December 27, 2025 • 26 mins
There's a scientific reason you might be wired to think, "they all look alike to me." That concept was at the heart of a bizarre, extended interaction Amy and T. J. had with a woman who approached them at the airport yesterday. The stranger claimed she and her husband thought T. J. was former President Barack Obama. Then, things got uncomfortable.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
Hither, folks, it is Saturday, December twenty seventh. And no, ma'am,
I am not Barack Obama. And no ma'am, I don't
often get mistaken for Barack Obama. It's just you who
can't tell one light skin brother from another. And with that,
welcome to this, y'all all look alike episode of Amy
(00:33):
and TJ Robes. Not the episode we planned on doing necessarily.
But is this a fun funny topic? Y'all all look alike?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
We've all familiar.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Yes, yes, and look I think it's only it's funny
in that it's alarming and all you can do is
laugh at a certain point, because what are you gonna
do about it? I mean, your other choice is to
be angry and offended, which is well within your right,
but you chose to laugh.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, and we are going to get into that. What
you just said, what do you do about it? There
is something that can be done about it. So folks,
ask yourself, have you ever found yourself in that position
to where you mixed up a couple of folks from
a minority group, a couple of Asian women, You can't
tell the difference a couple of black guys.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
You don't know. They all look alike. Have you done that?
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Now? I'll ask you first before we get into this
incident that prompted this episode. Do you think you have
ever done that before? Maybe not even said it to
somebody's face, but even maybe internally or you mixed up.
Speaker 4 (01:32):
I'm sure I have, yes, I mean I don't.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
I can't think of a specific example, but I would
never say, oh no, I've never done that.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
I'm sure I have.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
And a lot of people have.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
And some people will immediately point to racism, and this
is what came out of and that word came out
immediately after an incident we had at the airport.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
We'll explain, folks.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
We are on a trip, me, Robes and the girls
at least Ava and Sabine.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
So we were in.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Just yesterday airport lounge. I don't even know if we
just say the lounge or not what airport. I don't
know if it matters, but the point is we're sitting
in the lounge all kind of lined up on this cushion, bitch,
just enjoying ourselves, eating our food, drinking Ama Moosa's, and
a woman as we were talking, Robes interrupts us. As
we were talking.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
You take it from it.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Yeah, it began rudely because you were actually winding up
to tell me something. I was really I couldn't wait
to hear You're like, Okay, I had this idea and
don't you know, don't know judge right away, but I
think it could be fun. So I was like all
into it, leaning in, and this woman just started saying,
you know, we thought you were Barack Obama, and you
just turned your head and looked at her, and to
(02:39):
the point where she recognized how rude it was that
she cut us off. She didn't say excuse me, or
she didn't wait for us to finish talking. She just
blurted out she couldn't wait to tell you that. Her husband,
she went on to say, was convinced you were Barack Obama.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
To the point that this woman got up and walked
over to us. I couldn't see where her husband was.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Yes, I think he was off to the line, but yeah,
she and she just couldn't wait to tell you that.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
She told him, no, I don't think that.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Is Barack Obama, because look, he's thin, he's thinner and
lighter than Barack Obama. So she also kind of wanted
to kind of prove that she knew that you were
a little bit more light skinned and a little bit thinner,
and that's why you couldn't be Barack Obama.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
And you just had a smile on your face. You said, no, ma'am.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
She's like, you must get that all the time, and
you said and you just looked at her. She's like,
you get that all the time, right, And you said, actually,
I don't, ma'am.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
And she then got upset, and she got upset that you.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Wouldn't acknowledge or validate the fact that she's was convinced
that you might have been and could have been and
certainly must be mistaken for Barack Obama.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
All the time she was.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Got flustered by the idea that we wouldn't go along
with her foolishness, which it was foolishness. And I will, oh,
I never my tone never changed. I actually got happier
talking to her because I was toying with her, and
I continue to toy with her. For the part of
the reason is that, really, you think Barack Obama is
just hanging out here by himself, lounging this in the
(04:05):
United Lounge. Okay, First, he's not. Second, I am sitting
next to my hand on the thigh of a white woman,
and you really think me and Barack, Yes, you.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Mixed us up.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Yes, he's stepping out on the shell with a white
woman and a whole white family by the way, and.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
Two white daughters. He's just you know, he's adopted them.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Yes, you haven't heard a lot, but that's all been
going on behind the scenes.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
So this ridiculous conversation is going on. And it went
on longer than it should have because I was giving
her help.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Correct you.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
You kept toying with her, and she kept getting frustrated.
She's like, are you messing with me? Are you messing
with me?
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Come on?
Speaker 3 (04:41):
You know people do tell you that, right, and you
just kept going. That's when you started saying, well, no,
not really, I'm here with three white women, so no,
it doesn't happen. She actually looked at me at one point.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
I'm just witnessing it all. She said you should break
up with him.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
She was so annoyed that you wouldn't play along with
her or validate her way of thinking that she actually
looked at me and said, you should break up with him.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
So still I'm laughing, and I'm happy and we still
having a good time.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
I never got upset.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
The woman finally walks away in this incident, again longer
than it should have gone, walks away, and at least
some members of our party immediately looked, and the word
racism came up, saying, isn't that a little.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Racist what she just did.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
I didn't necessarily think much of it at the time,
but it brings up robes, of course, something we all
we all are aware of this idea that they all
look alike.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Yep, they all look alike. Who are they?
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Oftentimes as black folks, they all look alike. So is
there anything to that. Scientists will actually tell you.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
Yes, and that's fascinating, And.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
It's not racism. Now, racism can get involved in this,
but it's not racism. So this is something that actually
call I've heard of a couple of these. What it's
one called the other race effect, the cross race effect.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Or own race bias is how they refer to them.
And what we're talking. Doesn't this make sense?
