S08.E18: Housing Discrimination

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Main topic: Housing Discrimination

Also: The void speaks; Covid at the Olympics; Britain lifts Covid restrictions; people on TV mean fucking (Olympics edition);  

Original air date 2021.07.25

[Annber03]

Welcome back, John :)! And yay for him bringing the good news that he may soon be getting out of the white void and back into his regular studio. I hope that does happen, and I hope all works out with the transition if and when it does. I've liked how he's handled his time in the white void and everything, but I am glad, for his sake, that he may be able to go back to a more normal setting again. 

As for the main topic....God, seriously, it really is absolutely absurd just how much people have and will bend over backwards to avoid even trying to include black people in anything. All these efforts to try and keep black people out of housing are fucking insane. The "block busting" concept is just....holy shit. I love John's analysis of that clip involving Rose and Angie, though. Good on Rose, too, for shutting down those idiots.

"I wouldn't live here if we were a racist community." But we totally won't apologize for the awful history that happened here. I am happy to hear that it sounds like there might actually be some positive movement with Bruces Beach, though. Here's hoping all works out with that. 

Not surprised at Nixon's response to the forced integration concept, either. And the story of Carlette was heartbreaking. 

Also, "We have tried to deal with our original sin of slavery by fighting a civil war." Oh, really, McConnel? Gee, you wanna inform a bunch of other people out there about that? 'Cause, uh, they haven't seemed to get that memo, and keep favoring the wrong side of that conflict to this day. Also, newsflash, bud, we don't have to go back to the Civil War to look at the issues of racism that exist out there, we can find plenty of time periods between then and now to go back to as well when it comes to trying to resolve some of the darker aspects of our history. 

The talk of reparations, and what they can do for black people, sounds so simple on its face. We need to find a way to get that message out in ways that will allow more people to hear it and actually understand it and learn what it really means, rather than whatever scary boogeyman nonsense they've been sold about the concept. I know it'd be an uphill battle on so many levels, but I really hope that more people in the government do push to make that happen. 

In regards to other topics...the guy in the hospital going on about the "agenda" with the vaccine... Also, I said it elsewhere in regards to another topic, but I'll say it here, too: can we please, please retire the phrase "Shove it down our throats"? Nobody is shoving anything down your throats, people, for God's sakes, shut up.  

On a lighter note, all the news anchors desperately trying to avoid talking about Olympians having sex was hilarious. And a bit creepy :p. 

[swanpride]

Maybe they should have shown the doctor who said how often he has people dying of covid before him who beg him for the vaccine only for him having to explain to them that it is now too late. It's heart-breaking. And maybe a better point than this guy insisting that he doesn't want a vaccine even after recovering. 

Also, I am kind of confused why the thoughts of the American media immediately goes to sex regarding those beds. I mean...hello, it's japan, most people there sleep in a futon, basically they are used to a basic covering over a hard ground. Which, btw, is a pretty good way to sleep anyway. 

 

 

[swanpride]

Regarding the main story: It feels like the topic was already covered, but I guess you can't explain this often enough. And the lady who didn't want to sell her house was fun. But I guess my main take-away from this is...why exactly is it so hard to admit for Americans that their ancestors might have been racist? If I can admit that my grandfather was most likely a Nazi (not a top tier one), and that my beloved sweet Grandmother was a racist (and against catholics), it can't be that difficult to admit that your grandfathers might have been happy living in a "white" neighbourhood. 

[letter8358]

Another one of those no pants, no shirt individuals who think not taking the vaccine is going to stick to the man....these anti-science idiots anger me so much.

Edited July 26, 2021 by letter8358

[peeayebee]

I knew about redlining, I hadn't heard about block-busting. Wow, but not surprising. 

I cannot understand anyone listening to the main story and not agreeing that something needs to be done, namely reparations. I mean, I certainly know that many people (millions of them) would say HELL NO, but how can anyone hear about all the things that have been done to prevent black housing ownership and not agree it was (is) unforgivable and caused lasting harm. 

BTW, the graphic of the key with the silhouette of a black person was very cool. It took me a while to notice it.

It'll be interesting to see John back in a studio. I've become used to the lack of laughter (Thanks, Void!), so it may take me a while to get used to audience laughter again. And guests? There used to be guests, right?

[Popples]

The entire thing was frustrating and annoying, however the thing that irked me the most was the man with the historian. The fact that he was shocked about the reason his neighborhood had no Black people in it, especially when redlining was and still is so prevalent. And fuck that mayor completely! "We're all God's children", apparently your god doesn't love everybody equally and it's easy to say when you aren't the one historically drawing the short straw.

I was pleasantly surprised that the voice of The Void is Bob Belcher! 

[peeayebee]

I thought it was Will Arnett! But now that you mention it, I can hear Bob.

[DoctorAtomic]

The voice is definitely H Jon Benjamin. 

[iMonrey]

I would have preferred the main story to be about the anti-vaxxers, frankly. Not that the housing discrimination isn't a good story, but the former is more pressing. The guy in the hospital recovering from COVID saying he won't get vaccinated. Delve into that and why that's going on. John says he plans to be back in the studio this September but COVID cases are on the upswing, and LA is reinstating mask mandates. How much of an audience will he really be able to have? (Is he in LA or NY?)

