After seeing this film last month, I have to agree with much of this author says. I was disappointed that not one of the black males was portrayed as a possible romantic lead. Additionally, most of the characters felt more like caricatures. The only Asian character shown repeatedly has just one line, and it’s about food – not race, respect, or something controversial/thought-provoking. To me, the most sobering part of this film was at the end, when photos are shown of blackface / African-American themed parties that actually happened on college campuses. While I’m glad I saw it, I was expecting a little bit more.
Way back in 2006, when I was a plump faced freshman at Johns Hopkins, I got my first taste of proper American racism. That year the big Halloween party was called “Halloween in the Hood.” The ladies were encouraged to come dressed as “hoodrats, skig skags, or scallywhops” and one too many guys tried to be your dark skin friend that looks like Michael Jackson. Our Black Student Union protested for weeks but not much had changed. Eight years later, the darling of the independent film scene is a small film about Black kids at a prestigious, predominantly White, institution dealing with a racist Halloween party called “Dear White People.” Somebody must have dropped the top on their whip, because I feel some type of way.
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Red Thread Broken 