Dear White People (2017) : Season 1

1. JorgeLestre

   Apr 28, 2017

   10

   'Dear White People' is everything I love about television: it's poignant, smart and has amazing characters. Though it may not be for'Dear White People' is everything I love about television: it's poignant, smart and has amazing characters. Though it may not be for everyone's taste well... it doesn't stop being poignant, smart and having amazing characters, So, deal with it.… Expand

   • 31 of 84 users found this helpful
2. triskelionitis

   May 14, 2017

   10

   Dear white people, all the negativity explains you either didn't get the point of this tv show or you just judged it by the title.
   This showDear white people, all the negativity explains you either didn't get the point of this tv show or you just judged it by the title.
   This show isn't about hating white people, it's about how black people live with the constant struggle ever day of their lives and as you can see, sometimes you can't do anything about it. Because they can get a gun in their face while the white friends just get a warning. This wasn't to hate white people, this was a way of showing why there's wrong and right.… Expand

   • 1 of 3 users found this helpful
4. Indiefilmlover

   May 7, 2017

   9

   When the film, "Dear White People" didn't live up to all of the hype coming out of Sundance, I was naturally skeptical when I learned thatWhen the film, "Dear White People" didn't live up to all of the hype coming out of Sundance, I was naturally skeptical when I learned that Netflix was going to make a series based on the material. However, after watching all ten episodes of the first season, I've discovered that my skepticism was largely unfounded. Overall, the series succeeds to a much larger degree than the film did in its examination of racial politics on a fictional Ivy league campus.
   
   The main weakness of the film was that it didn't go far enough in its examination of the struggles that people of color face in today's racially polarized society. It seemed too eager to let the white majority "off the hook" when it comes to the struggles that black people face in society today. It was as if all of the challenges that black people face today were largely self-inflicted.
   
   What the series does so well, is show many of the "micro aggressions" that black people face on a daily basis. The struggles that black people face today is not so much the result of overt forms of racism, but by random remarks that on the surface seem harmless, but reinforce negative stereotypes.
   
   At the same time, both the film and TV series, show the contradictions expressed by black people in dealing with these micro aggressions. For example, in one episode of the series, a heated debate develops between Reggie (played by Marque Richardson, who also appeared in the film) and one of the white students at a party over the use of the N-word. While Reggie finds it acceptable for a black person to use the word, he is vehemently opposed to a white person using it, even if he is merely reciting the lyrics of a rap song.
   
   For those unaware of the racial politics involved, the narrator of the series (played by Giancarlo Esposito) helps guide the audience into a deeper understanding of what we are seeing on screen. The series also employs a clever device of telling each episode from a different point of view to help give us a better understanding of what is going on in the minds of many of the characters.
   
   In the film, we really only get to know Sam, Lionel and Troy beyond the surface. The rest of the characters fall into convenient stereotypes.
   
   In the series, there's more time to explore the characters with greater depth. As a result, we get to also learn more about Gabe, Coco and the aforementioned Reggie than we did in the film. This results in a much more complete and satisfying experience. For example, Gabe is no longer just the white boyfriend of an outspoken black woman, but a more complex character with contradictions of his own.
   
   This is not to say that the series, "Dear White People" is perfect. Like any series, particularly one dealing with the often taboo subject of race, there are going to be a few missteps, but they are not enough to diminish the overall effectiveness of the work.
   
   Significantly, while the creator Justin Simien is obviously influenced by the likes of Spike Lee (who tackled some of the same issues in "School Daze" and "Do the Right Thing"), he doesn't bring the obvious colorism found in Lee's work. In terms of campus politics, tone and student behavior, one is also reminded of "Heathers" and to a lesser degree, "Animal House."
   
