Comments on: Are Whites the Only People Willing to Humiliate Themselves? http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves/ "A tiny act can have profound effects." Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:37:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: rlevin66 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves/comment-page-4/#comment-25290 rlevin66 Wed, 24 Mar 2010 03:27:33 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1918#comment-25290 I think this is a very interesting point, it is a bit odd that not many black women went on this show but that could be that they just dont try out? I was thinking that there are alot of other reality shows on other channels like VH1 that are predominantly black. So i am not sure if the question was raised because its a lack of black people on a more popular network, or because there just arent black women on those specific shows. i think that it might just be that black women arent attracted to these stuck up white men that they use, or maybe the network crew chooses only the most "attractive people" to be on the shows, and those people happen to be bias towards the looks of white people. But i want to counter this video by saying that its not like black people arent on any of the reality shows they definitely are. all of the real world and real world challenges have black people and the race shows, and game shows always have a large variety of races, and other channels have shows with many black people. For example on the ray j show of the "flavor flav" show it was mostly black people, and the man they were fighting for was black too. So mayb it is just that people on those shows arent looking for an interracial thing and it is not the broadcasting network! I think there are many white people who are attracted to black men and the other way around so im sure there have been a few of the opposite color contestants on these shows in the past. The post above me mentioned that it could be this way because of polls taken where families dont want to see interracial couples, and that may be true, but i find that hard to believe since our society is attempting to be so politically correct and avoid any such maneuvers that would make them seem racially biased in any way. The bachelor in particular is a very stupid show in my opinion the women on them are really just looking for fame. They are looking for fame in that particular zone, so white women looking to be singers or actresses, while the black people on the ray j shows and other reality shows predominantly black, are looking for fame down that avenue in the hip hop area. So that makes sense why colors stick with colors for a lack of a better term , white people arent looking to sell themselves to a black audience and black people aren't looking to sell themselves to a white audience, because after watching a few episodes of any show it always comes out that one woman is an aspiring singer or actress etc. those shows are all fake anyway so who cares! I think this is a very interesting point, it is a bit odd that not many black women went on this show but that could be that they just dont try out? I was thinking that there are alot of other reality shows on other channels like VH1 that are predominantly black. So i am not sure if the question was raised because its a lack of black people on a more popular network, or because there just arent black women on those specific shows. i think that it might just be that black women arent attracted to these stuck up white men that they use, or maybe the network crew chooses only the most "attractive people" to be on the shows, and those people happen to be bias towards the looks of white people. But i want to counter this video by saying that its not like black people arent on any of the reality shows they definitely are. all of the real world and real world challenges have black people and the race shows, and game shows always have a large variety of races, and other channels have shows with many black people. For example on the ray j show of the "flavor flav" show it was mostly black people, and the man they were fighting for was black too. So mayb it is just that people on those shows arent looking for an interracial thing and it is not the broadcasting network! I think there are many white people who are attracted to black men and the other way around so im sure there have been a few of the opposite color contestants on these shows in the past. The post above me mentioned that it could be this way because of polls taken where families dont want to see interracial couples, and that may be true, but i find that hard to believe since our society is attempting to be so politically correct and avoid any such maneuvers that would make them seem racially biased in any way. The bachelor in particular is a very stupid show in my opinion the women on them are really just looking for fame. They are looking for fame in that particular zone, so white women looking to be singers or actresses, while the black people on the ray j shows and other reality shows predominantly black, are looking for fame down that avenue in the hip hop area. So that makes sense why colors stick with colors for a lack of a better term , white people arent looking to sell themselves to a black audience and black people aren't looking to sell themselves to a white audience, because after watching a few episodes of any show it always comes out that one woman is an aspiring singer or actress etc. those shows are all fake anyway so who cares!

]]> By: goldenboybrodie http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves/comment-page-1/#comment-25219 goldenboybrodie Tue, 23 Mar 2010 07:42:56 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1918#comment-25219 Yeah I agree with you on the people uses these show to scam people and just to act a fool to be the next big thing to talk about so the tv stations are getting the money and they are get the few weeks of fame but it all works out for everyone of what they one out of the deal and these damn females do not fall in love they see the money and they see what they can really get out of the deal this is just to get their faces out on that tv screen. But allot of people know people are hungry to try to be noticed so these ABC shows are best for them Yeah I agree with you on the people uses these show to scam people and just to act a fool to be the next big thing to talk about so the tv stations are getting the money and they are get the few weeks of fame but it all works out for everyone of what they one out of the deal and these damn females do not fall in love they see the money and they see what they can really get out of the deal this is just to get their faces out on that tv screen. But allot of people know people are hungry to try to be noticed so these ABC shows are best for them

