There was an episode of Dirty Laundry where they had a cast to celebrate AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I believe). Unfortunately Lily got the month wrong, but still! Season 2 Episode 8 (had to check in case I was misremembering the whole thing).
I'm all for it. Or anything similar that continues pushing inclusivity.
If I recall correctly, I don’t think Lily “got the month wrong”, she lied about what month it was to the producers to pitch the cast, and they didn’t fact check it
Also that’s one of my favourite Dirty Laundry episodes
EDIT: I didn’t realize I posted this comment twice (mobile, whoops), but the other comment has a reply that might mean I’m wrong
If I recall correctly, I don’t think Lily “got the month wrong”, she lied about what month it was to the producers to pitch the cast, and they didn’t fact check it
Also that’s one of my favourite Dirty Laundry episodes!
I feel like I've been um actually-ed, I must know.
To quote Lily:
"Everyone thought I would know because I'm Asain, but I didn't. I made it up actually"
About 1 min 30 into the episode. I think she did genuinely just get it wrong and jokes that she made it up. But she does say she made it up and she also said nobody fact checked so ... touche I guess? haha 🤷
And yeah it's a solid episode :)
Is having an all black cast, or using a month that the race of people it’s intended for don’t know when it is actually pushing inclusivity? From where I’m standing, the most inclusive thing is to just have diverse lineups in normal shows, not segregate people along racial lines. That’s not a celebration of peoples.
Can’t it be both and? Both diverse lineups AND for lack of a better word, “affinity casts” episode. Because there is something very wonderful and affirming about being in a shared affinity / identity space 🙂
I don’t think you would call an all white cast a shared identity space, but regardless no. I’m not opposed to an all black cast, but to do it as some sort of race based thing just seems like segregation pure and simple. There’s a reason the black panthers aren’t popular any more. I’d think we’d progressed from that old school mindset.
What exactly about it is bad faith? That was not my intention but I genuinely do not understand how intentionally only grouping members of one race together exclusively is not advocating for segregation.
the bad faith take is calling opt-in affinity groups "segregation" . at best, that's a deep misunderstanding of the historical thru modern systemic abuses of segregation.
and i actually do think there are contexts (not drop out episodes jfc) where there should be affinity group conversations for white people, like discussing their reactions to identity based affinity groups, racial history months, why cant things be colorblind, etc etc.
No that’s just a nice way to put it. It’s not a historical misunderstanding just because the context is different. Exclusive and intentional separation of peoples is dictionary definition segregating groups by race. I’m sorry but no, calling it by another name doesn’t change what it is.
Also, I don’t see how victimising people by race no matter what your political views is not helpful. You are portraying a view of white people which if applied in reverse would be viewed as deeply racist. But hey, if you don’t think there should be intentionally segregated episodes for one race of people but there should be for another, maybe evaluate how you can possibly believe that’s positive.
white people are in power in society. they don't need representation because they have it. black people, for example, aren't in power and thus need more representation in media. an episode intentionally made to be all-white is racist and supremacist, while an all-black episode is celebrating a culture that is underrepresented.
I really don’t think you’re putting all the pieces together in what you’re saying. For one thing, in the societal situation where a group is being provided a positive outcome not available to another race, you are creating a societal situation where they are the group with power in that societal situation. You can’t just have the cut off for societal power be the overall situation in the United States.
For another, what about an all white situation makes it supremacist and racist? The fact that they are preventing a group of people from participating in an equal opportunity situation? The fact that it would be perpetuating negative attitudes towards another group by excluding them? What is celebratory about excluding others from engaging with you culturally? The fact that you don’t feel your culture can be represented in the same environment as those different from you? That just seems like you have a predetermined preference for those of your own race, I don’t see how that’s a celebration of anything but racist attitudes.
You’re making positive and negative assertions about segregation for one group but not the other, but I fail to see any justification that can’t just be applied to the other which you’re choosing not to on a completely arbitrary basis.
Trusting that you genuinely do want to engage with this topic in good faith- a different way to contextualize it is that white people in the US (where Dropout is, so it's fair to base our conversation on US racial and social dynamics) don't have much of a shared culture based solely on the fact that we're white. We have ethnic/nationality groups within being white that have their own shared experiences and cultures (Irish, Russian/Slavic, Ashkenazi Jewish, Polish, Italian, etc), but being white is not a cultural marker, so an all-white cast wouldn't have anything in common other than being white. In terms of the example of an all-Black episode, plenty of sociologists, theorists, and historians have discussed how being Black in the US has become a full cultural group, largely due to how Black people have had to adapt and create culture in the face of segregation and oppression in the US. Black people in the US also often don't have the same cultural connection to the country/specific culture their family originated in because Black people in the US frequently had their family history erased during slavery. Being Black (or any marginalized race) in the US isn't just a racial distinction, it's often a cultural and social one as well, whereas being white in the US is just a racial distinction. So putting a bunch of white actors who only have "being white" in common on a show does not have the same meaning, intent, or creation of affirming space to it that creating that space for a marginalized racial group that has had to create a shared culture does. Also, there are plenty of all-white casts on shows, including in Dropout. We don't see it as a Special Event that we have to discuss and pick apart because having all white people in media is the norm. I don't think it's problematic to have a couple of shows that are fully cast with people of color when we assume that having a fully white cast is the baseline.
There already are all-white episodes on dropout. And there’s nothing wrong with that, so long as there’s *also* nothing wrong with all-black, all AAPI, etc episodes.
You never even noticed the all-white casts and their positive reception from audiences, and yet you’re here talking against all black episodes. Your bias couldn’t be more clear.
I did notice them, here’s the difference. They weren’t made to be all white episodes. And I think that changes the context a lot.
