Afrofuturism mixes sci-fi and social justice. Here’s how it works.

[@tremolo2109]

Holy shit! I didn't expect Vox viewers to be so prejudice about black culture. Wow. I really liked the video. Check out Nnedi Okorafor! She a sci-fi writer who's work is mostly influenced by her Nigerian roots. Her work was my first introduction to Afrofuturism

[@Joe-bu6uz]

The reason why I dislike the video (although I didn't actually hit the dislike button) is because I don't like when people talk about culture and pride. It's makes me feel more segregated, I want to be part of the human race, not the black race, or the white race, or the Latino race. I feel like being pridefully of any culture or heritage gives one a feeling of superiority and arrogance and we should just share our ideas, and foods, and art to anybody who cares to listen. Culture gives off a feeling of exclusivity and that's not anything to be proud of

[@Joe-bu6uz]

The reason why I dislike the video (although I didn't actually hit the dislike button) is because I don't like when people talk about culture and pride. It's makes me feel more segregated, I want to be part of the human race, not the black race, or the white race, or the Latino race. I feel like being pridefully of any culture or heritage gives one a feeling of superiority and arrogance and we should just share our ideas, and foods, and art to anybody who cares to listen. Culture gives off a feeling of exclusivity and that's not anything to be proud of

[@Joe-bu6uz]

And also, can you suggest anything from Nnedi Okorafor in particular. Not sure where to start.

[@tremolo2109]

+Joe The first one I read is Who Fears Death. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic world with the remains of futuristic tech, but there are some fantasy elements too. I think it was her first adult book - she's mostly written YA. It gets pretty intense, to the point that I actually wanted to skip over some sections, but it's a good read.

[@tremolo2109]

+Joe Thanks for explaining your point of view. It makes a lot of sense to me, and I wish that social justice activists would use different phrasing sometimes. But I don't think it's actually a bad thing that things like this make people a little uncomfortable, just because a lot of black people in America feel that kind of segregated feeling a lot more often than I do as a white person (at least that's how I understand it). That sort of thing can easily go overboard, but I don't think that this video did.

[@ChickenfishOfDoom]

*watches video* aw yeah maybe humans arent that bad, maybe we can all get along *looks at comments* oh...

[@breadwinner2522]

got your hopes up didn't ya?

[@alexanderleatherman]

Sometimes I wish there was a way to tell how old the person comenting was, so we would know how comments lean, toward truth and knowing, or fiction and not knowing. Young people know less by nature. Still, older people become jaded among many things that happens with aging psychology.

[@commmander64]

That is An interesting idea. But if you make it happen... well... people will complain. We will see their age but they will complain.

[@MaladyKayjo]

Alex Leatherman yeah, but we must also take into consideration the political Compass, which is now going right, it was left, now it’s right, I’m watching from the outside, it dogma v dogma, and I hate how critical thought is basically dead

[@DarrenNoFun]

I kind of want a T-Shirt that says "We're Not All White... Or Will Smith"

[@KK-jp5fu]

That’s big fax

[@danielaraujosilva8374]

Working on a design right now btw

[@Elite942]

These video led me to Janelle Monae and I feel I've been musically reborn.

[@socialchronic]

Lol welcome fellow android. I had a moment like this about 5 years ago

[@ealing456]

I first saw Janelle Monae on Stargate Universe, performing as herself in a club. Was blown away. She's a big sci-fi fan.

[@Sunshine_Ses]

Omg yes! And I am in love with her album cover for "Dirty Computer".

[@BioHazardCL4]

I like rappers and hiphop artists talking about race. I take their argument more to heart because it feels like I as a white man am included as an ally to help everyone have an equal chance instead of being the enemy, which privilege has to be wrestled from.

[@AdamAce98]

same

[@AdamAce98]

?

[@Alegiance]

Jesus why are people so opposed to videos like this? It's literally just cultural history.

[@cw214]

+Josh Sooley ew stop

[@watermelontreeofknowledge8682]

It's because they get so political with it and try to make present white guilt using past transgressions. It's not about moving on, it's about being keeping people under foot.

[@DawnOfTheDead991]

@@watermelontreeofknowledge8682 More like Afro Pastism

[@jacanewkirk6511]

its literally not just culture. it black ameriican culture first and spreads to the african diaspora. aa are the most disrespected when it comes to our culture, please respect it

[@jacanewkirk6511]

@@watermelontreeofknowledge8682 umm guilt for what?

[@luvpinas123]

Oh boy. Whenever someone makes a video that takes pride in other cultures, some people just go out of their way to fling feces at it. Maybe you should open your eyes, slip your feet into the other person's shoes, and realize that it's not all about you.

[@2nd09er]

if something is designed to unnecessarily not include someone, it's exclusive, elitist bullshit.

[@pestoriusj]

+The Goddity It's not really the bias that I have a problem with. You can't avoid it, given the subject matter and vox's format. What bothers me is the factual inaccuracies - the 'underground railroad song' (a debated hypothesis), and 'his Egyptian forebears' (who weren't black).

[@TheTokkin]

+悪霊 No. It's only in videos that have a positive take on afroamerican or muslim culture. The ideologies of christian supremacy and racism still motivate people.

[@fredrickgoodwill285]

the same can be said when sjws denounce white pride and culture as "racist."

[@kadrope]

underground railroad song(s) -- there were several. i don't see how the existence of them is even up for debate? and ancient egyptians were black. read a book. or if you can't just look at pictures.

[@edwnx0]

So is this getting dislikes simply because it has "social justice" in the title?

