Racism In Real Talk With Bill Maher's Dear White People

Although the way racism is expressed has wavered over the years, it is still a major issue that plagues today’s society. Racism has been present in the world for hundreds of years, its levels of extremity subtly fluctuating. Recently there have been many outbreaks of racist acts across the country. For example, Bill Maher, host of HBO’s Real Talk with Bill Maher, made an extremely racist comment on his show, remarking snidely, “I’m a house n*****”. Famous rapper, Ice Cube, took initiative and called Maher out on his racism. “It is a word that has been used against us. It’s like a knife. It can be used as a tool or a weapon and you used it as a weapon.” (Maher 2:10-2:25). While many people may argue that the word doesn’t carry the same meaning as it used to, Ice Cube’s response to Maher’s thoughtless use of the word shows that it is still an extremely offensive …show more content…
In the show, main character Sam White responds to being told that her radio show, Dear White People, is racist by shooting back, “Black people can't be racist. Prejudice, yes, but not racist. Racism describes a system of disadvantage based on race. Black people can't be racist since we don't stand to benefit from such a system.” (Dear White People 0:40-0:45). The show created quite a bit of controversy when it first was added to Netflix, but ultimately, the creation of the show brought a lot of attention in a forceful and provoking way towards the incredibly huge issue that is racism. Additionally, the book To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, gives examples of the issues of racism as well, but more importantly, the correct response to those issues. For example, when Scout, the daughter of Atticus Finch, asks her father if he really is a “‘n***** lover’”, like everybody says he is, he responds, “‘I certainly am. I do my best to love