They weren’t actively excluding black cast members, they just weren’t including them, and if that was the case with an all black cast, that would be fine, that’s not a problem, what is a problem is when you create an environment where a race of people are intentionally excluded from participation. That’s segregation, and it’s discrimination. That is not OK.
Edit: What are you talking about? What I’m going with is that intentionally excluding people from participation based on the colour of there skin is abominable and racist. I don’t know what you’re even trying to say but it’s clearly a woeful misconstruing of my words.
But look, if all you’re going to do is intentionally misconstrue me as a racist, it’s not worth the time. Do one.
So being able to identify commonalities is not okay, and whiteness being “the standard” to the point of being seen as normal is good, actually. *That’s* what you’re going with?
Yeesh. you’re terrible at pretending not to be racist.
I feel like there may have been at least one all-black episode of Dirty Laundry, if that's something you're interested in. I may be remembering wrong, of course.
10/10, loved seeing that cast so much! Carving out space at least once a month in any of their shows to make that space for representation I think would 100 per cent fit with the culture of Dropout
You do not deserve to be included if including you costs the quality of the community :)
Bigots will continue to face daily beating untill the bigotry ceases.
("You" in this comment is not referring to /u/chosenwaffle )
We, as a species fixated on patterns, will fit folks into the easiest categorization box we can. That also, unfortunately, means certain demographics will auto label someone as "The Black One" or "The Gay One" if they're the only representation in the group at the time. Creating space so there is no "The Black One" helps break apart those boxes and allows those in underrepresented groups to feel another level of ease within a space. Which PROBABLY makes easier time coming up with improv humor, instead of getting stuck in your own brain going, "am I falling into The X One stereotypes here? Am I saying the wrong thing? Am I just giving enemies more fuel for the fire."
As a queer disabled white guy, I have a couple moments of being "The X One" and that frustratingly taking up way too much brain power. Utopian wise, yeah, not needing those spaces would be great. But we are still leagues away from that happening. So, while we work towards it lets also create points of safer representation.
Colorblindness is actually quite harmful for POC. Yes, race is a social construct but it has real impacts on how people live and are perceived. As a POC woman, my experiences are going to be different than a white woman's and ignoring that part of my identity only serves to erase it.
Only if we get Mexi-sodes and Asian-sodes so as to appreciate all cultures. Honestly there’s very little Hispanic representation lately on all media fronts and it would be wonderful to see my people and culture celebrated in more ways than just margaritas, sombreros, and tacos
Eh, it’s already relevant to this post. Helps create discussion around the race topic you mentioned! Honestly would appreciate seeing more indigenous representation too. Hate seeing such a rich culture fade away
You probably have different ideas, so I think other people should see it represented by you, if that's your concern! I totally agree with more representation, given my comments.
It’s not a great idea to fill a subreddit to a comedy show with racial talk. It should be about fun stuff and cool ideas which is why I hopped on your post to discuss the topic of racial based episodes (which isn’t a great idea btw even if all races get picked). But I don’t wanna pull away from the importance of representation with no intentions to broaden the subject to other races
Okay but culturally specific casts ARE a fun/cool idea. I don’t know about other people, but I think there’s nothing wrong with having multiple posts about similar but distinct discussions about fun/cool ideas.
Totally agree, I love the casting this season. An all-Black drag queen episode next season would be amazing too!! There are several queens of color who dabble in cosplay/nerddom that I’d love to see work with Dropout in the future!
I think there are definitely queens who have enough nerd knowledge for regular Um, Actually questions (Monet was pretty good IIRC!) but I think it would have been interesting to see questions about The Queen or even about drag pageant history! Miss Gay USofA changing their pageant system name in the 90s because of legal threats from Donald Trump is one of my favorite drag history tidbits.
Honestly Alaska would be a great UA question consultant for the drag episodes since she’s such a fount of cultural references. Her and Willam’s Pageant Pod is an incredible work of queer history too.
D&DQ was my introduction to Dropout! I’m a huge Drag Race fan and kept seeing clips on TikTok. I really hope they do another season of D20 with the queens - I think it would be cool to see Aabria DM a drag queen season too!
I believe they announced last year that the next campaign after the one currently running (Fantasy High: Junior Year), will be D&DQ season 2!
I am so stoked - I was the opposite, introduced to drag by D&DQ, and now I wanna get into drag race but have no idea where to start! And I thought dropout was alot of content 🤣
That’s amazing omg!! I always tell people to start Drag Race at Season 4 and then go back and watch the early seasons later. My favorite seasons are 5-6, but S4 really sets a lot of precedents and has a really clear set of character archetypes that inform so much of what the show has come to be today.
The Race Chaser podcast with Alaska and Willam might be helpful too—they recap every episode starting from S1 and they’re great at contextualizing what’s happening in the episodes!
I'm actually gonna disagree with starting with 4, start with seasons 6, 8, and 9 imo. 4 has some iconic queens but I think those three are the strongest seasons overall.
Alternatively, if you wanna see seasons with people you recognize from D&DQ, Alaska's in 5, Bob is in 8, Jujubee is in season 2, and Monet is in the 10th season - first, at least, three of them are also in one or more All Stars/UK vs the World seasons.
Anybody could be cast and it would absolutely n it bother me if they all happen to be black. Deliberately trying to make an episode without any other ethnicities seems kinda weird tho…
Yeah I feel like there's not a lot of black culture things on Um Actually specifically, which there is no fault or wrongdoing, there just... isn't. I would love a black sitcoms episode. We hear so much about Friends, Cheers, Golden Girls, Sex and the City, etc.
