Best thing about my morning so far: "Hey White People"

[downtoearth]

Did they say, if we ignore Crocs they will go away?

That is a good video and like how direct the shirt is. Bummer that the bottom of the shirt says FCKH8 or else we could send kids to school in these shirts, I'm guessing our school would make the kids turn the shirt inside out, so it's more of a weekend shirt.

[elleblue]

That was great. The ending had me in tears. 

[WOT?*]

Sept 10, 2014 10:55:03 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Did they say, if we ignore Crocs they will go away?

That is a good video and like how direct the shirt is. Bummer that the bottom of the shirt says FCKH8 or else we could send kids to school in these shirts, I'm guessing our school would make the kids turn the shirt inside out, so it's more of a weekend shirt.

And Justin Bieber. Please let it be true.

I'm with you on the FCKH8. I wish they had a different name for their organization. Or that it wasn't splashed all over the goods they're marketing (t-shirt, hoodie, etc. I want to keep the kiddos in as much of a bubble as possible w/r/t cursing...except for mine of course. )

[iammalcolmx]

That was great

[taratru]

Ugh...why the FCKH8? Kids couldn't even wear that to school here.

But I love the video.

[thejackpot]

Awesome, just awesome.

[AJL]

I just posted this on my local board and the biggest take away seems to be that saying "white people" is offensive.

[stever]

I love this! And that last kid is such a cutie patootie.

[elleblue]

Sept 10, 2014 13:25:55 GMT -5 AJL said:

I just posted this on my local board and the biggest take away seems to be that saying "white people" is offensive.

#whitepeopledon'tgetit

[Deleted]

Sept 10, 2014 13:25:55 GMT -5 AJL said:

I just posted this on my local board and the biggest take away seems to be that saying "white people" is offensive.

#whitepeopledon'tgetit

Erm...but that's what I am.

I suppose 'Excuse me Caucasian Folks' would be more appropriate.  

[blink]

Sept 10, 2014 13:25:55 GMT -5 AJL said:

I just posted this on my local board and the biggest take away seems to be that saying "white people" is offensive.

#whitepeopledon'tgetit

Whut? I mean, I guess that plays into the white people are such victims and all of these things (like Affirmative Action) are just racist against them. I just can't with people.

The video is great, though, and the children are adorable.

[chw57]

Well I posted it on facebook because I love it, and someone commented that they were offended by it :/
Point...missed.

[PinkSquirrel]

Have people read Colorlines take on it?   They aren't fans.  The short version ... Fckh8 is is a predominately white organization, only $5 of the $20 are going to be donated and it appears at least one of the charities chosen to receive a donation wants nothing to do with it.   They also took issues with the video itself.

So…. Our little New York office feels some kind of way about a new video making rounds today. Titled, “Hey White People: A Kinda Awkward Note to America by #Ferguson Kids,” the video’s making lots of rounds on social media. Which will probably equal lots of money for the company behind it, called Synergy Media

The video features a group of unnamed black kids, purportedly from Ferguson, reciting parts of a script that’s clearly been written by adults. A script that will make you think race is solely a black and white issue, by the way. Even if the children are from Ferguson, it’s unclear if or how they’ve been compensated. Either way, the idea that these kids are from Ferguson is paraded for consumption.

Towards the end, a white adult and a black adult make nice and encourage viewers to buy a FCKH8.com T-shirt. Five dollars from each shirt will supposedly go to unidentified “charities working in communities to fight racism.” Which charities? Who knows! What communities? Can’t tell you.*

The video concludes with a dedication, “For Mike,” and a quiet scene from the Ferguson street on which Michael Brown was killed by officer Darren Wilson more than a month ago:



The company behind the video, FCKH8.com, has made a name for itself selling what it calls “LGBT Equality Gear” (which sort of covers some LGB themes, but sort of leaves the T part out). It’s now trying to do the same with its “Anti-Racism Gear.” According to its website, FCKH8.com “recently became owned and managed by Synergy Media,” a corporate branding firm whose clients include Magnum bodybuilding vitamin supplements and pretty offensive “Buckeye Boob T’s” (the latter despite the fact that FCKH8.com says it’s anti-sexist).

There’s an entire economy around black death—and this ad campaign illustrates it all too well. Ironically, this economy’s profit margins depend on upholding the very racism this video claims to want to eliminate.

So there you have it, folks. Everything, it seems, can distilled, packaged, bought and sold—including racism.

Update, September 10, 2014, 4:55 p.m.: FCKH8.com issued a press release Tuesday indicating that Race Forward, which is Colorlines’ publisher, along with a few other organizations, would be receiving funds garnered through T-shirt sales. Race Forward has publicly responded.

[downtoearth]

From the Race Forward FB feed - you can see that Mike from FCKH8 does try to be open about the profit/costs, but it still weirds me out that this company profits from making t-shirts for LGBT and racism, but is owned by a big corporation that also makes boob t-shirts.

That being said, I think the blatant message on the shirts is still good and the statistics in the video are still shocking enough that a lot of people should be exposed to that.