A video of a white man confronting a black man over a t-shirt that read "Dear White People" at a dog park in Las Vegas is being widely circulated on social media.
The clip, originally shared on TikTok, made its way to the r/PublicFreakout sub-reddit and has received mixed responses in the comments section.
"What Do You Have to Say to Me?"
The video starts off with the black man filming the man in question and explaining he was at the Centennial Hills Park in Las Vegas on Monday when the "racist" men confronted him over his t-shirt that read "Dear White People" in big bold yellow letters. He points out that the tee is actually merchandise inspired by the Netflix comedy-drama series of the same name.
"We didn't know and I said what do you need to say?," the white man, seen wearing a black t-shirt and hat, says to him.
"You didn't have to come and talk to me for anything," the black man responds before adding thay they're at a dog park and he can wear anything he pleases. "You shouldn't have to ask me what does my t-shirt have to say," he says.
The white man intervenes by saying that they're at a public dog park and reiterates the question he asked the black man earlier, "I said, 'What do you have to say to me?'"
'That's the Beginning of a Letter'
"It says 'Dear White People,'" the white man continues. "That's the beginning of a letter." The man admits that he approached the black man, who calls the man out over his "white privilege" and asks him to walk away.
Another white man, who appears to be a friend of the man wearing the black t-shirt and hat, accuses the black man of "hiding behind the camera." The man filming then says he's going to post the video on TikTok and that the internet will do the rest.
"Black people should be able to go and do our business and live our lives in peace without people like you," the man says before the video ends. Watch the clip below:
Reactions
The video has since gone viral and drawn mixed reactions from viewers with some calling out the white man for confronting the black man.
"He assumed he was gonna be a bada*s and correct this person and call him out.... Camera turns on and all of a sudden he's trying to excuse it," wrote one user.
"In what world would a white guy approach a black man with a shirt saying 'dear white people' not be considered hostile? Just mind your business and move on," commented another.
Meanwhile others claimed the black man wore the t-shirt as bait and blew the incident out of proportion for social media clout.
"That tshirt is bait," wrote one user. "He totally wanted this to happen. Look at the lengths people will go through and how they will behave and treat people just to get attention on social media."
"I think the guy wearing the t shirt sounds like he's been desperate for some white guy to come over so he could put it on his tik tok," another opined.