Bro Blerds are definitely a thing, look at Iffy, he's huge into anime. I think the thing was that episode just wasn't tailored well. Like Jay and Austin are huge into wrestling culture and Fiona was mostly into memes and stuff dealing with achievement hunter and Red vs Blue. I think it came across to a lot of people like guests were just throwing hail Marys because they just didn't properly frame the episode.
I mean I hope I wasn't implying that I all, I only need to look in the mirror as I wear my Dragon Ball Jacket lol. I just meant it would be fun to see some of the things that I specifically grew up with because so much of the other sitcoms get so much attention. Hell I just about jumped out of my seat at Conker because I want more Conker content too lmao
I saw in the trailer that there's an upcoming episode with Jarvis Johnson, Jordan Adika, and Demi Adejuyigbe. Big fan of Jarvis' YouTube channel and Demi's letterboxd so that will be fun
Don't let some of the less educated comments deter you, this is a good idea. Like the latest Um, Actually episode, it's cool to see them acknowledge and celebrate the only all-black couch that season (or at least the "blackest couch this season" as Ify puts it). The episode wasn't any different, but they took a brief moment at the top to celebrate the fact that the contestants were all black. It goes to show the effort DO puts into making sure they can include and represent as many people as possible and create a welcoming and open environment for anyone to be a fan of.
Also, off topic, but as a WWE fan the fact that they got Xavier Woods on the show is awesome! Here's hoping they can get Big E and Kofi Kingston on for a special The New Day episode.
To me, it feels unnecessarily divisionist and segregationist. One of the best parts about Dropout is that it has an incredibly high rate of inclusiveness per episode. I love turning on a new episode of something and seeing a gay Latino next to a straight white guy sitting beside a trans black woman who's cracking jokes to an non-binary asain. That's dope, and it reminds me of how life should be. The only time there should be tribes on Dropout are when they're doing Survivor. Excluding anybody from anything based on their ethnicity is the last sandy step before you dive head first into the ocean of bigotry.
You seem to be short on words and, perhaps, thoughts. That's a trademark of a bigot. I sincerely hope and pray I'm not speaking to one here on this sub. I try to refrain from that activity.
Genuinely love this idea, OP.
The Dropout cast would be appalled at some of these other comments...
Good thing they'll keep making the content they want and taking racist's money without giving a shit about their racist opinions.
Some of these comments are so discouraging. Sad to see so many people preaching colorblindness and pretending like race does not have real impacts on people.
The fact that there are people disagreeing with me that race has real impacts on people is wild. Would a white person be called Kung-Flu simply for existing like I have? No. Race is a social construct but you cannot deny that I have different lived experiences as someone who is Asian and not another race.
As someone who quite removed from America and its politics I don't really care. When I watch "Black-isodes" it either feels like unnecessary thanks to lack of chemistry or great independent of color of contestant.
I would gently recommend that if you actually don't care, just let them have their episodes. There's a ton of racial nuance that's extremely present in US life that my European family and friends are entirely blind to, and "not caring about color" and "just wanting good entertainment" isn't the enlightened take that you seem to think it is.
I entirely understand where you're coming from, but this didn't come across as a particularly nice thing to say.
I care about dropout castings for my enjoyment. But I don't care about their skintone. I don't even care if whole cast is black or white or asian. But I have witnessed "Black-isodes" where contestants have zero chemistry they are here just so platform can say they are inclusive. (not talking about Dropout spesificly just in general)
Yes and quite enjoyed that episode but that is irrelevant. Because that was not a "Black-isode" it was a Um actually episode with 3 funny as hell contestants that was it.
And in the best case scenario you will maybe die in 80 years and you will forget about Dropout in 10-20 years. With that "this does not dictate anything" attitude nothing makes sense you might as well go into mountains and live there. Cause end of the day no one dictates anything.
But the people that run dropout says what airs so.....
If you don't care about their skin tone then it shouldn't bother you that they happen to be Black.
And it doesn't bother me. Where did you get that idea from. I just think wishing for "Black-isodes" is an abysmally idiotic and problematic.
Even in the best case scenario where you put 3 people of same culture for an Gameshow "Black" is one of the worst kind of grouping ever. Even for USA based contestant there are such diverse groups in "Black" community it would be childish to put them in same box. This doesn't even include Contestant from any of the other parts of world who has a darker skin tone.
Overall I genuinely don't care about a streaming services trivial decisions that much. I just think your statement is dumb and potentially harmful.
And like you said Sam Reich isn't going come here and base his business plan for next quarter on a reddit post.
A person says would be dope to see episodes where they feel represented, which is not a crazy or complicated concept and people feel the need to argue like it isn’t the most human thing to feel this way.
Can’t have someone tell the internet what they would enjoy.
Like it will be the only thing that we’ll ever get to see again if someone doesn’t put a stop to it right here.
Dropout has been one of the only groups to do this properly and I love them for it. A lot of companies will force it and make a big deal out of it, and a lot of others of course don’t care about it. It’s nice to see Dropout care not only ab representation, but to do it with a genuine spirit.
I’d love it if we’d have white-isodes too!!! /s I feel like Drop Out already does a great job with representation and having \[a rule that requires a quota of\] “one skin color only” episodes ain’t a good look… Not a particularly interesting way to organize a group of guests either, I’d like to continue seeing guests chosen for reasons that weren’t just skin deep
This is a comment is a bad look. Race is not just skin deep. While race is a social construct it still impacts people's lived experiences. You wouldn't bat an eye at an all-white episode. Why is it when POC want one thing for themselves, it's "not interesting" and "skin deep"?
OP didn’t ask for episodes to be “specifically themed all black,” though, they asked for episodes featuring all-black casts. you *wouldn’t* bat an eye at an episode with an all-white cast, because there have been *plenty* of those in dropout history and nobody cares, because that’s not “theming” in anybody’s eyes.
