.D. plugged that organization, “
Yeah that’s another thing i checked that organization out and i was surprised to find it’s not a non for profit, it’s a paid three day seminar, for profit organization which turns my head a bit.
@@mckenzie.latham91 No one is forcing you to be an ally or forcing you to care. If you're getting so up in your feelings about not being given credit, or being berated when you do allyship 'wrong'... then don't be an ally. Go about your business and stay out of it. The actions you're describing of Schultz are more white saviourism than allyship. He saves Django, then trains the childlike savages to rise up against their oppressors, then magnanimously gives his life killing a white man who's more racist than he is, to prove how good a white man he is. Okay. But those were his decisions. After freeing Django, he could've gone his way or helped in other ways. But he literally centred himself to death because he was so stuck on feeding his ego; Django becomes essentially a cardboard cutout in his own story, dragged into conflict when he didn't need to be, just so Schulz can be centre stage. If you want recognition for being an ally, maybe you're doing allyship for the wrong reasons. Instead of being bitter and deciding not to care, you could take a look at yourself and ask why you're so wrapped up in this ally identity. Who are you doing it for? Right now, it sounds like you're doing allyship for yourself. And because you're not being made to feel good about it, you turn on the marginalised people you claim to want to support. It's not their fault you're a shit ally, it's yours. So do something about it, or stop complaining that you're not getting adulation for being an ordinary decent human being.
As a white guy I was really humbled when a guy at my job was being discriminated against and showed way more grace than I wanted to with the situation. Following his lead I stayed clam, and ended up being able to see a lot more racism in our workplace, against him and others. I played my role and a lot of managers ended up saying things either directly too me or within earshot that could be reported, and were. Lots of the managers ended up leaving the store due to the constant write ups and the whole store ended up closing a few months after all this came to light, thankfully most people had already moved on or barely needed the job anyway.
I want to validate the 'homie ally' existing in the disability community. My disabled friends and I often joke about our disabilities with each other. But... Abled people who spend time with us can get too comfortable and chime in. For us these Jokes are a survival mechanism but there is no reason for them to chime in.
*This is not to center the conversation around me. I am listening. But just want to validate that phenomena existing in other communities as you mention.*
Love this video and love your work.
I've also noticed that people tend to co-opt their assistance as being something more than it really is. My sister is disabled so I've seen it plenty of times from classmates to the nurses who come in in the mornings to assist. Maybe I'm biased because this has been my life for like 23 some odd years now so I'm used to assistance being required in her situation, it's not really a big deal; but to someone who maybe doesn't have the opportunity to work with disabled people regularly it can seem a bit more monumental of a task to lend a hand with her. I dunno, I've noticed stuff like this in a lot of communities, especially in LGBT+ spaces.
Why is it suddenly not ok if an abled person makes these jokes?
What do you even mean by "survival" mechanism?
And why does your jokes supposedly being a "survival mechanism" make it no ok for other people to joke with you?
@@hoominbeeing lmao if you have to be told these things then you have zero social awareness
@@SmokeyEdits Not an argument
Thank you for agreeing with me
@@hoominbeeing i mean if you'd watch the video you're commenting on then you'd get the gist of why you shouldn't just let yourself into communities you're not a part of, it's not really anybody's job but your own to educate yourself on how to be a better person. grow the fuck up
"Allyship is more than the catharsis you get by doing the right thing." Dude, i mean come on, I don't know you're able to distill complex ideas into hard-hitting single sentences like that!
I know conversations like this should never be boiled down to punchy one-liners, but damn it's still impressive when you punctuate a well argued point with a fucking fire line.
Honestly these are the sound bites we need on the left. American leftists have always sucked at coming up with "marketable" messaging and we suffer for it.
"the catharsis you get by doing the right thing.”
That’s the reason the vast majority of anyone, black, white, hispanic, asian etc. etc. ever do the right thing
pretending like the majority of people do the right thing for any other reason than personal or some form of selfish means is wishful thinking.
Very few, if not incredibly rare breeds of people who do what they do for 100% altruistic means is one out of every ten million etc. etc
that’s why so few of these figures have ever existed in history and why they are such outliers among the masses.
@Mckenzie .Latham Stop being so naive and reductive, no one here is saying anything close to what you're straw-manning, reality is far more complicated and bleak than what you describe yet it is easy to see that people can do the right thing for any number of reasons.
Regardless treating certain people as outliers (both statistically and focusing on historical figures instead of "the masses") is neither accurate or moral.
@@goodpeople25 thank you
Kinda weird that Quentin Tarantino, of all people, was able to so deftly express that flaw present in many white allies of placing his own "honor" above the well being of the people he's supposed to be helping.
I still don't know wether he did it on purpose or just thought it would make the character cooler.
@@Temudhun I think it reads as pretty clearly deliberate. Django and Brunhilda clearly just want to get out of there and go live their lives. That was the plan. And giving into his pride is clearly a grave error that could have ended with all of them dead (and Schultz does die).
Nah it wasn't on purpose. Tarantino is just a genius storyteller and knows a lot about black culture. When you're like that you just stumble upon deep insighful stuff without even trying. I'm 100% certain that Tarantino conceived Schulz as a genuine noble _selfless_ character.
