Black. White.

Ok - just to make things clear from the beginning - I don't like reality shows! Now that that prejudice has been stated, let me go on to say that I have found redeeming value in Amish in the City and Beauty and the Geek, and just plain guilty pleasure in Project Runway. So here I sit on the edge of what's being called a documentary/reality show - Black. White. And I can't decide whether to plunge in and watch or not.

I watched Amish in the City initially to (truthfully) satisfy my own curiosity about whether the Amish youth in the show were treated with respect for their faith ... and found that it was the non-Amish on the show who subjected themselves to ridicule. In many respects this was a documentary where each learned something about the culture of the other, if they were willing to put aside some of their own prejudices. More of a documentary than a reality-show competition, I think much learning was done on both sides of the equation.

Beauty and the Geek was the opportunity to learn that there was more to beauty and more to geekiness than meets the eye. I suspect that each went away with more self-respect than they arrived with. My main problem with the show was the elimination of contestants aspect to it.

Project Runway - well, I got hooked on an evening when there wasn't anything else I wanted to watch on tv, and I was intrigued by the challenge of designing a party outfit just from what one could find at a supermarket. I could have done without the varying antics, but the creativity involved in the show kept me watching until the end (and I still wouldn't have chosen the guy who won!).

Now I'm faced with the ambivalence of Black. White. I believe we learn much when we walk in the shoes of another (if that's truly possible in a situation like this). I also believe racism is still a major stumbling block today. So - is it truly possible to put on the skin of someone from another racial/ethnic background for six weeks and get to what it really means to be black or white? How could I, as a white woman, completely carry the weight of a lifetime's black experience, knowing that the timeframe for the experiment is only six weeks? Would anyone truly be able to put aside one's personal history and experience in such a setting? No matter how liberal I believe myself to be, I'm not sure I could let go of the preconceptions I carry enough to let the experience truly sink in.

So, should I give in to what may be a superficial experience of another's culture and history and watch? I probably will, at least for one episode. It's a grand experiment, and maybe something of value may be learned from it. We'll just have to wait and see.