As a woman of color who has faced her fair share of racial prejudice and microaggressions throughout my life, I find it incredibly disturbing that Matt Walsh, a white man, would exploit vulnerable Black individuals for his own gain, under the guise of promoting diversity and inclusion. The scene in question, where he gave Ben cash as part of a staged reparations conversation, was not only disrespectful but also dangerous. It’s one thing to make a documentary that challenges our biases and assumptions; it’s another to manipulate and deceive people in the process.
[This story contains spoilers for Am I Racist?]
Regina Jackson encourages self-examination and dismantling of white supremacy in a Race2Dinner gathering in Atlanta, which she co-founded with Saira Rao to help white women acknowledge and confront their own racism and biases. Before anyone can react, the waiter proposes a toast, asking guests to raise their glasses if they consider themselves racist. Despite this, everyone complies, although Jackson, who is Black, promptly lowers her glass and laughs, clarifying, ‘I’m not racist.’
The seemingly klutzy caterer has been interrupting the group all night long, dropping dishes and even pulling up a seat to explain that he’s got his DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) certificate. Many of the guests appear confused and perplexed by his odd behavior. “I’m just on the journey,” he says.
Instead of claiming he’s on a different path, let me clarify: He is not following the route he publicly declared; rather, he is Matt Walsh, the conservative commentator. With support from Jeremy Boreing and Ben Shapiro’s conservative media company, The Daily Wire, he spent months producing the documentary titled “Am I Racist?”, a humorous and critical critique of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) movement.
As a cunning gamer, I’d say I’ve learned a trick or two from Sacha Baron Cohen’s antics on the Da Ali G Show and Borat. Producers have mastered creating intricate undercover setups, convincing unsuspecting participants they’re part of a documentary about post-George Floyd America’s fight against racism. And boy, were they willing to dish out the dough! They even shelled out $5,000 for Race2Dinner event access and doled out $50,000 to a mom whose kids were snubbed by a Sesame Street character at a theme park, inviting them to join the doc. It’s not unusual for experts or subjects to get paid in such situations, but these days, with streaming platforms craving non-fiction content and the demand never-ending, the boundaries are definitely more blurred.
Their tactics have worked to create a surprise hit.
During the weekend of September 13-15, the documentary titled “Am I Racist?” unexpectedly made a significant impact at box offices in cities like Nashville, Denver, Phoenix, Dallas, and Meridian (a suburb of Boise, Idaho). Driven primarily by conservative audiences, it managed to earn an impressive $4.5 million from 1,517 screens across North America, making it the top opening for a political documentary since Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” in 2004. The movie climbed up the rankings to the fourth spot and generated nearly double the revenue of Dave Bautista’s action-thriller “The Killer’s Game ” ($2.6 million).
“The picture has clearly hit a nerve,” says one major Hollywood studio exec. “Kudos to them for marketing to the correct audience.” One detractor, however, notes that many conservative-leaning movies have done more business of late, including the Ronald Reagan biopic Reagan. The Dennis Quaid starrer opened to $7.6 million.
The movie titled “Am I Racist?” continues to thrive and accumulated over $6.5 million by Thursday. It has consistently ranked among the top 3 or 4 movies each day this week, and its theater count is growing steadily with more than 1,600 screens showing it as of Friday. The film is performing exceptionally well in the Southern, Midwestern, and central mountain states. Moreover, it holds an impressive position as it scored the fourth-largest opening for a documentary in the last decade, excluding concert films. The top spot is held by the faith-based movie “After Death“, which debuted to $5 million in 2023. This film, delving into the afterlife, is produced by conservative-leaning and faith-based Angel Studios, the studio behind the 2023 box office hit “Sound of Freedom“. Furthermore, another faith-based distributor, SDG, is collaborating with “Daily Wire” to bring “Am I Racist?” to cinemas.
Is This Racist? Makes Debut as First Theatrical Release by Daily Wire, a Victory for Host Ben Shapiro and Director Justin Folk
Walsh and Folk have no hesitation in using secret strategies to secure interviews for their recent project. To keep his true identity hidden, Walsh disguised himself with a man-bun wig, skinny jeans, and white sneakers during the interviews. The team behind this film, much like the creators of Borat, used false names for the production and concealed the fact that it was being funded by The Daily Wire.
According to Walsh, many individuals tend to become uncommunicative or offer shallow arguments when they sense disagreement. This leaves the conversation superficial, making it dull and less impactful, as explained to The Hollywood Reporter.
Folk points out that “the difference between our films and Borat lies in the fact that Borat is satirizing everyday Americans.” He further explains, “Our intention wasn’t to mock people, but rather to shed light on the harmful notions circulating, which are causing division within our nation.
People claim that no one’s statements were misrepresented or edited deceptively, and there’s no question about it. Even if someone might have reservations about being part of the film, I believe they would still uphold each and every word they spoke.
As a passionate enthusiast, I align more with Jackson and Rao from Race2Dinner. To them, Walsh and his documentary embody the heart of the issue they’re tackling. These bold visionaries – who parted ways with CAA last year following Rao’s vocal support for Palestine – have expressed their perspectives in separate interviews with The Hollywood Reporter.
1) “Rao comments that it’s both sad and appalling, yet strangely fitting for America, when wealthy white individuals invest large sums to produce and watch a film that mocks women of various races trying to improve the world. In contrast, Jackson states that as long as white people aren’t committed to significant change in a society marked by fear, violence, hatred, gun obsession, and disregard for children’s lives, no progress will be made.