@Boubouh I think it was mostly a vehicle for having a bloody climax but I also think it was intentional because they built up his difficulty reconciling his pride as a good white with “refined european tastes” and him having to play the part of a slave owner when dealing with candy
@@andreja9425 Oh yeah, if I were to guess at the writing process:
THING ONE: This plan needs to go badly so Django has to have a bloody shootout climax.
So how? Maybe theres a major slip up at a critical moment? Or just some random event that Django and Schulz couldn't foresee? No, it would be more narratively satisfying if they fuck it up... no, not Django... Schulz fucks it up. And he dies for it. So how...
'True heroism is minutes, hours, weeks, year upon year of the quiet, precise, judicious exercise of probity and care-with no one there to see or cheer. This is the world.' - The Pale King
I just want to say how much you've helped me grow and opened my eyes to thins I have done that don't correspond with being a good ally. I'm sad that it took others to hold me accountable, but regardless...thank you
I have to applaud Roberts willingness to be vulnerable and admit he was unclear on what Ally means.. I wish more people had that kind of emotional bravery.
I think Schultz ultimately has some clarity in the end when he says "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist."
He knew he fucked up.
one last line to round out his awesome, likeable, and ultimately still white character
As a sidenote (and at the risk of sounding like a "actually" boy), Alexandre Dumas was the son of a black father and white mother. It was his father, Thomas-Alexandre, who was the son of a white slave owner father and a black slave woman. Thomas-Alexandre went on to become a General of the French Army, and along with Toussaint Louverture remained the only two black men to become generals in western military until the 1970s. He died in poverty after Napoleon undid some of the French Revolution's gains (going so far, if I'm not mistaken, as to prohibit black people from living in Paris) and being basically hated by Napoleon on a personal level.
Not salient to the video, I know, but I think it's worth pointing out the life of Thomas-Alexandre.
While we're being pedantic, Gen. Benjamin Davis was promoted to Brigadier General in the U.S. Army in 1940, so you can add him to the (exceedingly short) list alongside Dumas and Louverture.
Napoleon mad as fuck Haiti lost him the war lol.
Also add to the list, Vicente Guerrero who was Afro Mexican and became a Mexican President (who coincidentally abolished slavery over 30 years before the US). Add, Jose Antonio Maceo the “Bronze Titan” of Cuba who helped make Cuba independent of Spain.
He was captured after a battle and normally in that time you would ransom out your generals an example is george washington was ransomed out by england during the english french war, the reason he wasn't ransomed out was he was popular enough to be a threat to napoleon. He was released after the french beat ferdiand 4th, with no back pay, partially paralysed, blind in one eye and deaf in a ear from what he thought was poisoning. he died a few years later and his statue along with is his son's and grandson's were taken down during the nazi occupation of france.
Also add Ivan Abramovich Hannibal, General in Chief of the Russian Imperial army, and his father Abram Hannibal, also a General in Chief of the Russian Imperial Army.
This is some real ass shit. Ive asked my self that alot lately. Do I really care for marginalized people of color or do I just despise all the dumb, southern, conservative bs ive had to be brought up around. I know I care about other people but its in that vague "everybody get along" type mentality. Youve given me aot more to think about. Awesome video dude!
I’ve especially seen this kind of thing with trans people (as a trans guy myself) but also a lot with Jewish allyship?? Like, it’s never “trans liberation now” or “Jewish voices matter in this topic”.... it’s always “fuck terfs” and “punch a nazi”. It’s about hating the oppressor and not helping the oppressed.
@@readytobebolder 100% Agree
@Maxwell Long It's a fraught topic. I know that Nazis and TERFs hide behind people that look like me, so calling them out is my job. But is it my place to pick whose voices from another community should be uplifted? Clearly not, right? Plus, look at how the people that get uplifted by the dominant society usually aren't the ones that really challenge the power. Then that "sit back and listen, don't make it about you" thing kicks in and not wanting to fuck it up makes "uplifting" people complicated.
But it's easy to see how kicking the Nazis and TERFs out of the "town center" and giving marginalized people a bigger place in our conversation helps, and it helps in a way that white folks know is their work to do, and it doesn't rely on us to pick who we want to platform.
Maybe there's going to be a clearer path to mutual empowerment in the future but right now it can be hard to feel like you're doing the right thing unless you're listening a lot, getting out of the way a lot, and mostly just sabotaging the systems of oppression that live in your own community.
With me a question is sorta like Elphaba's from "Wicked" "[Am] I really seeking good? Or [am] I just seeking attention?" So far my answers are "I do want a better world, a better country for all people because I don't want to be complicit in oppression, but my desperate need for validation because I have trouble producing it in myself seeps into that sometimes and I need to watch out for that because that helps no one. Not oppressed minorities or myself."
@@readytobebolder As a trans person I agree, and as a life-long hater of nazis, it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize I should actually learn about the jewish community. Although, most of the "fuck terfs" people are trans, I think...? But yeah I would love if even one person said "Don't talk over trans voices". People act like we're lab rats, like we can't possibly have relevant opinions about our own bodies and experiences.