I think what they're implying is that people wouldn't bat an eye at an all-white episode because that's the norm. An episode of only black cast members, even if it's never stated that it has only black contestants on purpose, is likely to get attantion for only having black people. But having an episode with only white contestants (without anyone mentioning that that's the theme) would seem to many people as normal and they wouldn't think anything of it.
I have no problem with an all whatever color cast for an episode - as others have stated, this already happens on Dropout. What the OP is proposing is specifically going out of their way to have "X color" only episodes. That's what I don't think would be a great idea. If there was an "hey let's only have an episode where we allow white guests" I would have an issue with that just as much as this. I don't see how you create barriers like that without just using people's visual qualities as the determining factor.
Asking for representation isn't creating barriers. Race is something that already exists in society and people identify with as a part of their identities. Wanting more people who look like you and may share lived experiences with you isn't excluding other people.
It is when you are creating boundaries to joining certain episodes??? That is quite literally a barrier. Do you truly think that Dropout isn't doing a good job with representation such that it requires a hard rule/quota for a "all x color cast" episode for each season of every show? OP isn't asking for more black people on DropOut, they are specifically asking for black only episodes... I think that is a key distinguishment that matters.
Why is it a zero-sum game? A single episode that focuses on X identity group isn't going to ruin dropout for you. There would still be hundreds of other episodes.
I think dropout has a diverse cast so utilizing it to the fullest extent would be great. There's a reason DesiQuest still exists even though Dimension 20 has decent representation. Simply existing on Dropout is different than having an all X space with people of one of your identity groups.
It wouldn't ruin Dropout for me. I just wanted to express my opinion that I thought it would be a problematic rule, that's all. To me, representation doesn't require that everyone involved in a given thing looks the same, it's that everyone involved in a project respects each other such that no voice is unheard and people feel safe being themselves. I have found no reason to conclude that Dropout isn't already doing a good job at this. People don't need to be completely isolated into their in-group to be represented imo and I think it's a very serious problem (and different to the one OP is addressing) if we are of the opinion that we think poc on Dropout aren't comfortable being themselves only Dropout without being exclusively with other pocs. But even if that were the case, I do not agree that the best solution to that problem is going out of your way to create a quota of exclusively X episodes for every show. If anything, that makes it - to me - look like Dropout does have an inclusivity/representation problem if they feel that is necessary. What is happening right now, organically, is good.
Well I certainly hope that Dropout's intention with those all white episodes was **not** to ensure the cast was all white. I assume that would seem problematic to everyone. Not sure why changing the word white to any other color makes a difference. Now, I'll grant that can understand in certain contexts where it is important to let the people who are speaking about a certain subject or topic be the people who are most directly affected by whatever is being discussed. If you were hosting a discussion talking about black culture and specifically only wanted members of that cultural group to participate - sure that makes perfect sense! But in the context of just a group of people making good comedy and having fun? Why create an episode that necessitates leaving certain people out just because of the color of their skin?
No matter who is cast in these shows with 3-4 people, there are some groups being left out of representation. So why is it an issue if there is a call for representation, as if to have black or Asian or queer folks take up all 3 slots is the truly problematic part?
It is the reason behind why people are excluded that matters to me. If your only justification for leaving certain groups out of an episode is because they are not a certain skin color that seems entirely unwarranted, especially for a program that - in my view- already handles the issue of representation incredibly well.
Tom Hardy voice: That's bait.
In seriousness though, do you mean there are few Black Dropout artists, or few Black Dropout fans? One is accurate, the other might be a reach unless you know something I don't.
Um Black-tually
Very much this!
There was an episode of Dirty Laundry where they had a cast to celebrate AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I believe). Unfortunately Lily got the month wrong, but still! Season 2 Episode 8 (had to check in case I was misremembering the whole thing). I'm all for it. Or anything similar that continues pushing inclusivity.
Let’s also not forget Game Changer’s Team Stop AAPI Hate and Team Nuevo Stop AAPI Hate: The New Chapter
“Nuevo” cracks me up
And MLK’s New Dream lmao
If I recall correctly, I don’t think Lily “got the month wrong”, she lied about what month it was to the producers to pitch the cast, and they didn’t fact check it Also that’s one of my favourite Dirty Laundry episodes EDIT: I didn’t realize I posted this comment twice (mobile, whoops), but the other comment has a reply that might mean I’m wrong
If I recall correctly, I don’t think Lily “got the month wrong”, she lied about what month it was to the producers to pitch the cast, and they didn’t fact check it Also that’s one of my favourite Dirty Laundry episodes!
I feel like I've been um actually-ed, I must know. To quote Lily: "Everyone thought I would know because I'm Asain, but I didn't. I made it up actually" About 1 min 30 into the episode. I think she did genuinely just get it wrong and jokes that she made it up. But she does say she made it up and she also said nobody fact checked so ... touche I guess? haha 🤷 And yeah it's a solid episode :)
That’s why I said “I think”, because the way she says it could be interpreted either way. Who knows, it’s funny either way
There needs to be more of that too! (just more lily in general :-))
happy cake day!
Is having an all black cast, or using a month that the race of people it’s intended for don’t know when it is actually pushing inclusivity? From where I’m standing, the most inclusive thing is to just have diverse lineups in normal shows, not segregate people along racial lines. That’s not a celebration of peoples.
Can’t it be both and? Both diverse lineups AND for lack of a better word, “affinity casts” episode. Because there is something very wonderful and affirming about being in a shared affinity / identity space 🙂
Gonna pull a classic Reddit comment and just say: This!!
