The trailer for MTV’s new documentary White People is making its way around the Internet and people are feeling weird about it. The doc, hosted by Jose Antonio Vargas, is part of MTV’s “Look Different” campaign. Stephen Friedman, president of MTV, has said that:
Whiteness often remains unexamined in conversations about race in this country, even as it acts as the implicit norm against which other racial identities are judged. By shining a spotlight on whiteness, we hope ‘White People’ will serve as a powerful conversation starter that encourages our audience to address racial bias through honest, judgment-free dialogue.
No doubt, the doc aspires to that honest dialogue. But what’s more honest than Twitter? Here are some thoughts:
i very much like this new MTV documentary about shaming white people into self-deporting
— Asawin Suebsaeng (@swin24) July 8, 2015
New MTV documentary “White People,” makes white people think about being white. BRB, BUYING 20 POUND BAG OF POPCORN. http://t.co/YXs49BYnmm
— Brianna Wu (@Spacekatgal) July 8, 2015
I’m interested in the documentary “White People”. Far too often folks run away from their discomfort @joseiswriting http://t.co/pRVsJ0E0QS
— Angela Lang (@Angela_Lang) July 8, 2015
Proud to live in a country where an undocumented gay Filipino can make a film for @MTV called “White People”: http://t.co/4E9pEfO5US
— Jose Antonio Vargas (@joseiswriting) July 8, 2015
This MTV “White People” documentary is gonna be liiiiit hahahahaha https://t.co/B3BHaKXbYu
— Craig Jenkins (@CraigSJ) July 8, 2015
With upcoming docu/shows such as #UncommonSense and ‘White People’, I’m curious to know what angle @MTV is taking with its programming.
— n. (@nlmx_) July 8, 2015