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DEL.ICIO.USLilburn man discusses ‘Black.White’ appearance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If Brian and Bruno ever get together again, they’ll be cordial, then do what most of us do:
Not talk about race.
“That’s one subject we can’t deal with,” Brian Sparks said. “We bumped heads quite a bit.”
The Sparkses, of Lilburn, took part in “Black.White.”, the FX show in which a black family becomes white and a white family becomes black. Amazing what makeup can do.
The Sparkses are the black family that became white. The Wurgels (and boyfriend Bruno Marcotulli) of Santa Monica, Calif., are the white family that became black. The six-episode reality series airs Wednesdays.
Sparks was surfing the Internet when he came across an ad for the show. He submitted a family photo. They werecalled up for three interviews. He had to talk his wife, Renee, and their son, Nick, into doing the show.
Of the three, he says, Renee had the toughest experience. She experienced two of the rare instances of overt racism on the show.
In a focus group, while she was in white makeup, a young white man told her his parents taught him to either wipe or wash his hands after shaking a black person’s hand.
And in a scene that takes place in a bar where Brian Sparks works as a white bartender, a patron told Renee that blacks segregate themselves by not wanting to fit in, that they are proud to be dumb.
“She’d be the first one to say that she wouldn’t do this again,” said Sparks, 41.
He, on the other hand, would relish the chanceto trade races. He likens it to being a fly on the wall.
“There are plenty of situations where you wish you could see what the whites are saying in a particular situation,” the computer networks specialist said. “This was my chance.”
Sparks thinks the Wurgels had a tougher time swapping races than his family did. Blacks, he said, are used to adapting and conforming.
“We play America’s game,” he said. “When you’re white, you can go all your life and never have to live black culture, or any other culture, for that matter.”
It’s no one’s fault. Confusion, clichés and flat-out misunderstanding reign on what it means to be black (or white, for that matter) in America. It’s a situation that can lead tofaux pas.
Like the one that occurred in the second episode of “Black.White.”
The Wurgels go shopping for clothes to wear to a black church service. Carmen Wurgel gets a dashiki. Sparks tells her it isn’t proper attire. Onscreen, it’s a nice exchange. Off camera, Sparks said he was vehement to the family and the show’s producers.
“I told them I would not let them disrespect the African heritage like that,” he said. “I wouldn’t go to Japan and throw on a kimono.”
I know what you’re thinking: angry black man. Maybe so. Don’t dismiss him so quickly.
He wants the rest of us to do what he and Bruno can’t do. Talk about matters of race.
“Long as people watch the show and walk away with that, my job is done,” he said.
“And that’s what I want everybody to do.”
Me too.
Comments
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By Scott
March 23, 2006 05:23 PM | Link to this
I tried not to go into this show with pre concevied notions about what would happen but after just one episode I knew I was right about how it would be spinned. Basically that the black family are the victims and the white family is just plain clueless about blacks. They went out and found a black family, especially the parents, that look for racism every where they go. While the white family couldnt be more niave about the most basic aspects of the black race, ie the way they dress. Both families did nothing but continue to stereotype both races in a negative way!! Surely the producers of this show could have found a black family that werent so hostile and negative in dealing with the issues of racism and a white family that wasnt so reluctant to deal with the issue. To me it was just more spoon fed reality garbage that so many hapless souls in this country eat right up!! My only hope is that one day reality television will go the way of disco.
By Ajamu
March 23, 2006 06:07 PM | Link to this
The show is a fascinating study in the contrast of Black and White perspectives. For some African American people it represents the ultimate fantasy. TO BE WHITE IN AMERICA. The same could be said for many of today’s white “wanna be Black” white people. The fact is there have always been white people who thought that Blacks were cooler, more talented and more accepting of other races. Black fads become worldwide trends. By the same token many Blacks who adopt White ways wind up strung out, alchoholic or mentally ill. There isn’t enough room in this country for all the “white” or “Black” people and thus we need more US citizens who want the same thing any other citizen would want, Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
By Jan Houston
March 24, 2006 07:01 AM | Link to this
Amen We can talk about “this” until we are ALL BLUE in the face THEN maybe we can all be just who we are.
By Amazed (Independent Woman)
March 24, 2006 10:54 AM | Link to this
I just happen to be up late one Friday night and watched a replay of the first episode. I had heard about the show and had decided before hand that, I would never watch it. So, out of curiosity about how the white family would “manage”, I clicked my remote. My first impressions about them as a whole were great. My impression of the daughter, was jubilant, she actually got it and could fit in with any race or culture. My impression of the wife was that she wasn’t being her true self. It was like she had purchased a new dress and would take it back after wearing it. She would eventually want to be white again. My impression of the father was on the mark. He had preconceived notions that blacks come into every situation looking for discrimination. I really liked the car dealership scenario. However, I was offended when the he made the comments about being appropriately dressed for a situation and being cordial. Not because, there are not appropriate ways to do things. He assumes that blacks get treated badly as customers because we go to the dealership to buy a car: (1.) looking like homeless people or (2.) we use bad language and (3.) Don’t show respect to the sales person.
I have not watched another episode, because you can’t understand any persons, race or culture in a reality TV show. The best way to understand the accomplishments, customs, heartaches and daily lives of any “race”, is to spend time with people who are different in your everyday lives. We need to attend church, school, shop, work, vacation and live next-door to each other in order to understand the differences within a specific race.
Also, I saw a preview about the dashiki – it sounds exactly what I would have expected the mother to choose as appropriate church attire. Any dress she owned as a “white” woman would have been appropriate in a church environment. It’s ashame - but her daughter, has more since than she does.