| Not sure what is more ludicrous... on 07:20 - Mar 1 with 392 views | Herbivore |
| Not sure what is more ludicrous... on 01:05 - Mar 1 by Sarge |
I totally agree, I don’t think there’s any meaningful intent or malice in it at all. But as I’ve posted above just now, to me it’s still racist by definition and I’m not overly comfortable justifying that in any capacity regardless of the context or how well-meaning to some they may have perceived it to be. |
I disagree that it's racism, even based on your definition, given that it applies to only two showings out of a three month run it is hard to see how it prejudices white theatre goes in any meaningful way. It's also important to factor in the last part of the definition you posted "typically one that is a minority or marginalised" because that is where the power dynamics the previous poster referred to come in. White people in the UK are neither a minority nor marginalised and they have never experienced spaces like the theatre not being open to them. The same is not true or Black people in the UK. That, coupled with the fact that white people can go to any of the other dozens of showings of the play, means I don't think it's right to describe it as racist.
Whether it is the right thing to do for this particular play, who knows? Probably not a load of middle aged white men on a football forum, that's for sure. I'd be more interested to hear from the community groups they intend to use to invite people who identify as Black as to whether they think it will encourage people who otherwise might not feel comfortable attending the play (or the theatre more generally) to go. If it does, then I don't see why people have got their panties in a bunch about it to be honest. |  |
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| Not sure what is more ludicrous... on 08:04 - Mar 1 with 332 views | GlasgowBlue |
I can’t read the Telegraph link as I no longer have a subscription, but from what I understand it is a three month run and only two nights have been set aside for audiences who are black or identify as black. I assume that is people of mixed race or people who have non visible Afro Caribbean heritage.
Where is the issue setting aside just two nights for a group of people whose family in previous generations were affected by slavery? A complete non story in my opinion.
I don’t think there would be any issue with a play based on the Holocaust having a couple of nights set aside to Holocaust survivors. Or a play about Windrush having a couple of nights set aside for the those still alive who came over to help rebuild the UK after the war and their families.
Surely it’s just positive acknowledgement? If there is such an expression. |  |
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| Not sure what is more ludicrous... on 08:31 - Mar 1 with 297 views | redrickstuhaart |
| Not sure what is more ludicrous... on 00:50 - Mar 1 by Sarge |
Racism, “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.” - Oxford English Dictionary.
We can freely debate the intent, the severity, and the impact as much as we like and likely all conclude that really, aside from being either some clumsy marketing technique or a genuine attempt for some reason to segregate the audience, this really doesn’t touch the sides on the scale of historical or institutional racism. Realistically this will have little to no effect whatsoever, as possibly as many as ten white people (and I’m assuming anyone else that isn’t black) find themselves temporarily shut out of a play on a specific night.
This particular application of racism is atypical, in that it is not deployed against a minority or marginalised group, and really nobody is going to be particularly bothered by it. But by this definition it is racism, and the power dynamic to me seems to be added later to enable the mental gymnastics of discriminating against some groups/races and not others. |
Notably, anyone who wants to see it for the right reasons will fully understand the purpose of the decision and will be delighted to abide by it. The only people who will complain are people who won't have any intention of seeing it, will have no prejudice caused to them by it, but who want to make a point whilst ignoring the assymetry inherent in their positions.
That said, I do understand the inherent discomfort at what is essentially race based selection and positive discrimination as a concept. |  | | |
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