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?

I reckon it's more entitled person unhappy because someone else getting anything not available to them, feels like they're losing out.

So, it's interesting how the word 'segregation' has worn a new dress and is now a weapon formed against us.

But because one corner of the black population say it's okay for anyone to yield it for their own cause, it's perfectly okay to minimize and belittle how other corner of the black population might feel about the issue. No, one one side of this slack division is capable of drawing reasonable conclusions.

How condescending.

I can't even bring myself to start drawing parallels in society where the same principle of 'segregation' (new dress) applies, because I have learned that those issues are not about race, so it's perfectly fine for those spaces to exist. But not ours. Not the one or two days out of 28.

Anyway, there are many good people who agreed and disagreed on this thread. Keep your head up.

No, only one side of this black division is capable of drawing reasonable conclusions*

Typos all up in there, but anyway, I've no shame anymore lol.

@AtchinTan your posts about your experiences and thoughts on your community have been so enlightening. Shows how little I know, and how much I'd love to learn. Thank you 😊

@Refrosty Thank you, it cuts both ways. Never sure if I'm just howling into the void.
Can I drop you a PM about a creative op coming off the back of all this?

Please do!

Me me me me me me 🙄
Then you wonder why people are saying if you were really interested in learning you'd listen instead of centring yourself, maybe go read up a bit (or at least try to listen to what is said on this thread )

White person here - not only 100% unoffended but positively encouraged to see events offering under represented groups access to the arts in a positive way. There was recently a performance of Hamilton with Q+A exclusively for care experienced young people - is this also bad?

Honestly - check you're privilege - just because you don;t see/experience something doesn't mean it doesn;t exist - it's not about YOU!

White woman here, & while I have no issue with this (why would I?); surely it is segregating races? I have no idea what it is like to be black but surely this makes black people feel different or as if they are different?
I do not know how to articulate this- & I'm sure someone more articulate/knowledgeable can express this- but isn't it a sort of "marking out" thing- all the blacks in one place sort of thing??
Haven't read the thread yet (which I will) but can someone who is black translate what I mean?

On the plus side; as PPs have said, it could be a great way to get a more diverse audience into the theatre.

I wonder where the posters who are so determined that having a mainly black space for one night is wrong and disgusting and unacceptable are when there are threads about guides or the wi, or other female only spaces?

Literally nowhere to be seen...

If you are okay with female only spaces, and gay clubs etc but your immediate reaction is that a black space is disgusting, you might want to think on that. If you have read all the thread and still think that then that says a lot.

Do you feel the same about women's spaces?

There are a few black women (I assume women) on the thread. they are comfortable with this and have articulated why, it may be worth taking your cue from them rather than asking them to translate your feeling that they might not share.

Ok, I’ll explain for the umpteenth time that my fear is racial segregation which I don’t want to see making a comeback. My argument is very, very simple and I’m sorry you can’t seem to grasp it. Just as I was advised to do, it would be easy for you to understand my point of view if you chose to educate yourself by reading/ watching a diversity of viewpoints instead of assuming that yours is the only voice in this debate.

How is it going to lead to racial segragation, thats the bit thats missing.

So racial segragation was the part of society with the power keeping the part of society without the power out of the places they didn't want them e.g. White people controlling where black people went.

But this is black people, who still do not have power in the UK, making their own space.

So I'm unsure as to whether you think this is going to lead to black people segregating white people, or white people using this as an opportunity to re-segregate black people?

That's what's confusing, the how.

Haven't read the thread yet (which I will) but can someone who is black translate what I mean?
Yes, read the thread but not sure why someone who is black should translate for you?
Thread gives explanation

Diversity means that different people have different tastes. This play isn’t my cup of tea, mind you even a cup of tea isn’t my cup of tea since I hate tea 🤣 I’m really not at all jealous that I can’t go to see this play on Monday or Tuesday or whenever because I don’t want to see it at all. I’m anti racial segregation, that’s all.

I’m simply against racial segregation, no matter who’s imposing it on whom. No-one should be excluded on the the basis of their skin colour which is an immutable characteristic and one that’s not chosen and cannot be identified into or out of.

I’m quite shocked that some of those in favour of racial segregation based on skin colour are presuming that all black people form a homogeneous mass. Please educate yourselves and understand that they, in exactly the same manner as white and Asian people, are individuals. Saying all black people think the same as every other black person is offensive. Clearly, not all white people think alike, so to refuse to listen to dissenting black voices is, to put it bluntly, racist.

But you're only interested in the opinions of the people who agree with you. Why are you not listening to the black women on this thread who have explained why they are comfortable with this?

Even when that would mean that an oppressed group could not gather together to discuss their lived experience of oppression, or to support each other, without members of the oppressor class present, to potentially disrupt or change the focus of the discussion, @HeartBrokenWife?

It’s like saying that women, biological human females, cannot meet with other biological human females to discuss the effect of patriarchal oppression on them and on women and girls world wide, without having to include men - which would change and inhibit the discussion, or to support each other free from the presence of the sex class we need support to deal with.

I am not saying that there isn’t a place for discussions/groups which include women and men, or people from any oppressed group and others from outwith that group - but if you insist that, for example, people of colour cannot meet up without including white people too, that would add more disadvantage to people who are already experiencing it.

And how is that different to Guides or the WI if sex is immutable (not trying to turn this into a trnas debate)?

Out of interest who is being excluded from this theatre?

to refuse to listen to dissenting black voices is, to put it bluntly, racist.

Says the person literally refusing to listen to black voices they dont agree with.

I have no idea who is white or black on this thread do I? Even if I did, how can white people speak on behalf of black people and do black people speak with one voice? They don’t, I can assure you.

Re not being interested in diverse opinions, erm, you’re clearly not so people in glasshouses…

I’ve read about both viewpoints extensively for several years before reaching my own conclusions as I’ve already mentioned. Please keep up!

@HeartBrokenWife - can you explain why people of colour do not ever need to gather together, without the presence of white people? Can you honestly not see how an oppressed group of people might want and need to meet up alone, without having to include members of the oppressor group?

You’re someone who draws an equivalence between minority communities creating space where those communities are centred, and the actual forcible segregation based on race.

That in itself is enough to mark you out as someone with fairly abhorrent views on race.

Should women also not have spaces that centre women? Should gay people not have spaces that are about the gay community?

Is it just racial minorities you think should not have spaces that are centred on their own communities and experiences?