]]> By: goldenboybrodie http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves/comment-page-1/#comment-25218 goldenboybrodie Tue, 23 Mar 2010 07:34:04 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1918#comment-25218 Yeah you right I think they should mix up the race because love don’t have a face on it but just connecting with that person will say it all not the color of their skin and really I hope ABC is not really racist because it does seem odd all the contestant on them shows be white all the time now that this is pointed out I wonder if they will ever choose other race for the future only time will tell maybe they will change who knows. ABC really try to come up with these new shows and try to get more and more crazy people but again they do seem to be white I’m going to leave it at that for now Yeah you right I think they should mix up the race because love don’t have a face on it but just connecting with that person will say it all not the color of their skin and really I hope ABC is not really racist because it does seem odd all the contestant on them shows be white all the time now that this is pointed out I wonder if they will ever choose other race for the future only time will tell maybe they will change who knows. ABC really try to come up with these new shows and try to get more and more crazy people but again they do seem to be white I’m going to leave it at that for now

]]> By: goldenboybrodie http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves/comment-page-4/#comment-25215 goldenboybrodie Tue, 23 Mar 2010 07:18:38 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1918#comment-25215 Well this is a very good question Are whites the only ones to humiliate themselves on TV well to me the question is do these show like the baccalaureate and real word and other shows that connect with that show allow to have allot of black people to cast on the shows. Well the same as she said I can probably count on my hand of how many black people end up on these types of shows. I don’t want to jump to say its racist or anything it can be only white willing to get up there and act a fool because it seem as every time I ask a black person would she or he do they say hell no or just no and they sometime crazy I will never make a fool of myself like that. Makes you think like maybe blacks people really do not want to be made a fool of their selves, which is understandable. With me being black I have to say it is true I even tell myself sometime I would never get on that show to at a foot so I can embarrass myself. As you look on these show these white people are really trying to be seen and don’t matter to be put on blast throughout the whole nation. To me I do think some of these show go by the color of the skin but some don’t. Most of these shows go with the people that are crazy and would get millions of homes watching them every week and it seem to be white people that knows how to do that. I think it all boils down to money and who want to put there selves out there with no problem and most of the time it do be white people which is all good. But don’t forget black people have their own shows as well and there are some black people that would do allot for a TV contract money talk in many ways and if those numbers are right yes I think blacks will also take a more go on it but to me money does not have a skin color at the end of the day everybody want to be seen and also make that money. Which I understand but to bring this to an end I really think whites are not the only to act a fool on tv also blacks because I bet if those type of shows give more blacks opportunity to be on those type of shows you will see the number increase. Well this is a very good question Are whites the only ones to humiliate themselves on TV well to me the question is do these show like the baccalaureate and real word and other shows that connect with that show allow to have allot of black people to cast on the shows. Well the same as she said I can probably count on my hand of how many black people end up on these types of shows. I don’t want to jump to say its racist or anything it can be only white willing to get up there and act a fool because it seem as every time I ask a black person would she or he do they say hell no or just no and they sometime crazy I will never make a fool of myself like that. Makes you think like maybe blacks people really do not want to be made a fool of their selves, which is understandable. With me being black I have to say it is true I even tell myself sometime I would never get on that show to at a foot so I can embarrass myself. As you look on these show these white people are really trying to be seen and don’t matter to be put on blast throughout the whole nation. To me I do think some of these show go by the color of the skin but some don’t. Most of these shows go with the people that are crazy and would get millions of homes watching them every week and it seem to be white people that knows how to do that. I think it all boils down to money and who want to put there selves out there with no problem and most of the time it do be white people which is all good. But don’t forget black people have their own shows as well and there are some black people that would do allot for a TV contract money talk in many ways and if those numbers are right yes I think blacks will also take a more go on it but to me money does not have a skin color at the end of the day everybody want to be seen and also make that money. Which I understand but to bring this to an end I really think whites are not the only to act a fool on tv also blacks because I bet if those type of shows give more blacks opportunity to be on those type of shows you will see the number increase.