   Overall, Simien has created a provocative, humorous, and meaningful work that will enlighten some and anger others, but is never boring. To get the most out of the series, see it with open eyes, which in this politically and culturally polarized society, is admittedly a very difficult thing to do.… Expand

   • 2 of 6 users found this helpful
5. mtnorsea

   Apr 28, 2017

   4

   Seems like kind of a modernized A Different World & not much more than a politicized soap for the woke CW crowd, all things which the showSeems like kind of a modernized A Different World & not much more than a politicized soap for the woke CW crowd, all things which the show metatextually hints at in the first 15 minutes of the first episode, which is as far as I got before I realized it had little to offer besides humor related to race issues, and decided to read a book instead. It's not that bad, it's just not all that great, either. If you have nothing else to watch and you want some political humor with your predictable soap opera college show, then it's just right. I was surprised to see such great reviews from professional critics. Although the show may be politically outspoken and on-point, aside from that it's cheesy, predictable, the characters seem like stereotypes within stereotypes, and the acting is mediocre.… Expand

   • 12 of 23 users found this helpful
6. metabad

   Apr 29, 2017

   1

   I made it through 4 episodes before I had enough.
   I can't remember a show with so many characters, no matter black or white, I either didn'tI made it through 4 episodes before I had enough.
   I can't remember a show with so many characters, no matter black or white, I either didn't like or didn't care about...actually, all of them!
   Although, the word 'character' doesn't really fit. The people we see are somewhere between stereotype and caricature.
   
   And what's with that radio show? No youtube channel?
   Who still listens to talk radio these days, especially people in their twenties?
   
   In general, the show feels inconsistent with regard to which decade it is in.
   A social media account has been hacked, so it must be 2000something.
   Yet it mostly feels like it's set in pre-internet times. A radio show, no smartphones at all, the main character holding a video camera to film the blackface party...Have you ever seen a twentysomething using a video camera these days?
   
   So, some white fraternity guys threw a blackface party.
   Yeah, incredibly stupid. But instead of us seeing what those white people have to say for themselves and get some kind of punishment, we see the main character who is black being set on probation as punishment.
   This is one of several occasions while watching that show, I asked myself: "Are we supposed to believe this'?
   
   There's racism in this world, for sure. But are those white students simply ignorant idiots or really racists? We don't get to know.
   The show rather uses the blackface incident commited by surely stupid, ignorant students as a cheap means to stir up emotions. We don't get to know how those white students tick, what their motivation is. They're just cardboard characters.
   
   Everyday racism has many nuances and the series could show us that in abundance, but it doesn't (want to?) deal with that.
   Instead, it revolves around that blackface party repeatedly over at least 4 episodes, from different angles, but not in any satisfactory, insightful way.
   Also, by repeating one event from different perspectives over so many episodes and adding flashbacks, the show doesn't deliver much momentum. It feels more like a series of scenes that do not move forward any substantial plot.
   
   From the reviews of some professional critics I hear that this is supposed to be, at least in part, some kind of comedy and almost all of them giving this show at least a good rating.
   One question: Are you f***ing kidding me?
   
   I'm sure some people will like it because it's 'soapy' and maybe there are enough people of that target audience that will buy into it, but what do I know...
   I think it's trash, a one trick pony with one-dimensional characters that can only do one thing: play the race card, but without providing any, let alone new, insights into the complicated issues it throws at us.
   Maybe I'm too harsh, but it feels too much like the show is exploiting the issues of race and racism just to present us some kind of soap opera, and not even a good one.… Expand

   • 38 of 66 users found this helpful
7. keklolgloat

   Jun 7, 2017

   0

   Lets make a show called "Dear Black People" after they get a black president; we need to give them a veiled lecture on their behavior, lest itLets make a show called "Dear Black People" after they get a black president; we need to give them a veiled lecture on their behavior, lest it affects us.
   
   Oh **** that is f--king racist.. kind of like the premise for this show.… Expand

   • 1 of 5 users found this helpful
8. One_Bench

   Apr 29, 2017

   0

   Disregarding the pandering and condescending tone, the show uses the label of "satire" for the sole purpose of deflecting criticisms directedDisregarding the pandering and condescending tone, the show uses the label of "satire" for the sole purpose of deflecting criticisms directed at its oversimplification of racial issues. Likewise, it's portrayal of white people hinges on straw-man arguments to the point where you expect every white character to follow their lines by looking into the camera and going "could you imagine?"… Expand

   • 27 of 44 users found this helpful

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