On this page you will find interviews and portraits of the human condition by photographer Mark Laita. The Chicago born & raised rap artist / songwriter Lando Chill has been making waves & turning heads in the deep Southwest, calling Tucson, Arizona his current musical home base of operation. Mark Laita needs your support for Soft White Underbelly. Then there is the emotional impact of baring your soul. Posts. This video was about a family of elderly people who reside in a small town in the Appalachian region of the United States. This is what Mark Laita states in the video description: “The individuals in this video are brothers and sisters, except for Timmy who is a cousin. His subjects on “Soft White Underbelly” were the residence of LA. Imo therapy is more important than the fostering. From placing the burden upon the individual who happens to stumble across Laita’s work, making it to the end of a video to access donation information; to the use of marginalized people’s pain as a way to ensure the survival of two-parent households and “good role models,” his. This leaves the interviewees open to being exploited by con-artists who know they have a lot of money. Ray’s sisters (The more talkative sister did not give her name and Lorraine, who may be non-verbal as well) and the cousin Timmy seem almost apprehensive about Laita’s presence at their home. For him it is personal, “it’s a statement about the wealth gap in our country by chronicling the fringe of society.”. Be sure to follow and like the page to stay up to date on my latest videos! Facebook. It wasn’t until I read this article apparently written by someone with an ignorant victim mentality that race entered the picture for me. Publication date 2020-01-18 Topics soft white underbelly, crystal meth, lin Language English "Soft White Underbelly interview and portrait of Lin, a crystal meth addict living on the streets of Hollywood. Home. Yet the episodic nature of following one’s journey through poverty and addiction without. Mark started this video project almost ten years ago with a … Playlists. Now that their identifies are on the internet and most Go Fund Me accounts usually show the amount of money raised for a cause, this could be a problem. For a family who is as poor as the Whitakers, this is a lot of money. I would love to hear them discuss interviewing techniques, empathy, compassion, and Mark’s reasoning for doing the series. Intent isn’t at question, for that is as unknown as to where the wind goes when lost to the world, but the methodology behind who and how one spreads “awareness” is the real riddle. Soft White Underbelly is an aesthetically pleasing web series that is bursting at the seams with life stories from a fresh new angle. His clean, colorful, graphic photography has earned him a reputation for award winning work for clients such as Adidas, BMW, Van Cleef and Arpels, and MINI. Secondly, the people who are interviewed on Soft White Underbelly are being paid for their segments. You're supporting Soft White Underbelly Your donation will benefit Mark Laita. In my opinion, he has made some poor choices in the way he depicts his subjects, his choice of subject, the titles of his videos, and the exposure of their identities. Their interview and images are now the legal property of Mark Laita. Is The Decolonization Of Academia Truly The Right Option? He asks sa subject questions in talk show fashion, usually starting simple, then working his way up to open-ended inquires that send the interviewees into introspective, sometimes incoherent dialogues about life or their place in it. Subscribe | 1.5M. Soft White Underbelly interview and portrait of Ashlyn, an Appalachian woman … share. Interestingly enough, the explanation was only recorded and published two months ago almost three years after his first upload, and about nine months from when Laita started to upload his interviews more frequently. Is the money the interviewees receive to bare their souls worth the risk to their safety? Hello and welcome to the official Soft White Underbelly Facebook page! The acclaimed photographer Mark Laita created the series, which is available on YouTube for the mass public to access easily. Pinned at the top of Soft White Underbelly’s channel, intro video featuring Mark Laita’s explanation, I think a majority of us can relate to his wanting to do something that truly mattered in the world, working to better the lives of those less fortunate because. Laita’s subscriber count grew from just under 3,000 to nearly half a million after uploading the video featuring Kelly on Christmas Day with her real name, deleting it and reposting it in late January with her prostitution name. Many heartbreaking stories of real people just trying to survive. After their videos become viral, which some of them already have, this could prevent them from gaining employment in the future. report; no comments (yet) sorted by: q&a (suggested) best top new controversial old random live … NEVER. Some smelled a scam. Soft White Underbelly is a rapidly growing YouTube Channel that interviews people who are forgotten by society. EVERY RACE struggles with homelessness & addiction & we see that on his channel. Community. TV Show. I’ll let you decide for yourself because I’m not sure. Vulnerable, but never soft, not by choice but by circumstance. Polychroma TV posted an episode