[@AwesomenessHippopotamus]

+Edwin Contreras it's gonna get as much hate from offended white folks as John Oliver's video about whitewashing in Hollywood.

[@MechanicWolf85]

yeap, and they call social justice people idiots and assholes

[@DaniTheDeer]

I just want to watch Vox for educational videos, not to have their agenda pushed on me

[@edwnx0]

+Joseph Stalin What agenda?

[@macheath77]

+Joseph Stalin Yeah I'm feeling pretty annoyed by the "seapunk" agenda too

[@AwesomenessHippopotamus]

Imagine if the writers and animators of The Boondocks sat down and wrote a show with an Afrofuturism/Sci-Fi plot.

[@AwesomenessHippopotamus]

+Awesomeness Hippopotamus Think of The Boondocks meets Titan AE, Star Wars and Firefly/Serenity.

[@con7]

0o0

[@kickapowwww]

As a white cis male, who loves sci-fi and fantasy, I would LOVE to see more afro-futuristic in the genre. And more latino and other cultures too!

[@katyv5657]

hahaha, as a white, straight, female I completely agree! Seeing a variety of people in the media I watch warms my heart because I'm seeing the people in my life.

[@Lorenzo_631]

wtf does you having to be white have to do with it

[@kickapowwww]

+Jordan J When people envision the future in art most often it's seen through a white lens.

[@Lorenzo_631]

kickapowwww you just gave me cancer

[@peacetreaty86]

+kickapowwww im not done yet. be ready

[@Olorrangerr]

my g, these white tears are saltier than ever.

[@jdmcamerokiller]

My g, thems yo own tears.

[@MakeArtNotWar2023]

Certain people get offended when they're not included in the mix. Haters will continue to hate. They will always get it twisted, no matter how you present it.

[@essenceedwards-burd8721]

MakeArtNotWar I am the mix and as of now I despise the term AFROFUTURISM.

[@jessetorres8738]

I'm a Texas Christian University student, and my college has a Sci-Fy and Afrofuturism in Literature class. My campus requires a literature course and I took it since it sounded unique/different from other literature course and after taking the course I recommend that any1 in a college that offers this course should take it. And in case any1 is wondering, my class was only about 40% African American so the course may be called Afrofuturism but it is a form of literature that people of diverse races can take and enjoy, especially if you are a fan of science fiction.

[@Chaobreaker]

If there's any doubt that there's a race problem in America, just look at that dislike precentage and the comments of this video.

[@lance3451]

yes ,of course there is a race problem in the USA ,as in the whole world! I find it racist and ignorant that this group tried to charge more money for white people than blacks and browns to attend there events, this is the true definition of evil racism. why does this group only target white people when slavery was done by every race in the world, including blacks! its very ignorant and non futuristic for blacks to only target white people, its shows how uneducated, ignorant, and evil these black people who think this way really are, this is the ignorant thinking that holds every people down! the truth will set you free, and no this is not a hate comment, its an educational comment!

[@amysnews6808]

@@lance3451 Yep! You nailed it!

[@PHlophe]

and i added my own like, i was finna forget. this is the only thing that forces us to like when we could just browse thru videos because caucasians want to make our algo fail.

[@grammaticalchainsaw7318]

@@lance3451🤦🏾‍♂️

[@user-mm8zs5yn2x]

It's sad that 1,299 people saw the title, clicked dislike, and ignored the underlying analysis and explanation of a unique and interesting perspective.

[@DoReMi123acb]

Great video Vox. Don't worry. When Black Panther movie comes out Afrofuturism will become much more known and respected.

[@lnhart7157]

Jesus Christ why can't people just watch the video if it interests them or not watch it if they don't care. But no, everything that has something to do with black culture or women or anything gets massive downvotes because some Social Justice Warriors behave like idiots. I find this very interesting and I'm actually a big fan of Sun Ra.

[@CowTipper898]

I think the fact they would compare it to sci fi is dumb. From what I saw in the video it has nothing to do with sci fi.

[@lnhart7157]

+CowTipper989 See, of that's how you see it (or other people), the video is interesting nonetheless. it informs you about something stupid, that doesn't make sense.

[@flyingfox707b]

you know you made a real statement and you you hit a soft spot when the like is hit as much as the dislike :D

[@davidjones4170]

So videos with as much dislikes as likes is evidence of a "real statement?"

[@khashayarr]

I feel like it has a lot of dislikes because 1/ it's very centred around being black in America. 2/ it focuses on a sort of expression that isn't exclusively black. Music is an overused medium for expressing hope for the future. Every culture has a song about hoping for a better future. It's not really Afrofuturism. The term implies science fiction. Wanting to see an end to the struggle of African American people isn't really science fiction...

[@alexo.1388]

Or could it be that other non-white nationalities see the blatant elitism and supremacist air these exclusively black "movements" promote? You don't see Chinese claiming Sinofuturism or Sino-martial arts. You lot love to feel more special than the rest. It's hilarious at how self-conscious your movements are, at the same time promoting racial segregation. @@khashayarr This. Finally someone gets it.

[@Seadalgo]

Why did you only stick to music? You made it seem like you were going into independent film, novels, graphic novels, then just stuck to some music that only tangentially represents the topic.

[@dynamichunter843]

+Seadalgo And how could they do that without mentioning Tupac as a huge part of that? Also now, Kendrick Lamar

[@Seadalgo]

+DynamicHunter I was thinking Lupe but great point

[@TheDanAge]

Yeah I agree I was so confused.