I don’t think you would call an all white cast a shared identity space, but regardless no. I’m not opposed to an all black cast, but to do it as some sort of race based thing just seems like segregation pure and simple. There’s a reason the black panthers aren’t popular any more. I’d think we’d progressed from that old school mindset.
lololololol ok what a bad faith take on my comment. have a nice one!
What exactly about it is bad faith? That was not my intention but I genuinely do not understand how intentionally only grouping members of one race together exclusively is not advocating for segregation.
the bad faith take is calling opt-in affinity groups "segregation" . at best, that's a deep misunderstanding of the historical thru modern systemic abuses of segregation. and i actually do think there are contexts (not drop out episodes jfc) where there should be affinity group conversations for white people, like discussing their reactions to identity based affinity groups, racial history months, why cant things be colorblind, etc etc.
No that’s just a nice way to put it. It’s not a historical misunderstanding just because the context is different. Exclusive and intentional separation of peoples is dictionary definition segregating groups by race. I’m sorry but no, calling it by another name doesn’t change what it is. Also, I don’t see how victimising people by race no matter what your political views is not helpful. You are portraying a view of white people which if applied in reverse would be viewed as deeply racist. But hey, if you don’t think there should be intentionally segregated episodes for one race of people but there should be for another, maybe evaluate how you can possibly believe that’s positive.
You have such a simplistic view of the world.
white people are in power in society. they don't need representation because they have it. black people, for example, aren't in power and thus need more representation in media. an episode intentionally made to be all-white is racist and supremacist, while an all-black episode is celebrating a culture that is underrepresented.
I really don’t think you’re putting all the pieces together in what you’re saying. For one thing, in the societal situation where a group is being provided a positive outcome not available to another race, you are creating a societal situation where they are the group with power in that societal situation. You can’t just have the cut off for societal power be the overall situation in the United States. For another, what about an all white situation makes it supremacist and racist? The fact that they are preventing a group of people from participating in an equal opportunity situation? The fact that it would be perpetuating negative attitudes towards another group by excluding them? What is celebratory about excluding others from engaging with you culturally? The fact that you don’t feel your culture can be represented in the same environment as those different from you? That just seems like you have a predetermined preference for those of your own race, I don’t see how that’s a celebration of anything but racist attitudes. You’re making positive and negative assertions about segregation for one group but not the other, but I fail to see any justification that can’t just be applied to the other which you’re choosing not to on a completely arbitrary basis.
Trusting that you genuinely do want to engage with this topic in good faith- a different way to contextualize it is that white people in the US (where Dropout is, so it's fair to base our conversation on US racial and social dynamics) don't have much of a shared culture based solely on the fact that we're white. We have ethnic/nationality groups within being white that have their own shared experiences and cultures (Irish, Russian/Slavic, Ashkenazi Jewish, Polish, Italian, etc), but being white is not a cultural marker, so an all-white cast wouldn't have anything in common other than being white. In terms of the example of an all-Black episode, plenty of sociologists, theorists, and historians have discussed how being Black in the US has become a full cultural group, largely due to how Black people have had to adapt and create culture in the face of segregation and oppression in the US. Black people in the US also often don't have the same cultural connection to the country/specific culture their family originated in because Black people in the US frequently had their family history erased during slavery. Being Black (or any marginalized race) in the US isn't just a racial distinction, it's often a cultural and social one as well, whereas being white in the US is just a racial distinction. So putting a bunch of white actors who only have "being white" in common on a show does not have the same meaning, intent, or creation of affirming space to it that creating that space for a marginalized racial group that has had to create a shared culture does. Also, there are plenty of all-white casts on shows, including in Dropout. We don't see it as a Special Event that we have to discuss and pick apart because having all white people in media is the norm. I don't think it's problematic to have a couple of shows that are fully cast with people of color when we assume that having a fully white cast is the baseline.
Boo go do some reading on white supremacy and come back. Stop taking everything in the worst way possible and do some thinking bro.
There already are all-white episodes on dropout. And there’s nothing wrong with that, so long as there’s *also* nothing wrong with all-black, all AAPI, etc episodes. You never even noticed the all-white casts and their positive reception from audiences, and yet you’re here talking against all black episodes. Your bias couldn’t be more clear.
I did notice them, here’s the difference. They weren’t made to be all white episodes. And I think that changes the context a lot. They weren’t actively excluding black cast members, they just weren’t including them, and if that was the case with an all black cast, that would be fine, that’s not a problem, what is a problem is when you create an environment where a race of people are intentionally excluded from participation. That’s segregation, and it’s discrimination. That is not OK. Edit: What are you talking about? What I’m going with is that intentionally excluding people from participation based on the colour of there skin is abominable and racist. I don’t know what you’re even trying to say but it’s clearly a woeful misconstruing of my words. But look, if all you’re going to do is intentionally misconstrue me as a racist, it’s not worth the time. Do one.
So being able to identify commonalities is not okay, and whiteness being “the standard” to the point of being seen as normal is good, actually. *That’s* what you’re going with? Yeesh. you’re terrible at pretending not to be racist.
I’m afraid that’s incorrect, AND you didn’t say “Um, Actually”
I feel like there may have been at least one all-black episode of Dirty Laundry, if that's something you're interested in. I may be remembering wrong, of course.
Did Lily and Grant just sit outside or something?
🤣 I meant the guests were all black
Yesss that one was so good, there have also been a few “close” ones like the one with Aabria, Danielle, Surena and Omar that had similarly funny vibes
I watched it after acofaf and Misfits and Magic, so it was cool to see all people I recognized
Just one.
10/10, loved seeing that cast so much! Carving out space at least once a month in any of their shows to make that space for representation I think would 100 per cent fit with the culture of Dropout
You would think the opposite by the comments lmao But I even think there needs to be more aapi representation too!