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Though it's harder for people of one race to identify
people of other races, it's.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
In your brain. Your brain's wired that way.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
That does make sense.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
We are born and the first people we see or
go to school with or in our homes look like us,
so we know and we get comfortable early on with
those features. The problem is that some people from some
cultures don't have as much meaningful interaction with people of
other races, like their identities early on, so you miss
(06:43):
out on kind of registering what people look like.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
It kind of makes sense.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
That does if you think about all the things that
are formed in your brain, but before you turn five,
A lot of it is language, so it would make
sense that sight would be a part of it as well,
and your ability to distinguish. Think about it, if you
don't learn certain languages or certain word patternspy.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
I believe it's like ten or eleven.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
You can't say you're ours if you're Asian the way
we do here in America.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
Can't.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
You literally cannot get your brain to unform whatever connection
it's made and make a new connection, like you just
lose out or miss out on the ability to make
different connections or distinguish. I know it's true for language,
so that makes sense. It would be true for sight.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
It is in the brain, but they what happens is
early on, see a white kid surrounded by white folks.
A black kid surrounded by black folks growing up, But
the white kid is going to have a more difficult time.
Why because the white kid is in the majority group
and he is growing up with less exposure to those
(07:49):
minority groups. Me as a black kid, I see white
folks all the time. There's my teacher, there's my pastor,
there's this historical figure.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
That they're teaching me about.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
We get more access if you will make even looking
at movies and whatnot, you we are accustomed to studying
and seeing and understanding white features more so than the
other way.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Does that make sense?
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Yes, that I've never thought about it, but yes, that
does make perfect sense.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
And the other thing for white folks that they, again
research says here is that you all start to register
different features that you all have. Meaning there's a blond
haired girl, there is a redhead guy, there is a
blue eyed boy, there is a green eye. You all
have different types of features. You see us. You see
brown skin, brown eyes, and black hair. There aren't the
(08:39):
same types, and you all's minds the same types of
distinguishing features. For me, I know, the nose can look
this way, the lips can be that way, the ass
can be that way, the.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Ears could be.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
I know, all the features of black folks are different.
I can identify because I am familiar.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Does that makes sense?
Speaker 4 (08:54):
Yes, it does.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
So we haven't hit racism yet necessarily, right.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
No, it's exposure.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
And I mean in that sense you could say that
racist attitudes create that because if you are isolated, you
are segregated by choice because you prefer to be with
your own kind. You don't expose yourself, you don't expose
your children. So it's a choice in that sense. So
that does lead to something that maybe isn't intentional, but
it's still a byproduct of Man.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
You are nailing it right now, what the research says,
you are going through loves with this research that's going
to come out. So there has been and I mean
a bunch of study in this and they all come
out with the same result, which is that, yes, white
people have a more difficult time identifying features of minorities.
Now hear this a very important studying done out in
(09:42):
California in twenty nineteen.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
White people were.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Shown this is going to mess you up sebeing white people,
I mean sabine ropes. White people are shown photos of
various faces of black and white people. Okay, right, so
then they altered the photo a little by thirty percent,
than by fifty percent, then by seven twenty percent, then
by one hundred percent, meaning they show them a totally
different person.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Get this, and this They put them through in an MRI.
So they were looking at their brain function.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
So the result, people's brains reacted strongly to even the
slightest change in a white face. Brains didn't register reaction
even when a different black face was shown. Wow, if
you change the eye color on a white person, a
white person will go their my mind is firing. You
(10:32):
can show them a different black man and they do
not have the same brain reaction. Isn't that crazy?
Speaker 4 (10:39):
Wow? I mean actually, so you can't see me, but
my jaw is dropped.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
What okay, now hear what?
Speaker 1 (10:45):
The research says that these white folks in the study
were essentially treating black faces as almost like they're not faces.
His quote, Wow, yikes, it does out.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
That stings.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Now it's actually going to get worse with this. The
bias starts immediately when we.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
See somebody, like as soon.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
As you see anything, your brain starts registering that face.
The researchers shows white folks, you see someone they're not
like you, They're from another group, and that's where you
stop processing and giving a shit about anything else other
than black skin. Wow, this is a this is a
(11:31):
California researcher. This is not some theory or something somebody
wrote in some paper. When you think about it that way,
our brain's immediately when you see somebody's face ropes, your
brain starts working. But the research shows that white people
when they see a face not like theirs, immediately stop
working and don't even care to further investigate anything else.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
About that because and is there they did they go
into the reason Obviously, I know there's some of the
reasons why, because of early perhaps processing, but is it
because we've never had to as white people. Because when
you're in the majority, it's not important enough, it doesn't
change your life enough, it's not necessary.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
You nailed it.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
And the best example is, take for example, your office. Right,
everybody remembers this boss, this manager. Because you have to
write people you don't even see a lot, you study
them because they mean something to you. Who's on the
lower end of the totem pole. You don't have to
give a damn and about that person. So the hierarchy
(12:30):
there is a big part of it. His quote, this
researcher white folks, they don't have the motivation to process
an individual more deeply when you see somebody that doesn't
look like you. This is his research and a lot
of things come to these conclusions. I was fascinated by it,
killing it. But we go from we don't even.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Laugh about it.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Oh, they all look like like this is some deeper
and heavier stuff.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Yeah, then there's science behind it. There's research behind it.
And you know what, as you're telling me this, it
makes sense. It's hard to it's hard to accept because
no one wants to consider themselves racist. No one wants
to consider themselves exclusionary or dismissive. That's a terrible thing
to imagine yourself as being. But yet you kind of
have to hear this, recognize it, and maybe see it
(13:15):
in someone else, and then look within and say do
I do that?
Speaker 4 (13:19):
And how can I do better?