So, this got recommended to me today, and the European moral high horse resonates so much with me, because while racism may not be as obvious and overt as in the US, it is still present.
I've been living here 30 years, one of my parents is European, and yet people are always shocked when they hear me speak the language without issues. Yesterday someone (who's known me for at least 5 years and knows that I got ALL of my schooling done here) asked me whether I got used to the climate and I was so peeved by the question that I answered "After 30 years, I don't even remember what the climate was in South America..."
People in Europe like to think that they're very open and welcoming and not racist, but they still have racism related prejudice and they don't even have the awareness to see it.
Man, I'd love to hear your take specifically on Hispanic allies, because while we share a lot of struggles in the US, a lot of Latin America is mega racist, or think racism is over and just an American thing, and since "Hispanic" allows any skin color, even within a Hispanic community, you'll have white Hispanics being racist towards black Hispanics, and while Hispanics love to think that "your fight is our fight", I think it's way more complicated than that (it's a great sentiment, though). We're also not treated the same by whites based on how we look (as you can see from my profile picture, I have a pretty light complexion, my nickname sounds pretty American, and I don't usually have a noticeable accent (years of training), so I have the privilege of getting to avoid a lot of racism), and to complicate matters further, Hispanics were also slave owners. One of my ancestors was straight up a slave trader after the natives were enslaved and then wiped out and they had to bring in black slaves.
Excuse any weird wording, English isn't my first language.
I think you said it better in English than I could have, and English is my only language.
You bring some illuminating points
This is a good topic to touch on.
I was born and raised in Newark and grew up around Spanish, Asians and black folks, so a lot of the N word, Spanish and Asian slurs were thrown around both as a term of endearment and as a term of hate.
Racism is alive and well within our black, brown and yellow communities, as well as homophobia and sexism.
While both communities have become more inclusive and diverse, and sure we both have shared similar struggles, the racism’s is still prevalent today.
I too have avoided some of the harsher side of racism and because I’m Latino, I was accepted into racist white circles where I was told “you’re one of the good ones”, a comment I thought was a compliment in my youth but later realized what it was.
I’m part white Hispanic - the castiza thing is real. I benefit in the USA being light and also in Spanish countries. Frankly, I think whites in Hispanic and Latin countries are far more racist than whites in the USA. Though I will say my white Hispanic family in Puerto Rico is far more racist and biased than my family in Valencia, España. I have found Spaniards to be far more aware of their history than others in the Hispanosphere.
Racism is all over the globe due to imperialism, colonialism and chattel slavery. Since the US is the empire that dictates how things work globally then that comes with conditioning and propaganda of the masses of people on how to see people, things and the entire planet as a whole. Nonetheless, allow that are symptoms of the problem. If root of the problem is not rooted out, it will mutate and create others symptoms to the problem.
THIIISSS!!! I moved to the UK from Chile a couple of years ago, and it is so confusing. I have white privilege in Chile but not in the UK...and even though I'm mixed (lebanese-chilean-italian), the way people see me in Chile, where there is a lot of racism and elitism, is as italian, meaning white...but not in the UK. I have tried to explain my parents this and they don't understand, they actually think there is no such thing as racism in Chile...when they visited, I tried to explain my dad (who is white) that I have been followed around in shops but that he probably wouldn't have that experience, and he looked at me like I'm talking nonsense. And people from my background don't understand that we have erased black citizens from our history, or that we are ragingly racist against indigenous people. Also, it's been a whole new thing to acknowledge my own privilege while at the same time working on my biases and on receiving bias in a new country...ver eye opening and difficult. This is what we lack in Latin America, the awareness that this touches us also.
Blindspotting came out the same year as Green Book, and the fact that the former is an underground gem and the latter won Best Picture is ludicrous. Also, on a purely technical level, Blindspotting not getting nominated for Best Film Editing at the Oscars while Bohemian Rhapsody won the damn thing is a sin I will never forgive.
Blindspotting is INSANELY underrated. I'd also say it deserved nominations in Screenplay and Acting at the very least.
You talking about the older movie with the two guys that work for a moving company and the one guy witnessed a cop commit murder? That's a great film! There's a recent show called that that's trying to cover up that movies existence, I swear.
ROCK AND ROLL > whatever blindpsotting is about
@@tigerlilysoma588Actually the show is a sequelb
It's a shame how easy it is to be ignorant of marginalized people until it's someone that you care about deeply, and then you feel compelled to be an ally. I myself have been guilty of this until recently. I just want to thank you for your content, and how eye opening it's been. I'm sure my girlfriend feels the same way. She absolutely doesn't have time to explain every little thing to me, and you really help me do my homework, and gain a broader understanding.
“It's a shame how easy it is to be ignorant of marginalized people until it's someone that you care about deeply, and then you feel compelled to be an ally.”
The issue is that this is actually the way 90% of the population works, empathy builds better when he we can see and or feel it happen to those closest to us as opposed to seeing it far off and or not having the same personal connection.
This does not make you inherently flawed as it seems to be implied.
It just means you have be more open to expanding your empathy and understanding of situations when it deserves it.
