Netflix has announced that it has slotted April 28 for the premiere of Dear White People, its anticipated half-hour comedy series based on Justin Simien’s acclaimed debut indie feature. The move has come with some angry online backlash after they debuted their trailer (below) yesterday.
On YouTube, the show has amassed 4,943 “thumbs up” and “100,094” thumbs down and counting. Now, a section of the online community is claiming the show projects an “anti-white” sentiment, and have taken to Twitter to show their discontent, including many white people proudly sharing screenshots of their cancelled Netflix accounts.
One objection is that blackface doesn’t really happen anymore, despite several recent examples to the contrary.
The show is a small screen adaptation of the 2014 movie that was originally released in 2014. Set among a diverse group of students of color as they navigate a predominantly white Ivy League college where racial tensions are often swept under the rug, “Dear White People” is a sendup of “post-racial” America that also weaves a universal story about forging one’s own unique path. Brandon P. Bell, Logan Browning, Antoinette Robertson, DeRon Horton, John Patrick Amedori and Ashley Blaine Featherson star.
