Do you find this offensive?

[Meeting]

The Theatre Royal Stratford East is putting on a show and have blocked out 2 dates as "Blackout" nights where they encourage (but I don't think plan to enforce) that only black people may attend these performances.

I saw them discussing it on Piers Morgan and neither of the guests advocating for it were able to convince me that this type of segregation was at all beneficial.

Does anybody think this is a good idea? Personally I think segregation based on skin colour has no place in society, no matter who benefits from it. But I'm interested to hear from others who might away it differently?

Nope. Not offended. I received an invitation to a "women in leadership" event today that offended me more.

Mean while there are actual issues in this country that effects POC and women. That is the police https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/may/25/police-scotland-chief-constable-says-force-is-institutionally-racist
Scotland chief constable says force is institutionally racist. Op if you want more articles about the racism in this country I will send it to you. Americans are woke they talk about the issues they don't hide they say how they feel.

I think it’s a great idea for encouraging wider participation. Like ladies only gym sessions encourage women who might not otherwise go. White people are all over the theatre all the other nights, honestly don’t see how anyone can have a problem with this.

Okay I'm black and it's interesting reading this thread. The point i'd make in defense of this night is; it's not about you.

What I mean is, trying to gather black folk together is not necessarily about excluding you.
Truth is, many black people are usually very happy to share their arts and creative spaces with white people. We want you to partake, participate and enjoy. Means it's more likely to be a commercial success too tbh.

But what about our relationship with us? To those who are against this, don't you care about the fact that within our community, there are divisions, hurt, love and a lot of healing that we need to do with each other? This play is not even about us, it's about the African American experience. Let me just be truthful with you all. My cousin and I (both British Caribbeans, so slave descendants, and probably have slave master blood too) watched 12 Years a Slave with a majority white audience in London. We didn't think much of going there and watching it with whoever. After that film, we were all up in our emotions. We didn't know where to look and how/if people were looking at us with pity or something. I felt so exposed. We basically hurried to the car and burst out all our thoughts and emotions. My cousin cried, I was angry, yadda yadda ya. We had each other. We didn't blame anyone there, I'm sure they felt angry and upset just like us. We just needed a moment to grieve and be angry for that man who needed a white man to save him from white men. Don't get me started on the Lupita stuff, that was so wild I don't think we processed it in any depth. Anyway, to exit that cinema building without feeling so self-conscious would have been nice. I will never watch a film like it in public again.

We separate groups of people all the time, based on gender, age, sexuality. why not on race? We are talking about minorities having a space, this is very different to a majority needing a separate space.

I also find it amusing when people say that things like this are just for an attention grab, when the only people giving it attention are the right wing zealots who actually want to discriminate against anyone who isn’t them

Exactly
So the answer is to integrate more.
To learn to get on together more.

I don't find it offensive but I do fail to see how segregation is a good thing even if the motivations are well intended. History is full of horrific examples of race based segregation. It was wrong then and it's wrong now. Progressive reasoning doesn't make it sit any better with me.

Maybe, I just want true equality though and it's nothing but my own silly pipe dream. It makes me sad that this sort of thing might actually be necessary to ensure access to all.

I feel like we can get to a point of equality once there truly is no racism. Once the justice system stops persecuting black people at a higher rate, once poverty doesn’t disproportionately affect them, once schools in overly black communities aren’t lacking in funding and resources. These are actual issues regarding race. It feels really gross to have so many issues regarding race but then to blame this one event in being exclusionary to white people as being the real problem here. Get out of your own privileged bubble and see the bigger issue

I do understand where you’re coming from, but I think potentially your awareness of other people would be different if you were overwhelmingly in the minority. To use sex as an example again, I personally would feel a
bit uncomfortable as the only female audience member watching a play featuring violence against women. That could just be a difference in personal opinion - you might genuinely not be put off by that!

I’ve also seen other people on this thread mention a Q&A session after the show, which is obviously more audience-interactive than your usual theatre experience, and it must be freeing to be able to speak openly without the normal #NotAll couching people so often have to do. Done a quick google and not been able to find out much about the Q&A though, so happy to be corrected if that’s wrong.

On a personal level I don't care, it doesn't affect me. But on a societal level I think its dangerous and divisive.

I agree. It makes no difference to me either, on a purely personal level, what type of audience might attend a play in a London theatre. I no longer live there. As you rightly say, dividing our populace along racial lines is going to cause untold misery for us all, whatever our skin colour. Racial segregation truly is not the answer to any problem.

*hiahiawatha
*
On on level I agree that it doesn't sit right but I think many people (not saying you) perhaps need to feel a touch of discomfort at how little has changed for black people on the uk.

And in this instance as many posters have described there are benefits to this one performance of many to encourage a specific audience, who outweighs any discomfort others feel.