Speaker 1 (13:21):
And so you once again, because some people will hear
this and go, oh, it's not my fault. It's a
phenomenon I can't do anything about. Some people will look
at it that way. They absolutely will.
Speaker 4 (13:32):
All right, you're right.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
Oh see, it's not I did help it. This is
how I was born, this is how I was raised.
There's nothing I can do about it, but I would argue,
and I don't know what you're about to say or
tell us that this is an aha moment that you
can that can be actionable.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
You can do something about.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Yes, awareness first, but ask yourself, why is it you
look at this person and don't care about knowing anything
more than seeing the skin color.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Yeah, I'm thinking about it, going wow, I'm now like,
as you're telling me this, I'm already imagining how I'm
going to now try to process and think about people
when I look at them, see them, meet them, and register,
don't do that thing that maybe you do that you
didn't intend to or you didn't Actually it wasn't something
(14:18):
that was conscious. But now that I am conscious, now
that I've woken up to this, I can now be better.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
You woke now? Huh?
Speaker 4 (14:26):
Oh God? Why did I use the W word?
Speaker 3 (14:31):
No?
Speaker 1 (14:31):
But this is okay. You used it appropriately. It's been
taken from us in a lot of ways. But this
is what we're talking about. If you're just aware, a
lot of people aren't even aware of this. You're woke
by just being aware. You're aware, you've woken up to
something going on, and now you can make a difference
and improve That's what woke is, by the way, people. So, yes,
you used it appropriately, but I knew you would laugh
(14:53):
when I said that. Okay, here's the problem you kind
of hit on roades. It's two problems. One thing you
kind of dismissive of. But what happens in the criminal
justice system. Ah, yeah, come in for a lineup. Yep,
that's him right there. That kind of a thing, mistaken identity.
Wrong guy gets arrested, wrong god goes a trial, wrong
guy goes to jail because somebody identified.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Every day, that happens too often.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
But the other thing is just sucks to be in
an office where somebody keeps calling you somebody else. It
keeps getting you confused because why you're actually telling me
that there's nothing unique or special about me, or nothing
about me that makes you even want to take a
moment to know who I am.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
That hurts.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
Yeah, that hurts.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
I can only imagine because you yeah, I was just
or you can't be of service to me, You're of
no use to me, well.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Robes, stay here, not Robes. I know you're staying here.
I shouldn't be presumptive us. I hope you stay around Robes,
but you all stay here because when we come back,
will actually tell you the three individuals that I've actually
been mistaken for most in my life, and also will
hit you with a couple of high profile incidents that
(16:02):
have happened to celebrities.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
Who have gotten mixed up with other celebrities.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
I e. Yeah, we're both black, Yeah we're both rich,
but that don't mean we're the same person.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Stay here, all right? We continue here on this.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
Y'all all looklike episode of Amy and TJ Robes that
we've been together. When someone has come up to me
and got me mixed up with somebody else, I think, yes,
that's the one you get.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
I've heard people come up to you and actually call
you don lemon.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
See.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
I can't I can't remember the last time it used
to happen a bunch and we were both seeing it.
It was we used to work seeing it in Saturday
and Sunday. I did mornings, he did evenings. That may
be a little.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
But still you don't look anything alike. Wat you have
similar coloring.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
That's it, you know.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
The thing I used to say when I was when
people used to say that to me, I would wouldn't
break stride, as you know. I would say, nah, he's
he's gay and I'm married to a woman. I would
say that and just keep it pushing and that would
be the end of But Dawn, that one made sense.
I've only another time gotten Barack Obama. And that was
literally when I was walking near the White House. I
(17:23):
was in a I remember the blue suit I was in.
Walking somebody said, oh gods, it's like, bro, you.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
Look nothing like Barack Obama.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
You know the response I gave, I said, I'm much
better dressed.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
Never broke stride.
Speaker 4 (17:34):
Oh that is what you told the woman. Yes, she
did not know what to do.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
She was so confused, and she actually was thinking like
is he kidding? Is he not? She was You made
her uncomfortable, and that perhaps was the points I thought
she would move on.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
It was a joke.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
I said, Oh, somethime, Barack Obam, clearly I'm much better dressed.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Hahaha. I thought that would lighten the movie.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
You were in a hoodie, right, and she and then
she wouldn't take no for an answer.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
I will tell you.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Are the other guy.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
You won't know his name, but you'll know his face.
That I.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Probably more recently and more often than Don Lemon in
recent years, Gary Jordan.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
You don't know the name.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
I wouldn't have known it either, and nobody would say.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
That name to me. The black guy from CSI.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Had the hair and he had light eyes, and that
is the guy people would come to me and swear
I was that guy.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
You remember what I'm talking about.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
Yes, I'm trying.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
I'm just like, that's I just why do people need
to do that? It's so interesting people have this obsession
with saying and maybe it's that they recognize you that's hilarious.
Speaker 4 (18:45):
Yes, I know exactly what you're talking about. He just
showed me the picture.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
But maybe it's because they know, I actually think because
they know they know your face and they're trying to
place it, so they just mix you up with every
other famous light skinned black man they know, or they
off there and that is sad.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
So that there you go.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
That takes me to the semi old Jackson Lawrence Fishburn.
He was doing an interview. Samuel Jackson was doing an interview.
On I think it was live kat till. I don't
want to mix it up, but one of the stations
and a guy made a reference to him being in
a super Bowl commercial, like and he was thinking about
Lawrence Fishburn who was in a super Bowl commercial, And
Sami ol Jackson went off like, yeah, we got black
and rich, but we at the same person. We don't
(19:25):
all look alike. Actually went off on him at the
time about it. You remember America Ferrera, Gina Rodriguez, Yes,
Gina Rodriguez, I think nominated for a Golden Globe.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
The Golden Globes on.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Their official Twitter account posted that and put out the
wrong picture between.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
America Ferrera and Gina Rodriguez.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Lucy Lou Lisa Ling apparently get mixed up a bunch
And another ugly incident Daniel Kalua Colujah from he was
in Black Panther, but he won the oscar for Judas
in The Black Messiah.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
You remember that?
