Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

631–640 of 898 posts

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#631

Post by thegrimmest »

imbnwa wrote: post #623
thegrimmest wrote: post #613

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That was... my point? My point is that "black person" is a problematic and overloaded descriptor. It can imply a cultural group ("american black culture") to which a light-skinned person can belong (can't they?) and which it should be tolerable to criticize. It can also imply a simple physical descriptor of traits belonging to African-descended people. Is an ethnic Nigerian born and raised there black? Do they belong…

>That was... my point? My point is that "black person" is a problematic and overloaded descriptor. It can imply a cultural group ("american black culture") to which a light-skinned person can belong (can't they?) and which it should be tolerable to criticize. I literally wrote "Majority of Black Americans...who come in many different pigments" > It can also imply a simple physical descriptor of traits belonging to Af…

Let's try it this way:

"A lot of hispanic countries have problems with drug cartels, crime and corruption"

vs.

"A lot of black communities have problems with drugs, violence and poor educational outcomes"

It's pretty easy to accuse the latter statement of being racist isn't it? Not so much the former though huh? Why do you think that is?

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#632

Post by dang »

Andrew_nenakhov wrote: post #340

I'm Russian and, probably, I don't really understand the situation with race in US. But I think that MLK was fighting against this "X for black people" thing. (X == buses, schools, shops, etc). Isn't it racism and segregation?

"Eschew flamebait. Avoid generic tangents."

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#633

Post by brudgers »

tptacek wrote: post #444
brudgers wrote: post #154

The screenshots on the “Free episode” page give me the immediate impression the shows are low budget productions. It’s a combination of the locations/backgrounds, lighting, and the randomness of some of the frames…the out of focus hand in the first image. For marketing, it might help to color grade the stills on the page similarly. The natural balance of the first still makes the green and magenta casts in others mor…

It's an interesting time to be doing something like this, because Youtube and TikTok have created a permission structure for idiosyncratically "indie" content to break through to mass audiences. When Youtube launched (I am old) I thought it was pretty silly, like "America's Funniest Home Videos" but without Bob Saget. But if you told me today that far more content is consumed on Youtube than on all the cable networks…

My critique is on the terms of the project as presented here. I didn't choose a random link. I clicked on one that was presented.

The page aggregates visuals. Its design amplifies the visual effects of low budget.

Even straight to video movies get boxcover art.

But your comment prompted me to look at my Youtube app. There's a lot of effort in the home page river to create visual coherence to solve the same problem.

Some of it appears to be color grading. Some appears to be sequencing similar palettes adjacent. Some is breaking up palette transitions with ads using colors that help.

A big part of it is using a title screen with text over the image...after looking at the desktop browser page.

An avant garde art project can seek to create a new form of visual literacy. That's not what this is. There are visual conventions paving the happy paths.

People might watch a drama with purple lighting without caring. But if you ask them if they want to watch a drama with purple lighting, they will think it a strange question.

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#634

Post by wolverine876 »

thegrimmest wrote: post #530
zentiggr wrote: post #241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You make it sound like segregation end... the last few years, and especially the state voting laws passed in the past year, show that while it may not be explicit law anymore, it is still certainly what a lot of people are fighting to do in any way possible. I (as a middle age white male) WANT people to be thinking about because it's still happening 24/7, and people who aren't bigoted should be aware and pushing back…

> people who aren't bigoted should be aware and pushing back every minute, in every way they can. Nah man, I think just being not-bigoted and intolerant of directly witnessed bigotry is good enough.

It's hard to tell how serious you are, based on the first couple of words, but that tactic seems to have failed. Racism is widespread and, according to some data and personal experience, has broadened and deepened in the last few years.

If we want something to change, we'll have to act. African-Americans are only ~1/7th of the US population - not enough to make changes themselves.

