Gran Torino: Old Fashioned Racism

Watching movies is a leisurely activity enjoyed by many people. Not only are movies enjoyable to get a good laugh, cry, or just to relax to, but there are many things to be learned from movies as well. For this project I choose to examine two movies from a sociological perspective. The two movies I chose are, Law Abiding Citizen and 8 Mile.

Films represent groups to differ from one another due to their physical characteristics. This is especially true in Clint Eastwood's f2008 film Gran Torino. The film follows the changing attitudes of Walt Kowalski, as he learns that cultural difference between himself and his Hmong neighbours are only surface deep. Walt's friendship with his neighbours evolves into a need to save them from the Hmong gangs who harass them, and in doing so, find his own salvation. The characterisation of Walt challenges the stereotypical representation of both the elderly, and war heroes. The representation of the Hmong also challenges dominant attitudes towards this group of people, revealing them to be very similar in values to Walt himself.

‘Identify critical moments in the film Gran Torino where Walt Kowalski is transformed from a racist tormented character to a compassionate father figure.‘

134). In Gran Torino, the concept of social categorization is depicted by Walt’s ignorance of Sue’s (Tao’s sister) ethnic background, in which he asks her, “What is a... where is Hmong or whatever?” she responds by saying, “Wow! You’re so enlightened. Hmong isn’t a place, it’s a people. Hmong people come from different parts of Laos and Thailand and China” (Eastwood et al., & Eastwood, 2008). Another example of social categorization is shown by Walter’s misconceptions about Sue’s and other Asian-Americans ethnic backgrounds when he said, “What in the hell’s the matter with you? I thought all you Asian girls were supposed to be so smart. That’s how you end up in the obituaries, that is, if they can identify your body once they pull it out of the goddamned river” (Eastwood et al., & Eastwood, 2008).

In early African American Cinema, filmmakers had a mission to move away from white perspectives on what it meant to be black (Stewart 225). Oftentimes, we would see black actors being portrayed in scenes as the antagonist committing crimes, as in the case of D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation. Soon after Griffith released the film, filmmaker Oscar Micheaux forever changed American Independent Cinema with his “response” film Within Our Gates, which helped start the advent of race films (NAACP 1). Some of the most notable race films were: The Homesteader, Body and Soul, and The Blood of Jesus. Such films were produced for all-black audiences that featured black casts. But that did not necessarily mean that they were directed and written by

In writing your paper you must pick at least 5 separate incidences from the movie. For each incidence, describe how it relates to psychological phenomenon. Be sure to use concepts from across all of psychology. Do NOT, for example, just pick examples from social psychology (such as conformity and stereotyping);

Gran Torino is a 1999 film directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, a movie that demonstrates racism and gender stereotyping and reaching across cultural barriers that can be overcome with understanding. The masculine protagonist know as Walt Kowalski is decorated Polish Korean War Vet who carries the burden of things he did in war, which will affect him for the rest of life. He is portrayed as bitter, grumpy racist old man, who seems to hate everyone and everything around him. He is a retired auto worker at Ford, where he help manufactured his prize possession a 1972 Gran Torino. The Gran Torino is a reminder happier times in the past working at the manufacturing

Over the course of two days, the lives of some Los Angeles citizens strategically clash infiltrating conflicting intersections of race, ethnicity, class, and gender driven by their apprehensive interactions. The film Crash portrays an exemplary depiction of contemporary society entangled in the cyclic, and often chaotic, entails of modern prejudice – a lingering by-product of big-city living. In an attempt to flesh out the complexity and breadth of modern prejudice as a consequence of fear and urban-living (urban-overload hypothesis); I will propose and elaborate connections to three social-psychological concepts: stereotypes, public compliance, and negative-state relief hypothesis as some of its perpetuating agents. Additionally, these concepts will be elaborated within scenic depictions of the film and connected to social-psychological research findings to provide depth.

In the movie Gran Torino, racism played a major role. Walt was a Korean War veteran. He was aggravated that Asians were his neighbors, and used offensive racist words like “Swamp rats, zipperhead, chink, gook, barbarians, egg roll, dragon lady, jungle person, toad, yum yum, etc.” Walt

The movie Crash was made to show the effects of racial tension between different people after 9/11 took place. The director Paul Higgins did an amazing job in interlinking the different lives in this dramatic film. Each scene contained both psychological and sociological factors that substantiated his efforts in making the audience aware of the race and gender tensions. This analysis will discuss these psychological and sociological factors of four scenes from the movie Crash. This scene opens up showing a view of a modern day city going about a normal day.

Since film began, minorities have been marginalized as characters and have not had their own stories told. Some filmmakers have attempted to fix this by going outside of Hollywood production system to make films that positively reflect the lives of minorities. This is not an attempt that is limited to Hollywood, however. African filmmakers have also gone outside the normal means of production in order to get their films made and their voices heard. Starting with Hollywood race films in 1915 to about 1950, along with the efforts of Sembene and the emergence of Nollywood, filmmakers have taken production into their own hands to ensure black lives are accurately portrayed.

The film’s scenes reinforces the idea that women must rely on white heroes to provide stability and guidance to be able to survive. Gran Torino exploits the idea that the white western male is the dominance and other cultures need to really on the typical American male figure to find guidance and stability in society. On the flip side, this represents and stereotypes the Hmong community as incapable of obtaining their own stance in society. Unfortunately, it is thus displayed that the American way is the only way which evidently challenges the ideas and ideologies of the Hmong

In this movie, there are many examples of social psychology topics. Discrimination, aggression, attitude change, and friendship are among some of the most important. When the guys walk in the first saloon, they are instantly discriminated against because of

The phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” has become cliché, but the movie, “A Class Divided” sheds light on the random differences society uses to judge. This movie reveals the results of a brown eye/blue eye discrimination exercise created and conducted by 3rd grade teacher, Jane Elliot. Elliot creates a sample society out of her classroom in Iowa, the first day the students with brown eyes are disadvantaged and reviled and the students with blue eyes are praised as being superior and privileged. The second day of the experiment the roles were reversed. The children involved learned first hand what is means to discriminate and be discriminated against. This exercise and the movie, “A Class Divided” simplifies and relates racism in a way that allows a more rational understanding of minorities and racism as a social creation.

"Gran Torino," directed by Clint Eastwood, is a very moving and captivating drama. It's a simple story about tolerance and cultural differences, but also one of hope, self-sacrifice, and unlikely friendships. A former auto worker at Ford, Walt Kowalski has just had to put his longtime wife to rest when the story opens. From his scowl, it looks as if he would like to join her. Instead he sits on his front porch chugging can after can of cheap beer in the company of his yellow Labrador, Daisy, while watching the world at a safe distance with a squint and a stream of bitter commentary. The remaining members of his family, including two sons with big houses, big cars, big waistlines, have no choice but to let him stew alone.