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Yes? On the Red carpet, a reporter asked, how do
you feel about being directed by Regina Regina King directed
One Night in Miami with Leslie.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Odhom Junior Ouch.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Yeah, he had to apologize later And the famous one
James Blake, the tennis star. This was almost ten years
ago now in New York. We were at GMA at
the time. He came into the studio.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
We remember after this incident, Oh yes, I absolutely remember this,
but it was all on video, right.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
A police officer tackled him because they thought he was
some other guy and they had to apologize. So those
high profile ones happened, but they hurt well.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
And you know, it's funny you asked me and I
just remembered something because it's similar to what you're saying.
This happened a Good Morning America when I was doing
the Olympics.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
Simone Biles.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
Obviously, oh you remember this, yes, So we go to
bed and my producer, thank god.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
We had recorded Simone Biles, Simone Biles.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
They put Jordan Childs in the video, lining up with
me saying Simone Biles and my producer I'm talking for
minutes before it was supposed to air, caught that the
overnight editor did not know the difference between Simone Biles
and Jordan Chiles uh and switched the video and that
would have been Can you imagine if that had aired
(21:15):
on Good Morning America with me saying Simone Biles and
the audience seeing Jordan Chiles.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
I haven't.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
I kind of remember him now. So throughout your career,
I know there's been so many incidents like that behind
the scenes, of mixing people up.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
And almost getting on the air. Get on the air.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
Yes, I had another co anchor accidentally say Jesse Jackson
Junior when it was actually El Sharpton.
Speaker 4 (21:41):
That was tough. That was tough. Yeah, that was really tough.
And I think it was.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Before the internet was crazy, otherwise that would be on
YouTube right now.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
So look, I am not offended. I got a little
I was having fun with it. We went a good move.
We're vacationing, so maybe she called me at a good time,
but I don't necessarily get offended by it. But I
think it's interesting that we have to admit she wasn't
willing to admit that she made a mistake and why
she made it. If she didn that we could have
(22:10):
had a meaningful conversation.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
And that's okay. I'm not mad.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
She didn't see anything about me that said anger, So
it's it's okay, but we b it sucks that we
get put in the position that we have to make
her feel better about what she did.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
It's a good way to put it. And you know
it's interesting too.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
Is this has been a fascinating conversation and fascinating to
hear the research behind it.
Speaker 4 (22:35):
And I hope that white people can.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Listen to this who are listening and say not to
say do I do that, but recognize when you're meeting someone,
when you're looking at people, just recognize that there might
just be something in you that needs to be corrected,
that needs to be refocused, that needs to be aware.
And I think this is I I am so appreciative
of actually seeing what happened yesterday and then seeing and
(23:00):
hearing the research you just gave me and saying, Okay,
I can do better. I can recognize that this is
an issue. Because you asked me, do people mistake you
for someone else? And I said, no, people tell me
I look like. Has anyone ever said you look like?
But no one's ever said I swore it was this
person or that person, or you were someone else, or
(23:20):
don't you get that all the time.
Speaker 4 (23:21):
No, I have not had that experience.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
And we need to be clear here.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Plenty of research out there shows that any racial group
can have that kind of bias, but it is overwhelmingly
weighted towards white folks.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
First, just simply waited.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
But you add to that the fact that we have
majority white spaces. Yes, and they don't have to improve,
don't have to get better, don't have to And that
is why the focus in the research so often has
been specifically on white folks in the majority group.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
Yep, and that does make sense.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Okay, so you just I have a list here, how
can you do something about it? I think you actually
have already on your own hit.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
I'm serious.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
The first thing first, I have written down here, give
a shit care enough to pay attention to dig deeper
about individual Why you should do that with anybody, no
matter what race.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Meaningful interactions can help.
Speaker 4 (24:16):
That's cool.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Take time have a.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
Meaningful conversation with somebody beyond just somebody taking your order
that happens to be a minority, or somebody checking you
out at the grocery store that happens to be a minority,
or whatever it may be. Do that the other one,
studying someone's face, like actually being conscious of it, Like
you said, the other thing, being thoughtful can help. And
look at your friend group, look at your friend group.
(24:39):
If you're constantly around people that don't look like you,
you are caring about someone, you are studying them, you
are caring enough to notice their features and whatnot.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
Look at your friend group.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
That can help a lot because you'll have meaningful interactions
obviously with people of other races, and that can help.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
But take a look at your friend group.
Speaker 4 (24:59):
I love that, you know.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Look, it's something that happened that wasn't traumatic in any way,
but it but it.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
Was interesting, and it certainly was a moment.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
And I love when you can take a moment like
that and recognize something and learn something.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
And that's exactly what happened.
Speaker 3 (25:14):
So maybe I appreciate the incident that occurred because.
Speaker 4 (25:18):
I learned something.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Well, it's amazing. We had no idea and had no plan.
We were on vacation, we.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
Were delayed, we had a flight delay. We wouldn't have
been there if the flight hadn't been delayed. We were wow, well,
you know, we got there with enough time, and then
all of a sudden, it get we got delayed by
over an hour at least at the airport and then
another hour on the tarmac. But yeah, that was and
he gave us good content that delay gave us a
really something good to talk about and something to think about,
and I appreciate.
Speaker 4 (25:41):
I always love learning something new about.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
It's fascinating how we work, why we do what we do,
and we always can do better.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
Well, Folks, always appreciate you spending some time with us.
