Ridiculous Tweets About 'The Wiz' Show How Little White Folks Know About Black Culture

by Kimberly Foster @KimberlyNFoster

Most Black people have no choice but to be familiar with "white culture" on some level. Of course what constitutes "white culture" is debatable, but navigating white supremacy requires foundational knowledge of what white folks do. We're subject to it whether or not we want to be.


I grew up in a predominantly white environment and learned early that there are things I enjoy and take pleasure in, but I became equally adept at recognizing those things that signal violence.

It's a fact of life.
White people, generally, have no desire to learn about Black culture until they can profit from it. That's exactly what we've seen in the more ridiculous tweets about tonight's airing of 'The Wiz Live!' on NBC.

The Wiz is a classic all-Black reinterpretation of The Wizard of Oz. The Broadway show debuted in October 1974 with Stephanie Mills as Dorothy.



The 1978 film version starred Diana Ross as Dorothy and, of course, Michael Jackson at The Scarecrow


I'm terrified of the film (flying monkeys? nah.), but it's an inescapable part of my childhood. So many of us can say the same.

Here's a sampling of the tweets from folks who have no idea that The Wiz even exists.








This is precisely why we fight so hard against cultural appropriation. Too many don't even know the basics and want to come in when they see an opportunity. Pay homage.