]]> By: JulietaVenegas http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves/comment-page-1/#comment-24996 JulietaVenegas Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:41:49 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1918#comment-24996 I too have to admit that I've never noticed the overwhelming whiteness of The Bachelor/Bachelorette. I never really watched the show until this past summer, but even from that one season that I followed it was indeed filled with a bunch of white guys and a white girl. Based on that fact, I'll take the word of the girl in the video post in that the number of white people can be counted on your hands. My first thought to this observation is along the lines of the fact that the main character in the shows has been white. So the pool of possible fiancees was probably chosen in a way that limits the racial diversity within the group. I don't know how the network or show producers chooses that group of individuals, so I can't speak for them.... but my guess would be that the main character has some say in who's in in the mix because *they* are the one who is going to be snuggling up to one of the group members in the end. If the network were smart, they'd pull in some people of color in order to appeal to a larger target audience. But like I said, I don't really know how the whole selection process really works. Now, getting back to the question of whether or not whites are the only ones willing to embarrass themselves on national television. I too agree in that you have to look at other networks and their respective reality TV shows because there is clearly some diversity there. Take The Biggest Loser, for example. Again, I haven't watched it a whole lot so I can't really speak from the perspective of someone who really knows what goes on that show, but I do have a general idea of who has been on the show thanks to commercials for the show, magazine covers, and E! News, and it seems to me that there's a fair amount of diversity within that show. Again, I don't know how that casting process works nor do I know which network hosts Biggest Loser, so I can only speculate... but all of this leads me to think that the situation with the Bachelor/ette show is simply that the group of participants is chosen based on what the main Bachelor/ette wants. I too have to admit that I've never noticed the overwhelming whiteness of The Bachelor/Bachelorette. I never really watched the show until this past summer, but even from that one season that I followed it was indeed filled with a bunch of white guys and a white girl. Based on that fact, I'll take the word of the girl in the video post in that the number of white people can be counted on your hands.

My first thought to this observation is along the lines of the fact that the main character in the shows has been white. So the pool of possible fiancees was probably chosen in a way that limits the racial diversity within the group. I don't know how the network or show producers chooses that group of individuals, so I can't speak for them…. but my guess would be that the main character has some say in who's in in the mix because *they* are the one who is going to be snuggling up to one of the group members in the end. If the network were smart, they'd pull in some people of color in order to appeal to a larger target audience. But like I said, I don't really know how the whole selection process really works.

Now, getting back to the question of whether or not whites are the only ones willing to embarrass themselves on national television. I too agree in that you have to look at other networks and their respective reality TV shows because there is clearly some diversity there. Take The Biggest Loser, for example. Again, I haven't watched it a whole lot so I can't really speak from the perspective of someone who really knows what goes on that show, but I do have a general idea of who has been on the show thanks to commercials for the show, magazine covers, and E! News, and it seems to me that there's a fair amount of diversity within that show. Again, I don't know how that casting process works nor do I know which network hosts Biggest Loser, so I can only speculate… but all of this leads me to think that the situation with the Bachelor/ette show is simply that the group of participants is chosen based on what the main Bachelor/ette wants.

]]> By: ezf5009 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves/comment-page-4/#comment-24821 ezf5009 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:51:45 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1918#comment-24821 I do not have a solution to this question. Should these types of shows be more diverse, should they represent the population, or is it fair for the shows to be based on their audience? There are shows that have black casts, shows that have white casts, and shows that have diversity cast and I’m not sure which is best. I guess ideally a diverse cast is the best solution and there are certain groups that are not represented on television. TV is a reinforcement of society, all white shows with some diversity are on major networks and primarily black cast shows are on small networks. This is unfortunate, and TV networks goals certainly are not social justice leaving this a difficult situation. I mean what would the solution be? Sure we can have this discussions, but the TV stations will keep airing shows that sell. I do not have a solution to this question. Should these types of shows be more diverse, should they represent the population, or is it fair for the shows to be based on their audience? There are shows that have black casts, shows that have white casts, and shows that have diversity cast and I’m not sure which is best. I guess ideally a diverse cast is the best solution and there are certain groups that are not represented on television. TV is a reinforcement of society, all white shows with some diversity are on major networks and primarily black cast shows are on small networks. This is unfortunate, and TV networks goals certainly are not social justice leaving this a difficult situation. I mean what would the solution be? Sure we can have this discussions, but the TV stations will keep airing shows that sell.