Over now for my dear Amy Lack, I am Barack,
don DJ, Gary whatever you want to call me. When
you see me out there, Folks, just say hello and
be nice.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
I'd appreciate it. But we appreciate you listening to us
as always. What's talk about it
Hither, folks, it is Saturday, December twenty seventh. And no, ma'am,
I am not Barack Obama. And no ma'am, I don't
often get mistaken for Barack Obama. It's just you who
can't tell one light skin brother from another. And with that,
welcome to this, y'all all look alike episode of Amy
(00:33):
and TJ Robes. Not the episode we planned on doing necessarily.
But is this a fun funny topic? Y'all all look alike?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
We've all familiar.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Yes, yes, and look I think it's only it's funny
in that it's alarming and all you can do is
laugh at a certain point, because what are you gonna
do about it? I mean, your other choice is to
be angry and offended, which is well within your right,
but you chose to laugh.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, and we are going to get into that. What
you just said, what do you do about it? There
is something that can be done about it. So folks,
ask yourself, have you ever found yourself in that position
to where you mixed up a couple of folks from
a minority group, a couple of Asian women, You can't
tell the difference a couple of black guys.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
You don't know. They all look alike. Have you done that?
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Now? I'll ask you first before we get into this
incident that prompted this episode. Do you think you have
ever done that before? Maybe not even said it to
somebody's face, but even maybe internally or you mixed up.
Speaker 4 (01:32):
I'm sure I have, yes, I mean I don't.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
I can't think of a specific example, but I would
never say, oh no, I've never done that.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
I'm sure I have.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
And a lot of people have.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
And some people will immediately point to racism, and this
is what came out of and that word came out
immediately after an incident we had at the airport.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
We'll explain, folks.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
We are on a trip, me, Robes and the girls
at least Ava and Sabine.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
So we were in.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Just yesterday airport lounge. I don't even know if we
just say the lounge or not what airport. I don't
know if it matters, but the point is we're sitting
in the lounge all kind of lined up on this cushion, bitch,
just enjoying ourselves, eating our food, drinking Ama Moosa's, and
a woman as we were talking, Robes interrupts us. As
we were talking.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
You take it from it.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Yeah, it began rudely because you were actually winding up
to tell me something. I was really I couldn't wait
to hear You're like, Okay, I had this idea and
don't you know, don't know judge right away, but I
think it could be fun. So I was like all
into it, leaning in, and this woman just started saying,
you know, we thought you were Barack Obama, and you
just turned your head and looked at her, and to
(02:39):
the point where she recognized how rude it was that
she cut us off. She didn't say excuse me, or
she didn't wait for us to finish talking. She just
blurted out she couldn't wait to tell you that. Her husband,
she went on to say, was convinced you were Barack Obama.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
To the point that this woman got up and walked
over to us. I couldn't see where her husband was.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Yes, I think he was off to the line, but yeah,
she and she just couldn't wait to tell you that.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
She told him, no, I don't think that.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Is Barack Obama, because look, he's thin, he's thinner and
lighter than Barack Obama. So she also kind of wanted
to kind of prove that she knew that you were
a little bit more light skinned and a little bit thinner,
and that's why you couldn't be Barack Obama.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
And you just had a smile on your face. You said, no, ma'am.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
She's like, you must get that all the time, and
you said and you just looked at her. She's like,
you get that all the time, right, And you said, actually,
I don't, ma'am.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
And she then got upset, and she got upset that you.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Wouldn't acknowledge or validate the fact that she's was convinced
that you might have been and could have been and
certainly must be mistaken for Barack Obama.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
All the time she was.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Got flustered by the idea that we wouldn't go along
with her foolishness, which it was foolishness. And I will, oh,
I never my tone never changed. I actually got happier
talking to her because I was toying with her, and
I continue to toy with her. For the part of
the reason is that, really, you think Barack Obama is
just hanging out here by himself, lounging this in the
(04:05):
United Lounge. Okay, First, he's not. Second, I am sitting
next to my hand on the thigh of a white woman,
and you really think me and Barack, Yes, you.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Mixed us up.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Yes, he's stepping out on the shell with a white
woman and a whole white family by the way, and.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
Two white daughters. He's just you know, he's adopted them.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Yes, you haven't heard a lot, but that's all been
going on behind the scenes.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
So this ridiculous conversation is going on. And it went
on longer than it should have because I was giving
her help.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Correct you.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
You kept toying with her, and she kept getting frustrated.
She's like, are you messing with me? Are you messing
with me?
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Come on?
Speaker 3 (04:41):
You know people do tell you that, right, and you
just kept going. That's when you started saying, well, no,
not really, I'm here with three white women, so no,
it doesn't happen. She actually looked at me at one point.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
I'm just witnessing it all. She said you should break
up with him.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
She was so annoyed that you wouldn't play along with
her or validate her way of thinking that she actually
looked at me and said, you should break up with him.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
So still I'm laughing, and I'm happy and we still
having a good time.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
I never got upset.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
The woman finally walks away in this incident, again longer
than it should have gone, walks away, and at least
some members of our party immediately looked, and the word
racism came up, saying, isn't that a little.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Racist what she just did.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
I didn't necessarily think much of it at the time,
but it brings up robes, of course, something we all
we all are aware of this idea that they all
look alike.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Yep, they all look alike. Who are they?
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Oftentimes as black folks, they all look alike. So is
there anything to that. Scientists will actually tell you.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
Yes, and that's fascinating, And.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
It's not racism. Now, racism can get involved in this,
but it's not racism. So this is something that actually
call I've heard of a couple of these. What it's
one called the other race effect, the cross race effect.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Or own race bias is how they refer to them.
And what we're talking. Doesn't this make sense?
