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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

‘Dear White People’: Provocation for a purpose

Dan Webster

When I graduated from the University of California, San Diego, the world was a far different place. This was the mid-1970s, and the turbulence of the previous decade – the political assassinations, the racial strife and even the Vietnam War – seemed to be behind us. Ahead lay a decade of prosperity, the end of the Cold War and far more tolerant attitudes toward both race and gender relations.

Wait, what? Who am I kidding? Prosperity, sure. But for whom? And the murderous political struggles that marked the 20th century? Well, they just evolved into ever more complicated grabs for power that are less about political ideology than about who controls the world’s economy and what religion best represents your favorite deity’s will.

No, I would love to be able to say that as time has passed, and through all the sacrifices that were made during two great world wars, we’ve all learned how to get along, how to care both for one another and for the only planet we have to live on. That, though, would be mere wishful thinking.

No, America is virtually unrecognizable from when most citizens would be proud to wear an “I Like Ike” button – which is a point emphasized by such movies as “Dear White People.” Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Justin Simien, “Dear White People” – though not as funny as I prefer my satire to be – is a thought-provoking look at the current state of race, both on college campuses and off.

The film continues its run at AMC River Park Square.