If you need to ask, the answer is yes
August 17, 2013 6:29 PM Subscribe
The Yo Is This Racist? Podcast [iTunes, SoundCloud] is a show where people call in with racism questions and blogger Andrew Ti and a guest give answers. There's nearly a year's worth of podcasts, so there's lots of material. The most recent episodes, featuring Baron Vaughn, are a good place to start, but so are the ones with Kulap Vilaysack, Paul F. Tompkins and Cloud Atlas Week, when a whole run of episodes was dedicated to the movie Cloud Atlas (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). [YITR previously]
I just started listening to this podcast last week. It's actually really interesting, and yeah, the answer is yes.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:35 PM on August 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:35 PM on August 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
Damn it all; read the headline!
It's a good podcast, each episode is about 8-10 minutes long, so they are kind of like eating popcorn. Popcorn that has been lying around racism, but, still....
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:38 PM on August 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
It's a good podcast, each episode is about 8-10 minutes long, so they are kind of like eating popcorn. Popcorn that has been lying around racism, but, still....
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:38 PM on August 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
I love this podcast but wish it would not recycle Monday's intro patter for each week's speaker during the remaining days of the week. Makes me confused during binge listening.
posted by jfwlucy at 7:11 PM on August 17, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by jfwlucy at 7:11 PM on August 17, 2013 [3 favorites]
Eh, I found it pretty easy to note the time on Tuesday and skip that part for the rest of the week. Since I always have to skip the end of each podcast to avoid the horrible horrible Earwolf signature, it's a simple process.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:19 PM on August 17, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:19 PM on August 17, 2013 [3 favorites]
An episode with Jake Fogelnest discussing Japanese Culture Obsession? Oh hell yes!
posted by munchingzombie at 7:19 PM on August 17, 2013
posted by munchingzombie at 7:19 PM on August 17, 2013
Usually my hands are covered with paint, unfortunately. But I am totally with you on the Earwolf sig. Uck.
posted by jfwlucy at 7:39 PM on August 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by jfwlucy at 7:39 PM on August 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
Since I always have to skip the end of each podcast to avoid the horrible horrible Earwolf signature
You mean I'm NOT ALONE??
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:22 PM on August 17, 2013 [4 favorites]
You mean I'm NOT ALONE??
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:22 PM on August 17, 2013 [4 favorites]
I've been a subscriber to Y,ITR? for the last couple of months, and I enjoy the episodes where Andrew + guest engage the questions left by the callers, as well as the ones where they just kind of tee off on the callers for sounding stoned and then go into wacky tangentland for a few minutes.
But I'd really love it if they'd just do an "uncut" version of the show on a separate feed, so I don't have to listen to the same intros/outros every day for a whole week. They could potentially cut about 2 minutes off of the beginning and end of each mini-ep, and a whole week's worth would only be about 30-40 minutes long, not at all bad for a non-interview oriented podcast.
posted by Strange Interlude at 9:29 PM on August 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
But I'd really love it if they'd just do an "uncut" version of the show on a separate feed, so I don't have to listen to the same intros/outros every day for a whole week. They could potentially cut about 2 minutes off of the beginning and end of each mini-ep, and a whole week's worth would only be about 30-40 minutes long, not at all bad for a non-interview oriented podcast.
posted by Strange Interlude at 9:29 PM on August 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
The podcast is pretty great, but the Tunblr (which was linked in the post) is solid goddamn gold.
posted by Itaxpica at 10:54 PM on August 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Itaxpica at 10:54 PM on August 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
But I'd really love it if they'd just do an "uncut" version of the show on a separate feed, so I don't have to listen to the same intros/outros every day for a whole week. They could potentially cut about 2 minutes off of the beginning and end of each mini-ep, and a whole week's worth would only be about 30-40 minutes long, not at all bad for a non-interview oriented podcast.
When it first started this is what they did (one daily feed, one weekly feed) and I was subscribed to the weekly feed. Somewhere along the way I started receiving the daily version, and I just assumed they'd stopped doing the weekly. A quick search for it just now brings back no mention of the weekly.
posted by dumbland at 11:02 PM on August 17, 2013
When it first started this is what they did (one daily feed, one weekly feed) and I was subscribed to the weekly feed. Somewhere along the way I started receiving the daily version, and I just assumed they'd stopped doing the weekly. A quick search for it just now brings back no mention of the weekly.
posted by dumbland at 11:02 PM on August 17, 2013
The greatest thing about YITR is that it works as a barometer all on its own. The amount of angst, anger, or dismissal generated by a post (or even the mere existence of the site itself) is pretty damn accurate in determining if someone believes in some racist shit.
posted by zombieflanders at 5:54 AM on August 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by zombieflanders at 5:54 AM on August 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
I should probably mention that the admonition to read the headline was directed at me, not roomthreeseventeen.
I do have some criticisms of the show:
1. The guests are all pretty much people advertising themselves on the internet, mostly comedians and actors, which, OK, it's Ti's thing, but it sometimes leads to weirdly -- inconclusive -- responses. On the other hand, it also underlines that anyone can recognize racism if they take a few seconds to think about it, so that's a plus.
2. He pretty much never looks anything up or does research, which, again, it's his thing, but it would be nice to see a little more background on at least some of the questions. A lot of these things have history, after all.
3. The show occasionally comes close to acting as an apologist for sexism and homophobia (mostly by pointing out that (white) society does the same thing on a larger scale), which is not so great. Fortunately, it's rare, and I think it's an attempt to keep the show focused, but, still.