[letter8358]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I would have preferred the main story to be about the anti-vaxxers, frankly. Not that the housing discrimination isn't a good story, but the former is more pressing. The guy in the hospital recovering from COVID saying he won't get vaccinated. Delve into that and why that's going on. John says he plans to be back in the studio this September but COVID cases are on the upswing, and LA is reinstating mask mandates. How much of an audience will he really be able to have? (Is he in LA or NY?)

NY.

[kittykat]

Having read both The Color of Law and Ta-Nanesi's essay collection We Were Eight Years in Power.  Tonight's story barely scratches the surfaces of Congressional law in promotion of segregation but it covered the main points well.  I'm glad reparations was brought up because really, what else is there to be done?

I need more Angie and Rose in my life.  I want to live in that neighborhood.

[lasu]

This was an extremely timely piece for me.  I live in a neighborhood called Cameron Park in Raleigh, NC.  I live in a tiny apartment, but it's a very, very wealthy neighborhood.  To give you an idea - the house directly across the street from me sold in 2016 for $1.5MM.  It sold again a couple of months ago (in under 48 hours), just five years later, for $2.5MM.  It's nuts. The neighborhood was established in the 1920s and was named after Paul Cameron, who was one of the largest slaveholders in NC.  (You know Birth of a Nation? The author Thomas Dixon named the hero of the book after the Cameron family.)  And yes, it was in the covenant that Black people could not spend a night in Cameron Park, unless they were a servant, obvy.  And yes, it's still on the books, officially.  Unenforceable, obviously, but still on the books.

A year ago, I had absolutely no knowledge of this, and I would venture to say the vast, vast, vast majority of my neighbors didn't know either.  It only became a topic when the adjourning Cameron Village Shopping Center changed its name to Village District to remove the Cameron name earlier this year.  Now, we have been discussing changing the name of the neighborhood for the same reasons, and it has been INSANE.  We are finally going to have an up or down vote in September.  And even after all this talk, talk, talk (some of which has been informative - we had a two hour forum with a panel of six presenters both for and against), I still didn't know the anti-black covenant tied into federal systematic racism.  So, I'm glad I learned more about that.  

I think the name change will pass and the racial restriction in the covenant will be removed, but a lot of the shine has been removed from where I live for me.  And it's still easily one of the most progressive neighborhoods in the STATE much less city, so really no where to go if I wanted to leave over it.  I will say I'm happy that in addition to the name change, the neighborhood is starting a fairly substantial scholarship fund for the two HBCUs in Raleigh.

[peeayebee]

16 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I would have preferred the main story to be about the anti-vaxxers, frankly. Not that the housing discrimination isn't a good story, but the former is more pressing. The guy in the hospital recovering from COVID saying he won't get vaccinated. Delve into that and why that's going on.

The other day I read an interesting thread about "Cooling the Mark Out." People who are anti-vaxxers and COVID deniers have been conned -- thus, they are marks -- but to admit having been conned is equivalent to social death. One of the solutions is to use "coolers" who are in the deniers' social group (e.g., Fox News) who "help marks reconcile themselves to reality."

[swanpride]

Yeah, but I agree, the anti-vaxxer thing is more pressing and deserved a better coverage than some guy who proudly says that he won't get vaccinated after surviving covid. A lot of people might consider him a hero for this nonsense. Honestly, it might be more important to cover how many beg to get vaccinated shortly before being put on the ventilator, only to learn that it is too late, how many young people are victims of covid by now and especially the whole system behind the whole topic, I know other people have covered it fairly recently, especially since Fox is starting to take a u-turn on this issue, but LWT has a bigger reach. Or, to be precise, it has a better chance to reach people who are in the bubble than the other outlets have. 

 Though speaking about getting conned: Hard time to feel sorry for the people for fell for block busting and sold under price. But it also reminded me of an episode of Highway to heaven which is about a neighbourhood reacting to a group home for mental health patients are being started in their neighbourhood. As usual there is a lot of stuff happening to ensure that the neighbours eventually start to accept the group home, but one of the points which always stuck out to me about it was the fact that the house prices are down in the area...basically because everyone wants to sell their home due to the group home. But until the very end, when one neighbour calls the fact out, the blame the group home for this instead of themselves for not being ready to accept to live close to "those people". For some reason that episode resonated more with me than the one which actually was about black people wanting to buy in a "white" neighbourhood...I guess mostly because it explained more how you hurt yourself with those kind of attitudes. 

Speaking of attitudes...I really wonder what was to see if you buy milk in the middle of the night in this one neighbourhood. (And who would want to buy milk in the middle of the night anyway). 

[Lantern7]

I forgot to chime in last week. Another informative episode where John shows us discrimination that seldom gets spotlighted. Also, The Void finally gets sentience. The fact that it sounds like H. Jon Benjamin was a bonus. I think my favorite part was it materializing a tie and glasses, mocking John.

The guy who made comical noises in place of saying “fucking” needs to be punched. Euphemisms aren’t much better, but at least you don’t look like a jackass..

On 7/26/2021 at 11:13 AM, peeayebee said:

BTW, the graphic of the key with the silhouette of a black person was very cool. It took me a while to notice it.

Right? Great use of negative space. Graphic department FTW, as usual.

Sen. McConnell’s reasoning is exhausting. And I’ll leave things at that.

[Lantern7]

I forgot to post this . . . several weeks ago, Roy Wood, Jr. from The Daily Show offered his own solutions to black families trying to sell their houses. Here’s the link from Facebook; I can’t find it on YouTube.