]]> By: Kelley http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves/comment-page-4/#comment-24786 Kelley Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:28:17 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1918#comment-24786 I don't really watch the bachelor that often, but I have also noticed the overwhelming amount of white people on the show. I think that there are more than just a few reasons why too. One may be that more white people try out, or maybe even that the bachelor/bachelorette said that they would prefer to marry someone of their own race. But as far as Sam’s title for the blog post goes, I totally think that many more races other than white are willing to humiliate themselves on television. Think back to the video we watched in class of the Japanese (I think?) men getting hit in the balls with hammers. That may be far more humiliating than the bachelor. Also, half of the humiliating shows that we have in America (that are dominated by whites) stem from another country that had the idea first. Okay so now that that’s out of my system, I think that the bachelor is an awful, awful show. The entire idea of it is superficial and ridiculous, and until the bachelorette came out, sexist. Having 20 or so women compete for the love of one man, who consequently is handsome and wealthy is crazy. How could true love ever possibly be found? And it demeans the whole idea of marriage (which I would define as the ultimate display of love between a man and a woman, two men, two women, or whoever) It doesn’t matter what the race of the person is, the show is ridiculous all the way around. Some of the episodes literally have physical competitions to win a date with the man. If one of the women makes one mistake, or isn’t pretty enough they’re cut, it’s that easy. And a whole string of horrible “reality” shows have sprung from this one, too (i.e. Flavor of love with flava flav, A shot at love with Tila Teguila, and Rock of Love with Bret Michaels) All of those shows have love in the title, yet every one of them has a second season because the first one didn’t work out. How can we expect children these days (who already grow up learning everything from T.V. and celebrities) to really know what love is when this is what they’re exposed to? Are they going to think that in order to find true love they’ll need to compete and humiliate themselves? I guess I’ve sort of gotten away from the subject of race on this one really, but I think that these shows are slowly eating away at the real meanings that love and marriage should have, while teaching our youth that it’s okay to love someone just for their wealth or beauty. It’s crazy. I don’t really watch the bachelor that often, but I have also noticed the overwhelming amount of white people on the show. I think that there are more than just a few reasons why too. One may be that more white people try out, or maybe even that the bachelor/bachelorette said that they would prefer to marry someone of their own race. But as far as Sam’s title for the blog post goes, I totally think that many more races other than white are willing to humiliate themselves on television. Think back to the video we watched in class of the Japanese (I think?) men getting hit in the balls with hammers. That may be far more humiliating than the bachelor. Also, half of the humiliating shows that we have in America (that are dominated by whites) stem from another country that had the idea first.

Okay so now that that’s out of my system, I think that the bachelor is an awful, awful show. The entire idea of it is superficial and ridiculous, and until the bachelorette came out, sexist. Having 20 or so women compete for the love of one man, who consequently is handsome and wealthy is crazy. How could true love ever possibly be found? And it demeans the whole idea of marriage (which I would define as the ultimate display of love between a man and a woman, two men, two women, or whoever) It doesn’t matter what the race of the person is, the show is ridiculous all the way around. Some of the episodes literally have physical competitions to win a date with the man. If one of the women makes one mistake, or isn’t pretty enough they’re cut, it’s that easy. And a whole string of horrible “reality” shows have sprung from this one, too (i.e. Flavor of love with flava flav, A shot at love with Tila Teguila, and Rock of Love with Bret Michaels) All of those shows have love in the title, yet every one of them has a second season because the first one didn’t work out. How can we expect children these days (who already grow up learning everything from T.V. and celebrities) to really know what love is when this is what they’re exposed to? Are they going to think that in order to find true love they’ll need to compete and humiliate themselves?

I guess I’ve sort of gotten away from the subject of race on this one really, but I think that these shows are slowly eating away at the real meanings that love and marriage should have, while teaching our youth that it’s okay to love someone just for their wealth or beauty. It’s crazy.

]]> By: msh5190 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves/comment-page-4/#comment-24784 msh5190 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:19:56 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1918#comment-24784 I think that these shows are strictly for entertainment purposes. Of course, many people want to be on television and there are plenty of things that people will do in order to have the opportunity. However, I don’t think that white people are the only people willing to humiliate themselves. There are countless times when I have seen people of color doing the same things on television in order to get into the spotlight. I think it seems as though white people put themselves in this position more frequently because the population of whites is much greater than that of blacks and colored people, so it is more common to see whites in these positions. I think that these shows are strictly for entertainment purposes. Of course, many people want to be on television and there are plenty of things that people will do in order to have the opportunity. However, I don’t think that white people are the only people willing to humiliate themselves. There are countless times when I have seen people of color doing the same things on television in order to get into the spotlight. I think it seems as though white people put themselves in this position more frequently because the population of whites is much greater than that of blacks and colored people, so it is more common to see whites in these positions.