[@mrshahquelle]

Who else is here for the racist comments?

[@LimeyLassen]

+Shahquelle Lamont Me! :D

[@mrshahquelle]

So based on that logic the population of black americans and by extension all persons of colour in 2015=0%? Because look at the Oscar nominations this year. Why do people have such a problem black pride in particular? For a group of people that have overcome so much and survived can't they celebrate their heritage. A heritage that they are denied everyday I might add. Racism is dying? Oh ok tell that to the families of the Charlestown massacre. How are black Americans seen as racist for loving their roots and calling out racisms while persons such as Dylan Roof who attack black establishments are just labelled "mentally unstable" even though his goal was to start a race war? And that whole blind to race ideology sounds nice but we have to face reality. Only persons who do not suffer the brunt of racism will have the luxury and privilege so say such. Being proud of your race is not the problem, the system of white supremacy on which your country was built, racist attitudes and stereotypes are.

[@mrshahquelle]

***** That statistic takes place over the course of SIXTEEN years but ok. But yes you have highlighted a very important issue of underrepresentation of minorities in Hollywood. And this is a cause of white over representation. Ever heard of Exodus: Gods & Kings? Which part of Europe is Egypt in? What about Mickey Rooney as Mr. YUNIOSHI in Breakfast at Tiffany's? And Oh boy just because their are more African Americans( maybe because of they're the largest minority idk) does NOT mean that they're represented accurately. But I digress. But Yes Hispanic,asians and all other minority races should have their pride movements thus their leaders should come together in solidarity like African Americans are doing. But I'm sure they wouldn't have as much opposition though.

[@ThePaintballgun]

I'm impressed by how civilly you two conducted this discussion. kudos.

[@relrel310]

"We're not all Will Smith" Be right back, going to have an existential crisis....

[@easysnake205]

"but we are not all will smith" Will smith: da fuck i ever do to you?

[@annietrinity1833]

+EasySnake Some black people ARE Will Smith. Just not most of them.

[@helloose221]

+Annie Trinity im more of a morgan freeman then will smith...

[@MarkShaneHansen]

+Annie Trinity About 1 in all black people on Earth is Will Smith.

[@annietrinity1833]

Mark The Gr8 Not true. You're forgetting all the not famous ones.

[@Scoring57]

That wasn't a statement against Will Smith dummy. It's against the whites that think they're accepting black people and giving black people opportunities by accepting only Will Smith

[@unknown1994ish]

I was about to leave the video without acting but then I saw the number of dislikes. What's going on you guys? it was a good video.

[@karl_franks]

+goawayjose putting "social justice" in the title coupled with a video about race means it attracts types from places like /pol/ who are here to mass dislike the video and parrot their racist memes

[@funstuff81girl]

No one asked anyone to help shit. She's explaining an art and its place in a culture. Can we not have our fucking culture? Can we not celebrate our music, our artistic identity? We're not gonna divorce black culture from black roots for you. Dear God, even mentioning the struggle gets y'all up in arms. Vox does culture pieces all the time. They just talked about seapunk, today they talked about afrofuturism. Y'all exhaust me.

[@shorgoth]

I'm heavily into sci-fi writing and it's true the black community is marginal at best in it. We see much more Asians and Caucasians than anything in the domain tho both ethnicity gravitate in their own microcosm, mostly Japanese mangas/tv and a bit of South Korean stuff. It might be more of an issue of immediate interest... Richer (as in more money, not culturally rich) cultures tend to look toward the future and make preparations for it while poorer one are more focussed on day to day survival. I think this is partly what we are seeing here.

[@TheDayd111returns]

I'm working on it, watch me! I'm in development of American inspired Japanese manga featuring a Black main character that centers around sci-fi, fantasy, urban and mystery.

[@shorgoth]

@@TheDayd111returns I sure hope to see it one day, if I may offer a piece of advice. If we want to normalize representation in art, we need to see that art nor be about being a specific minority only but being a human at large, the cultural aspects have to be presented 100% but the theme of difference needs to be subtle, not a constant in your face struggle where there is only opposition and misery due to said difference. I say that not as a person of colour, but someone with giftedness (brain physiology), asexuality and PTSD and part of a minority culture and language in my country. We need to phase out the confrontational language and the outright demonization some writers use of the normal and make difference part of normality, but a plural one instead. Yes, we can and should recognize the existence of bigotry and not gloss it over, but not make it everything. Otherwise, it is just another form of ostracisation. Show that different people have overal pretty normal different lives. But that's really just my own feelings as an aspiring and failing writer, you decide what you write and I won't fault you for not taking anything here. You might not understand the nuance I'm trying to bring, I might not have been clear or your own experience and feelings differents. Ultimately this is your story and we just need more varied voices to be heard.

[@samiabe8686]

Look at these comments. America is going to shit because of trump. This video wasn't making a political statement it was sharing history and culture. It's like the assholes of America finally found a leader that gave them the confidence to say things like "FUCK SOCIAL JUSTICE" out loud. I just didn't think there would be so many.

[@oekmama]

Sam Abe Ray Bradbury wrote a short story in the 60s in his "Martian Chronicles" about Black People going to Mars. Not afrofuturist, but still chillingly relevant.

[@ddxv]

What about DELTRON 3030. So good, an entire concept album about a time travelling rap magician running from his dystopian future. "My ears morphed to receptors that catch your Every word about gravity control And the families they hold for handsome ransoms On the run with a handgun, blast bioforms; I am warned That a planet-wide manhunt with cannons Will make me, abandon, my foolish plan of uprisin Fuck dyin, I hijack a mech Control it with my magical chants, so battle advanced Through centuries of hip-hop legacy, megaspeed Hyperwarp to Automator's crib and light the torch They can't fight the force"

[@Mariachi-jn9xg]

Im white and afrofuturism makes perfect sense to me.

