- You don't have to feel bad that people
that things are a little bit easier for you in this country.
Just take that delicious gift that you've been given
and make sure you use it to make sure
that the playing field is level for other people.
- [Rainn] Hey human, with me Rainn Wilson.
- Hae everybody, how's it going?
Welcome to, Hey There, Human with me your host Rainn Wilson
today's episode is brought to you
from the Albertson's parking lot
because we are moving today
and our internet went out for some reason
at the same time.
So we're moving and I had no internet
there's a subway, a Jack in the box, a McDonald's
and I think back there is like a Coco's.
So it's America baby, it's America.
I'm here in my car, I have some stuff from my office
in the back seat to move
and you guys, I'm so excited for today
because Yvette Nicole Brown is here
and she's really awesome in about 17 different ways
as an actor, an activist and a host
and just genuine good human being
and I tell you guys something
I don't really deal with my social media very much.
I try and stay away from it as much as possible.
I post some stuff here and there,
I comment a little bit
but you know, I posted something yesterday
about fighting racism, being an anti racist
and the comments on it were really exceptional.
You have a very very vocal minority in the United States
who are rabidly anti being quote unquote woke
an anti virtue signaling, an anti white privilege,
an anti white guilt
and first of all, I wanna say that no one is talking about
white people being guilty for their past behaviors.
At least I think not no one alive right now
owned any slaves.
We all us white folk I believe, and many specialists
in this field believe that if you start to peel the onion
see that we are privileged.
and we have benefited from that privilege.
You know, one example for me is I went to a high school
that had a really great arts program
because they had lots of money because it was funded
by the property values of the area that I lived in.
Although my family was very poor, we lived,
we were moved into an apartment building
that was in the radius within the radius of a very wealthy,
well endowed, no pun intended that's what she said,
high school with a great arts program
and as I had interest in acting and started doing improv
and acting and music and stuff like that,
the gates were wide open
that the teachers had all been to art schools
and arts colleges said, yes
you can absolutely make a career for yourself
as an actor, as an artist, here's some great schools
you can apply to that, have some great programs
and here's how you study, here's how you train, et cetera
and this in a way is white privilege on a number
of different levels.
One having to do with the fact that our schools
in this country are based on their property values
surrounding the schools
which is entirely unfair.
So you have these inner city schools
that have very poor funding
and don't get extracurricular activities and arts funding
and then you have these wealthy suburban,
mostly white schools that are very well funded.
So it continues this conundrum, this economic disparity
between rich and poor
between white people and people of color.
So I'm very disturbed and distraught this morning
about the really shrill angry voices
that seemed to be very active on the internet right now,
trying to shred any argument
about bringing increased sensitivity
and awareness to racial justice in this country.
Like why not have some empathy
compassion, and learn about the lives
of people of color and what they've gone through
and look at some social dynamic systems
and just learn about them.
Just keep your heart open and your mind open
to learning stuff, what harm is there in that?
So anyways, maybe you guys can help me out with this
and maybe Yvette Nicole Brown can.
Hi Yvette.
- Hi Rainn, how are you?
- I'm good, how are you?
- You look so nice and comfortable in your house, there .
I'm a little bit hot here in this Albertson's parking lot
but yeah how's it going, nice to see you.
- Nice to see you, this is the first time I think
I've seen your sweet little face
since we worked together on the office like in this way.
- You know, I'm a suburban dad
and I stay at home and I don't go out a lot either.
So Yvette, I would love to hear your perspective
on everything that's going on right now
and especially what's on my mind a lot.
You had a really great Instagram quote
It said like okay, now our Instagram feed is back to normal
but black lives still matter or something like that.
I forgot and I'm butchering
but this is the big question for me is like
okay, I guess it's okay to tell jokes on Twitter again
and I guess it's okay to post pictures
of your pets on Instagram,
but how do we not go back to normal?
Well, even before the newest racial horror
in the streets that we've all witnessed as a nation,
I felt like COVID was a reset,
I felt like the idea that everybody on the planet
had to stay home and reconnect with their family members
take a break from work
cause so many people are in this hustle
this gotta secure the bag racing and chasing everything
type mindset.
I thought it was really gonna be cleansing and healing
ironically for all of us to be home reconnecting
with the things that actually matter
and that is our our friends and our family and our faith
and just a nap, you know what I mean?
I could tell people are running so much in this world
that you don't even let your body rest,
let your mind rest when you need to.
So I felt that that was happening with the pandemic
the worst thing possible
but it had another side, a silver lining to it was that
and then when everything started happening in the streets
because of the murder of George Floyd and Rihanna Taylor
and Ahmaud Arbery and many others
I feel like it allowed everyone that was already home
and already focusing on the things that matter.
It allowed them to see things that they had either
turned a blind eye to
or just never really understood, you know?
And so I believe, and maybe I'm naive.
I believe that there was a seismic shift in this country
because for the longest time the people that were oppressed
by the systemic racism are the ones going come on guys,
please listen listen.
Now we have allies and accomplices that don't look like us
that are able to go into rooms
that we can go in that have platforms that are larger
than some of us have, they have positions and jobs
and titles that allow them to make decisions
that will change things.
So it's important for conversations like this,
it's important for everyone that is not black,
who has a platform and a heart for the struggle
to use their platform.
