ABC Comedy Show Mocked 'Liberal White People' In New Skit
Do Liberal White People Really Understand Black People?
We’ve all seen it before: a well-meaning white person, determined to prove their “ally status” to black people, goes too far. Whether it’s trying to be “too cool” or using offensive stereotypes, it’s clear that many liberal white people fail to truly understand the unique experiences of black people.
ABC’s comedy Abbott Elementary recently aired an episode that captures this phenomenon perfectly. In “Fundraiser,” the school needs to raise money for a field trip, so the principal, Ava (Janelle James), teaches Barbara’s (Sheryl Lee Ralph) students how to scam people for money. Jacob (Chris Perfetti), the school’s super-woke white history teacher, is brought in for the lesson.
Ava: Nobody likes to buy things from happy people, so I suggest you come up with an illness for yourself. My go-to is polio.
Barbara: Ava, no.
Ava: Barb, polio is back. Poke yourself in the eyes if you have to. Tears might as well have dollar signs in them. And you're gonna wanna look out for liberal white people.
Jacob: Actually, I consider myself to be a progressive.
Child: Is there a difference?
Ava: You'll be able to spot them, because they'll be making this face. If you can't sell candy bars to them, you're unteachable.
Malika: Ow!
Jacob: Oh, Malika, are you okay?
Malika: No. But I'd feel a lot better if you bought some candy from me, an at-risk black youth.
Barbara: All right, that's it! You've gone too far. May I have a word with you, Ava?
Ava: We'll be right back.
Jacob: Ava, I thought you wanted me here for an educational emergency.
Ava: Oh, you played your part. Thank you.
This exchange provides an important insight into the minds of many liberal white people. They want to be seen as allies, but their attempts to help often fall flat due to their lack of understanding. Even when they think they’re being helpful, they end up perpetuating stereotypes and tokenizing black people.
Abbott Elementary is a great example of a show that is not afraid to call out liberal white people on their naive attitudes towards black people. The sick way they treat people of color is the worst kind of racism in modern society.