@@mckenzie.latham91 so? still a shame. unnecessary comment
@@jermanizer Everything in this thread is an unnecessary comment.
You commented and you comment because you want to, not because you are obligated and or it is required for you to add your two cents
that’s the whole point about these public forums.
"You save the day, but then the day resets." This line in particular stayed with me
It's taken me years to see how I have perpetuated and accepted "ally" behaviors as a mixed POC with lighter skin. It's insidious how much I internalized anti-blackness and assimilated with white culture to survive at the expense of my more marginalized friends and myself. Thank you for this video. A reminder to keep reflecting, unlearning, and listening.
I see you over there growin'.
"Along with my first sponsor..."
Fucking YES!! This channel deserves every bit of the success it's getting.
All I gotta say is this: I really love this corner of UA-cam. Thank you, Fiq!!!!
the discussion of allyship always brings up for me this quote: “If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”
― Lilla Watson
Spike Lee's pure joy at his "not my cup of tea" comment brings me life😂
A whole mood.😅
I'd like but it is at 69 so I'll comment instead, that clip is amazing! It's way past 69 now so I added my like.
@@JamesonHuddle I respect that😅
Its the best thing in the world 🤣
Made my day fr hahaha
Mi have nuff of these allies in my Political Science department. About to share this with them and if the shoe fit… THEN THE RASSCLAT SHOE FITTTT 😂
🤣🤣💛💛💛
😂😂😂
No mercy!
How to be an ally: just be a good friend, do as you would hope your best friend would do for you, and don't be confrontational, but make it known you're aware of what's going on and you are disappointed.
It's sad you have to call that an ally, but here we are, having to construe being an ally with being a good friend
Thanks, it's just a friend or a decent man..John Brown, Elizabeth van lew were allies they took risk but today it's just basic humanity.
Not sure it’s same as being a good friend.. I can be a good friend without interrogating my own biases and conditioning, by being on their “side”, like that’s the “homie” right? Ally ship shouldn’t be based on receiving friendship in return, it’s about social bonds to ppl you don’t have any person bonds to, sometimes over your bonds with your friends. That requires regular humility and continuous self deconstruction. Friendships can often re-affirm your worth and self perception rather than challenge it. So yea, think there’s a difference 🤷🏻
@@Pandemonius88 Ooh yes, well said. You can be or have a good friend who gives you the things you want emotionally and cares about you. Being an ally requires the effort to really look at their marginalized identity or identities (asking questions respectfully or doing research to learn more), unlearning your unconscious/internalized biases and reprogramming those to be a more sensitive friend and person. But a good friend to a marginalized person should be an ally or be working on it.
@@Pandemonius88 on a superficial level, yes. I can see how you're right. However, what kind of friend would I be if I only cared about how I interacted with them.
I mean, you're objectively correct if all I cared about was how we interacted with each other. When with friends of color, or loved ones(my ex fiance, who I'm close with still), you start to notice shit and you ask questions. I think anyone with a reasonable sense of humanity in my position wouldn't consider yourself just an ally, but a good friend to the cause too.
The way I see it, an ally just fights with you, but has no personal vestment in the matter. One of my best friends, my cousin, my previously mentioned ex, several childhood friends, and my band teacher would all have to mean less to me in order to be an ally. It's not only the solipsistic nature of human interaction, I genuinely care about their well beings, as well as being upset about what they have to go through. That goes deeper than just being an ally. I get what you're saying, but for me to call myself an ally is for me to deny myself of an entire life's worth of close personal relationship to say "I'm still with you", when I always was. It's personally demeaning, in my case, in my opinion. And please don't think I'm being pretentious about it, I just feel like maybe there needs to be a different word other than "Ally" for the white people who literally grew up at, or around the cookout, you know?
I'm by no means saying that people in my shoes understand that struggle, but I can say that I've known about it longer then it's been recognized as a problem, and I've been called defamatory names by white people by my association with people I just considered to be "friends". So being told what I am, and am not, is a bit demeaning. This is the culture I literally grew up in, I don't know anything else. My friend are my friends, I love who I love, and I'm a product of my environment. I can't change my proximity just because it's now a national issue. I always was a friend first, and I spoke out when I needed to in public, but i am always a friend first.
@@DrJellyFanguzzz "but for me to call myself an ally is for me to deny myself of an entire life's worth of close personal relationship"
- Why? I'm not sure why you recognise inter-personal relationships and allyship as mutually exclusive. Allyship is a political designation (AFAIK), your personal relationships are irrelevant to it. You are an ally solely because of the societal position you hold (i.e. white) in relation to the 'cause' (i.e. black liberation). However much your upbringing was 'around the cookout' doesn't change that societal position. It's a broad term that bears no meaning on your personal relationships or your motivations. Perhaps a more interesting question is "what does 'ally' mean to you?" (just food for thought).
I am not black, hell I am not even American. But being a minority in a country riddled with theocratic fascism, your videos are really giving me strength and making sense of my experience as a minority.
I confess. I’m a Homie. YOU are the g.o.a.t. Best, most thoughtful and well researched analysis ever. God bless you. Thrive and prosper.
