Right now, #blackpeoplemovies is at the top of the Twitter Trends. What does that mean? A lot of people are currently talking about about movies that black people like on Twitter. We all know sometimes just the mention of race in topics (notably those that are related to black people) can make people nervous. But there’s a twist in this hashtag, that isn’t uncommon to others before it and I think it should be considered before anyone pulls the “racist” card.

Racist or Just Playing?

Some of the tweets above would appear racist at first glance. This tweet by a fake CharIie Sheen is a perfect example. It’s also been retweeted over 1000 times. Digging into the stream of this hashtag may give you a different perspective if you’re willing to listen. Largely, black and spanish young adults and teens are listing movies they like that feature predominately black and or spanish cast-members like Friday, Set It Off, Baby Boy, and House Party 2.

The rest are people cracking the best jokes they can possibly think of. Katt Williams, a hilarious black comedian, had the second most retweeted tweet, “The Devil Wears Polo“. Most people might not even see the joke in his tweet (it’s ok if you don’t).

Once in a blue moon someone pulls the “racist” card (or tweet in this case). Is #blackpeoplemovies a racist trending topic? I don’t think so (some tweets may be). It’s childish and edgy, but overall harmless. Most of all, it’s exactly the type of conversation I’d have  with my friends on a Friday afternoon: a silly and pointless conversation.