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#635

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

chemeng wrote: post #350
brownerd wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps if you tried to approach people with different views from you with an open mind and genuinely listened instead of calling them "trolls" you'd learn more interesting things. If you study the history of the world, "tribalism" in some sense is a common theme throughout all cultures, many wars and many injustices. It might have been "Protestant vs Catholic" or "Sunni vs Shiite" or "Serb vs Croat" or whichever tri…

My point was more a question/observation as to why this is contentious, but "X for Women" is not seen as contentious. While I don't appreciate your condescending tone. I agree with you that "tribalism" is generally problematic. However, you'll also find that "tribalism" has also been essential throughout history for the persistence of marginalized people and their cultures. There is an inherent tension in many places…

Being black, but not a woman, it's difficult for me to validate the premise that people aren't as much in arms about "women's issues" as they are about "racial issues."

However, while tribalism is definitely a thing, women are generally seen as being included in the tribe. Perhaps that's why you see it as being less contentious.

I'll also point out that this "the difference in societal treatment, amassed wealth and political power that flows along racial and socioeconomic lines" is exactly what results from the power of the identifier.

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#636

Post by rory »

disneygibson wrote: post #210
sombremesa wrote: post #179

I think people who are being downvoted in this thread have valid points, and they’re not really critiquing the company, rather the problem seems to be your messaging. You shouldn’t say “Netflix for black people” because Netflix is for black people already. Moreover if I start selling boxed water called “water for black people” with black stories on the carton, I’m unnecessarily limiting my audience (even alienating s…

This is an easy fix. Make it “Netflix by Black People” or “Netflix by Black Creators.” by , not for

Maybe they could call it "For Us By Us"

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#637

Post by thegrimmest »

tptacek wrote: post #627
thegrimmest wrote: post #613

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That was... my point? My point is that "black person" is a problematic and overloaded descriptor. It can imply a cultural group ("american black culture") to which a light-skinned person can belong (can't they?) and which it should be tolerable to criticize. It can also imply a simple physical descriptor of traits belonging to African-descended people. Is an ethnic Nigerian born and raised there black? Do they belong…

Here, it clearly denotes American Black culture.

I'm not sure "Netflix for Black People" clearly denotes anything at all.

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#638

Post by ironMonkey »

dang wrote: post #629
ironMonkey wrote: post #560

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh my, buddy, you had it even worse than the yanks did. Have you ever had an apology from your state for the serfdom, any reparations? The Atlantic empire enslaved people different by color, language, religion and used them as a tool for centuries. Now, they are attempting to fix it. The Rus' enslaved people of it's own creed, skin color and religion. Made them property as well. But, when serfdom cracked, everyone wa…

We ban accounts that take HN threads into poisonous flamewars. The GP did that too, and shouldn't have, but this is a whole other level of nastiness and offtopicness. Please don't post like this to HN, if you want to keep commenting here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Do it!

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#639

Post by axaxs »

bishoprook2 wrote: post #539
sombremesa wrote: post #179

I think people who are being downvoted in this thread have valid points, and they’re not really critiquing the company, rather the problem seems to be your messaging. You shouldn’t say “Netflix for black people” because Netflix is for black people already. Moreover if I start selling boxed water called “water for black people” with black stories on the carton, I’m unnecessarily limiting my audience (even alienating s…

>You shouldn’t say “Netflix for black people” because Netflix is for black people already. Judging from the Netflix recommended videos and casting for Netflix originated shows, I'd say that goal has been achieved at this point. You do have to wonder how overlooked Spanish speakers must feel. That's probably where the real money is in 'Netflix for xxx people'.

I think any 'foreign' demographic would be a rather big hit. I know plenty of folks who watch just one or two foreign language stations, because that's all that really cater to or interest them.

There's definitely been more movement in the space, but it's still really lacking. I can't imagine it would cost a ton to license most foreign content for the US, which they currently have 0 percent market share of.

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#640

Post by mkw2000 »

dcow wrote: post #450
chemeng wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, it’s very interesting that “X for Women” seems non-controversial to most people, but “X for [underserved group]” brings out the trolls en masse.

I think it’s because gender plays an important roll in society whereas race ~~does~~ should not. Society doesn't benefit from segregating and victimizing. Society does benefit, generally, from a strong female population.

Huh?
Post reply on HN