of Polychroma: Kino – Selects. He appears to be a very empathetic man who wants to share the stories of marginalized people to educate his viewers on what can happen when you have lost hope. It’s disheartening to see how a white man can be criticized for being such a kind soul & helping others more than any of us ever will in our lives. Bad choices be damned if the opportunity to do something more, something better, were at least given to any of the interviewees. Maybe we can improve our relationships with our children to stop the cycle of addiction in our society? I’ve wanted to write about this channel for a while now but I decided to give Laita a chance to do some good with his project. Mark Laita — 2020 Return to fundraiser. I chose this video because the way the family was treated during the video really bothered me. Maybe it was the simple logo thumbnailed in the top left corner, adjacent to the YouTube embedded title “, Crack Addicted Prostitute-Amanda (spring 2020). Artist. As someone who has, I feel terrible I contributed to his grotesque fascination with trauma in the least productive way possible. Soft White Underbelly, organized by Mark Laita. The owner, Mark Laita, is a photographer who takes portraits of … The owner, Mark Laita, is a photographer who takes portraits of … He tells us that he has spent over 150,000 dollars helping addicts on the street with their needs. The individuals in this video are brothers and sisters, except for Timmy who is a cousin. titzer 3 hours ago. married to awareness is just a cyclical wheel of predictive persecution; one that is commodified by gatekeepers of reform and monetized by YouTube algorithms. From that point on, Lando has been on an enthralling journey through music, touring the country in 2015 & developing new records with his band, comprised of Chris “Deep Greasy” Pierce and Andy “Lasso” C. The blend of art and emotion puts them creatively in a league with artists like Gil Scott Heron, J. Cole, and The Roots. submitted just now by OhNoYouDien-t. comment; share; save; hide. Videos. Soft White Underbelly is a YouTube channel dedicated to the interviews of many people of … Press J to jump to the feed. He asks his interviewees if they need help, goading them into, fleeting form of dependence upon Laita as if their circumstance and position in life don’t. After watching these kinds of videos, I always wonder what these people do after baring their souls. More Stories: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCvcd0FYi58LwyTQP9LITpA. It’s sad that it’s the only message this person seemed to hear. A woman’s hard-luck story on YouTube led to thousands in donations. Most of Mark Laita’s Underbelly work starts with an intro; monologues from the subject’s life or samples from pop culture set as the backdrop to either a still or video. He explains that after working for an advertising agency as a photographer, “helping wealthy corporations even wealthier”, the uncomfortable truth that ad work would be the legacy left behind when no longer on this earth sunk in. 62.8k Followers, 6 Following, 153 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from @soft_white_underbelly Kelly’s interview was among many that Los Angeles-based photographer Mark Laita, 60, has filmed for his passion-project YouTube channel, Soft White Underbelly, over the past three years. Photos. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/02/27/kelly-mark-laita-videos Videos. Pinned at the top of Soft White Underbelly’s channel is an intro video featuring Mark Laita’s explanation of what he’s doing and his version of why. He even made a fundraising campaign to raise money for the Whitakers to purchase a new home. report; no comments (yet) sorted by: q&a (suggested) best top new controversial old random live … Soft White Underbelly-Kelly link Soft White Underbelly-Kelly organized by Mark Laita Please donate a few dollars if you have it. The neighbor left after Laita spoke to him. videos have exposed a dirty secret most of us were not privy to. I reached out to Mark Laita who has a YouTube channel, Soft White Underbelly, about sharing his experience interviewing and photographing Los Angeles’s Skid Row citizens. titzer 3 hours ago. En savoir plus sur comment les données de vos commentaires sont utilisées. https://curiosityshots.com/friends-comedy-and-being-woke/, Mark Laita: We Are Not Your Soft White Underbelly. Community See All. Close Netflix and head to Soft White Underbelly on YouTube. That truth is then up to the storyteller to present, not only in a way in which lends the most credence to the subject but paints the entire picture for the audience to interpret for themselves. One can acknowledge ones own bias and still not fully understand it’s implications. work starts with an intro; monologues from the subject’s life or samples from pop culture set as the backdrop to either a still or video. Episode 038- Soft White Underbelly with Mark Laita, Part 2. The other group of people are there for shock entertainment and treat these people as a joke. o survive our capitalist machine of society. This loss of anonymity could put their safety at risk. Laita hides his “uncut, uncensored” footage behind a Patreon paywall, never truly divulging what kind of aid Amanda or any of his subjects receive; selling potential redemption stories and current downfalls like housewares on