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?

It's not about me, so I don't really have a strong opinion (I'm white, but this is more about including black people than excluding anyone else, as far as I can see).
If black people want this and feel they gain something from it, then it will be successful. If they don't, then it will fail. I don't think that white people being offended (or not) should have any bearing on what oppressed minority groups need or want. (I'm not making assumptions about anyone else's ethnicity, I'm just speaking from my own POV).

I find your post offensive. It's about giving black people a space to speak freely about their thoughts and experiences. Why do you have a problem with this. Frankly you should mind your own business.
Black people are a marginalised group that have have been through discrimination and unfairness and you decide it's not appropriate?
Get a grip

Imagine the response if it was the other way round , I never get the MOBO awards imagine if there was an only white music award. Okay I know in history the white people have a lot to answer for but surely we are moving on now this just brings division

Really agree with this tbh.

Odd comparison. The MOBO awards are not a 'black only' thing. Several genres are represented, things like hip hop, R&B, grime etc but it is not exclusionary. You don't have to be black to have a nomination, you certainly don't have to be black to win.

Music award ceremonies which are largely white already exist, pop music and country music is very heavily white.

No - I don't find it offensive in the slightest. You have totally and wilfully misrepresented what it is.

Now run along OP. GB News isn't going to watch itself.

Lots of white people have won MOBO awards.

MOBO is for Music of Black Origin - Not awards just for black people.

Jeez, why are some people such wilful idiots.

Surely that’s segregation. Who on earth thought that was a good idea.

Interesting that the vote and the comments on this thread don't match up

I am white so can't comment on whether I would find it supportive or not (the aim of it clearly being to create a safe and supportive space for black theatregoers to watch certain shows). My closest point of comparison is when I attended a women-only performance of the Vagina Monologues, and that was extremely empowering - I have viewed it in mixed audiences too and this was definitely a different and better experience.

I don't think it matters what white people think about this really, and I don't care if some white people feel excluded because of it, just like I didn't care if men felt excluded by the example o mentioned. White people and men have so much more power and entitlement generally - it won't kill them not to be able to go and see a certain show on one particular evening, I wouldn't have thought.

I am interested to know whether black mumsnetters would find this supportive/of interest, and whether any would take part?

Probably because lots of people vote but don't read the full thread and your OP very blatantly misrepresented the situation. It would be interesting to see the voting on a less inflamatory and frankly false OP.

I have a feeling this event on this particular evening wouldn't even be on many radars of outraged posters. Just like the oppression and micro aggressions black people in Britain face every day aren't on the radars of most white people.

But lord, try to keep just one evening of 29 as "black only " which it isn't even the proverbial hits the fan. How date you do something without white people that's reverse racist.

I'm white btw and agree with a pp that depending on the performance context the q and a afterwards could be quite incredible. Actually maybe white people should be encouraged to listen to that afterwards. They wouldn't of course but.

No I don't find it offensive.

Are you particularly desperate to go to this particular play on those particular nights, and now you are worried there will be lots of black people there?

Don't be such a snowflake.

I’m white and I don’t have an issue with this at all.
I would question the values of non black people who do

I don't find it offensive, but I find it deeply uncomfortable. It smacks of apartheid South Africa with blacks only and whites only churches, theatres, buses etc. And yes, I know that's not the intention but that is how it makes me feel.

It's called positive discrimination and the purpose is to make things more equal by encouraging people who would not traditionally feel comfortable being a part of something.

In Northern Ireland they did it with the police force which was pretty much all Protestants. Now it's 24% RC, which is still very low, but much better than it used to be. The Protestants bitched and whined about it at the time too. It's not fair whaaa.

They do it in swimming pools by having "women only" hours so women who don't feel comfortable swimming with men can go swimming. I've no idea if men bitch and whine about this. I don't care either. You and they have plenty of other days to go to these things.

It is not racist to notice that black people, because of their experiences, may be more comfortable in the absence of white people.

Its no different to having women-only spaces.

🙄 Yabvu

And, as always, white women are perfectly capable of understanding the need for women only spaces and the safety and empowerment that comes from those, but the second their privilege is in the firing line, it’s not fair or it’s too divisive. And, like always, they turn around and gaslight and don’t care about us the same way they complain men gaslight and don’t care about them. 🤔

I'm fine with space for groups of people to feel they can explore issues as long as its well indicated, so there are no challenges to anyone choosing to enter that space. I've been unexpectedly refused entry to something because I was perceived as not part of a group (I actually was but didn't want to get into it to be honest) and it was really awful to be made so small. Which is probably something they'd be considering- awful to then perpetuate

I don't know this production, but I know the venue, it's just down the road from me. It is in an area with a high black population and a high ethnic minority population in general. It has done a lot (with various pots of money from government/charities) to promote the engagement of underrepresented groups, especially ethnic minorities, in the theatre, in terms of audience but also at all levels of production. Some of it has been positive, including a lot of work with local schools and young people. Some of it just comes across as a bit try-hard and earnest without having thought through whether it's what local people want (the Christmas panto is to be avoided if you like a classic pantomime). This latest move seems to be in line with their general ethos of putting on events that are supportive of the local community. Like others posters, I don't find the opening post in this thread a very accurate representation of the situation.

I don’t agree with it because it wouldn’t be acceptable in any scenario to have a “white only” night. If they want to do this they also need to do an Asian and White only night IMO.

I’m not sure it’s offensive but it’s pretty divisive and retrograde in my opinion. What if a group of friends wanted to go together, some white and some black - the white ones would feel uncomfortable for gatecrashing a black event, and the black ones might feel like traitors in the eyes of the other black attendees.

Shouldn’t we be avoiding segregation ?

Eh? Just go another night.

How on earth is one night of a play about two men escaping a minstrel show (emotive subject) shown to a black only audience (preferably not strictly) anything like the degrading way black people were tested in South Africa (and many other places)

whats to worry that it’s a success and this may happen again