During the course of the dinner, the social media account of Rise2Dinner enthusiastically shared a lively update about the event, mentioning their involvement in an upcoming documentary (which was later removed).
For Walsh, it was particularly significant when Robin DiAngelo, renowned author of “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism,” agreed to contribute $30 in reparations to Benyam Capel, producer of Am I Racist, during an interview with Walsh’s fictional character. As the conversation started, a caption on the screen displayed the amount DiAngelo was compensated for her participation in the documentary, which was $15,000.
At one point during the conversation, Walsh queries if his unnamed Black producer Ben could participate. Walsh proposes an immediate amends, takes money from his wallet and gives it to Capel. DiAngelo finds the situation odd. After asking Ben personally if he’s comfortable with this, he agrees. She then collects all her cash from her bag, amounting to $30 (the caption flashes again, but now it displays $14,970).
Capel expressed his immense delight that DiAngelo had the courage to adhere to the “natural progression” of her beliefs. He found it incredibly disrespectful towards Black people, as it implied that for a Black individual like himself, success could only be achieved through others’ help or lowering expectations, rather than my own merits. This was particularly surprising when Capel and Walsh managed to gather over 20 signatures near the Washington Monument, proposing to rename the monument after George Floyd and paint it black. To him, this level of support was both startling and disheartening.
Walsh and Folk express doubt that they could have successfully made their film without including the critical reparations scene. Furthermore, the movie’s promotional team heavily emphasized this scene before its premiere. Meanwhile, DiAngelo disclosed a detailed statement about receiving an offer of $15,000 from a group producing a documentary called Shades of Justice, which aimed to discuss racism in America by interviewing anti-racist activists, writers, and thinkers. She agreed to participate in the interview and later donated that amount to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
DiAngelo noted that a few aspects seemed unusual, such as the interviewer named Matt appearing to wear an awkward wig. Despite this, the discussion appeared sincere and not confrontational. However, as the topic of reparations for African-Americans was raised, she stated that the conversation took an odd turn.
Afterward, Matt moved a chair for us, welcoming a team member named Ben, who is Black, to join us. He reached into his pocket and gave Ben some money. Matt suggested that if I supported reparations, I should offer cash to Ben as well. Although some people propose that white individuals should make direct payments as a form of reparations, the concept generally refers to a systematic solution addressing historical and ongoing injustices. The manner in which Matt presented this situation seemed meant to put Ben and me in an awkward position. Given Matt’s insistence, I voiced my discomfort and asked Ben if he was comfortable with accepting cash in this way. Ben confirmed that he was alright, so I took out some money from my wallet and handed it to him, concluding the interview.
DiAngelo contacted Lee Hampton, the point of contact for the project, to voice her worries about a particular scene and request its omission. However, he didn’t make any definitive decisions, neither confirming nor denying, and didn’t follow up with further communication.
Following a thorough examination of the series of actions and consulting with my peers, I came to understand that they had been dishonest about their intentions towards me. Essentially, I was manipulated. I shared this revelation on my online platforms. Regrettably, over the past month, I have begun receiving abusive and sexist emails. Some of these messages pointed towards The Daily Wire, which recently announced that the film is set to premiere.
Walsh wasn’t the only one who got compensated for their involvement in the interviews. In fact, Walsh himself earned over $3,000 by hosting his own DEI workshop which he advertised on Craigslist. This event serves as a climax for the documentary. Some attendees became aware and swiftly left, but there was still a remnant group remaining when Walsh introduced a collection of whips and paddles for self-punishment. He even went so far as to distribute these items, but then halted and concluded the session. As Folk puts it, “The main objective was to discover how far people would go, especially white people, to alleviate racial guilt. And it seems they’re willing to go quite a distance.
During a diversity and inclusion workshop that cost producers $30,000, Matt Walsh’s identity was revealed for the first time. Instead of concealing his physical self, he chose not to. The group eventually recognized him as Matt Walsh when he asked permission to visit the “cry room,” a place where attendees could express their emotions. During his absence, the film crew observed everyone on their phones searching for his identity. Upon his return, he was requested to leave, and one anonymous woman even contacted the authorities.
Subsequently, the details remained undisclosed in the document. However, a police report acquired by THR disclosed that the woman, along with another guest, felt uneasy about their safety and contemplated chucking a chair through a window as an act of precaution. Moreover, she informed the investigator that one of the responding officers was acquainted with Matt Walsh. The investigator responded that the officer’s personal activities outside duty hours are none of their concern.
Initially, “I Am Racist” marked the debut theatrical release by Daily Wire, yet with strategic assistance from SDG, it employed conventional promotional strategies like arranging over 30 targeted screenings and reaching out to established film critics. At present, the movie hasn’t garnered sufficient reviews for a Rotten Tomatoes critic rating, but it boasts an impressive 99% audience score (a point Elon Musk has been highlighting on Twitter). It also earned an A CinemaScore and strong PostTrak feedback, suggesting potential longevity at the box office. Most theaters have no objections to screening “Am I Racist”, though Prime Cinemas Del Oro Theatre in Grass Valley, Calif. opted out, expressing safety concerns. The cinema failed to respond to a request for comment regarding this decision.
For Walsh, it was crucial to turn Am I Racist? into a humorous documentary, not a mockumentary as some might suggest. He emphasized the importance of making every scene amusing. Moreover, he disclosed what happened during that scene with DiAngelo: “Once the cameras stopped rolling, I retrieved my payment from Ben,” he admitted.
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2024-09-20 20:55