Jimmy Kimmel begins Black History Month with a special Pedestrian Question,’Do you have a black friend?’ President Ford declared February Black History Month in 1976, and this is one way of seeing just how much has changed…Or has it?
Jimmy put a slightly different twist on this Pedestrian Question by involving the studio audience. After each passer-by is asked if they have a black (or white) friend, the film is stopped. The audience is given time to guess whether the person will say yes or no, and as you’ll see, it’s not always easy to tell. Some people do try to lie, but easily give themselves away. Take the guy from Ohio, for example. I think he really would like to have a black friend, so when asked if he has one, he claims that he does. He isn’t expecting to be asked to name his friend. Caught out, he looks left, then his sheepish gaze slides upward to the sky as his face reddens. Perhaps he really felt that Dave Capelle, Ben Carson – or even…Bill Cosby were actual chums of his?
The one black man interviewed has such an open friendly face that the audience firmly believes that he has white friends. His reply is the stuff of comedy – and tragedy. He honestly answers “No, I don’t have a white friend.” When asked why, he says “White people are kinda scary.” When you’re right, you’re right!