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

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641–650 of 898 posts

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

#641

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Almost all the movies and TV shows and video games I’ve consumed featured no one who looked like me. But I still felt represented when a character behaved like I did or was interested in the same things I was - characteristics that formed a bigger part of my identity than my skin colour. I’d speculate you might be the same - you’re listening to stories that feature people who display characteristics similar to yours.…

> But here’s the thing you’re missing - if your race is a dominant part of your identity, like it is for many black people in America, it’s certainly normal to look for stories that feature black people and black stories. Stories where the characters experience problems and issues similar to the ones they might face in their lives. Yeah, maybe, I can perhaps agree with that, but I still fail to see the political prop…

It doesn't really answer this question, but the show #blackAF on Netflix helped me learn a bit more about black people in America. For example, fatherhood is challenging for everyone, but the expectations on black fathers is a bit different. This show portrayed those challenges well.

There most certainly is an ingroup-outgroup dynamic, but I don't think a Black Netflix intensifies it, it merely caters to that audience, just like Netflix is doing with #blackAF or DisneyPlus is doing with blackish.

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

#642
post #62

Here's an idea - Build a tool that helps users discover black content on the internet rather than furthering the divide by building a racially segregated platform.

Make your substantive points without flamebait please.

Without snark also.

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

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

#643
post #450

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Race plays an incredibly powerful role in society. Every aspect of your lived experience is shaped by it, in fact. From what resources you are likely to have available to you in childhood; how you are treated by the justice system; what jobs are available to you; your ability to get a mortgage despite having good credit.

I mean ideally, in a western liberal society of humans, race shouldn't matter in comparison to sex which has biological meaning and social function. Culture matters, but culture isn't race (at least not in a western liberal society).

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

#644
post #623

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. 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?

Because Black communities aren't countries.

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

#645

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you feel that there are two education systems, eg one for Black people and one for White people, aren't you simply reinforcing that by having more segmented services? Separate but equal was a dismal failure in the US. I don't understand why it deserves a second attempt.

I think you may be horrified to learn that American schools are still segregated https://www.epi.org/publication/schools-are-still-segregated...

> These data show that only about one in eight white students (12.9%) attends a school where a majority of students are black, Hispanic, Asian, or American Indian. (We refer to this group collectively as students of color hereafter.) In contrast, nearly seven in 10 black children (69.2%) attend such schools (see Figure A).

That seems less like segregation and more of just statistics. If black students are a minority, then by definition they won't be a majority in a random subsample.

> As shown in Figure B, black students are also in economically segregated schools. Less than one in three white students (31.3%) attend a high-poverty school, compared with more than seven in 10 black students (72.4%).

That's probably the stronger argument in your link. That outcome isn't surprising given that most school funds come via property taxes - if most economically depressed areas are minority occupied due to lower costs, then those same schools would also be economically depressed.

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

#646

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…

> why this is contentious, but "X for Women" is not seen as contentious.

“X for Women” is seen as contentious. In fact, “X for Women" articles on HN often have all the same arguments, with gender in place of race, as this thread, with very slight changes, with focus on serving the unmet needs of women with regard to X painted as sexist and equivalent to external regulation based on gender role stereotypes just as this is compared to state-mandated segregated services.

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

#647

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here, it clearly denotes American Black culture.

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

You didn't have to guess; you could have just read the detailed post instead of jumping to comment after partially metabolizing the title.

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

#648
post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I interpreted it as the culture was unique, not the way it evolved, but re-reading it, I can see how you interpreted it that way, too,

"in that" is an english phrase that when used means exactly how I interrupted it

Please don't post in the flamewar style to HN. It's tedious and nasty.

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

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

#649

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>This is a streaming service set up to elevate content by black creators, to make up for the fact that the mainstream media under-represents those people. I'm struggling to see the outrage on a cultural level and on a startup level I can absolutely imagine there is a market for this. If you find any niche that makes sense, go for it. There's a reason for MotorTrend to shift into cable and on-demand, Disney, etc. The…

> If you find any niche that makes sense, go for it Even if it meant objectifying people into a market segment just to make money, under the branding of empathy and identity? Just because it is branded “black” doesn’t mean it won’t perpetuate harmful racial stereotypes, such as “being black is the most important thing about you as a person”. In fact, it would have every reason to amplify that message to keep and grow…

I feel it's necessary to identify myself as black to provide some context...

The objectification already exists. This won't change that. It will, however, hopefully result in more content existing for a market that's hungry for it.

OP also identifies as black, so I trust that they understand that branding their product as "for blacks only" will only hurt them, even within their market segment.

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

#650
post #632

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

Hm. I'm sorry, it wasn't meant to be a flamebait. Also, can you please clarify about tangents? Looked up for a translation of the word 'tangent' and the meaning is still unclear. (English is not my first language)
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