Jews Talk Racial Justice - Ep 18: Hamilton and White Comfort
QUICK EPISODE OVERVIEW
Starting with reflections on the musical Hamilton, April and Tracie dig into some of the nuance around comfort, right to comfort, and the tension between what we might appreciate about art even when the artist or the art's impact isn't what we might like.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
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Tracie recounts a conversation about Hamilton with a friend who said, “if this many white people are this excited about it, there must be something that's not quite where it needs to be." What does this mean? Have you ever had a similar thought or observation?
When consuming media (such as a song, musical, film, TV series, etc), are you usually able to balance appreciation with criticism? Can you think of any past examples where you’ve had trouble with this?
Have you seen Hamilton the musical? What are your impressions of it? And, why might it have been particularly appealing to “masses” of white audiences, as April and Tracie discuss?
Tracie and April mention criticisms of Hamilton, which you can read more about here), and Miranda’s response to them. After reading these articles and learning more, what do you think? Do you agree with them? What value do these criticisms offer?
April and Tracie discuss the validity of comfort, and April also shared this bit of wisdom: “I think that a component of white supremacy culture is this right to comfort, and therefore, if something makes me uncomfortable, it must be wrong.” What does this mean? To what extent do we have a right to comfort, especially those of us who are white and/or have white privilege?
INSIGHTS FROM THIS EPISODE
“I much prefer a stretch zone and pushing and striving and being engaged. That definitely is part of your genius - bringing joy to justice work. You counter the myth that you have to be miserable in order to work for justice, and that’s one of the things I love about you.”
“I think that a component of white supremacy culture is this right to comfort, and therefore, if something makes me uncomfortable, it must be wrong. ”
COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS?
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