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

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

#861

Post by ptr2voidStar »

bluedino wrote: post #305
nablaone wrote: post #86

"And black creators often did not get the same chance at success that their mainstream counterparts did, leading to some black creators filing lawsuits against YouTube. Despite YouTube's good intentions, systemic biases in how non-black users treated black creators, as well as the economic realities of Black people only representing 10% of the U.S. audience, have led to YouTube never doing quite enough to address thi…

Non-black viewers are less likely to watch videos with black people in them.

Not sure why this was voted down (not entirely surprised though).

Perhaps an uncomfortable truth? That said, it would have been useful, if you provided a few (of the numerous) citations supporting your statement.

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

#862

Post by ptr2voidStar »

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.

> Society doesn't benefit from segregating ...

You might want to reevaluate what you wrote. The last 500 years or so (of American especially, but also most Western European - Spain, France, UK etc.) history wouldn't exist if your statement was remotely true.

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

#863

Post by ptr2voidStar »

dcow wrote: post #643
tekromancr wrote: post #504

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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).

Alas, we don't live in an ideal world - in fact, I'll go as far as saying that we live in a very *unideal* world.

It is easy to overlook this unpleasant fact though.

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

#864

Post by ptr2voidStar »

filoeleven wrote: post #788
dcow wrote: post #712

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think like many have pointed out, there's a messaging issue. I want to feel like I'm welcome, even though I'm not culturally black, to consume content created by black creators on a platform that helps promote that content. I like k-pop, I like Bollywood, I like Sister Deborah, I generally enjoy experiencing other culture. I don't need attenuation. One of the strengths of America is the capacity for cultural exchan…

> Edit: Want to also point out that in practice we don't seem to attenuate messaging in black pop culture. It's some of the most explicit sexual and sometimes violent content in existence and it appears all over radio, TV, and the internet. I'm not saying it's exclusively that, but it doesn't seem to suffer from expectation that it be attenuated "for white people". Why do you think that this messaging is what you ass…

Thank you for stating this. I was just about to write what you said.

The fact that what he/she associates with "black" culture is so negative - and doesn't seem to stop to critically analyse that - but accepts it as "normal".

At the same time, he/she doesn't understand why people from that community might want to create something for themselves - where (for once), they are the gate keepers of their own content (aka "writing their own narratives").

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

#865

Post by ptr2voidStar »

dcow wrote: post #832
filoeleven wrote: post #806

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn’t either. Your phrasing suggest that it’s mostly violent and sexual.

I don’t think I was suggesting that.

I'm sorry to be blunt. But your lack of self awareness is staggering- not something I expected to encountered in the hallowed corridors of HN.

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

#866

Post by ptr2voidStar »

davidajackson wrote: post #392

Seems like there's a lot of controversy in the comments. But controversy aside: Did any of your investors ask you why Netflix can't just add a section like what you're doing? How do you respond to that from a business standpoint?

I'd like to see the response to this question, because it was the first question that popped into my mind.

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

#867

Post by ptr2voidStar »

Uzo0312 wrote: post #548
zozbot234 wrote: post #458

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The headline does not say "black creators", though. Which is regrettable in a way; it's throwing away the biggest and most interesting differentiator about what they're actually trying to do, and replacing it with a source of gratuitous controversy. "Black creators don't get a fair chance for success in media and entertainment, and we can help address this" is a great insight, the stuff a YC launch can be made of; "B…

I get your point. We're here for black creators too, but our customers are black viewers, so we'll always put them first. But of course, there is no demand without supply, and black creators are at the heart of what we do, too. Fortunately, we can serve both entities!

I think you need to "soften" your messaging - in order to calm all the "pearl clutchers" out there.

Remember the first law of the 48 laws of power - you are still a minnow playing in the huge pool, and you have to appeal to ALL (if not MOST) of the current gatekeepers - who would not be as passionate about this as you are.

If you have any "fangs", this is not the time to "bare" them.

My advice is to be less explicit in the beginning, and use careful "dog whistles" in your messaging to target your audience - have you not learnt anything from history?

What's good for the goose, is surely good for the gander too.

BTW, I support what you're doing, and wish you all the success, you've just got to be more subtle with your messaging - as all the bleating in here suggests.

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

#868

Post by [deleted] »

namdnay wrote: post #211
snakeboy wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but suggesting that racism is only racism when the government does it too is a first. I think you've misunderstood this post. This is less like a "white's only" restaurant, and more like an Italian food restaurant. It's supporting a cultural niche, not excluding another.

Now I’m European, so maybe I’m not in the right cultural mindset for this, but your comparison really highlights what is problematic for me: based on someone’s skin colour you are determining their culture/heritage. What does a Nigerian have in common with a Jamaican, apart from the melatonin in their skin? Why would they have similar tastes in media?

[deleted]

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

#869

Post by ptr2voidStar »

namdnay wrote: post #211
snakeboy wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but suggesting that racism is only racism when the government does it too is a first. I think you've misunderstood this post. This is less like a "white's only" restaurant, and more like an Italian food restaurant. It's supporting a cultural niche, not excluding another.

Now I’m European, so maybe I’m not in the right cultural mindset for this, but your comparison really highlights what is problematic for me: based on someone’s skin colour you are determining their culture/heritage. What does a Nigerian have in common with a Jamaican, apart from the melatonin in their skin? Why would they have similar tastes in media?

I can help you with that:

Both are referred to as "black" (or worse), anywhere they go in the world, and both suffer the effects, prejudice and discrimination of racism - anywhere they go in the world.

Another fan fact - your hypothetical Jamaican and Nigerian, are the most likely to type "How does country X treat black people" before deciding whether to visit a country on holiday - something very few other people (if any) do - so there is a lot that binds the Jamaican and Nigerian together - the nonsensical (but very problematic) notion of "race".

HTH

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

#870

Post by ptr2voidStar »

spaniard89277 wrote: post #761
crooked-v wrote: post #737

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US is a somewhat unique case because of (of course) slavery, and in particular how long it lasted and how difficult it was to eradicate the last vestiges of explicit or implicit slavery. (People were still being treated as de facto slaves into the 1960s, for example: https://www.livescience.com/61886-modern-slavery-united-stat... ) In most other countries, including other countries that practiced slavery, either…

There has to be more, because in Europe, and particularly in southern europe there has been slavery for thousends of years. Everyone has been slave to everyone, like a free for all. Yet there's no one making claims based on that, and I'm not aware that such claims existed in the past neither. People just accepted as a fact of life and moved on. If you look at how all the relations played out between southern europe,…

Username checks out. Of course you'd want to bury horrible history under the carpet and move on - despite people still continuing to be weighed down by it's legacy.
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