[@AbhNormal]

One of my favourite modern artists is Flying Lotus. His albums are very ethereal yet simultaneously energetic and You're Dead is one of the best albums of all time.

[@top10genius95]

I'm a black Science fiction writer. And Delany was one of my key inspirations for becoming a writer.

[@swayamvaramasala]

How can you be against social justice? It's in the name, JUSTICE! Geez...

[@SilentSputnik]

+Denis Lama Ah yes, movements with positive names can never be forces for evil. Just like the Twitter 'Trust and Safety Council'.

[@ChrisKnowles1170]

+Denis Lama How can you be against the National Socialism? It's in the name, SOCIAL NATION! Geez... (This joke only works if you know that Nazi is an abbreviation of National Socialist Party)

[@theangel666100]

+Denis Lama Because they think that all Social Justice refers to the extermist ones. Now that that has happened even real issues are being ignored, such as this one.

[@ChrisKnowles1170]

+Bobo Jojo Just the opposite, actually. Social Justice isn't extreme, it's whiny, trying to solve problems that aren't problems.

[@brodersami]

+Bobo Jojo Yeah, kinda weird how words like social justice and feminism have come to be so hated just because of a few extreme cases where people have taken things too far. Most black people just don't want to be abused by the police and not be discriminated against based on the colour of their skin, and similarly the majority of feminists just want equal pay for women. The "anti-sjw" extremists are just as bad as the strawmen they oppose.

[@autumnhomer9786]

I don't understand this video. First it was talking about the lack of Afro-American writers represented in the sci do community, Then it started talking about music with a futurist theme and pro Black this and that....

[@autumnhomer9786]

*Sci Fi

[@busessuck1]

Yeah, video starts off explaining afro futurism (which was a term used for literature and sci-fi in particular, something that I don't think there are many famous black-centric examples of, but I may be wrong) ... so then it goes off on a tangent showing examples of black music which has lyrics about the future

[@autumnhomer9786]

+busessuck1 Thank you for replying 😊.

[@marcoperez8935]

How the hell is Aladdin a Sci-fi film?

[@vaibhavgupta20]

+Marco Perez flying carpet.

[@marcoperez8935]

A MAGICAL flying carpet.

[@Dumdumshum]

Exactly. Not scientific. False, just like god.

[@adderleywilkinson]

It says sci-fi and fantasy films

[@fabioribeiro4627]

A lot of science fiction could be considered fantasy. Case in point, Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny.

[@jurassichrist]

This was great, Vox. I would love to see more fiction by Black writers; that is, I would like their fiction to enter the great literary canon that we all read in high school. Why not!?

[@Flashback_Jack]

ZERO mention of Detroit and the Belleville Three that invented techno, perhaps the best modern example of afrofuturism. I'm not surprised. Techno has always been a huge blindspot to American blacks, believing that the genesis of this stuff comes from anywhere other than the USA. Virtually every liner of every techno compilation back in the day had sci-fi themes. Drexciya's whole schtick is about the babies of African slaves falling overboard on their trans-Atlantic journey and developing the ability to breath underwater, creating an entire sub-marine colony called Drexciya in the process. That's just one example of many. Check my live mixes out for examples of true techno and what afrofuturism is all about.

[@vanessaroper3028]

Oh wow! That's amazing!

[@cnetvista]

Ytasha Womack isn't mentioned in this video and she is The Leading Expert on there topic of Afrofuturism, an alumni of my illustrious institution and deserves to be at the very least mentioned in a video claiming to "explain Afrofuturism"

[@TheNoticeBlog]

Sooo happy they did a piece on Afrofuturism. Never really knew too much about it until now. It's pretty dope.

[@OctaBech]

Why is ethnicity important in Sci-fi? The books I love, humans have mixed and evolved. Yes Hollywood films tend to have white main characters, but that's because they are mainly made by white people for a white demographic, it's like complaining that Bollywood films do not have enough white British people in them and that Japanese Sci-fi anime doesn't have enough mongolians in them. I am a firm believer that people all all genders, religions, colour and so on should have equal right and opertunity, but it quite frankly irks me when African Americans act like they are the only ones being left out and only Hollywood films matter... like America is the center of the world. And for crying out loud, the people who built the pyramids were not black, we know this because they depicted themselves and claiming someone else (black African Americans which are not even from that part) is just pissing on their achievements. Africa is the continent with the most diverse genetic pool, those who were sold as slaves to the Europeans where only a tiny fraction of that pool. :( Thumbs down

[@aquariuskudo]

OctaBech The proportion isn't representative in Hollywood. That is the issue. The people who built the pyramids were most definitely black in some form or another

[@OctaBech]

+Aquariuskudo The ancient Egyptians had the same genetics as people who live there today. That is fact, just like it's a fact that the African Americans were from the far other end of the continent. It's like saying Chinese and Arabs are the same(they at least had connected trade routes). About Hollywood, it has less Latin Americans too, why not fight their cause too? Or the Chinese immegrants. they are far worse represented.

[@aquariuskudo]

OctaBech The Egyptians there today immigrated there after the pyramids were built. I don't know why you brought up African americans. But black is still black, no matter what part of the world you come from. Arfican americans were from West Africa fyi.