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Though it's harder for people of one race to identify
people of other races, it's.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
In your brain. Your brain's wired that way.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
That does make sense.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
We are born and the first people we see or
go to school with or in our homes look like us,
so we know and we get comfortable early on with
those features. The problem is that some people from some
cultures don't have as much meaningful interaction with people of
other races, like their identities early on, so you miss
(06:43):
out on kind of registering what people look like.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
It kind of makes sense.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
That does if you think about all the things that
are formed in your brain, but before you turn five,
A lot of it is language, so it would make
sense that sight would be a part of it as well,
and your ability to distinguish. Think about it, if you
don't learn certain languages or certain word patternspy.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
I believe it's like ten or eleven.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
You can't say you're ours if you're Asian the way
we do here in America.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
Can't.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
You literally cannot get your brain to unform whatever connection
it's made and make a new connection, like you just
lose out or miss out on the ability to make
different connections or distinguish. I know it's true for language,
so that makes sense. It would be true for sight.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
It is in the brain, but they what happens is
early on, see a white kid surrounded by white folks.
A black kid surrounded by black folks growing up, But
the white kid is going to have a more difficult time.
Why because the white kid is in the majority group
and he is growing up with less exposure to those
(07:49):
minority groups. Me as a black kid, I see white
folks all the time. There's my teacher, there's my pastor,
there's this historical figure.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
That they're teaching me about.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
We get more access if you will make even looking
at movies and whatnot, you we are accustomed to studying
and seeing and understanding white features more so than the
other way.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Does that make sense?
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Yes, that I've never thought about it, but yes, that
does make perfect sense.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
And the other thing for white folks that they, again
research says here is that you all start to register
different features that you all have. Meaning there's a blond
haired girl, there is a redhead guy, there is a
blue eyed boy, there is a green eye. You all
have different types of features. You see us. You see
brown skin, brown eyes, and black hair. There aren't the
(08:39):
same types, and you all's minds the same types of
distinguishing features. For me, I know, the nose can look
this way, the lips can be that way, the ass
can be that way, the.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Ears could be.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
I know, all the features of black folks are different.
I can identify because I am familiar.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Does that makes sense?
Speaker 4 (08:54):
Yes, it does.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
So we haven't hit racism yet necessarily, right.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
No, it's exposure.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
And I mean in that sense you could say that
racist attitudes create that because if you are isolated, you
are segregated by choice because you prefer to be with
your own kind. You don't expose yourself, you don't expose
your children. So it's a choice in that sense. So
that does lead to something that maybe isn't intentional, but
it's still a byproduct of Man.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
You are nailing it right now, what the research says,
you are going through loves with this research that's going
to come out. So there has been and I mean
a bunch of study in this and they all come
out with the same result, which is that, yes, white
people have a more difficult time identifying features of minorities.
Now hear this a very important studying done out in
(09:42):
California in twenty nineteen.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
White people were.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Shown this is going to mess you up sebeing white people,
I mean sabine ropes. White people are shown photos of
various faces of black and white people. Okay, right, so
then they altered the photo a little by thirty percent,
than by fifty percent, then by seven twenty percent, then
by one hundred percent, meaning they show them a totally
different person.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Get this, and this They put them through in an MRI.
So they were looking at their brain function.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
So the result, people's brains reacted strongly to even the
slightest change in a white face. Brains didn't register reaction
even when a different black face was shown. Wow, if
you change the eye color on a white person, a
white person will go their my mind is firing. You
(10:32):
can show them a different black man and they do
not have the same brain reaction. Isn't that crazy?
Speaker 4 (10:39):
Wow? I mean actually, so you can't see me, but
my jaw is dropped.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
What okay, now hear what?
Speaker 1 (10:45):
The research says that these white folks in the study
were essentially treating black faces as almost like they're not faces.
His quote, Wow, yikes, it does out.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
That stings.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Now it's actually going to get worse with this. The
bias starts immediately when we.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
See somebody, like as soon.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
As you see anything, your brain starts registering that face.
The researchers shows white folks, you see someone they're not
like you, They're from another group, and that's where you
stop processing and giving a shit about anything else other
than black skin. Wow, this is a this is a
(11:31):
California researcher. This is not some theory or something somebody
wrote in some paper. When you think about it that way,
our brain's immediately when you see somebody's face ropes, your
brain starts working. But the research shows that white people
when they see a face not like theirs, immediately stop
working and don't even care to further investigate anything else.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
About that because and is there they did they go
into the reason Obviously, I know there's some of the
reasons why, because of early perhaps processing, but is it
because we've never had to as white people. Because when
you're in the majority, it's not important enough, it doesn't
change your life enough, it's not necessary.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
You nailed it.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
And the best example is, take for example, your office. Right,
everybody remembers this boss, this manager. Because you have to
write people you don't even see a lot, you study
them because they mean something to you. Who's on the
lower end of the totem pole. You don't have to
give a damn and about that person. So the hierarchy
(12:30):
there is a big part of it. His quote, this
researcher white folks, they don't have the motivation to process
an individual more deeply when you see somebody that doesn't
look like you. This is his research and a lot
of things come to these conclusions. I was fascinated by it,
killing it. But we go from we don't even.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Laugh about it.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Oh, they all look like like this is some deeper
and heavier stuff.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Yeah, then there's science behind it. There's research behind it.
And you know what, as you're telling me this, it
makes sense. It's hard to it's hard to accept because
no one wants to consider themselves racist. No one wants
to consider themselves exclusionary or dismissive. That's a terrible thing
to imagine yourself as being. But yet you kind of
have to hear this, recognize it, and maybe see it
(13:15):
in someone else, and then look within and say do
I do that?
Speaker 4 (13:19):
And how can I do better?
Speaker 1 (13:21):
And so you once again, because some people will hear
this and go, oh, it's not my fault. It's a
phenomenon I can't do anything about. Some people will look
at it that way. They absolutely will.
