Tony Dokoupil talks with white Americans about racism
Summary
TLDRThis video script explores the stark divide in perceptions of racism between black and white Americans, highlighting the disconnect in beliefs about equal job opportunities. It features local conversations in Stanford, Connecticut, where white Americans are asked about racial treatment and benefits of being white. The discussion with Boston University professor Ibram X. Kendi reveals the complexity of defining racism and the struggle many have with acknowledging racial inequality and systemic racism. The script emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing both individual and systemic racism to foster understanding and change.
Takeaways
- 🔍 There is a stark divide in how black and white Americans perceive racism, especially in areas like job applications where 67% of white Americans believe black applicants have equal chances, but only 30% of black adults agree.
- 📊 A disconnect in racial perceptions is leading to a crisis of inequality, with many white Americans struggling to understand systemic racism.
- 🗣️ Local conversations in Stanford, Connecticut, were initiated to explore white Americans' views on racial treatment and their own potential benefits from white privilege.
- 🤔 Many individuals struggle to define racism, often associating it with individual evil rather than systemic discrimination.
- 👥 The script includes interviews with white Americans who were asked about their understanding of racism and whether they have benefited from being white in America.
- 📚 Boston University professor Abram X. Ken is featured, providing insights on the definition of racism and the common misconceptions about what it means to be racist.
- 💬 Conversations about racism can start easily but quickly become uncomfortable, highlighting the difficulty many have in discussing racial inequality.
- 🏦 The script points out the economic disparity between black and white families in America and the struggle to explain this gap.
- 🤷♂️ Some individuals express difficulty in acknowledging their role in systemic racism, despite recognizing its existence.
- 🌈 The importance of recognizing and respecting racial differences is emphasized, as opposed to the 'colorblind' approach, which is criticized as misleading.
- 📈 The script concludes with a call for self-reflection and conversation among white Americans to address and understand their part in systemic racism.
Q & A
What is the main topic discussed in the video script?
-The main topic discussed in the video script is the stark divide in the perception of racism between black and white Americans, and the national dialogue about race.
What is the percentage of white Americans who believe that black applicants have the same job application chances as them?
-According to the poll mentioned in the script, 67 percent of white Americans believe that black applicants have the same chances as them when applying for a job.
What percentage of black adults agree with the statement about equal job application chances?
-Only 30 percent of black adults agree with the statement that they have the same job application chances as white Americans.
What is the term used to describe the disconnect between the perceptions of racism among different racial groups?
-The term used to describe the disconnect is 'crisis of inequality'.
What did the team do to start local conversations about racism?
-The team started local conversations by asking white Americans on the streets of Stanford, Connecticut, basic questions about how to treat people of a different race.
What is the common misconception about racism according to the script?
-The common misconception is that a racist is an evil, horrible, and bad person, and that being racist is part of someone's identity.
What is the definition of racism given by Boston University professor Abram X. Ken?
-According to Abram X. Ken, racism is when one person feels that they are better than another person and is discriminatory against somebody else's race.
What is the issue with the term 'racist' as described in the script?
-The issue with the term 'racist' is that it has become a bad word that many Americans are uncomfortable using, even though it is a descriptive term and not an identity.
What does the script suggest about the typical black family's financial situation compared to the typical white family?
-The script suggests that the typical black family in America has much less money than the typical white family.
What is the concept of 'colorblindness' criticized in the script?
-The concept of 'colorblindness' is criticized in the script because it ignores the importance of recognizing and respecting racial differences and understanding different cultures.
What is the role of white people in addressing systemic racism as per the script?
-The script suggests that white people play a part in systemic racism and should be involved in conversations to understand and address it.
Outlines
😔 Racial Perceptions and Disconnects
This paragraph discusses the stark differences in how black and white Americans perceive racism, particularly in the context of job applications. It highlights a poll showing that while 67% of white Americans believe black applicants have equal chances, only 30% of black adults agree. The disconnect leads to a crisis of inequality, which many white Americans struggle to understand or describe. The script then shifts to local conversations in Stanford, Connecticut, where white Americans are asked about their views on race and racism. The video also includes insights from Boston University professor Abram X. Ken, who explains the misconceptions around the definition of racism and the reluctance of many to identify themselves as racist, despite exhibiting discriminatory behaviors.
