365Black.com: You Wouldn’t Understand.

I recently read an article about 365black.com, a website dedicated to celebrating black history and achievements 365 days a year. This site is actually over 6 years old and has caught a lot of flack during that time. Why? Because it’s owned and operated by McDonald’s.

At McDonald’s^®, we believe that African-American culture and achievement should be celebrated 365 days a year — not just during Black History Month. That’s the idea behind 365Black.com. It’s a place where you can learn more about education, employment, career advancement and entrepreneurship opportunities, and meet real people whose lives have been touched by McDonald’s. Plus, you can also have a chance to win exciting once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. So make sure you visit often — you just might get inspired.

Out the gate we already know this site will be controversial because it’s about race and culture. It’s a site specifically for black people? How racist! I would hate to see the backlash against 365white.com. Of course, this is the reaction any time anything comes out geared toward black people or black culture. Anyone remember the Blackbird web browser? I think they had the Whitebird spoof site up within 24hrs (kinda telling that it links to Safari, though). The problem is that it’s not that simple and as long as everyone keeps acting like it’s that simple, we really won’t get anywhere and nobody will ever learn anything. The entire issue of race isn’t so black and white (pun intended).

“Black” in America is an ethnic group comprised of an artificially condensed and less varied collection of cultures, many of which have been replaced by “Black culture”. “White” in America is an ethnic group comprised of extremely varied cultures which have maintained their separate identities. Comparing the two terms is comparing apples and oranges. They have two very different meanings, and thus are rightfully treated as two very different social/cultural entities. When people attempt to compare the two, they are ignoring the history. This whole issue is further confused by the fact that people often confuse the term “Black” as a race with “Black” as a culture. (via Rutju on Digg)

Who knew there were intelligent comments on Digg. You can’t jump to the conclusion that the answer to anything geared towards black people is something made for white people. There just isn’t an immediate and simple comparison.

Why Can’t We Celebrate All Cultures Simultaneously?

One argument that always comes up is that this type of targeting of specific minority groups is separatist. They say we should celebrate diversity in general, not just black culture.

Look, I’m not black, so maybe I have no right to be offended. But this does offend me. It offends me because it shoots straight at the heart of cultural diversity, something which by now, we should all be celebrating because its part of every single country on this planet. (via Zee)

Another article from 2002 about 365Black points out that, instead of trying to promote black culture through mass media, we should be getting schools to make these things part of the default curriculum. If we can’t even have our black president talk to students without a huge uproar, I don’t see how that’s ever going to happen. Never mind the fact that, not only is “black culture” an umbrella term for a varied and diverse group of cultures, but there are other minority groups that would still be left out. This is probably why McDonald’s also has sites for Asians and Hispanics. You can’t just lump everyone together.

Why Celebrate Any Cultures At All? We’re All Just People, Right?

Wrong. We just aren’t there yet. We don’t live in a post-racial America. Just because we elected a black president, doesn’t mean race doesn’t matter anymore. I think McDonald’s recognizes the fact that minorities have challenges that others do not. I’m not saying 365Black is not also about marketing to black folks and selling a few Big Macs, but it’s also about scholarships and opportunities for minorities.

So let me get it straight: the author is offended by the idea of having community sites that appeal to different cultures and instead thinks the solution is … “a diversity website saying they support all different kinds of cultures, races, charities and organizations”?? Give me a break.

IMHO “celebrating diversity” isn’t pretending that there are no differences and putting all minorities under one big umbrella; it’s knowing that we’ve all got differences, having no problem with it, and enjoying the variety.

It’s Patronizing and Disrespectful

I’ve pretty much found most of the McDonald’s commercials and campaigns to be a little patronizing, but this is a double-edged sword. Sure, there are a bunch of black people in the commercial dancing around and singing to a watered down hip-hop track and using slang that many of us don’t even use anymore, but what would we say if there were no black people in the commercials? On another note, how can we be upset about how black people are portrayed when we probably do the most damage to our image?

Have you ever watched how most white people are portrayed? Is every white kid in a band? Do all white people make excessive use of the word “Like” and say “OMG” in normal conversation? Do they all ride skateboards? It’s always going to be awkward when a brand tries to reach out to a specific community or even a general audience. Someone will take it the wrong way or be offended.

Ford and KFC have similar initiatives reaching out to the black community. I’m curious, though. Are you offended? It seems like most reactions from black people are somewhat indifferent or confused, but others are actually angry with McDonald’s for this site. Which are you?