[@OctaBech]

Black is not black, Africa has an amazing genom diversity due to its natural uncrossable boarders and the ones who built the pyramids did certinly not portray themselves as black. You can spew as much racist propaganda as you want (because that is what you are doing, just like the Nazies you are trying to steal the achievements of other cultures to fuel your colour agenda) but DNA go against your claim, the people who lived in Egypt back then are the ancestors to those who live there today.

[@aquariuskudo]

OctaBech DNA of the people that immigrated there way after. Also, according to you white isn't white then. What does that even mean?? Nazi's?? You should be worried about certain presidential candidates if you want to talk about Nazis. Your incoherent statement is incoherent.

[@MitchellBusby]

I really think there are people that dislike videos like this before even watching them. I mean what's here to hate?

[@MitchellBusby]

+johno doh Please, explain where you're talking about.

[@MitchellBusby]

+johno doh There are no white rappers? The most popular rapper (based on records sold) is Eminem. He's pretty white. I agree that you shouldn't just blindly scream OPRESSION about everything, but this video is about the struggles of the black community and how black artists deal with them.

[@randomguy5990]

+Mitchell Busby They are very sensitive , every time they see something they don't agree with , they call it SJW. They can be triggered with little to no effort.

[@MitchellBusby]

+randomguy5990 Yeah i think that's true. But they know what Vox their leaning is, so why do they even click on these vids..

[@MitchellBusby]

+randomguy5990 I mean i'm not watching bullshit like The Blaze or Fox News. Why would i?

[@Postcinct]

This is not representative of afrofuturism, this is a cash-in using a subculture that has nothing to do with black lives matter or other black struggles in the modern world. I feel this is more of a disrespect to afrofuturistic history as a whole.

[@ar_xiv]

It could have been better but I'm glad the topic got some attention

[@leod1510]

Yeah I think it missed a few points. Its could have been deeper with its research but Sun Ra is a legend

[@azure5644]

I agree

[@stonecutter1217]

no matter what they say, i see your vision vox. the future is on its way

[@eruno_]

*Afroamericanfuturism

[@2nd09er]

haha kinda right

[@Victoria-bo9xk]

what's the difference

[@Victoria-bo9xk]

what's the difference

[@burtonlang]

+Kôitsu_ Check out _The Summer Prince_, a scifi novel with an afrofuturist take on Brazil. Afrofuturism is about not only people in Africa, but also the African diaspora.

[@jazzo8195]

yeah I was expecting them to mention people like wanuri kahiu. Definitely check out her film Pumzi if your interested in a more Africa centred form of Afrofuturism, it's on KZbin

[@b0bs0]

Careful, Vox! The term "social justice" triggers a lot of privileged, sheltered white people on the internet. Keep up the good content!

[@vcihiethea]

I'm actually part of the pajeet race, so no.

[@princessconsuela6836]

Critical Social Justice is Marxism repackaged.

[@mikec8668]

The ending of the video strayed quite a bit from the main theme.

[@112233jjooee]

I dont understand what you mean when you say "fight for what is ours"... Growing up as a person of white color, i was taught that I deserved nothing, and the world owed me nothing. My single mother always told me that bad things happen to those who dont make good decisions, and that if I wanted something, I had to work for it. This is pretty well understood, especially by many of my hispanic and asian friends who are 1st generation americans, and also by my black friends who are doing well in life.

[@112233jjooee]

+Isabella Price what?

[@112233jjooee]

+Isabella Price You didnt understand me

[@kaktotak8267]

You paint this picture of afrofuturism being the grand movement for a better future of blacks, but all they have is a bunch of people in the pop culture. You aren't going to get anywhere with that.

[@kaktotak8267]

TheWeeCrafter "The same can be said for the recent riots in Baltimore and Ferguson, they even sung "Alright" by Kendrick Lamar to drown out police sirens." Lol, and were they successful at that? You know, it only cost a bunch of button presses to turn on the sirens. How would they have dealt with water cannons and tear gas etc. ? What kind of songs would they have to sing?

[@kaktotak8267]

***** You didn't get the point of my comment. Of both my comments in this thread, actually. Pop culture entertainers don't have and don't create leverage.

[@dappunk1]

+Kakto Tak that statement is 100% false but I'm sure you're very proud and pompous

[@kaktotak8267]

dap That's not how adults do debates, kid.

[@ruvimbodube2580]

The fact that 741:579. people have disliked this video shows how a lot of people still have a phobic racial mindset it sets for another scary decade doesn't it😔

[@BossGalka]

+Ruvimbo Dube Maybe people are just tired of SJW entitled victim bullshit. There is no grand design to keep black people down today. About 16% of Americans are black or part black, but they want 50% representation in everything from games to movies etc. How is that fair? In movies, the best actors get the roles. Fucking Sam Jackson especially, and to some extent, Morgan Freeman, have been in a lot of goddamn movies and are beloved, great actors. It would be one thing if there were hundreds of actors just as good as them waiting to get movie roles, but there isn't. I assure you, if there was another Morgan Freeman in the world and he wanted to act, they would but him in movies to make money. If the Black community as a whole doesn't want to be actors and become good at acting, why should we hire unskilled black actors to fill roles when there are better actors of other races that fit the role better? Those other non-black actors that get hired aren't hired because of privilege, they are hired because they are good at acting, and good acting pulls in more money. Movies are a business, not a social charity. If you would have brought this shit up 50 years ago, we would have all agreed with you. The fact is, no one is holding black people back today but themselves, and if they don't want to be actors and writers, why are you trying to force it onto them? Wanting more black actors in movies isn't inherently a bad thing, but if there aren't enough good ones out there to fill your quota, how is that going to work? This is another example of the feminist STEM field bullshit. They complain that not enough women are in STEM fields, but all the people complaining are women who majored in Women's Studies. If they truly wanted more women in STEM fields, they should have changed their college education to a STEM degree. But that isn't what they want, they want to complain for the sake of complaining, and that is exactly what the woman in this video is doing. What good is flooding a field or the entertainment industry with women or black people if women and black people as a whole don't want to be in it? Do you truly not see the stupidity in attempting to help a sex or race by trying to force special privileges on them? Not to mention hiring unskilled people alone, regardless of the reason behind it, would just slow down STEM growth and make the entertainment industry decline for both the consumer and the companies?