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:17 AM on August 18, 2013 [3 favorites]
I do have some criticisms of the show:
1. The guests are all pretty much people advertising themselves on the internet, mostly comedians and actors, which, OK, it's Ti's thing, but it sometimes leads to weirdly -- inconclusive -- responses. On the other hand, it also underlines that anyone can recognize racism if they take a few seconds to think about it, so that's a plus.
2. He pretty much never looks anything up or does research, which, again, it's his thing, but it would be nice to see a little more background on at least some of the questions. A lot of these things have history, after all.
3. The show occasionally comes close to acting as an apologist for sexism and homophobia (mostly by pointing out that (white) society does the same thing on a larger scale), which is not so great. Fortunately, it's rare, and I think it's an attempt to keep the show focused, but, still.
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:17 AM on August 18, 2013 [3 favorites]
As most parents know, you never ask a question when you don't already know the answer.
posted by tommasz at 6:41 AM on August 18, 2013
posted by tommasz at 6:41 AM on August 18, 2013
2. He pretty much never looks anything up or does research, which, again, it's his thing, but it would be nice to see a little more background on at least some of the questions. A lot of these things have history, after all.
Yeah, the one I started out listening to decided an anti-racist children's hymn was racist, for fairly weak reasons. I'm willing to be convinced, and some background on who wrote it, why they wrote it, and if and how it's still being sung would have been helpful, and comparing it to another anti-racist children's hymn that wasn't racist. Too much effort for a podcast, I guess.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:58 AM on August 18, 2013 [2 favorites]
Yeah, the one I started out listening to decided an anti-racist children's hymn was racist, for fairly weak reasons. I'm willing to be convinced, and some background on who wrote it, why they wrote it, and if and how it's still being sung would have been helpful, and comparing it to another anti-racist children's hymn that wasn't racist. Too much effort for a podcast, I guess.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:58 AM on August 18, 2013 [2 favorites]
I haven't listened to the podcast enough to get a sexism/homophobism apologia vibe, but in his tumbler he frequently calls people out for sexism and homophobia.
posted by Cookiebastard at 10:53 AM on August 18, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Cookiebastard at 10:53 AM on August 18, 2013 [2 favorites]
At least on his blog, Ti is pretty clear that he's not there to give history lessons or analyze things in any serious academic way (and that occasionally he's wrong). But even given that (and given his ridiculous snark on personal taste/pop culture), I think he writes more true stuff than most anyone on the internet.
posted by wintersweet at 12:07 PM on August 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by wintersweet at 12:07 PM on August 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
I recently wandered into this podcast, and I mostly like it, except for the aforementioned recycled banter, which is weird, and the lack of research, which, I get that you have a full-time job (I assume?) but google's not that hard, dude.
I was actually pretty surprised to find I occasionally disagreed with his conclusions. He's given passes to some things that I wouldn't several times.
posted by jenlovesponies at 12:33 PM on August 18, 2013
I was actually pretty surprised to find I occasionally disagreed with his conclusions. He's given passes to some things that I wouldn't several times.
posted by jenlovesponies at 12:33 PM on August 18, 2013
This might just be my interpretation, but I've always thought the main point of Yo is this racist was to sort of acclimate people to the notion that we live in a deeply racist culture. Just get people used to the idea that yeah, a lot of stuff, including stuff you do and stuff you enjoy, is pretty racist. Just get used to admitting it and move on from there.
As far as the "Jesus loves the little children" thing, it may have been a useful message once upon a time when it was written, when racism was much more overt than it is today. But now, it's almost like it's answering an unasked question or something. Also, even if calling people black and white is acceptable, calling people red and yellow isn't.
posted by ernielundquist at 12:39 PM on August 18, 2013 [3 favorites]
As far as the "Jesus loves the little children" thing, it may have been a useful message once upon a time when it was written, when racism was much more overt than it is today. But now, it's almost like it's answering an unasked question or something. Also, even if calling people black and white is acceptable, calling people red and yellow isn't.
posted by ernielundquist at 12:39 PM on August 18, 2013 [3 favorites]
I had to quit following the tumblr because it left me in such a recurrent state of impotent rage.
posted by klangklangston at 12:48 PM on August 18, 2013
posted by klangklangston at 12:48 PM on August 18, 2013
It doesn't really have anything to do with anything except a sorta running-joke on the tumblr about rap-crew names apparently, but this is the funniest thing I've read all day:
posted by hap_hazard at 2:02 PM on August 18, 2013 [5 favorites]
anonymous asked: yo this is twerkules again. i got a beef with gateway so i called up the rest of my crew: hank trill, dollar menu, dj gary, tru value, drugs bunny, hard kevin, wunderbux, fre$h produ¢e, rapping paper, a snakeMan if I had any rap game I would sockpuppet most of those names and go on a posting spree in the epic Kendrick Lamar thread...
posted by hap_hazard at 2:02 PM on August 18, 2013 [5 favorites]
The podcast is okay. I too am put off by the recycled intros and outros. However, his analysis of racist culture in America is anything but analytical. His Tumblr is even worse. He mostly just agrees with people who say things are racist or berates people who want to have a more subtle dicussion. Granted, it's Tumblr, so I don't expect an academic debate, but a lot of his responses to Asks seem to be: "You disagree with me? Clearly you are a racist." Then again, he probably gets a lot of racist-ass questions that he doesn't post at all.
posted by runcibleshaw at 6:13 PM on August 18, 2013
posted by runcibleshaw at 6:13 PM on August 18, 2013
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The answer is almost always "yes."
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:31 PM on August 17, 2013 [7 favorites]