John Oliver knows he's not the right person to talk about Black hair

So Oliver did his usual in-depth exposé of just how, constitutionally, white people are incapable of keeping their metaphorical and all-too-literal hands off of Black people’s chosen hairstyles. (Go ahead and ask a Walmart manager why the Black hair products are locked up while the equally expensive white ones are sitting untended on the shelves.) Along the way, there were the usual cases of outed representative villainy, like the Banana Republic manager (since fired) who demanded a young clerk “just take out” her long, elaborately braided hair, because it looked “too urban” for a place called freaking Banana Republic. Or Chastity Jones, a Black woman denied a job for having dreadlocks because a (white) judge eventually ruled that discrimination laws don’t extend above Black people’s hairlines.

Then there’s Utah Republican (white) lawmaker Derrin Owens, who was seen voting against an anti-discrimination CROWN Act after first assuring a trio of aghast Black women that he, personally, thought little Black kids with cornrows were adorable, and he had the surreptitiously snapped photos on his phone to prove it. Or the Penn State alumnus (one David Peterson) who penned an irate letter to his alma mater because star football player, honor student, and Black person (guess which one mattered most to Peterson) Jonathan Sutherland dared wear his hair long enough to be seen outside his CTE-prevention helmet. Oliver rebuffed the now-sweaty Peterson’s explanation that he was just thinking of people’s impressions of Penn State by noting that Peterson graduated in the same year as disgraced and imprisoned Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky, so, yeah.

[quote]Then there’s Utah Republican (white) lawmaker Derrin Owens, who was seen voting against an anti-discrimination CROWN Act after first assuring a trio of aghast Black women that he, personally, thought little Black kids with cornrows were adorable, and he had the surreptitiously snapped photos on his phone to prove it

A Republican who surreptitiously takes photos of little kids he sees in public. Pedo much?

White people are NOT to culturally appropriate dread locks and corn rows

Those hairstyles belong to black people ONLY

🙄

I miss the old days when anyone could discuss anything. Now only black people can discuss black issues, trans people can discuss trans people, and woke people can discuss woke issues.

Wake me when he does a story on the immense homophobia in the black community

Unfortunate, I thought this was going to be a discussion of the creepy Repugs and racists in the segment, but it was just racist trollbait. Again.

I get that many of you wouldn't survive without seven to ten threads a day where you can bitch about "the blacks" ad infinitum.

John Oliver is super liberal r6

John Oliver annoys me. He can never keep a straight face and laughs at his own jokes.

Jobs are allowed to tell you what to do with your hair. They’re allowed to make you wear uniforms as well. You cannot work in a food preparation place with long hair. You have to put it under a cap. So workplaces can tell you how to wear your hair.

On Sunday 3,769 people died from COVID-19 in India.

If they were culturally appropriating corn rows r10, then those subcontinental bitches deserved to die.

John is NOT allowed to talk about anything BLACK !!!

And blacks are NOT allowed to talk about anything WHITE people do.

There. We're even.

This is why Tucker Carlson is cleaning up in the ratings.

Just saying.

R9, but a company cannot make random, pointless rules about hair that target only people of one ethnicity.

Not allowing dreds or braids, but permitting perms, page boys, and flips demonstrates there is another agenda at work.

The majority of woke people pander to their audience because it financially benefits them. However people like John Oliver and most actors and actresses really believe this stuff because they are mentally ill.

Can't stand John Oliver for the pathetic ambushing he did of Dustin Hoffman years ago. If he were really as principled as he seems, he would have withdrawn from appearing. However, as is the trend with woke activism, he preferred to ambush him in front of audience, all because of vague allegations that took place decades before. He is absolute slime.

Please bitch at r16. John Oliver is correct about 98% of the time.

Is this case he is not, but he’s a light years away from that dumb grifter Tucker Carlson.

I'd like to see an American move to Britain and bitch and moan about everything that's wrong with British society. A show like that probably wouldn't even last a week, but in America we can have foreigners get off the plane and five minutes later they have a tv show screaming at us about everything they hate about the US.

R14, black people “perm” their hair.

Dreadlocks don’t belong to black people and have existed in a variety of cultures, including European ones.

I don’t see what the problem is

TOUCH MY HAIR

Then most of the threads on DL should not exist since they don't concern, relate and involve those old fat farts who start them.