[@batrachian149]

What set me off was it saying that the future is Afrocentric, as if that is a good thing.

[@batrachian149]

***** I did, actually. None of what was said negates the claim of an Afrocentric future.

[@keatonnugent9382]

I love the design of all of these videos

[@bateestaca00]

Where's Detroit techno? That's a very important strand of afro-american futurism, straight from a dystopian cyberpunk metropolis

[@rashad123us]

I LOVE this video. SUBSCRIBED!

[@yourcool3645]

+Rashad I LOVE this propaganda. DISLIKED AND REPORTED!

[@yourcool3645]

Jack Xin "Stop disliking racist propaganda that suits my political beliefs." Go be a piece of shit somewhere else.

[@Slarti]

Why does everything have to be a pissing contest between different genders and different races nowadays? It's ridiculous! Just give people credit for their creativity and stop this ridiculous creation of barriers that only exist because of the people who exploit it for their own means - in other words not the majority of us.

[@TacticoolMobius]

I think thinking Afrofuturism as an Afrocentric view of scifi takes away from Africans. African Americans and people from the content of Africa will have different views. Africans did not deal with slavery or segregation like African Americans. And I notice that the image of Africa is different for African Americans and Africans.

[@Victoria-bo9xk]

ganz bestimmt

[@Lukis687]

The blatant racism here is astounding..what the fuck is happening in this comment section.

[@annexiety7517]

linking afros with Egypt, thats cute

[@09666slayer]

Just what the internet needs, another buzzfeed.

[@jonathanteo5863]

Nah man, it's different. They get you thinking and understanding context. You come to this channel for the content and substance. Not BECAUSE of some click bait title like Buzzfeed.

[@breadwinner2522]

woah woah woah, its not that bad..... yet.

[@Sihengli]

hold on... Egypt was a multicultural society, but they were not African. they were heavily influenced by Nubian culture, but they were more Phoenician and greek than they were African. afro-futurism is awesome, but it should pull from African culture, such as Khoisan, Maasai, and Bantu. that's when afro-futurism is at it's best.

[@whostolehonno]

94 people who think encouraging often-discouraged black people to become content creators is somehow bad and counting

[@BostonGhost617]

swing down sweet chariot part BLEW MY MIND

[@OurDreamsInMotion]

Wow, this resonates so beautifully to me! Thank you Creator!

[@taylorbumbum]

This topic had real potential but fell short.

[@ShnoogleMan]

I have white skin, but I understand this and think it is a very interesting concept and I therefore respect this. Attention, other white people: It's not that hard.

[@UncleMort]

I have never been a star in a movie, I feel so suppressed.

[@MrMikkyn]

That was awesomely hopeful, fascinating, interesting and wonderful.

[@phug0id]

need some Drexciya in this video! Afrofuturistic electronic music ftw

[@DrKosmos]

I was wary of the inclusion of social justice in the title. But I watched with a open mind. And I have to say I enjoyed the video. What people have to understand is that creators can change what they make and companies can choose to fund different people. If you don't like what they are producing, you can leave. If you change your taste, you can leave. If you thought the channel was one way but it is not, your can leave. Nothing will be held against you. But look at what you are doing? You are yelling at a video. You can voice your opinion but don't saw pointless things like "don't walk that path", "this is stupid", or "make videos like the good old days". Give constructive criticism like "this topic isn't one I enjoy", or "I am unsubscribe for these reasons". We do not pay there bills so we have no say what they create. You might reply saying that we are the viewer so we should have say. If the person paying these people wants us, then they will listen. Otherwise they can run with Vox anyway they want. Side note: That be some dope music.

[@mistahsusan2650]

Well actually, the viewer do pay their bills. Vox monetises the video, advertisers pay Vox per advert viewed. The viewers watch the ad, Vox gets paid.

[@DrKosmos]

Then with that logic it makes scene to appeal to the largest audience that they can. In which case they don't care if they get flack for anything as long as the view counter is growing which means we don't matter again.

[@blackorchids]

I read a lot of sci-fi, but I don't consider race whatsoever, the characters in Electric Sheep do not have races in my mind, its not important.

[@ar_xiv]

You're missing the point of the video. It's not about sci fi. It's about a better future for the black race.

[@TROLLER410]

+Pocari Sweat I'm afraid you have a bad case of the 'dumbfuck'.

