United Shades of America

According to Wikipedia Walter Kamau Bell is a stand-up comic and television host. I don't know Bell's work but I was attracted to United Shades of America, the episode about Portland, since my son has been talking about moving there.

In Portland men like to wear beards and women like asymmetrical haircuts. They value the environment and many of them use bikes, not only to transport themselves and their kids, but also their goats. Coffee shops are a mainstay of Portland hipster, though few people will cop to being a "hipster". Portland has "cuddle shops" and Bell spends an hour cuddling there, and he finds a home industry where they sell bow ties for dogs, made from recycled material.

So the counter culture is alive and well in Portland, but Bell seems very upset being around so many white people. After about 15 minutes of moving around the City, Bell does some stand-up, then fortunately goes back to the documentary, though if you stick around long enough, you'll have to endure more stand-up. Let's just say he's no Chris Rock (who produced Bell's TV series "Totally Biased")

The main theme throughout is Bell's scorn for hipsters and gentrification, and his sorrow that more black people don't live in Portland (Bell himself lives in San Francisco). Bell is worried that black people are being negatively impacted by gentrification, although his own interviews show that both black and white people are impacted.

I think the idea of "United Shades of America" is a good one and I don't mind a guy with a chip on his shoulder. Some of Michael Moore's films are among my favorites (Roger and Me, Bowling for Columbine). But you need more than a chip, and I didn't see much from this one episode. That being said, I did enjoy the tour of Portland and his interviews with the hipsters he was trying to expose. But unlike Michael Moore, he isn't successful in using the people against themselves, which I gather is a prime intention of Bell. That skill, fine-tuned by people like Moore and Sacha Baron Cohen ("Borat") seems beyond Bell's abilities.

Evaluating a whole series based on one episode isn't entirely fair, so I suffered through a few more episodes. Bell was less angry and tried to be more funny. I don't find him funny, so maybe he should stick with the angry angle.

If you're a fan of Bell you'll probably enjoy the series.

Now in its second season, CNN's series 'United Shades of America' addresses different issues throughout the country ~ with a completely different spin. Hosted by African-American standup comedian W. Kamau Bell, he presents things through a refreshingly different prism.

For example, Bell interviews white privilege advocate Richard Spencer, a neo-Nazi who abhors any race that is not his own, travels to Puerto Rico to talk to its residents about it becoming the 51st state, and what it's like to be a Muslim in small town America. It is interesting to hear stories reported by a person of color as they have insights to things that may be unknown to mainstream white America.

Past episodes have focused on people who have gone 'off the grid', what is entailed in buying a gun, and the dangerous street gangs of Chicago. All in all a very fascinating show, especially since it's addressed from a new perspective.

This show is an incredible masterpiece, featuring the crucial narratives of underrepresented and often oppressed racial groups. It dives deep into the concept of inequities in different environments and how our surroundings shape who we are. W. Kamau Bell is a visionary artist and comedian, and his show helps inspire change and inclusiveness.

While I appreciate that the show explores multiple sides to salient issues, I can't help but be frustrated by the fact that there were no episodes on Asian Communities in the USA. There's so much for people to learn about in regards how Muslims are tackling Islamaphobia, how East Asians tackle misrepresentation and whitewashing in media, and so much more.

This show is alright, but it's nothing comprehensive. If you're going to call a show United Shades of America, you need to capture all the shades...especially the ones almost nobody speaks of.

More "woke" crap. I'm all for exposing the past for what really happened, but this is just off the rails and showing one side that is filled with holes.