Dear White People, Here Are 3 Things You Should Do after Watching MTV’s White People

In The Hollywood Race, Shannon Houston examines the dynamics of race and culture as they play out in film, television, music and pop culture.

There’s an incredible, terrifying documentary streaming on Netflix right now, titled Fed Up. Stephanie Soechtig’s film is guaranteed to make you re-think every bit of food you put into your body this week. But rather than wagging a finger at you and telling you to put down that Pepsi (though, you’ll likely be putting down and taking a lighter to your Pepsi after watching this), at the end of the movie, viewers are presented with just a few, small, helpful tasks to try out, if they’re interested in beginning the very critical journey towards better health and food intelligence.

Jose Antonio Vargas’ MTV documentary White People (now available online) doesn’t do this, and that’s okay because no one 41-minute film can do everything. Instead, Vargas uses White People to do something few of us who are talking about race are willing to do—listen to white people, and patiently present facts to help some of them (like the young woman who insisted she couldn’t get a scholarship to her dream school because of reverse discrimination) come to the realization that, even though they may not feel like it, they are always benefiting from white privilege.

Vargas has been attacked for being far too gentle with the white people in his documentary, some of whom display incredible ignorance (whether due to their own faults, or their upbringing and environment), but it’s important to remember that we need someone like Vargas. I myself have recently been self-diagnosed with Racial Discussion Fatigue Syndrome (RDFS) and have only this video and my fellow RDFS sufferers to calm my nerves:

So—and I say this without snark—I am grateful for Vargas whose careful, calculated and empathetic approach clearly made an impact on some of the people in the TV documentary. But like many viewers, I can’t help but ask, “What next?” For all of the white people who watched White People, what actual steps might be taken to address the myriad issues that were presented? Here are three ideas, inspired by the people in the short film, any of which might get the ball rolling for white people interested in understanding their unique position in America.

1. Start or Attend a White Privilege Workshop (and maybe get a black friend, colleague or co-worker to co-host it with you?)

I admit that there were many moments in White People where I had to laugh, rather than cry. One young woman insisted that “ghetto” wasn’t a derogatory term because she’d heard it used repeatedly on Real Housewives. The head of an Italian family in Brooklyn, who had once himself been an immigrant, complained of the Asian immigrants “taking over” his neighborhood. (It should be noted that all of these people get educated, in some way or another.) And I also learned the definition of the Sioux word “Wasichu.” It might be my new favorite word.

But one of the most sincere and encouraging moments of the film came when Lucas opened up to his conservative parents about the white privilege workshop (“Lucas’ Super Serious White Privilege Workshop”) he’d started teaching. You can see his eyes welling up with tears and his face reddening as he shakily asks them, “I wanna know if you guys would come to my white privilege workshop tomorrow.” They agree. And while we know there’s little chance his step-father will budge on the majority of his views, his mother seemed to have a more open mind and the presence of both of them in the workshop signified something. Whether we can understand it or not (and, really, we should all be able to understand this), his parents approval meant a great deal to him. If nothing else, the young man was clearly encouraged to continue his work.

At the risk of sounding like someone with actual hope for the future—imagine a world where more of these were available and publicized? This particular young man ran his workshop alone, and that may have worked in his favor. But a special guest co-host of color every once in a while probably wouldn’t hurt either. Just sayin.’

2. Google “White privilege,” With—wait for it—an Open Mind