“If we commit to doing better, and being careful in engaging in sensitive conversations that we’re new to, and also just be willing to learn, we’ve got a lot going for us in that regard”
Now THAT is simple and actionable. Thanks for the perspective 🙏
The point Dr. Nicole made about prioritizing being right making it harder to be an ally really resonated with me. Great video, as always.
But outside a fictional movie how does that play in real life? I’d like an actual real life example to see how this works and analyze it.
I just have to say,
1. Content is phenomenal as usual.
2. I’m so thrilled you are sponsored!
3. That you have a sponsor that isn’t a deviation from your content or one that is over saturated and just a cash grab (i.e. Hello Fresh, Skill Share, etc.). I love that you are specific and intentional with who you sponsor with.
Your the first person in social media that i´ve heard say that you can't become an expert in a topic only by researching a couple weeks, or simply adressing this point. I think sometimes it's to easy to forget about that, and how most people who engage in this topics are just learning, not experts. Even experts have trouble understanding and arriving at some basic consensus when the topics are so complex. Just wanted to say it's great!
Just like y'all were saying, it is insanely hard to separate people from their egos even when they have the best of intentions
Interesting acknowledgment that Robert is just a kid. I saw his videos pop up in my recs and I watched a few, and my biggest take away is "oh, this is a kid". I don't think what he says is completely without value, but I'll be more interested to see where he is on ten years from now after he has a lot more life experience.
Speaking as one of them, I think the current generation both in and just leaving college is in a similar boat. Lots of very upset, motivated, and intelligent individuals that want to see real change where it matters, but right now are bereft of real-world experience needed to make that impact.
Same. Now that I know he's a decade younger than I am, that changes my thoughts. I feel like I barely know anything, and I knew even less at his age.
Before I press the start button...
Hollywood portrayal of being an Ally:
The Help
Blind Side
Green Bulls*#t Book
Me: How NOT to be an Ally:
Chapter1: The Help
Blind Side
Green B🤢 ( sorry threw up a lil bit.....)
I am still mentally scared by both 😩couldn’t do the Green one- trailer was good enough 😬😬😬
Congratulations on the sponsor!!!
Maybe a big problem of all depicted types of allies is that they most always just do what they think is right, instead of actually listening to the group they wanna support or asking them what they can do.
For me personally an „ally“ isn’t necessarily someone who jumps in and solves my problems when I’m struggling, but more often someone who can help me to find strength to help myself. Someone who is there because they actually like me and care for me, not out of some kind of obligation or dread. Not a savior, a supporter.
Thank you for this you just basically describe the dictionary interpretation of allyship. Thank you.
11:20 thank you for bringing up other groups who do experience this. I am not black, I am queer and (this may sound strange but i have pretty severe neurodivergence) it is valuable to me as a queer person to hear someone from another marginalized group foster a sense of community and empathy between marginalized groups. It not only validates my (and many others) queer experience, but it continues to solidify the solidarity, empathy, and respect that we should have for one another as minorities and human beings.
I feel as though the partner role is the most beneficial placing in “allyship” due to the equal footing and common ground goals they have. I enjoy the content wholeheartedly.
It's a dumb nitpick but you mixed up Alexandre Dumas with his dad Thomas-Alexandre Dumas. The point still stands of course since his dad was able to become a General in the French Army precisely because his father was a French nobleman who took him from Haiti to France to be educated.
I caught this because I'm in middle of reading "The Black Count", a biography of General Dumas. His story really does show how the lofty ideals of equality that fueled the French Revolution clashed with the oppressive reality of Europe and its colonies during that time
Thank you so much! I’m definitely a homie to the Latino community in my area. I grew up in a diverse neighborhood, am “conditionally” white as a white Latino, and have adopted a lot of Latino culture even though I was raised by a white mother and learned Spanish as a teenager/adult. I never heard the term ally until the last few years and thought the idea was odd considering my position. I’m like, just be kind to folks and recognize that racial injustice is real and pervasive in our society. What’s all this talk about allies?! That being said, I get defensive when I’m made aware of my privilege and certain aspects of my identity are surely an attempt to overcompensate for my “homie” status.
Thanks again! I just started watching your videos! Love them.
Why do you get defensive? Have you figured that out?
What if you don't wana be an ally because you realise the real game is about what empowers and benefits yourself above everyone else
The saviour ally part reminded me so much of how in movies and tv-series featuring crime and victims of crime and trauma basically end when the story of the saviour, the protagonist ends, they saved the victims from the perps, from the abusers, monsters but the victims story is far from over, they'll have to live with the traumas and the longterm effects of the crime but there is no interest to show that part as the protagonist's story has ended. That has always felt exploitative with how such media in essence "create" trauma victims for the amusements and thrills of an audience. Not sure where I'm going with this but it felt related with how in the end when the saviour think they're done the victims, the disadvantaged groups still have to live with it all, in it all.
The “counterfeit cookout invitation” had me instantly like this video. 😂😂😂
you have great speaking skills, i didnt even realize i watched 47 minutes until the video ended
This man is always working towards the betterment of humanity. Even in the ads and sponsors. He needs a bigger platform.
