Mistakes We White People Make

Why the Celebrity PSA Made Twitter (and Me) Cringe

My teenage sons watch a YouTube series called That’s Cringe, where Cody Ko and his friend Noel Miller watch people doing and saying things that are so awkward, so uncomfortable that they’re almost unbearable to watch. So this week when I saw the celebrity “I Take Responsibility [for racism]” video fill up my Twitter timeline, I felt like Cody minus the YouTube audience. If you haven’t seen it yet, it features some of our favorite white actors (shrouded in black and white) owning their racism, mostly in an overly dramatic or “extra” (a word my teens taught me) actor-y tone over some very serious music. Even as I write this, I am physically cringing thinking about it.

Don’t get me wrong — I love their enthusiasm, and I personally know that some of those celebrities are backing up their words with action (Hey, Ilana Glazer!). But it’s too soon for most of them on that video to be saying anything publicly except that they are listening and learning and that their fans and followers should join them on the path to antiracism.

One of the first things I learned in my antiracism journey is that intent does not equal impact. (That’s a good life lesson in general, too.) I’m sure those celebrities meant well (intent), but there is a very fine line between authentically…