Aware that as has been previously suggested, as a white poster my commenting on your post may be patronising to some. I do not at all intend it to be.

But thank you for sharing how this affected you. I can see why you wouldn't want to feel that so publicly again.

I hope I've not overstepped or worded too clumsily

I don't find it offensive on the basis that if an event was trying to encourage more women they might have a women's only event, seems like this could be the same.

Thank you for explaining that, it was very helpful.

I have to say I'm gobsmacked with the amount of people against this. And who don't understand that as white people we are not the oppressed group so no, it's not the same to have a 'white out' night.

I'm white, and yes I'm offended by this.

It's all well and good stating "While this performance has been arranged for Black audience members specifically, no one is excluded from attending.”, but I would certainly not attend, because it's openly stating it's specifically been arranged for black audience members, which I'm not. So I wouldn't feel comfortable or welcome attending an event specifically arranged for a skin colour that I don't have.

I've named changed for this, obviously. I'd like to post my honest opinion about it, since the OP has asked for this, but I know it's an unpopular view and could well lead to accusations of not caring about minority groups, history etc.

Fact remains, I personally don't believe (even non-forced but nonetheless heavily implied) segregation is the way forward. That you call it for minorities, doesn't mean it can't be racist in nature, however unintended. White people can be the victims of racism too, as can any race.

It's not the first event of it's kind. I believe there was one in Edinburgh a few years ago - it may have turned out to be a social experiment, I can't remember, but I was offended by that too.

Creating events to gather people of the same culture together, however, I'm not offended by, for some reason. But when we start talking skin colour, it grinds my gears. Except, I often have the feeling I'm not allowed to be offended by segregative events, because of my skin colour.

If talking about skin colour grinds your gears you need to figure out why. My experience in the world as a biracial person will be different to yours. Does that make you uncomfortable?

Because horrific things have been done by looking at the colour of someones skin. I don't believe perpetuating making assumptions about someone (including their ancestry, experiences with racism systematic or otherwise, culture and potential trauma) by the appearance of the colour of their skin is very clever. After all, assumptions by the appearance of someones skin is and has been the entire problem in history.

Who's to say 'what black' is appropriate to attend this?

There was some iffy comments from a member telling another member whom is gypsy (her own words) that they pass for white. I mean for fucks sake. This is entirely the problem. I'm not Romany and I find that offensive as fuck just to read, and that it invalidates her own experiences.

Horrific racial acts rind my gears - whatever race it's against.
The horrors acted against black people upset me greatly, make me angry, and to be honest, fucking disgusted with the human race. There are simply no words, or perhaps, not enough for it. There's some white people in the world having it pretty hard in some parts of the world right now, because of the appearance of their skin, too. Is their experience different to how you would experience racism as a biracial person? Absolutely. I don't believe the answer is to gather white victims of racism together and segregate others. In fact, there's communities enough who in their own words would prefer to see otherwise.

There absolutely is racist segregation against whites going on, in some parts of the world, as result of history. It is a thing.

Is this theatre that? Absolutely not. It's pretty offensive to me though, and not clever in my view. I absolutely respect people who are black may or may not feel differently. In fairness though, you are not white, being told you are essentially not welcome. You cannot speak from the perspective of a white person on this, no more than I can speak from the perspective of a black person on this topic. And to be quite frank, I've been told more than enough that as white person I can not speak about racism because I can't possibly have experienced any form of it.

Again though, we're all talking about skin colour, as though it's the only thing that binds us as groups, to others. We need to find a way forward - I don't believe this type of event will help racism.

So you’re ok with people from the same cultural background gathering.

How about people of the same sexual orientation? Or same gender?

Why specifically do you think it’s offensive if black people gather to watch a play about the black experience, but not if gay people gather to (for example) watch a gay-themed movie at a gay bar?

Nah I can't get worked up by it anymore that I can get bothered by ladies day at the races or oap specials in cafes.

It's not banning anybody it's just choosing to encounter more black theatre goers.

I heard about it on the radio a few days ago. I listened to why it's happening and understood the reason. I am not offended by it at all. I have empathy and try to have as much understanding of it as I can. It's one night.

We’re a mixed race couple, I often go to Sikh only or South Asian only events, they’re great as I know I won’t be subjected to racism, I won’t be mocked for speaking Urdu, I won’t be subjected to stupid questions or asked by multiple people if I eat curry everyday. My husband doesn’t attend, as he realises that him being white doesn’t override the rights of others who require a safe place to be themselves.

I'm not offended but I think it's pathetic.

Some really interesting points of view on here. If nothing else this is obviously a divisive issue and as others have pointed out, maybe that was intentional to bring attention and customers in. Clearly I don't agree with it but many obviously do. Perhaps someone on here may attend and update us.