[@elijahrivers3917]

+Pocari Sweat I agree

[@rodneykennedy7314]

I just wanted to take a little time to clear up the concept of afrofuturism if you were having trouble understanding from the video. Firstly, I just want to make sure that you don't take things too harshly. When the narrator says "Through a white lens", she means that being white in a world so dynamically impacted by white supremacy affects the way that stories are told. Just as being black would affect the way I would tell a story. You may argue that race doesn't matter in story telling, but I'd counter that by saying that since there is racism in the world and race has affected the entire planet, the way you tell stories is determined by the events in the storytellers life and their decisions responding to those events. There is no way to separate what your life would have been without white supremacy and since you cannot separate this, your stories will reflect your perspective and experiences as a white man. There is nothing wrong with that. The problem is that when it comes to media attention and support, almost all of those stories have been white. Rarely does one see futuristic visions of black leaders/heroes/nations hence the need for afrofuturism. Afrofuturism is basically self explanatory. Afro, meaning that which stems from africa and futurism, meaning ideals of a future time. It extends beyond entertainment and art into things like education, politics, community and pretty much every facet of life. Hollywood makes works of fiction for the most part, but at the same time, there's always an element of realism so that the audience has something to grasp to. This is why in a galaxy far far away somehow white people are the majority and speak english. Representation matters to everyone. Even white people. Most don't notice because for most of american history whites have been the majority represented people in the media. When other races are depicted by white people it is often extremely inaccurate and sometimes down-right racist. There are many black people working to show accurate portrayals of black life and ideals and there always have been but we have never had the means to distribute on a scale as massive as hollywood. Therefore what most people around the world, including in america, sees blacks as is determined by white depictions of black americans (usually thugs, rappers, athletes). You don't have to search too far back in history to see why that is a problem that needs to be solved as soon as possible. Afro futurism is not anti white. Its anti-white supremacists. Hopefully that helped you to understand. Have a great day.

[@1337BananaL33TVostok]

"Bright future ahead" Depends on how you look at it.

[@TheTambouriner]

nope, if you were trying to hit the nail on the head you missed by a mile.

[@CowTipper898]

Afrofuturism, or at least what they talked about in the video, is nothing like sci- fi. It's not really fiction and has nothing to do with science. I don't understand why they would even compare it to sci fi.

[@ar_xiv]

Tbh I think this video is a little misleading and that's why so many people a freaking out. The first point about actors isn't exactly relevant. Like, sun ra didn't give a fuck about Hollywood lol. They should have focused more on cultural artifacta

[@ar_xiv]

+Pocari Sweat artifacts *

[@acedianPianist]

+CowTipper989 Vox really missed the mark on this one. At least they used Janelle Monae as a reference.

[@Three_Random_Words]

I found Pluto Nash to be deep with existentialism.

[@christ2664]

average white youtuber: "A VIDEO THAT ISNT ABOUT ME!? DOWNVOTE"

[@vcihiethea]

I'm actually part of the pajeet race, so no.

[@nicoaa2522]

Aw I would love an afrofuturist playlist. Any playlists premade out there?

[@vooyas.mp4]

Wether shes right or wrong... Who the fuck puts the narration over a song with lyrics in it? You can barely understand what shes saying.

[@firstnamelastname9955]

Ghostface Kiklah

[@adurpandya2742]

lol, 4chan is raging at this

[@tomiwa1a]

This is such a great video. I've been studying Afrofuturism and this is such a great video. I think the music could also get an update to include Afrobeats and Africans living in Africa.

[@TroubleinZION]

Love love love these videos.

[@nougatbitz]

Our outlook towards the future is shaped by our social economic background. This generally includes all races. In Germany, the eastern states are economically less well off. If you compare queries on Google trends between west and east Germany a huge interest gap shows up with western Germans googling much more often for current news or latest developments in technology (Teslar, Zika, Space X, US elections ...). The more well off a society is the more it looks towards what the future holds or are interested in what's happening in the world. Sci Fi and geekdome may have been a middle class white guy thing, but at least on KZbin I see a nice diversity amongst geeks and gadget reviewers. So while using race as a vantage point to describe a cultural trend can result in a similar target group, I would prefer to look at this from an economic perspective which seems a more inclusive approach. Otherwise it gets this us vs them undertones which is never useful.

[@randomguy5990]

What is the name of the song at 0:39

[@forresthogue3706]

Because there are whole genres of music for white people too? I can't comprehend the ideas of some African Americans. Yes, white people did start rapping but who said it what a black genre? Even if it was do we not live in America where there is freedom to do what we want. I don't understand why black people can say white people are racist when they alienate themselves and try to have their own genre of music for an example. It's not like white people have a genre called no other skin color can make this. If there was a white person who made a song out of that form of music, black people would tell them to delete and never even consider doing it again. I am not racist. I just cannot understand this.

[@Esoteric.Autochthon]

+Tripp Hogue "white people did start rapping" No they didn't. Fix your erroneous claims.

[@forresthogue3706]

+Esoteric Autochthon I'm sorry that was a typing error I meant to say didn't instead of did.

[@Esoteric.Autochthon]

Tripp Hogue Understood my man. My apologies for coming off like that.

[@forresthogue3706]

+Esoteric Autochthon it's all good I shouldn't have gone off like ^ that to begin with I must have been having a bad day. lol

[@metabeard3788]

I want to see some movie adaptations of Octavia Butler books. Reading "The Parable of the Sower" right now and loving it. post-apocalyptic story that hits a little too close to home.

[@automatontonic]

Hmm, this is a very misleading title. I was expecting more science fiction...

[@Holzider]

you didn't explain anything about the title, what does this even have to do with "social justice"? i had a hard time to understand anything said by the narrator.

[@seriaasly3297]

Got to get those rage clicks!

[@stephenaddario2924]

There is no such thing as a universal shared black experience. There is nothing oppressing anyone from writing or creating any kind of science fiction.