OP is simply an old, fat, ugly troll. Eat your own shit and fucking die, cunt troll.

R22 is triggered.

Good job OP

White people gonna white people.

If any of you bitches knew any black women you'd know the first rule of discussing black hair is...

[bold]DON'T[/bold].

Which was the whole point of that (admittedly weak) segment.

Straight men don’t have vagines but they sure have opinions on them!

I have never in my life believed when someone says "OMG, you are so funny I spit out my drink! You owe me a new keyboard!!"

But r11? You really almost got me. I only got a few dribbles on my shirt, though. Good work, you hilariously evil bitch!

Dreadlocks were common in ancient Europe. But since Americans have no sense of history and know fuck-all about any kind of world history they have no idea.

I love Oliver (or I used to), and I think it's funny he had this topic. I DO have a black best friend. And, yup, in high school? I was obsessed with her hair! We laugh about it now. So the topic was sorta funny - though I'm not sure it needed to be his main topic. But whatever...

That said: How fucking stupid to have an entire segment within the main topic where he went off on white stylists who didn't know how to "do" black hair. Mocking them and such. How fucking ridiculous!

So we've made it a sin against humanity and culturally illegal for whites to do ANYTHING that might be perceived as appropriating black culture. (I understand that, btw) I mean, we can't get even get cornrows... But we're magically supposed to know how to style them too? Like, they're supposed to go to school to "learn" black hair? Are you kidding? Whites would be killed for doing that! Or at least cancelled? That entire segment was just blatantly unfair and not thought out. Frankly, it was maddening. "Don't ever do X, but please know how to do X or hire someone who knows how to do X, even though no one who needs X will ever come to your store and if you do have someone who can do X at your store, you might get cancelled for being racist. Or not racist. Or something." Massive eye roll.

He also had a great chance to connect cultures (instead of taking the easy way out and continuing to divide) by pointing at that plenty of black women - even famous ones - seem to like having more "white" hair. Beyonce comes to mind. Might it be cool if we learn to "share" hair? Have a little fun with our differences? See the merit and beauty in both?

Guess not.

Where is Bo Derek's profound apology for appropriating Black hair as a privileged white hot piece of ass?

[quote]but in America we can have foreigners get off the plane and five minutes later they have a tv show screaming at us about everything they hate about the US.

R18 that's because, as much as DL doesn't want to admit it, the U.S. media/entertainment industry are predominantly liberal/Democratic and these days they're very anti-America. They'd rather hire foreigners, including to play Americans, than hire actual Americans. Hollywood used to groom local talent, but within the past 15 years or so, particularly the past decade, they have turned their back on the USA. And Democrats have the nerve to complain when they are called un-American. Bitch, you are!

It's one thing to criticize your country -- everyone should feel free to do so -- but the modern Democrats outright hate the USA! Everything out of Hollywood/Broadway these days just seems to be a diatribe against America - and white people.

Miss Etta James did NOT have to apologize for her blonde beehive!

I ain’t leaning shit about black hair

Or Latino hair

Or Asian hair

Or white hair

John Oliver can eat my dirty asshole

Are black women culturally misappropriating anyone when they straighten their hair?

I'm just going to get called a racist, but believe it or not this is an honest question. To follow up on what r20 said, white people wore dreadlocks historically. In addition, white people have been braiding their hair for centuries. Even if a specific style, like Bo Derek's, may be somewhat more associated with black people, how is that cultural appropriation? And to be specific, why is THAT cultural appropriation, yet when Beyoncé wears a bunch of fake blonde hair, she is held up as some example of "black excellence?"

Like I said, I know I'll just get shouted down, but I truly don't understand this at all. It just seems utterly, ridiculously arbritrary.

I like John Oliver, but this story was not particularly well done. You can't make fun of white hairstylists for not knowing how to do black hair and then end with a bunch of black celebrities telling white people who have questions about black hair that they can fuck off. Yes, there are certain questions that can just be Googled and obviously no one should be made to feel uncomfortable by having to answer endless questions about their hair, but having less dialogue about issues usually doesn't improve them.

So, let me get this straight....it is okay to ban cornrows and locks because people wore them in medieval Europe?

Exactly, R35. Especially getting mad at white stylists for not understanding black hair, then making sure whites SHOULD NEVER ask about black hair. Sure, Jan. That makes all kinds of sense...