🤔 Addressing Systemic Racism and Personal Responsibility
The second paragraph delves into the complexities of defining racism and the societal implications of such definitions. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing both individual and systemic racism, and the need for white individuals to engage in self-reflection and conversation with peers. The paragraph also touches on the discomfort some white individuals feel when discussing racism and the tendency to avoid the topic or dismiss its existence. The discussion includes the idea of being 'color brave' or 'color conscious' instead of 'colorblind,' advocating for an acknowledgment and respect for racial differences as a means to combat racism. The conversation underscores the significance of these dialogues in the current social climate, especially for white individuals to challenge their own beliefs and assumptions.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡racism
💡perception
💡inequality
💡national dialogue
💡colorblind
💡anti-racist
💡discrimination
💡systemic racism
💡opportunity
💡color consciousness
💡contradiction
Highlights
Stark divides in perception of racism between black and white Americans
67% of white Americans believe black job applicants have equal chances, only 30% of black adults agree
Crisis of inequality due to disconnect in views on racism
Local conversations started in Stanford, Connecticut to understand perspectives on race
Many white Americans have never had conversations about race at home
Some white Americans admit benefiting from being white in America
Defining racism as feeling superior to another race, leading to discrimination
Americans struggle with the label 'racist', viewing it as an evil identity rather than behavior
Conversations about racism can quickly become uncomfortable
Some people struggle to explain racial wealth gaps in America
Misguided views on intelligence and race, suggesting black people are less intelligent
Few people used the term 'racist' to describe themselves despite holding racist views
Racism is not an identity, but behavior that can be changed
Some Americans recognizing systemic racism and their role in it
Importance of acknowledging and respecting racial differences to combat racism
White people need to have these conversations with each other
Rejecting the idea of being 'colorblind', instead advocating for being 'color brave' or 'color conscious'
Need to include society in the definition of racism to effect change
Transcripts
we're back now talking about the stark
divides in the way black and white
Americans perceived racism even as the
national dialogue about race intensifies
when it comes to applying for a job for
example one poll said 67 percent of
white Americans believe black applicants
have the very same chances only thirty
percent of black adults agree with that
statement the results of that disconnect
and many others is a crisis of
inequality that many white Americans
still struggle to describe amid our
national conversation about racism we
decided to start a few local ones on the
streets of Stanford Connecticut
we asked white Americans some basic
questions about how to treat people of a
different race
I don't remember conversations at home
it just didn't happen you look at the
person not the color of their skin
sometimes fielded questions of our own
do you think you've benefited by being
white in America of course do you within
showed clips of our interactions to
Boston University professor Abram X Ken
D the CBS News contributor and author of
the bestseller how to be an anti-racist
helped us pick out patterns how do you
define racism when one person feels that
they're better than another person what
is a racist then a racist is someone
being discriminatory against somebody
against somebody else's race were you
surprised by those answers oh not in the
least bit
Americans are taught that a racist is an
evil horrible bad person that it's in
someone's bones that someone literally
is a racist that's their identity and so
that's not me I'm a good person
sometimes our conversation started out
easy how do you define racism racism is
is the unjust treatment of people of a
different color national origin that is
either from face-to-face interaction but
also more importantly institutionalized
and yet things could quickly grow
uncomfortable you define racism the way
you did do you fit in that definition in
any way I'm not right
I don't pull those views and no nor
associate with people who do most people
struggle to explain racial inequality
for the typical black family in America
has much less money than the typical
white family how do you explain that
some of it is opportunity some of it is
what is some of it your drive some of
it's the way you're brought up but
there's a lot of black people that don't
get to where they can get I don't know
you know intelligence wise if they're
not as intelligent as white people I
mean there are a lot that are very
intelligent and almost no one used the
term racism the term you're
uncomfortable with the term in some ways
I am yeah I think what's striking is
racist has almost become like the n-word
it's like the R word in which so many
Americans think in and of itself it's
it's a bad word to say when indeed it's
a descriptive term it's a term candy
says that could be applied to just about
anyone at times people can have a racist
thought for example but that doesn't
mean they are racist yeah a racist isn't
an identity it is not who a person is
it's what a person is being and I think
we have to recognize that people hold
both racist and anti-racist ideas and
people are deeply contradictory and in
this moment of national reflection we
did find some Americans trying to iron
out those contradictions in society and
in themselves I do believe in the
systemic racism that we have in America
so as a white person I would say of
course I probably do play a part in that
racism
technically although right I would never
just say I'm racist and I hate people
based on the color of their skin of
course I would not want to do that but I
also think it's misleading when people
say I don't see color you have to see
color you have to respect the
differences you have to understand
different cultures in order to grow out
of the racism that you've been taught so
there's a lot there guys one thing that
leaps out to me is just that you know
when you define racism as something
between people you leave out Society and
if we leave out Society we're never
gonna change it Gael yes I have to say
Tony I lost my hearing after that one
woman said well there are some of them
that are intelligent but what I like
Anthony is that a white person white
Tony Tecopa
is talking to other white people because
I think of a black person had tried to
do that it makes people even more
defensive and they think it's
confrontational these conversations are
so important and it's very important for
white people to ask each other these
questions right now the whole issue of
racism in that word has white people
have a very hard time with it they don't
understand that as Tony pointed out yes
yeah I hate colorblind because of course
you see color
I'd say color brave or be color
conscious but I hate colorblind no it's
very well done Tony tacomas indeed
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