]]> By: unconventional http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves/comment-page-4/#comment-24482 unconventional Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:26:25 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1918#comment-24482 I like how this topic was brought up. I actually used to watch the bachelor/bachelorette, until after about the 4th season it began to bore me to no end. I noted how all the bachelors all looked the same and how the bachelorettes all looked the same and so were the men and women that were fighting for their attention. I noticed that minorities were always either absent or extremely underrepresented. This is not to say that there needs to be a lot of minorities for sake of appeasing the people, rather than in selections to even make the show, which I am sure some apply, they just never make the cut. Some of the contestants that actually appear on the show are shocking after they tell you all they are really about and I cannot help but think that out of the thousands of applicants "that one" made it? The few minorities that make it tend to get cut in the first or second round, and you can tell the bachelor/bachelorette is uncomfortable. The discussions are usually very professional and never personal. In my family, whenever one minority made it in, we would bet each other how long s/he would stay on that show. The bets became redundant because we knew a minority would never make it past the second day. Another point of interest was that the bachelor and bachelorette have always been white themselves, as if there are no other singles in the United States of the Americas other than white people. It’s ridiculous and, I believe, on purpose. Disney Channel is more true to the demographic than some of these “more mature” channels that are in one mild way or another, rather racist. Note I did not say they are hateful racist; they are just that, racist. An interesting point someone made earlier is maybe the selections are restricted by the selections/preferences set forth by the bachelor and bachelorette ahead of time. In which case do we still call it selective racism or personal preference? It’s definitely something to think about. Although I do not believe that things will change drastically any time soon, I do believe in minute progress even for it is better than none at all; although even that is not as great as immediately righting a wrong. There are white channels and black channels, and I think it is all rather ridiculous really; the discrimination goes both ways. Mix them! So at least the growing generations can see images of the diversified world in which we live. Times are always changing whether we choose to accept it or not, and so the best we can hope for is that we adapt adequately enough to make it as painless as possible. I like how this topic was brought up. I actually used to watch the bachelor/bachelorette, until after about the 4th season it began to bore me to no end. I noted how all the bachelors all looked the same and how the bachelorettes all looked the same and so were the men and women that were fighting for their attention. I noticed that minorities were always either absent or extremely underrepresented. This is not to say that there needs to be a lot of minorities for sake of appeasing the people, rather than in selections to even make the show, which I am sure some apply, they just never make the cut. Some of the contestants that actually appear on the show are shocking after they tell you all they are really about and I cannot help but think that out of the thousands of applicants "that one" made it?
The few minorities that make it tend to get cut in the first or second round, and you can tell the bachelor/bachelorette is uncomfortable. The discussions are usually very professional and never personal. In my family, whenever one minority made it in, we would bet each other how long s/he would stay on that show. The bets became redundant because we knew a minority would never make it past the second day. Another point of interest was that the bachelor and bachelorette have always been white themselves, as if there are no other singles in the United States of the Americas other than white people. It’s ridiculous and, I believe, on purpose. Disney Channel is more true to the demographic than some of these “more mature” channels that are in one mild way or another, rather racist. Note I did not say they are hateful racist; they are just that, racist. An interesting point someone made earlier is maybe the selections are restricted by the selections/preferences set forth by the bachelor and bachelorette ahead of time. In which case do we still call it selective racism or personal preference? It’s definitely something to think about.
Although I do not believe that things will change drastically any time soon, I do believe in minute progress even for it is better than none at all; although even that is not as great as immediately righting a wrong. There are white channels and black channels, and I think it is all rather ridiculous really; the discrimination goes both ways. Mix them! So at least the growing generations can see images of the diversified world in which we live. Times are always changing whether we choose to accept it or not, and so the best we can hope for is that we adapt adequately enough to make it as painless as possible.

]]> By: gonewiththewnd http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/are-whites-the-only-people-willing-to-humiliate-themselves/comment-page-4/#comment-24296 gonewiththewnd Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:19:43 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1918#comment-24296 The shows like the bachelor and bachelorette are just so ridiculous. I don’t think that white people are the only people willing to humiliate themselves (flavor of love was much trashier than the bachelor) but I do think that there is racial discrimination in the choice of contestants. I'm not sure how the contestants are chosen but if it is nothing more than ABC picking them then there needs to be come changes in the variety of contestants. It would be nice to see at least 5 of the 25 contestants be of non Caucasian race. If the contestants of color win or are successful is solely up to their relationship with the bachelor or bachelorette (not biased because of race). The shows like the bachelor and bachelorette are just so ridiculous. I don’t think that white people are the only people willing to humiliate themselves (flavor of love was much trashier than the bachelor) but I do think that there is racial discrimination in the choice of contestants. I'm not sure how the contestants are chosen but if it is nothing more than ABC picking them then there needs to be come changes in the variety of contestants. It would be nice to see at least 5 of the 25 contestants be of non Caucasian race. If the contestants of color win or are successful is solely up to their relationship with the bachelor or bachelorette (not biased because of race).

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