This was one of Oliver's worst episodes. It wasn't at all enlightening or thought provoking or even interesting. It was just basic as hell. Blaming whites for fucking differences in hair? Huh? THIS is the big issue we need to address?

John Oliver sure has a lot to complain about regarding the country that made him rich and successful. He could barely get arrested in his native country.

[quote]I miss the old days when anyone could discuss anything.

So you liked it when straight people made decisions for us gay people too? Oh, wait. They're still doing it. Wow, what a pickle.

[quote]Yes, there are certain questions that can just be Googled and obviously no one should be made to feel uncomfortable by having to answer endless questions about their hair, but having less dialogue about issues usually doesn't improve them.

You've created a loop. People bombard black people with endless questions about their hair that they could google the answers to themselves. Having less dialogue about issues doesn't improve them BUT you also know that no one should be made to feel uncomfortable by having to answer endless questions about their hair. I think the answer is: Google what you can if the question is simple and if it's more complex then ask. I think black people know when someone has a genuine interest in something and will answer accordingly if they feel like it.

Fuck racism.

And I'm not talking about John Oliver.

I'm talking about the bullshit that is the reflexive go-to for...... Urban Americans of Coloratura.

I love John Oliver. He's a treasure to think otherwise is insanity

"So you liked it when straight people made decisions for us gay people too? Oh, wait. They're still doing it. Wow, what a pickle."

R39 who said anything about making decisions for any group, gay, black, white, whatever? What a weird take to have...

There's a few things going on here.

First, should black people be discriminated against for "black"hair? Of course not. Not in any way, shape or form. That should be set in stone. Done.

Second, is it okay for white people to have some interest in black hair? I mean, it seems a harmless thing to me. And it's usually done so more out of curiosity than anything negative - the old 50s ads notwithstanding. More akin to straight people being fascinated by the top/bottom dynamic for gay men. Slightly annoying at times, for sure. But sometimes charmingly cute. Like, they're really trying the "darndest" to understand more about us.

Third, I think people - white or black - should be able to do whatever the hell they want to with their own hair. Dreads, rows, bowl cut. It's ridiculous to hate on Bo Derek for having cornrows. Ditto Beyonce for her blonde locks. It's their damn hair.

I just think Oliver, whose show I watch every week, could have used his time more wisely.

R38, um....his success has come from cultural criticism. If he stopped pointing out the flaws, he would stop making money.

And also...he is usually right on the nose.

keep poking the bear

But r43 the point is that he's come to the US and made nothing but criticism about America and Americans, but happily takes all the money it brings him. Imagine an American going to Britain and doing the same thing.

No one posted the video, so here it is. Personally, I think he did a good job in explaining this topic. (I'm Black.) He was obviously well-prepared by Black writers.

R46 I thought it was insufferable and very disrespectful and belittling to White people. That Leslie Jones person is odious and I find her to be slightly racist.

I also think the old clip he referred to at 4:56 was respectfully done, considering that it was done in 1948. Many of the video's Black commentators agree.

In my experience, young Black females are excessively preoccupied with Black hair. They all want to write the same dumb essay about the liberating experience of going natural amd how long it took to grow their hair out, the historical disrespect shown to Black hair, the importance of representation, that damn experiment where young Black girls chose white dolls and even the perfect combination of products they use to get whatever effect they desire on their hair. This crap has been going on for at least ten years. I promise to never touch their hair, as if I ever would, but I'd really like not to hear about it and I desperately wish they would devote a fraction of the energy and time they spend on their hair and elaborate fake nails to their studies.

So there,

In fairness, white students have their own brand of insipid--how getting my driver's license changed my life.

I've had people touch my straight rather fine hair because it was soft and shiny and long. That included black people as well. it's a rather nervy thing to do to anyone but I never took offense from it. I always wished I had more natural body and maybe some waves.

In high school my female friends in gym would have me iron their hair after we showered and this was with real fucking IRONS. I thought they were nuts but I did it anyway.

The only time someone else's hair is my problem is when someone with a huge ass hair-do like a real old fashioned Afro was sitting in front of me at the movies. It was like you need to Rosa Park your ass in the back row.

R49 Whew chile

I worked as a checker at Wal-Mart through college and a couple of the girls that went to the black college would joke around asking if I would “have a baby with them.”

I just brushed it off until it came up again one day and I asked why.

It was my hair. They take hair very seriously.