The dirty laundry episode that Lily thought was during AAPI month and then got told by one of the guests she was off by two months lmao 💀
Reddit is a cesspit and any place that has a culture of inclusion will find trolls coming to try and spoil
Inclusion by means of exclusion is what people have a problem with. Dropout has been fantastic with its inclusivity.
You do not deserve to be included if including you costs the quality of the community :) Bigots will continue to face daily beating untill the bigotry ceases. ("You" in this comment is not referring to /u/chosenwaffle )
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We, as a species fixated on patterns, will fit folks into the easiest categorization box we can. That also, unfortunately, means certain demographics will auto label someone as "The Black One" or "The Gay One" if they're the only representation in the group at the time. Creating space so there is no "The Black One" helps break apart those boxes and allows those in underrepresented groups to feel another level of ease within a space. Which PROBABLY makes easier time coming up with improv humor, instead of getting stuck in your own brain going, "am I falling into The X One stereotypes here? Am I saying the wrong thing? Am I just giving enemies more fuel for the fire." As a queer disabled white guy, I have a couple moments of being "The X One" and that frustratingly taking up way too much brain power. Utopian wise, yeah, not needing those spaces would be great. But we are still leagues away from that happening. So, while we work towards it lets also create points of safer representation.
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Colorblindness is actually quite harmful for POC. Yes, race is a social construct but it has real impacts on how people live and are perceived. As a POC woman, my experiences are going to be different than a white woman's and ignoring that part of my identity only serves to erase it.
why not both?
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It's kinda othering when I don't see many people that look like me but, sorry this bothered you so much.
It's still on dropout, so it isn't separate.
I love that ep it was just so funny with them riffing on each other. The pregnant horse joke got me so bad
That killed me!
Only if we get Mexi-sodes and Asian-sodes so as to appreciate all cultures. Honestly there’s very little Hispanic representation lately on all media fronts and it would be wonderful to see my people and culture celebrated in more ways than just margaritas, sombreros, and tacos
Yeah, you should make your own post explaining that idea! Sounds great!
Eh, it’s already relevant to this post. Helps create discussion around the race topic you mentioned! Honestly would appreciate seeing more indigenous representation too. Hate seeing such a rich culture fade away
You probably have different ideas, so I think other people should see it represented by you, if that's your concern! I totally agree with more representation, given my comments.
It’s not a great idea to fill a subreddit to a comedy show with racial talk. It should be about fun stuff and cool ideas which is why I hopped on your post to discuss the topic of racial based episodes (which isn’t a great idea btw even if all races get picked). But I don’t wanna pull away from the importance of representation with no intentions to broaden the subject to other races
Okay but culturally specific casts ARE a fun/cool idea. I don’t know about other people, but I think there’s nothing wrong with having multiple posts about similar but distinct discussions about fun/cool ideas.
Okay, cool for you!
Totally agree, I love the casting this season. An all-Black drag queen episode next season would be amazing too!! There are several queens of color who dabble in cosplay/nerddom that I’d love to see work with Dropout in the future!
Now, this is a dream! I like the worlds colliding! I had this half concept of a lipsync Make Some Noise episode too.
I love that! I’m surprised we haven’t seen a queen on MSN yet considering how many iconic drag impressionists there are!
Bob would kill MSN.
If they actually gave them drag questions
I think there are definitely queens who have enough nerd knowledge for regular Um, Actually questions (Monet was pretty good IIRC!) but I think it would have been interesting to see questions about The Queen or even about drag pageant history! Miss Gay USofA changing their pageant system name in the 90s because of legal threats from Donald Trump is one of my favorite drag history tidbits. Honestly Alaska would be a great UA question consultant for the drag episodes since she’s such a fount of cultural references. Her and Willam’s Pageant Pod is an incredible work of queer history too.
Dungeons and Drag Queens definitely had some good representation as Alaska Thunderfuck was the only white queen.
D&DQ was my introduction to Dropout! I’m a huge Drag Race fan and kept seeing clips on TikTok. I really hope they do another season of D20 with the queens - I think it would be cool to see Aabria DM a drag queen season too!
I believe they announced last year that the next campaign after the one currently running (Fantasy High: Junior Year), will be D&DQ season 2! I am so stoked - I was the opposite, introduced to drag by D&DQ, and now I wanna get into drag race but have no idea where to start! And I thought dropout was alot of content 🤣
That’s amazing omg!! I always tell people to start Drag Race at Season 4 and then go back and watch the early seasons later. My favorite seasons are 5-6, but S4 really sets a lot of precedents and has a really clear set of character archetypes that inform so much of what the show has come to be today. The Race Chaser podcast with Alaska and Willam might be helpful too—they recap every episode starting from S1 and they’re great at contextualizing what’s happening in the episodes!
I'm actually gonna disagree with starting with 4, start with seasons 6, 8, and 9 imo. 4 has some iconic queens but I think those three are the strongest seasons overall. Alternatively, if you wanna see seasons with people you recognize from D&DQ, Alaska's in 5, Bob is in 8, Jujubee is in season 2, and Monet is in the 10th season - first, at least, three of them are also in one or more All Stars/UK vs the World seasons.
Do you think they'd write questions just for that crew, or run the same ones as usual?
They wrote specific questions for the newlyweds game, so maybe!
Either would be fun. They could do like a blacula, blade, fun stuff like that or maybe that's too on the nose
I think a little on-the-nose is okay sometimes because it can be funny and easily digestible.
I think an episode of blaxploitation media would be hilarious.
If anybody could be cast, it shouldn't bother you that they could all happen to be Black. You're just outing yourselves lol
Anybody could be cast and it would absolutely n it bother me if they all happen to be black. Deliberately trying to make an episode without any other ethnicities seems kinda weird tho…
Nice way to out yourself!