Speaker 4 (13:32):
All right, you're right.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
Oh see, it's not I did help it. This is
how I was born, this is how I was raised.
There's nothing I can do about it, but I would argue,
and I don't know what you're about to say or
tell us that this is an aha moment that you
can that can be actionable.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
You can do something about.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Yes, awareness first, but ask yourself, why is it you
look at this person and don't care about knowing anything
more than seeing the skin color.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Yeah, I'm thinking about it, going wow, I'm now like,
as you're telling me this, I'm already imagining how I'm
going to now try to process and think about people
when I look at them, see them, meet them, and register,
don't do that thing that maybe you do that you
didn't intend to or you didn't Actually it wasn't something
(14:18):
that was conscious. But now that I am conscious, now
that I've woken up to this, I can now be better.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
You woke now? Huh?
Speaker 4 (14:26):
Oh God? Why did I use the W word?
Speaker 3 (14:31):
No?
Speaker 1 (14:31):
But this is okay. You used it appropriately. It's been
taken from us in a lot of ways. But this
is what we're talking about. If you're just aware, a
lot of people aren't even aware of this. You're woke
by just being aware. You're aware, you've woken up to
something going on, and now you can make a difference
and improve That's what woke is, by the way, people. So, yes,
you used it appropriately, but I knew you would laugh
(14:53):
when I said that. Okay, here's the problem you kind
of hit on roades. It's two problems. One thing you
kind of dismissive of. But what happens in the criminal
justice system. Ah, yeah, come in for a lineup. Yep,
that's him right there. That kind of a thing, mistaken identity.
Wrong guy gets arrested, wrong god goes a trial, wrong
guy goes to jail because somebody identified.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Every day, that happens too often.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
But the other thing is just sucks to be in
an office where somebody keeps calling you somebody else. It
keeps getting you confused because why you're actually telling me
that there's nothing unique or special about me, or nothing
about me that makes you even want to take a
moment to know who I am.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
That hurts.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
Yeah, that hurts.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
I can only imagine because you yeah, I was just
or you can't be of service to me, You're of
no use to me, well.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Robes, stay here, not Robes. I know you're staying here.
I shouldn't be presumptive us. I hope you stay around Robes,
but you all stay here because when we come back,
will actually tell you the three individuals that I've actually
been mistaken for most in my life, and also will
hit you with a couple of high profile incidents that
(16:02):
have happened to celebrities.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
Who have gotten mixed up with other celebrities.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
I e. Yeah, we're both black, Yeah we're both rich,
but that don't mean we're the same person.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Stay here, all right? We continue here on this.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
Y'all all looklike episode of Amy and TJ Robes that
we've been together. When someone has come up to me
and got me mixed up with somebody else, I think, yes,
that's the one you get.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
I've heard people come up to you and actually call
you don lemon.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
See.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
I can't I can't remember the last time it used
to happen a bunch and we were both seeing it.
It was we used to work seeing it in Saturday
and Sunday. I did mornings, he did evenings. That may
be a little.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
But still you don't look anything alike. Wat you have
similar coloring.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
That's it, you know.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
The thing I used to say when I was when
people used to say that to me, I would wouldn't
break stride, as you know. I would say, nah, he's
he's gay and I'm married to a woman. I would
say that and just keep it pushing and that would
be the end of But Dawn, that one made sense.
I've only another time gotten Barack Obama. And that was
literally when I was walking near the White House. I
(17:23):
was in a I remember the blue suit I was in.
Walking somebody said, oh gods, it's like, bro, you.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
Look nothing like Barack Obama.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
You know the response I gave, I said, I'm much
better dressed.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
Never broke stride.
Speaker 4 (17:34):
Oh that is what you told the woman. Yes, she
did not know what to do.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
She was so confused, and she actually was thinking like
is he kidding? Is he not? She was You made
her uncomfortable, and that perhaps was the points I thought
she would move on.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
It was a joke.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
I said, Oh, somethime, Barack Obam, clearly I'm much better dressed.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Hahaha. I thought that would lighten the movie.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
You were in a hoodie, right, and she and then
she wouldn't take no for an answer.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
I will tell you.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Are the other guy.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
You won't know his name, but you'll know his face.
That I.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Probably more recently and more often than Don Lemon in
recent years, Gary Jordan.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
You don't know the name.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
I wouldn't have known it either, and nobody would say.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
That name to me. The black guy from CSI.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Had the hair and he had light eyes, and that
is the guy people would come to me and swear
I was that guy.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
You remember what I'm talking about.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
Yes, I'm trying.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
I'm just like, that's I just why do people need
to do that? It's so interesting people have this obsession
with saying and maybe it's that they recognize you that's hilarious.
Speaker 4 (18:45):
Yes, I know exactly what you're talking about. He just
showed me the picture.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
But maybe it's because they know, I actually think because
they know they know your face and they're trying to
place it, so they just mix you up with every
other famous light skinned black man they know, or they
off there and that is sad.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
So that there you go.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
That takes me to the semi old Jackson Lawrence Fishburn.
He was doing an interview. Samuel Jackson was doing an interview.
On I think it was live kat till. I don't
want to mix it up, but one of the stations
and a guy made a reference to him being in
a super Bowl commercial, like and he was thinking about
Lawrence Fishburn who was in a super Bowl commercial, And
Sami ol Jackson went off like, yeah, we got black
and rich, but we at the same person. We don't
(19:25):
all look alike. Actually went off on him at the
time about it. You remember America Ferrera, Gina Rodriguez, Yes,
Gina Rodriguez, I think nominated for a Golden Globe.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
The Golden Globes on.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Their official Twitter account posted that and put out the
wrong picture between.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
America Ferrera and Gina Rodriguez.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Lucy Lou Lisa Ling apparently get mixed up a bunch
And another ugly incident Daniel Kalua Colujah from he was
in Black Panther, but he won the oscar for Judas
in The Black Messiah.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
You remember that?