Etsy. Photos. Soft White Underbelly “These videos are meant to create awareness, of things that are broke in our country. I agree 100% with Kat’s comment. Return to fundraiser. His use of titles that box subjects beneath stereotypical motifs and code words that automatically elicit implicit bias leave no room for any form of self-definition; no matter how the interviewee persuades the audience. I pressed play and began the latest chapter of Amanda; framed within the lens of Mark Laita’s eye. Enter your donation $ USD.00. He explains that after working for an advertising agency as a photographer, “helping wealthy corporations even wealthier”, the uncomfortable truth that ad work would be the legacy left behind when no longer on this earth sunk in. Clearly the author has a complex, and while he is quite eloquent, he fails to make a sensible case. This idea of the human condition is the basis for which Mark Laita founded his YouTube channel, Soft White Underbelly, on. effect; storytelling mixed with privilege fed ignorance that could either be masquerading under the guise of awareness through artistry or the commodification of oppressed laden experiences that would otherwise be ignored. Film Buff Ben Beard: The … Hello and welcome to the official Soft White Underbelly Facebook page! "Soft White Underbelly" interviews and portraits of the human condition by photographer, Mark Laita. According to The Washington Post, Laita pays 20–40 dollars for interviews with drug addicts and other marginalized people who aren’t putting themselves at risk of being arrested due to the footage. The entire time I was reading the article on Mark Laita’s YouTube channel I was thinking to myself what the hell is this person talking about. Are they even in the right state of mind to consent to being viewed by millions of people on the internet? I have decided to talk about one of the newer videos on the Soft White Underbelly Youtube channel. This was the fourth time director/photographer Mark Laita visited the family. I almost didn’t click on the video entitled: “, Very Sad: Crack Addicted Prostitute Living On The Streets of LA Looks Completely Different After a Year, I, for one, am full up on the depiction of black pain, especially, et this now be the grand reveal of my own implicit bias I haven’t the inclination to ever shed after years of desensitization of m, people’s suffering. Watch Mark Laita's Soft White Underbelly: much of this generation may be beyond hope, but the next generation might be helped before they arrive. Mental illness. ... Soft White Underbelly, organized by Mark Laita . I just counted how many interviewees were black out of the last 73 interviews and 30 of them were.. so clearly not the majority. The interview clips are separated by a slow-motion “zoom-in” on the Whitaker’s family photos. Stoicism is not necessary nor useful in interviewing (it’s the opposite) it is quite literally just him. scream the abolition of systemic oppression and the induction of universal healthcare and rehabilitation. Many of the people in these videos are vulnerable. If they are using the money to fund their addiction, this monetary reward is only adding to their downward spiral. You have the privilege to state your opinion and at the same time do nothing for the people you are trying to defend. Laita interviews pimps, sex workers, addicts, shooting victims, and even Ku Klux Klan members and pays them money for their interviews. He is not a cop doing a report. reply. Mark Laita needs your support for Soft White Underbelly. The “Soft White Underbelly” Youtube channel is the pet project of a 60-year-old photographer named Mark Laita. Close. Recently, one of Laita’s other videos has come under fire for racial exploitation, I will leave this story to be covered by a writer of color. Obviously embarrassed, the sisters shake their heads to say no and the verbal sister gives one or two-word answers to these inquires. It’s possible that money was a motivator. I watched this video twice to make sure I understood Laita’s purpose for interviewing the Whitakers and to evaluate the body language of the family. Entire families can have offspring that have cognitive difficulties and various disabilities. I don’t know if these mini-documentaries are helping or hindering the addicts and marginalized people they feature but something feels very wrong to me when I watch them. There are two types of commenters, as usual. Why Can’t Twitter Stop Trump’s Hateful Tweets About Ilhan Omar. They do not need more exposure to feed their hate. Tip ... Soft White Underbelly Created September 10, 2020. I assume the subjects of these videos feel the same way and worse after they bare their soul to the Soft White Underbelly. The kind fans of the Youtube channel have created “Go Fund Me” accounts for some of the subjects in the Soft White Underbelly’s videos. I reached out to Mark Laita who has a YouTube channel, Soft White Underbelly, about sharing his experience interviewing and photographing Los Angeles’s Skid Row citizens. Currently, 8% of L.A.’s population is black & 34% of it’s homeless population is black. Sections of this page. She, as many of his subjects do, ramble along a line of thought scrambled from years of systemic neglect and oppression. Btw the name Soft White Underbelly has nothing to do with whites as you implied. Community. – Mello Music