Do white women think black women are lying about racism?
The question on 'Beyond the Scenes' that left me speechless
Have you ever seen an episode of “Jeopardy” with a question about predominantly black people and none of the contestants know the answer? I’m falling all over my seat yelling out the answer, and it’s crickets on the set of the show. That’s how I feel every single time Comedy Central wonders who should be their next host to replace comedian/author Trevor Noah.
Roy Wood Jr. is the obvious answer to me (followed by a few others). Why? I love “Beyond the Scenes.” I’ve watched every single episode of the spinoff of “The Daily Show.” It’s not just that he’s as witty and intelligent as he is funny—depending on the day, he may lean in harder on one of these three. It’s that he knows how to perfectly ask and answer questions without losing his shit.
In one of the most recent examples, see the tweet below:
It takes a special kind of patience to be able to hear a question like, “Are you surprised by anything I’m saying? Like, when I tell you things like surgery was closed to women?”
His response, “No, this all tracks. I’ve read enough about racism to believe there are other horrible forms of oppression.”
While I stared at my television screen in disbelief, podcaster Katie Hafner had a light bulb moment—as though she was just now realizing she was talking to not just a man but a black man. Why on Earth would any black person ever be “surprised” by sexism or oppression?
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It was another one of those moments that makes it that much harder to defend feminism movements. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard black women throw in the towel on these fights. Why? Too many feminism fights lean harder on helping white women and conveniently ignoring black women are fighting two battles: racism and sexism. And from this black woman’s perspective, fighting sexism is easier.
Recommended Read: “Stop equating feminism and racism ~ The flaws of ‘And Just Like That’: Oppression competitions are getting women nowhere”