DEAR WHITE PEOPLE vol.2
Dear White People is an easy binge because it’s 10 half hour episodes, so only five hours of time, but either way, binge it I did - four hours on the Friday and two the Saturday morning.
Before getting into vol.2, I should note that I saw Dear White People when it came out in the cinema over here. I enjoyed it. When I saw it was coming to Netflix as a television series - and all the subsequent hoopla about it (mostly from people who probably didn’t see the film) - I really enjoyed it. And I really enjoyed the show as well, when it came out. But this season, THIS SEASON… I might have to watch again to try and explain all the reasons why I fucking LOVED this season.
When the film came out, I knew of a few people who would consider themselves liberal, who didn’t fancy watching it because they worried they might come out of the cinema “feeling guilty”. So I ended up going to see it on my own and quickly discovered that the film in no way, shape or form is about white people really. Which I should have guessed, but anyway. Then it came to the series and of course loads of people got on their high horses about it, the film probably having passed them by, to deem Dear White People racist towards white people. Mostly basing it off the title and an admittedly provocative trailer. Again, the series, just like the film, isn’t really about white people.
For those who haven’t seen the film or first series (firstly, why the hell not?!), Dear White People is the name of a student radio show hosted by (one of) our lead(s), Sam White (irony not lost). The second series is all about the discourse that radio show has created amongst the fictional Ivy League university, Winchester, from the formation of an alternative radio show, the rise of internet trolls and people generally feeling like they can or can’t say whatever they want, depending on their side of the fence. This all culminates into one of the most brilliant acts of defiance and protest against a familiar face, for those who have seen the film. All without ever mentioning the “T” word. Something I think they did really well to avoid by bringing outside politics into the Winchester and making it about the microcosm of politics on campus.
I think I need to go back and watch it again because there’s so much more I want to say, but I’m getting all jumbled with excitement over how great this was. WATCH IT!