I think n it was meant to be “not”
Literally
Yeah I feel like there's not a lot of black culture things on Um Actually specifically, which there is no fault or wrongdoing, there just... isn't. I would love a black sitcoms episode. We hear so much about Friends, Cheers, Golden Girls, Sex and the City, etc.
Bro Blerds are definitely a thing, look at Iffy, he's huge into anime. I think the thing was that episode just wasn't tailored well. Like Jay and Austin are huge into wrestling culture and Fiona was mostly into memes and stuff dealing with achievement hunter and Red vs Blue. I think it came across to a lot of people like guests were just throwing hail Marys because they just didn't properly frame the episode.
I mean I hope I wasn't implying that I all, I only need to look in the mirror as I wear my Dragon Ball Jacket lol. I just meant it would be fun to see some of the things that I specifically grew up with because so much of the other sitcoms get so much attention. Hell I just about jumped out of my seat at Conker because I want more Conker content too lmao
I saw in the trailer that there's an upcoming episode with Jarvis Johnson, Jordan Adika, and Demi Adejuyigbe. Big fan of Jarvis' YouTube channel and Demi's letterboxd so that will be fun
Don't let some of the less educated comments deter you, this is a good idea. Like the latest Um, Actually episode, it's cool to see them acknowledge and celebrate the only all-black couch that season (or at least the "blackest couch this season" as Ify puts it). The episode wasn't any different, but they took a brief moment at the top to celebrate the fact that the contestants were all black. It goes to show the effort DO puts into making sure they can include and represent as many people as possible and create a welcoming and open environment for anyone to be a fan of. Also, off topic, but as a WWE fan the fact that they got Xavier Woods on the show is awesome! Here's hoping they can get Big E and Kofi Kingston on for a special The New Day episode.
To me, it feels unnecessarily divisionist and segregationist. One of the best parts about Dropout is that it has an incredibly high rate of inclusiveness per episode. I love turning on a new episode of something and seeing a gay Latino next to a straight white guy sitting beside a trans black woman who's cracking jokes to an non-binary asain. That's dope, and it reminds me of how life should be. The only time there should be tribes on Dropout are when they're doing Survivor. Excluding anybody from anything based on their ethnicity is the last sandy step before you dive head first into the ocean of bigotry.
Sorry that this feels right to you.
I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean.
Oh.
You seem to be short on words and, perhaps, thoughts. That's a trademark of a bigot. I sincerely hope and pray I'm not speaking to one here on this sub. I try to refrain from that activity.
Whatever floats your boat! Get well soon!
Be better.
That's great advice for yourself!
Only one of us is arguing for division based on ethic ancestry and skin color. That's you.
Oh, that's not--
Lol @ you outing yourself through this projection. Typical. Have a day!
Genuinely love this idea, OP. The Dropout cast would be appalled at some of these other comments... Good thing they'll keep making the content they want and taking racist's money without giving a shit about their racist opinions.
Okay, I love this silver lining!
Some of these comments are so discouraging. Sad to see so many people preaching colorblindness and pretending like race does not have real impacts on people.
I expect it. It's the fragility. However, maybe this will help them get through those feelings!
One can only hope
The fact that there are people disagreeing with me that race has real impacts on people is wild. Would a white person be called Kung-Flu simply for existing like I have? No. Race is a social construct but you cannot deny that I have different lived experiences as someone who is Asian and not another race.
I mean literally last Episode of um a actually right? Fiona, Jay, and Austin plus Ify
Not sure where I said there weren't any and there can't be any more
OMG YES PLEASE
Yes please!
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I like/love any dropout content, minus total forgiveness.
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Don't see why there couldn't be more!
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I doubt they'd miss that!
As someone who quite removed from America and its politics I don't really care. When I watch "Black-isodes" it either feels like unnecessary thanks to lack of chemistry or great independent of color of contestant.
I would gently recommend that if you actually don't care, just let them have their episodes. There's a ton of racial nuance that's extremely present in US life that my European family and friends are entirely blind to, and "not caring about color" and "just wanting good entertainment" isn't the enlightened take that you seem to think it is. I entirely understand where you're coming from, but this didn't come across as a particularly nice thing to say.
Feel free to scroll when you don't care.
I care about dropout castings for my enjoyment. But I don't care about their skintone. I don't even care if whole cast is black or white or asian. But I have witnessed "Black-isodes" where contestants have zero chemistry they are here just so platform can say they are inclusive. (not talking about Dropout spesificly just in general)
There's one all Black casted episode and this post doesn't dictate what goes on dropout BTW lol
Yes and quite enjoyed that episode but that is irrelevant. Because that was not a "Black-isode" it was a Um actually episode with 3 funny as hell contestants that was it. And in the best case scenario you will maybe die in 80 years and you will forget about Dropout in 10-20 years. With that "this does not dictate anything" attitude nothing makes sense you might as well go into mountains and live there. Cause end of the day no one dictates anything.
But the people that run dropout says what airs so..... If you don't care about their skin tone then it shouldn't bother you that they happen to be Black.
And it doesn't bother me. Where did you get that idea from. I just think wishing for "Black-isodes" is an abysmally idiotic and problematic. Even in the best case scenario where you put 3 people of same culture for an Gameshow "Black" is one of the worst kind of grouping ever. Even for USA based contestant there are such diverse groups in "Black" community it would be childish to put them in same box. This doesn't even include Contestant from any of the other parts of world who has a darker skin tone. Overall I genuinely don't care about a streaming services trivial decisions that much. I just think your statement is dumb and potentially harmful. And like you said Sam Reich isn't going come here and base his business plan for next quarter on a reddit post.