[@edwnx0]

+Stephen Addario Looks like you didn't even watch the video.

[@stephenaddario2924]

+Edwin Contreras wrong

[@MegaPoliyo]

+Stephen Addario except for a people of a specific mindset and experience having economic control of all creative industries. Hell even NWA could only succeed when a white man gave them legitimacy. That is the oppression my friend hence the need to establish culturally independent outlets for creativity which dont rely on a greenlight from straight male whites, this is one of those potential things.

[@edwnx0]

Stephen Addario When did they mention that writers are being denied the right to write?

[@stephenaddario2924]

+MegaPoliyo no one is stopping anyone from doing that. There is no oppression here

[@seth_sesu]

Star Trek Deep Space Nine. Black lead character(s) in a world where racism has been conquered.

[@ar_xiv]

Tru

[@ar_xiv]

So many conservative nerds floating these days would have aneurysms with gene rodenberry's liberal utopia ideas if something was made today with the same principles

[@Three_Random_Words]

Pluto Nash was a triumph of existentialist thought. It's right up there Kubrick's (a white dude) 2001. Although not sci-fi Big Mama's House and the sequel were certainly intellectual gems in their own right.

[@AmandaBear26]

I'm thinking this video has so many dislikes because the word "social justice" has become offensive to certain people (hint: it's the same people that love to rant about how "SJWs" and feminists are easily offended...funny, isn't it?)

[@MaladyKayjo]

Actually Afro futurism is more black sci-fi, than political correct sci-fi, considering its all about blacks as a base, and not about all of those oppressed, for example, it’s says nothing about the poor, or the lgbt, or women. I’m not saying all blacks, lgbt people and women are oppressed, I’m saying there are still social issues, that would be nice to fix, and that one of the two components of be politically correct right now. The other one is component that’s always been in the idea, even when the right wing invented it to keep there top, that being the Heart of the idea, the idea that people should censor themselves to protect the feelings of those dogmatically attached with there beliefs, unless you agree with that side, than you should preform activism for it,I agree with the part that was changed sense the beginning, the idea of changing ones views of a unfamiliar people to them, that second part how ever, The one from the right I can’t stand behind, because it’s trying to censor one to keep those with a dogmatic way of thinking’s feelings from getting hurt, and the best way to stop violence, terrorism, and bigotry is to replace dogma with critical thoughts. I respect political correctness, But Im not politically correct

[@beatstreat-gy4qd]

parliament funkaelic is the key epitome of afro future funk. there is an entire world of lore involved.

[@sixteen97]

social justice is rarely about justice. The words jusitce and equality are meaningless now, simply tacked onto whatever agenda someone is trying to push to disguise the selfish, disingenuous nature of it.

[@Pernection]

this title is misleading

[@Weslleeyify]

This is just explaining something. Why are so many people hating?

[@glassix8593]

I like social justice when it's something that unites people instead of dividing them. We must all move into the future united under a rejection of the past, a rejection of the lines that have divided our ancestors, and move with the speed and dynamism of a rocket progressing towards an artificially beautiful UTOPIA.

[@ClaySuddath]

Paradise, perhaps, I hope at least. Utopia means 'a place that doesn't exist'. Just sayin'

[@Sunshine_Ses]

One of my favorite art movements. 😊

[@afrahboateng2070]

This video was illogical and poorly organized. Made little, if any, connection between sci-fi and Afrocentrism.

[@temitopes7066]

beautiful. loved it. opening discussion and minds to much needed light on topics of Afrofuturism, Black radical thought and afrocentricity (which is human centricity at its core)

[@bernarddaigle2830]

No mention of literature ? Ishmael Reed and his novel Mumbo Jumbo ?

[@lolsih101]

Really good video! Just subscribed!!

[@yourcool3645]

+lolsih101 Really good propaganda! I disliked!

[@easterislehead]

Misleading title I'd say. I clicked for Sci-Fi mixed with Social Justice, all I got was generic social justice, which is Ok I guess

[@newecreator]

I thought it was a genre of music, it was a movement.

[@ThePraxicFire]

The comments on these videos are both funny and sad... I mean it's most full of African American liberal types saying that white people are racist, white people pointing out the reverse-racism and stereotyping, and then those same African American liberals calling the white people racism for pointing out the reverse racism...

[@breadwinner2522]

reverse racism??? don't you mean racism.

[@ThePraxicFire]

I meant to reply to this a long time ago I was using that term sarcastically I know there is not really reverse racism

[@Lorem_ipsum_dolor_sit_amet]

Remember that brief time when we were growing up in the 90's and early 2000's, when there was little to no emphasis on race. When we were raised to judge someone by the content of their character rather than arbitrary features. I miss those days, the days before the soft bigotry of the far-left poisoned everything.

[@edwnx0]

+Bobby Newmark Yes, people weren't racist in the 90s.

[@AwesomenessHippopotamus]

+Bobby Newmark Ok so if race isn't such an issue why not support the inclusion of more in future works of art/film/television? Literally all this video is, is discussing the lack of POC in Sci-Fi genre and discussion of a specific genre dedicated to POC in Sci-Fi. But sure, make this political.

[@Lorem_ipsum_dolor_sit_amet]

I'm saying that we didn't put such focus on race before, where as today we cant stop talking about it. The only way to get past racism is to stop regarding one's race as the most critical aspect of who they are. We need to recognize our mutual humanity rather than these arbitrary dividing lines

[@randomguy5990]

I wonder why.

[@jbmjbm2145]

well said