I can’t express in one comment how much I appreciate your perspectives and videos in general.
So glad blindspotting is getting the recognition it deserves
Wow, I hadn't thought about the fact that those saviour movies are more about them than the marginalised group/individual, but as soon as you pointed it out, it about smacked me in the face!!
The point that solutions are systemic rather than individual is another thing that I hadn't thought about. Thanks for educating me 🙂
It's always grinded my gears whenever us Americans are talking about issues in our country, and a white person from another country butts in and tries to gloat, mock and make fun of our issues when their own country hasn't even begun to pinpoint their racism problem. At this point, I've just gotten used to outsiders watching us for entertainment and to sling mud at us and not because they actually care about the cause.
My best friend used to work with a German who loved to decry American racism. Her father had served with Das Reich (yes, that Das Reich) and his opinions of Jews, the Poles, the French, all came down intact. Racism is not the problem of any one nation.
Because you guys are drowning in shit and is honestly hilarious.
see the things that bothers me the most is that people from here (Italy in my case) don't really care about this stuff because they like to think that only the US "has a historical racism problem" and so it's their problem to solve, while we elect politicians who want "illegal immigrants who steal our jobs" out of the country and ALSO not providing them, or anyone who is really poor and COINCIDENTALLY either from North/Central Africa or Middle-Eastern countries, a living wage, housing and education. Trust me, our universities are whiter than the marble they are built with.
@@jossaccountofmadnessandmem1844 ok, there is a difference between racism and xenophobia. América is drowning in racism, you can't really compare the refugee crisis of Europe to any problem the USA has, take into account that people didn't allow black and White citizens to share a bathroom till 1964, very different situation.
@@remiremsar5946 Europe isn't racist per se but there are a lot of people who are and are ruining everything
As a "homie", I fell into some of those traps when I was younger. I grew up in a predominantly Black town and am a minority myself as a bisexual trans man. I'm also married to a Black woman whom I've been with for 12 years. I distinctly remember when I started being seen as "part of the community" and not just a white friend.
When I was younger, I was so stuck in what it meant to *me* to be part of that community, that I forgot what it meant to the community for me to be there. There were times where white people would say things around me, or I'd witness something and I couldn't let it go. I saw it as an attack on the people I loved. The people who loved me. I reacted to these things with vehement rejection, blind to the privileges that allowed me to voice such vehemence without the same fear of reprisal.
I still have these moments, but my wife definitely helps keep it in check. Some of it is that's just who I am. When people step up against the trans community that I have a call to since birth, I can't abide that shit either, but I've learned to temper it as I've gotten older.
It's rarely about me. And unless I can use relative privilege to give other people the platform they're denied, I've learned to stop making my loved ones' lives harder.
I think about that The Legend of Aang's scene with Iroh alot when thinking about allyship: Zuko asks his uncle and one of the strongest firebenders, Iroh, to finish his brother(Zuko's father) and end the reign of terror. Iroh being the figure of wisdom throughout the show replies with somehing like "Even if i could do that, imagine what it would mean for history: the war didn't end at all, the world only saw brothers killing eachother for political power".
Of course it's not in a racial matter, but i think the message is about how we must be carefull of our actions when we make dificult and deep decisions like these. If your acts of "allyship" only benefit yourself, a privileged person who is part of the problem, how can they help the ones who are strugglin'? The only ones who benefit with a image of "privileged savior" are the privileged ones themselves.
Sorry for the bad english.
I really love your videos, they have really helped me realize how much I, a white man who wants to be an ally, really don't know. I've recommended your channel to a few people now in the hope that they, like me, realize how much they don't know about being an ally to marginalized groups.
As an Xennial, I find it frustrating to talk to Gen-Z folks about marginalized communities, especially LGBTQ+. A lot of that comes from the fact that I lived through worse times for the community, and I have shit I still need to unpack from living through the 90s and early 00s. On one hand, their baseline hopefulness that things will progress is encouraging. On the other hand, I've experienced so many periods of backlash that it's hard to not be cynical about their outlook.
As a Zillenial, we tend to not be big fans of incrementalism, but yeah
@@alienvomitsex tbh. i still believe there is so much hope in all of us!
Love the point about needing to be flexible and able admit fault. I wonder how social media impacts the ability to do that, a lot of our political discourse these days takes place online, and it's probably a lot harder to listen when you are addicted to getting thumbs up notifications and able to cultivate an echo chamber.
thank you! there's so much to think about. i'm autistic and before i knew that, it was too easy to go from 1 to 10 on topics i was passionate about, i definitely was being a savior. it's still hard to fight that impulse, but it's getting easier. communication has always been hard for me, i cry easy or my selective mutism kicks in, but transitioning this conversations to more text based has helped me slow down a little bit and get something coherent out.
This is the best explanation I've seen in a while of the types of *allyship.
I'm reminded of what a gay friend once said- "you don't get to call yourself an ally. If we see you as an ally, we will call you one."
And seriously, if you have a need to label yourself an ally, you probably aren't one because you're making it about you.
Allyship is an action, not an adjective.
It's counterproductive to alienate people from trying to be good. That's why the landscape will never change for the LGTB community.