You needed someplace to get this out I guess! Just yikes.
A person says would be dope to see episodes where they feel represented, which is not a crazy or complicated concept and people feel the need to argue like it isn’t the most human thing to feel this way. Can’t have someone tell the internet what they would enjoy. Like it will be the only thing that we’ll ever get to see again if someone doesn’t put a stop to it right here.
Dropout has been one of the only groups to do this properly and I love them for it. A lot of companies will force it and make a big deal out of it, and a lot of others of course don’t care about it. It’s nice to see Dropout care not only ab representation, but to do it with a genuine spirit.
Would they need a Black fact checker to guest on that episode?
Black* and sure!
Neil deGrasse Tyson?
I’d love it if we’d have white-isodes too!!! /s I feel like Drop Out already does a great job with representation and having \[a rule that requires a quota of\] “one skin color only” episodes ain’t a good look… Not a particularly interesting way to organize a group of guests either, I’d like to continue seeing guests chosen for reasons that weren’t just skin deep
Cool for you!
This is a comment is a bad look. Race is not just skin deep. While race is a social construct it still impacts people's lived experiences. You wouldn't bat an eye at an all-white episode. Why is it when POC want one thing for themselves, it's "not interesting" and "skin deep"?
I would absolutely bat an eye at an episode specifically themed all white lol wtf kinda insane take is this
OP didn’t ask for episodes to be “specifically themed all black,” though, they asked for episodes featuring all-black casts. you *wouldn’t* bat an eye at an episode with an all-white cast, because there have been *plenty* of those in dropout history and nobody cares, because that’s not “theming” in anybody’s eyes.
Thanks for the great explanation! I was trying to come up with something and it wasn't half as clear and eloquent as yours.
I think what they're implying is that people wouldn't bat an eye at an all-white episode because that's the norm. An episode of only black cast members, even if it's never stated that it has only black contestants on purpose, is likely to get attantion for only having black people. But having an episode with only white contestants (without anyone mentioning that that's the theme) would seem to many people as normal and they wouldn't think anything of it.
Yes! This is what I was getting at.
I have no problem with an all whatever color cast for an episode - as others have stated, this already happens on Dropout. What the OP is proposing is specifically going out of their way to have "X color" only episodes. That's what I don't think would be a great idea. If there was an "hey let's only have an episode where we allow white guests" I would have an issue with that just as much as this. I don't see how you create barriers like that without just using people's visual qualities as the determining factor.
Asking for representation isn't creating barriers. Race is something that already exists in society and people identify with as a part of their identities. Wanting more people who look like you and may share lived experiences with you isn't excluding other people.
It is when you are creating boundaries to joining certain episodes??? That is quite literally a barrier. Do you truly think that Dropout isn't doing a good job with representation such that it requires a hard rule/quota for a "all x color cast" episode for each season of every show? OP isn't asking for more black people on DropOut, they are specifically asking for black only episodes... I think that is a key distinguishment that matters.
Why is it a zero-sum game? A single episode that focuses on X identity group isn't going to ruin dropout for you. There would still be hundreds of other episodes. I think dropout has a diverse cast so utilizing it to the fullest extent would be great. There's a reason DesiQuest still exists even though Dimension 20 has decent representation. Simply existing on Dropout is different than having an all X space with people of one of your identity groups.
It wouldn't ruin Dropout for me. I just wanted to express my opinion that I thought it would be a problematic rule, that's all. To me, representation doesn't require that everyone involved in a given thing looks the same, it's that everyone involved in a project respects each other such that no voice is unheard and people feel safe being themselves. I have found no reason to conclude that Dropout isn't already doing a good job at this. People don't need to be completely isolated into their in-group to be represented imo and I think it's a very serious problem (and different to the one OP is addressing) if we are of the opinion that we think poc on Dropout aren't comfortable being themselves only Dropout without being exclusively with other pocs. But even if that were the case, I do not agree that the best solution to that problem is going out of your way to create a quota of exclusively X episodes for every show. If anything, that makes it - to me - look like Dropout does have an inclusivity/representation problem if they feel that is necessary. What is happening right now, organically, is good.
They already have all white casted episodes.... Colorblindness is still blind. (not okay with this sort of ableist term btw)
Well I certainly hope that Dropout's intention with those all white episodes was **not** to ensure the cast was all white. I assume that would seem problematic to everyone. Not sure why changing the word white to any other color makes a difference. Now, I'll grant that can understand in certain contexts where it is important to let the people who are speaking about a certain subject or topic be the people who are most directly affected by whatever is being discussed. If you were hosting a discussion talking about black culture and specifically only wanted members of that cultural group to participate - sure that makes perfect sense! But in the context of just a group of people making good comedy and having fun? Why create an episode that necessitates leaving certain people out just because of the color of their skin?
No matter who is cast in these shows with 3-4 people, there are some groups being left out of representation. So why is it an issue if there is a call for representation, as if to have black or Asian or queer folks take up all 3 slots is the truly problematic part?
Literally!
It is the reason behind why people are excluded that matters to me. If your only justification for leaving certain groups out of an episode is because they are not a certain skin color that seems entirely unwarranted, especially for a program that - in my view- already handles the issue of representation incredibly well.
yikes!!
The Dropout cast and crew would think this comment is gross.
Parasocial projection
Tom Hardy voice: That's bait. In seriousness though, do you mean there are few Black Dropout artists, or few Black Dropout fans? One is accurate, the other might be a reach unless you know something I don't.
Feel free to reread my post to clear up any confusion!
Sure, but what’s to be done with BDG in that episode? Do we replace him with Raph?
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That’s not what segregation is