Group. after watching Mark Laita’s interview series called, “, Some nights I have a hard time sleeping when I don’t take melatonin, so I surf the viral video landscape satiating, need to be entertained to the point of boredom, slumber. His white savior-esque reasoning for creating Soft White Underbelly stemming from “maybe deciding to do something differently” about what he calls the “broken” parts of society by crafting interviews of the most marginalized of citizens in their most vulnerable state is understandable yet disgusting. From placing the burden upon the individual who happens to stumble across Laita’s work, making it to the end of a video to access donation information; to the use of marginalized people’s pain as a way to ensure the survival of two-parent households and “good role models,” his “explanation” video mirrors the same kind of erasure of the kind of system we are borne unto and what affect it has upon us. oldest popular 45:12. I’ve never been as conflicted and confused after watching Mark Laita’s interview series called, “Soft White Underbelly.”. I think Mark Laita of Soft White Underbelly is a creep. Until then, we fall at the mercy of gatekeepers who sip from silver spoons and righteousness, peddling experience as a novelty like bus tours of the ghetto. I’m genuinely confused about how to feel about the Soft White Underbelly Youtube channel. His channel is not about exploiting black people.. that is so utterly ridiculous. The Washington Post. Here’s a thought: if something offends your ideals, instead of exercising your vocabulary , exercise your arms and get out in the trenches and take action. 14.2k Followers, 51 Following, 354 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Mark Laita (@mark_laita) I’m sure there are wonderful foster care success stories. Votre adresse de messagerie ne sera pas publiée. Anybody with training in journalism, specifically interviewing, knows how to actually address the trauma that he addresses so carelessly and recklessly. We are neither the underbelly nor the brain, but the heart of this country, forgotten under the guise of capitalist individualism and continued neglect as if our nation’s blood pressure never mattered. In these somberly-lit videos, the people being interviewed talk about their childhood and why they think they ended up where they did. “Inbred Family- The Whitakers”. mirrors the same kind of erasure of the kind of system we are borne unto and what affect it has upon us. The “Soft White Underbelly” Youtube channel is the pet project of a 60-year-old photographer named Mark Laita. Soft White Underbelly is a rapidly growing YouTube Channel that interviews people who are forgotten by society. Let this now be the grand reveal of my own implicit bias I haven’t the inclination to ever shed after years of desensitization of me and my own people’s suffering. No signup or install needed. They look blissfully happy in these photographs, which were shot by Laita. I receive therapy for different reasons, and after I talk about a heavy issue with my counselor, I feel drained, sad, and depleted for a few days. Anyone who watches his vidoes has seen how colder Mark has become. Prévenez-moi de tous les nouveaux articles par e-mail. The person’s color is not what is important here, it’s not the message. there were links to assist, shelters to donate to, mutual aid funds that could directly impact the subjects of Latai’s work on display for the audience to support. The “Soft White Underbelly” Youtube channel is the pet project of a 60-year-old photographer named Mark Laita. As of February 2020, Mark’s eponymous Instagram profile flaunted 6.4k followers. And homeless are vastly more likely to suffer from mental illness. Bad choices be damned if the opportunity to do something more, something better, were at least given to any of the interviewees. This channel contains featurettes of a myriad of people living on the streets in Los Angeles: most are drug addicts, but the lives of prostitutes, ex-gang members, etc. This was my fourth visit and I’ve given the family a financial gift each time“. Knowing Amanda probably took a hit of whatever illicit vice she was addicted to before becoming the subject of one of his most popular visual works screams exploitation; and while some might see it as an effective reality check for the desensitized citizenry of the United States, the lack of solution juxtaposed against his tone-deaf, savior-like lens doesn’t trend anywhere near a positive outcome. I don’t remember when or how I ended up subscribing to the YouTube channel Soft White Underbelly, in which a guy named Mark Laita brings people into his studio, records interviews, takes a stunning portrait photo of the interview subject, and then pays them for their time.He’s interviewed gangsters, pimps, prostitutes, homeless men and women, alcoholics, meth and fentanyl addicts. I usually wouldn’t, especially since the thumbnail featured two yearbook style photos of a black woman named Amanda in varying stages of her addiction. the last of a trilogy of videos he’d done over the past year. Community See All. However, it’s probably less money than Laita will make from the YouTube monetization he will receive from the 52,000 views the video has garnered. submitted just now by OhNoYouDien-t. comment; share; save; hide. 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