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Comment by whoknowswhat11 | Hacker News Reader

My netflix feed at least has been pretty full of shows and movies that feature black stories and characters. I think they have a specific channel for this. So have the other streaming networks from what I've seen.

My apple News+ has had a black experience and racial justice spotlight - you can't turn some of these off actually.

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People working for a mainstream service like Netflix are wrapped in maintaining their job and catering to white people. Having a separate streaming service with curators from the Black community means more opportunity to express unpopular ideas. This means less Harriet Tubman bios and more current culture/expression.

edit: I should add that having watched a few shows like Jack & Jill (which I had never heard of until now)...I am reminded that when you have white people choose the Black actors/actresses of a show (even if they have Black employees' advice) limits the range of beauty. I forget how many gorgeous people are overlooked because they don't fit the mainstream idea of what "we" are supposed to look like in order to be seen as attractive. It's a subtle thing that permeates our children and culture and really makes a difference in perspective.

Also, the portrayal of middle and upper class Blacks is soooooo limited. I am so tired of hearing about up-and-coming poor Blacks. What about privileged assholes like me who always had a great life with plenty of opportunities? We are out here and we have stories.

Thanks for your thoughts here! I'm definitely on the same page with you! Don't love labeling ourselves this way, but by having the "gatekeepers" of what goes on BlackOakTV look like the viewers we're targeting, it opens the door for a very differentiated content and platform experience.

I am wishing you all the best and just bought a subscription. If you need software developers I can help.

I am telling everyone I know about it as well. Getting the word out and early support is key!

yah I second that sentiment, that range of beauty palette on the launch page really struck me with its "novelty" if you will. A smorgasbord of eye candy with great variance we never get served with. I love it.

Those channels existing doesn't mean there isn't a market need. The grocery store I go to has a big international foods section and I still shop at the Indian market because they have a much better selection.

What is missing here is creative ownership. That content needs to be vetted by tastemakers and producers who are mostly white. What gets funded and not funded is sometimes determined by the target demographic and in America that is usually the white majority.

Netflix and Apple gets to turn on, off, buy, sell, and change this content on a whim. They get to select what is important about black culture. Today the black experience might matter to the audience, tomorrow who knows?

Ownership is the only thing that matters in America and for black creators to get there content out there they will need to own the means of production.

Fair enough - I think you could lead with that. The claims that shows don't have black characters - not sure that is true in current release wave.

WorldStar / BET etc - have been some channels / platforms focused more heavily on the black experience?

I don't understand why you got downvoted. This seems like a highly relevant issue (and one which, as a white guy, I typically forget about; thanks for reminding me).

> I think they have a specific channel for this

Here is Netflix's Black Stories page: https://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/81305957

Most streaming services have "horror" sections as well, but I would say the majority of them are pretty lacking in comparison to a service like Shudder, which focuses specifically on horror. I could imagine a lot of the black specific sections on services being lacking in the same way.

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