I can't imagine being an ally without a sense of humility.
I think a big thing surrounding the three ally archetypes is agency. While the homie has about the same amount, and the partner has a little bit more agency than the POC character, the savior holds most, if not all of the agency. Backing up to allow marginalized groups to strategize and make their own plans is a crucial aspect of being an ally. Knowing when to duck out is just as important as knowing when to take action
Hi, for some reason youtube started recommending your videos to me, some random white chick from Brazil, so I'm definitively not invited for the cookout. I like to listen to my black friends' perspectives and do the best I can to be a good ally. idk if I'm doing it right, but I like to listen to what my friends have to say: it isn't up to me to decide what should be said, but them. And this is why I believe that channels like yours are very important. Thank you for putting this out here.
Fantastic sponsors! I went to the "How to be an Ally" Virtual Summit with my workplace - would highly recommend. This video added a lot more depth for me on how to stop gatekeeping, be ok with being uncomfortable and wrong, and continuing to listen and strive to be a better ally. Really enjoy your videos and I'm looking forward to the next ones!
Consistently one of the best creators on this platform rn. Always really great, really unique stuff. Need more people like you on here.
i felt really called out by the segment about "feeling right."
and that's good, btw.
ive got a lot to think about. especially about how i relate to both these issues, and the people that i conceptualize in my head as the enemy.
i really appreciate this channel. thanks for calling me out.
I have a burning hatred for Green Book. I was legitimately disgusted when it won best picture. Blindspotting is one of my favorite movies of all time and it should have been nominated for something back in 2018. That being said, I dig your content. Keep up the good work.✊🏿
Even though it wasn't as well known, as critically acclaimed, and in a number of ways was a lot better than Green Book, I was even more disappointed with "The Best of Enemies." Partly because it's based on something that happened in my old hometown of Durham , tldr a local civil rights leader named Ann Atwater and the local head of the Klan, C.P. Ellis ended up on a charrette, a kind of community council, to discuss desegregation. The two longtime enemies found out once they talked face to face they had more in common than not, Ellis realized his racist views were wrong and left the Klan to become an AFL-CIO leader and a civil rights activist and lifelong friend of Atwater.
Broadly speaking the movie gets these parts right (Atwater's family had a much higher opinion of Best of Enemies than Shirley's did of Green Book) but there were still a couple things that irked me, like making it look like Ellis was the deciding vote on the school desegregation decision in the most white savior moment in the film, which lol no he didn't, even he knew segregation was done (this was 1971) and he went on the charrette to try and do a "softer" desegregation because the charrette was about how to implement desegregation, not whether to desegregate. The movie also devotes less time to Atwater than it should even though her life was hella interesting too. The movie also downplays or ignores a lot of the class elements that went into C.P. Ellis' life, including his decision to renounce racism because Hollywood still doesn't know how to talk about class without being condescending and certainly isn't willing to talk about the areas where race and class intersect. And leaves out that being a "savior," or even just doing the right thing for a more accurate version of what went down, comes with a price tag. His decision to leave the Klan cost him every white friend he ever had, because all the poor whites were (and a lot in Durham still are) Confed-waving flag kinda racist and consider him a traitor, and he couldn't relate to the middle-class transplants that came from the north that have come to the city in recent years.
To be fair, part of this is the real story doesn't have a good three-act structure, a faithful telling would be drier and with more personal stakes for Ellis, rather than treating it like the grand victory for civil rights that it was. In fact, a third of the original book is more a history of the city of Durham and the social context behind the story before it even gets to Ellis and Atwater. But a lot of it happened because Hollywood and the Academy is lazy as all get out in how it wants to talk about race. I do recommend the original nonfiction book of the same title though. It is excellent and an interesting read.
@@ScorpionViper1001 I never read the book but b it was disingenuous ar best.
Your channel is absolutely top-notch. Thanks for the content. Becoming a patron rn.
ohmygod thank you for admitting that you also like to be right. I was feeling so down on myself at that point, it really gives me hope when other people that I admire admit they're not perfect also
The algorithm recently blessed me with your channel, and I've been binging your work! Interested to hear what your thoughts are on this topic.
The young man you interviewed was very wise to be so young because he is smart enough to know that he doesnt know it all and still open to learning. I admired his humility
Hey FD, I just wanted to personally thank you for giving words to a feeling I’ve had for so long. Throughout my life I’ve identified with the homie. As I’ve gotten older I’ve noticed some of the inadvertent issues that existing within this archetype. It’s been hard for me to find the words to put to the feeling, but I am truly grateful you’re willing to teach me (us) about the shortcoming I (we) are experiencing. You’ve truly helped me. Thank you for being a wonderful writer, articulator, and person💖. I hope you have a great one!
In your 'channels' section you should show some of the channels you recommend everyone check out.
ooh great idea! i just checked if there were any. not yet. yes, please.
Scheduled my lunch break to catch this at release! Thank you for the hard work!
Congratulations on the sponsorship! And as a white person that wants to take an active roll in standing up for racial justice, I appreciate the info
Hey man, my wife turned me into your channel. Great work. I find your analyses thought provoking and edifying. Thanks for what you do. Be blessed.