I mean, you could still talk about lip gloss
and you know, beautiful breath or whatever
but just every once in a while, remind people that,
you know there are still, you know, problems in this nation.
That, again, I love that you started out
with there not being guilt
because the think about white guilt, it doesn't help.
You know what I mean?
Even the friends, I've had friends that have called me
and they're apologizing for what you know
their great great grandfather may have done
and I appreciate the apology
and if you feel you need to give an apology, God bless.
I'm not saying that it's not accepted and appreciated
but sometimes once you get that apology out,
you feel like you did it.
Like I finally said the words that great great grandpas
shouldn't have own slaves on his plantation
and now I'm going to go, no, no, no, no, no no.
That was his sin being complicit even without knowing
and just happily accepting the benefits without thinking
of other people that's, what's on your plate
and that's something that each person that is not
a person of color can do, they can figure out
I didn't cause myself to be privileged,
it's not my fault that I'm privileged
but what I use my privilege for.
So that's all we're asking our allies and accomplices to do
you don't have to feel bad, if people
that things are a little bit easier for you in this country
just take that delicious gift that you've been given
and make sure you use it to make sure
that the playing field is level for other people.
- It's interesting how the reactionary
I don't wanna name a political party
or anything like that 'cause it's all different parties
but people who want to keep things the same
kind of tie and acknowledgement of white privilege
to white guilt and it's like
it doesn't have to be that way.
I'm not saying be Spock
but I don't have to like carry this great heavyweight
in my heart to just kind of really say like,
wow I have never been trailed by hotel security
or store security in a store in my life.
I have no idea what that feels like
- Every single time, if I go to a certain stores,
I will be following it is so bad right for me personally,
I can't speak for everyone else.
I walk into some stores and give them my purse and my bags.
I walk in and go to the counter and go,
hey guys, these are a little heavy
can I leave them behind the counter?
- Wow, yeah.
- You know, and I'll even say, I'm gonna give it to you
so that you don't follow me through the store
because I'm concerned about their feelings
and I don't want them to feel like they're racist
or feel like they're profiling me.
So I go, oh, bags are heavy can you just hold this for me?
And then there's a chance
that I might be able to actually shop like a regular person
without someone following me
and folding clothes everywhere I go.
The thing of the white guilt part of it is that
it becomes something else
that black people have to deal with.
So we have to deal with the systemic racism
we have to deal with making sure
that we don't appear threatening in any space we go into,
any job we take, we can never speak as freely
as our white counterparts can
because there's always this black men
are considered threatening black women are considered angry.
So we have to always kind of thread this needle
so it's not even just that.
But then you also have to make sure
that we don't hurt anybody's feelings
and if their feelings are hurting
you have to make sure that their okay
and if they're crying or they feel guilty
we have to stop everything else that we're doing
and everything that we're carrying to tend to them
and I'm saying it's a great gift to maybe mend that wound
amongst your friends and family
and you guys commiserate together on how you feel
about realizing for the first time
how bad it really is for Black and Brown people.
and that is something you need to do.
This is like, I liken it to awakening asleep walker, Right?
You always hear that it can be violent
you can be violent, they can be violent, they can be scared.
It's shocking to wake someone up who's in their own reverie
they're in there having their own experience
and you bring them back to reality, it's shocking.
So I understand that
but at the same time, there's too much work to do
for me to stop the work to make sure you're okay
because you just realize that people are suffering.
The people that are suffering have wounds to attend to
you see what I mean?
Like the tree that used to be taken care of their first,
there's no condemnation for me, there's no hate for me,
there's me seriously striving to help people understand
so that they can pick up the Baton
and run their leg of the race whatever that may be
and create more allies.
You know, I've also been talking to, you know,
the people that are in the fight and let them know,
like you don't win allies by kicking them in the shins
when they get it wrong you're gonna get it wrong.
You're learning to walk this thing for the first time
so there's gonna be some missteps,
there's gonna be some stumbles
but you don't get people to want to continue
to fight for you if you're hateful when they mess up.
Yes you can correct them and say,
that's not the way to do it
but you don't have to be nasty about it.
Especially when we're talking about the people
that are trying to help
and people that are not trying to help,
the people that are actively trying to tear it down
and poor trying to co-opt the movement
and make it into something that it's not,
that's a whole nother thing
but the ones that are allies, we got to treat them
as if they're actually allies which they are.
- Yeah, that's beautiful, that's really well said.
This has been such a wonderful conversation
and you're an awesome human being
and I hope we get to work together again
and I hope you get your own talk show.
- Great, thank you so much, I would love that Rainn.
I think that you are one of the special people
on this planet, I am grateful.
No, I'm grateful for SoulPancake
I've loved it for many many years.
- Oh, that's so sweet. I really appreciate that so much
and it's just been an honest pleasure
and now we're connected we got each other's emails
and whatnot finally.
So just call on me if you need anything at all,
I'll help you move,
I have a lot of experience I'm moving today.
You know, I can detail your car, whatever you need
I'm here, all right, much love to you.
Just fantastic, so what a pleasure
and people on SoulPancake we need to give her a show
why doesn't SoulPancake give her a show
can we figure out some something to do with her please?
I know you're watching right now
but this was a really fun episode.
Thank you so much for tuning in to, Hey They're, human.
Please follow at Yvette Nicole Brown,
please follow at SoulPancake.
So stay human, stay sexy, I love you all, goodbye.