So, last night we tried to watch the new reality show on FX called "Black.White.". It takes two families, one black and one white, and through the magic of make-up, they swap races. It was hard for me to watch at times because the white family just seemed so oblivious to black people and race issues in general. The father said on numerous occasions that "you get what you give out of life" and that anyone can over come adversity by sheer will. In some matters, I agree. Race, however, is not one of the instances where sheer will can change perception.

The white father, Bruno, used the "N" word far too often. The black family was clearly uncomfortable with his constant dropping of the "N" bombs, but he seemed to think it was OK. He also wanted confrontation. He was looking forward to a white person calling him a "N" while he was in black face. He couldn't wait for his chance to shame another "honky" (his term, not mine) for using the derogatory term and "take the power away from the word". He was a genuine idiot.

The white Mom, Carmen. Bless her heart, she is a little bit off, too. She used the word "jive" when referring to the way black people talk amongst themselves. WTF? She went to buy an outfit for church and she came back with a dashiki. Did she really think that this was what black people would wear to church? I mean...come on, Lady! She kept saying all the time that she just "didn't spend any time around black people" as an excuse for not knowing the right way to 'act' around us. What a load of crap. And what the hell was up with all the damn crying?

The black father seemed amazed by the way he was treated while he was in white face. He walked into an all-white neighborhood to a bar patronized by upper middle-class white people, applied for a job and was offered a position on the spot. He was amazed. Several little things like that sent him into moments of disbelief.

I don't know if I can stand to watch the show again, but it's got the whole train wreck aspect to it. You know it's going to be bad. You know someone is going to get hurt. You know you should look away, but you just can't take your eyes off the mess that's about to happen.

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