We should all be kinder to each other, intermingle, and share our experiences. As Prince said, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called Life."
God, some damn hard medicine to swallow for someone like me, cis white straight dude. I've spent so much of "allyship" defensively trying to prove I'm "one of the good ones" or just distancing myself from other forms of white supremacy and racism. You're sooo right in your observation that this is less about trying to support the marginalized group, and more about trying to build up my own ego and sense of morality. Even if it started from a genuine place, ultimately it's not real work, it's just wokeness masturbation.
Gotta give you the tip of the cap: so many content creators in your "genre" can be real snoozers, but I always enjoy your stuff. Even when I'm thinking, "I don't know if I want something heavy and thoughtful rn..." your stuff still hooks me. Well done!
i learned a phrase when dealing with my severe depression that I think applies to this subject. it has to do with intent and effect when dealing with people that want to help:
"there is value in understanding that you do not understand"
my experience trying to be a "white ally" has brought me to a simple set of rules: shut up, let black people talk, and this is not about you. i only speak up to facilitate those things elsewhere and silently join in when an opportunity presents itself. i am a volunteer. a set of hands. a body. thats a good start.
Another great video. Just finished “Racism without Racists” 5th edition Eduardo Bonilla-Silva per your recommendation and it was really eye opening. Highly recommended.
I think this is a very important topic. I'm really looking forward to it.
I know its not the practice to post without seeing the whole video, but I’m at the sponsor part and kudos to you for finding a sponsor that aligns with your goals and commentary/analysis. And your FIRST sponsor too.. that’s really impressive! Makes me hopeful for what’s to come
Insightful, thoughtful, and kind, as always. Learning is hard sometimes.
Look at you go. Congratulations on your first sponsor. I'm super proud of your progress.
I attended the Uplifting Impact 3-day training last year and it was great! I HIGHLY recommended!! Especially if you are truly looking to be a ally and don't know where to start. I've gain so many additional resources even after the training.
I love your videos! I’ve been binging them.
Your savior ally reminded me of something.
I took a Holocaust in film and literature class in college, and my professor hated Schindler’s List because it’s known as “the Holocaust movie” but it’s about a German who saved some Jews. 9 times out of 10 that was not the case. It’s supposed to be about the oppressed, but it was really just about the oppressor doing something most oppressors didn’t do. This is similar to Green Book, Freedom Writers, and The Blind Side. The movies are supposed to be about the struggles of the black community, but end up just being about the white protagonist doing the right thing, when 9 times out of 10 they didn’t.
White non-Jews from less recent generations always cite Schindler’s List as their source on the holocaust. Younger generations of White non-Jews often cite The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and lament how horrible the holocaust was- which they know, because they saw the movie. Which was sooo sad. About the German son of Nazi and he dies at the end. But nooo we like him!! I could go on about this type of movie for hours. People with no stakes watch some media that centers other people with no stakes and think they suddenly understand what the stakes are.
I think my first lesson about the holocaust came from a book my mom gave me. The book was a historical book with facts and actual pictures from the time period. I remember it was like a punch in the gut seeing them.
Those examples of holocaust movies are eerily similar to how museums have been showing certain parts of history. I'm studying in the museum field or watever to call it in english. Anyway. One example of showing the treatment of mental illness in Sweden is to focus on the doctors and their attempt to save the poor patients even though the methods and the living places at the times were horrific. Instead of focusing on the patients the story is often about the doctors and the medical progress. Sort of like those "before" and "after" photos. Because of this there have been an attempt to change the narrative and focus on those who lived in the hospitals as patients and bring out their stories.
Theres also a debate on how to properly present all groups of people without othering them. It's also hard to find the balance of telling a coherent story without ignoring important people or create stereotypes. At the moment there is a lot of trial and error and learning how to be mindful.
You were right about blind side for sure
As a queer person this also really goes a long way to saying a lot about queer allyship.
It's also been particularly helpful to learn about being mindful as someone who wants to support others in other groups, thank you!
Allyship shouldn’t be over complicated. If you know without a doubt that you and another party have similar goals, then you can work together. Any moral posturing on either side slows down the work towards the goal.
Once the goal is achieved, you probably should part ways. Any pretence of camaraderie outside of specific goals always backfires.
This is in contrast to friendship, which is primarily done for its own sake.
The entire concept of allyship is incredibly counterproductive and I question the intent of anyone who would claim to be an ally as even claiming said title is self serving. If you are an “ally” it would be evidenced by how you treat others and your overall beliefs and the ideas you reinforce.
Humility and the capacity to learn from both the history and experiences of those who you know things you can’t know shouldn’t be exemplary traits. Rather they are required traits in general for true growth as a human being.
Bro this video is amazing. Thank you. I have been trying to tell this to my many white friends who really want to be an ally but I am not as blessed in knowledge and vocabulary as you. This is a great way to show them the error of their ways.
Great content as always, Fiq! I particularly appreciate your ability to simultaneously show empathy and remain firm on the critical points. That can be a really tall order.
Making my way through your library. I gotta say, man, you've opened my eyes to so many subjects. Appreciate your work, thank you so much!