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Yes? On the Red carpet, a reporter asked, how do
you feel about being directed by Regina Regina King directed
One Night in Miami with Leslie.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Odhom Junior Ouch.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Yeah, he had to apologize later And the famous one
James Blake, the tennis star. This was almost ten years
ago now in New York. We were at GMA at
the time. He came into the studio.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
We remember after this incident, Oh yes, I absolutely remember this,
but it was all on video, right.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
A police officer tackled him because they thought he was
some other guy and they had to apologize. So those
high profile ones happened, but they hurt well.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
And you know, it's funny you asked me and I
just remembered something because it's similar to what you're saying.
This happened a Good Morning America when I was doing
the Olympics.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
Simone Biles.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
Obviously, oh you remember this, yes, So we go to
bed and my producer, thank god.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
We had recorded Simone Biles, Simone Biles.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
They put Jordan Childs in the video, lining up with
me saying Simone Biles and my producer I'm talking for
minutes before it was supposed to air, caught that the
overnight editor did not know the difference between Simone Biles
and Jordan Chiles uh and switched the video and that
would have been Can you imagine if that had aired
(21:15):
on Good Morning America with me saying Simone Biles and
the audience seeing Jordan Chiles.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
I haven't.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
I kind of remember him now. So throughout your career,
I know there's been so many incidents like that behind
the scenes, of mixing people up.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
And almost getting on the air. Get on the air.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
Yes, I had another co anchor accidentally say Jesse Jackson
Junior when it was actually El Sharpton.
Speaker 4 (21:41):
That was tough. That was tough. Yeah, that was really tough.
And I think it was.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Before the internet was crazy, otherwise that would be on
YouTube right now.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
So look, I am not offended. I got a little
I was having fun with it. We went a good move.
We're vacationing, so maybe she called me at a good time,
but I don't necessarily get offended by it. But I
think it's interesting that we have to admit she wasn't
willing to admit that she made a mistake and why
she made it. If she didn that we could have
(22:10):
had a meaningful conversation.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
And that's okay. I'm not mad.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
She didn't see anything about me that said anger, So
it's it's okay, but we b it sucks that we
get put in the position that we have to make
her feel better about what she did.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
It's a good way to put it. And you know
it's interesting too.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
Is this has been a fascinating conversation and fascinating to
hear the research behind it.
Speaker 4 (22:35):
And I hope that white people can.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Listen to this who are listening and say not to
say do I do that, but recognize when you're meeting someone,
when you're looking at people, just recognize that there might
just be something in you that needs to be corrected,
that needs to be refocused, that needs to be aware.
And I think this is I I am so appreciative
of actually seeing what happened yesterday and then seeing and
(23:00):
hearing the research you just gave me and saying, Okay,
I can do better. I can recognize that this is
an issue. Because you asked me, do people mistake you
for someone else? And I said, no, people tell me
I look like. Has anyone ever said you look like?
But no one's ever said I swore it was this
person or that person, or you were someone else, or
(23:20):
don't you get that all the time.
Speaker 4 (23:21):
No, I have not had that experience.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
And we need to be clear here.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Plenty of research out there shows that any racial group
can have that kind of bias, but it is overwhelmingly
weighted towards white folks.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
First, just simply waited.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
But you add to that the fact that we have
majority white spaces. Yes, and they don't have to improve,
don't have to get better, don't have to And that
is why the focus in the research so often has
been specifically on white folks in the majority group.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
Yep, and that does make sense.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Okay, so you just I have a list here, how
can you do something about it? I think you actually
have already on your own hit.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
I'm serious.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
The first thing first, I have written down here, give
a shit care enough to pay attention to dig deeper
about individual Why you should do that with anybody, no
matter what race.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Meaningful interactions can help.
Speaker 4 (24:16):
That's cool.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Take time have a.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
Meaningful conversation with somebody beyond just somebody taking your order
that happens to be a minority, or somebody checking you
out at the grocery store that happens to be a minority,
or whatever it may be. Do that the other one,
studying someone's face, like actually being conscious of it, Like
you said, the other thing, being thoughtful can help. And
look at your friend group, look at your friend group.
(24:39):
If you're constantly around people that don't look like you,
you are caring about someone, you are studying them, you
are caring enough to notice their features and whatnot.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
Look at your friend group.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
That can help a lot because you'll have meaningful interactions
obviously with people of other races, and that can help.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
But take a look at your friend group.
Speaker 4 (24:59):
I love that, you know.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Look, it's something that happened that wasn't traumatic in any way,
but it but it.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
Was interesting, and it certainly was a moment.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
And I love when you can take a moment like
that and recognize something and learn something.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
And that's exactly what happened.
Speaker 3 (25:14):
So maybe I appreciate the incident that occurred because.
Speaker 4 (25:18):
I learned something.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Well, it's amazing. We had no idea and had no plan.
We were on vacation, we.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
Were delayed, we had a flight delay. We wouldn't have
been there if the flight hadn't been delayed. We were wow, well,
you know, we got there with enough time, and then
all of a sudden, it get we got delayed by
over an hour at least at the airport and then
another hour on the tarmac. But yeah, that was and
he gave us good content that delay gave us a
really something good to talk about and something to think about,
and I appreciate.
Speaker 4 (25:41):
I always love learning something new about.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
It's fascinating how we work, why we do what we do,
and we always can do better.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
Well, Folks, always appreciate you spending some time with us.
Over now for my dear Amy Lack, I am Barack,
don DJ, Gary whatever you want to call me. When
you see me out there, Folks, just say hello and
be nice.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
I'd appreciate it. But we appreciate you listening to us
as always. What's talk about it
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