Racism In The Film Remember The Titans

“How do Boaz Yakin and Tate Taylor depict historical content to develop the theme of racism in Remember the Titans and The Help in similar and different ways?”

Racism is still a high profile subject in the media today. The film “Remember The Titans” directed by Boaz Yakin strongly shows the theme that “colour is only skin deep”. This is shown when Boone is talking to Yoast in his shed, when Petey defends Louie while they’re eating at camp, and at the end of the movie when Sheryl is older.

In the United States, racial segregation has been a controversial issue throughout the years. The colored and the white were separated not only in residential regions but also in educational systems. Students were unable to attend their prefered school due to the color of their skin. The fight for equality was difficult to achieve, but cases such as the Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education pushed for the equality of all men and women. These cases were not the only factors for racial equality. Novels, such as To Kill a Mockingbird, aided the push for equality as it made the audience aware of the inequality put upon colored men and women. The idea of one race being superior to the other still exists. Although the common world may not think of it, racial prejudice is a common issue. There are many towns that continue to be segregated due to the societal views on race. To this day, the concept of “separate but equal” is continued rather than alleviating the problems of prejudice.

In the movie "Remember the Titans" there are many lessons that every person should learn in their life. One of the most important lessons is that of racism. In this day and age some people believe that racism is over because there are no longer any slaves, some people believe that there is still racism but that it is ok. I believe that those people would benefit a great deal from seeing this movie. I know that there is still racism, I also know that it is not ok.

Prejudice, as defined in psychology, involves holding a negative attitude towards the members of a group, based merely on their membership of that group. Any group can be the focus of prejudice. A person, who is prejudiced against a certain group, has a tendency to overlook the individual characteristics or behavior of members of the group to whom he/she is prejudiced, merely because they belong to that group. In the film ‘Remember the Titans’ (2000), prejudice is portrayed in several ways, but mainly focuses on the discrimination of the African-Americans. One form of prejudice, which if frequently revisited in the film, is racism. Racism occurs when prejudice and discrimination are directed at people who are members of a particular

Minorities are an endangered species. Not only are they targeted by the police, but are also subject to ridicule and misrepresentation in the media. Back when racism was above the surface, when raping, killing and lynching of blacks was a Sunday afternoon activity, is where we start to see the systematic oppression of minorities in the media. White males would paint their faces black, and exaggerate facial features such as the lips and nose, and mock the black community. Even in today’s society, we have sports teams called the Chiefs and Indians, which Native Americans have made clear are offensive to their history and culture, yet no changes have been made. Many people turn a blind eye to the fact that minorities are targeted by the media and it is not always obvious. To be able to spot some of the inequality in the media, one has to really be aware, and analyze how different races are being portrayed.

“Remember The Titans” by Boaz Yakin is a visual where both the African Americans and All Americans still live in a time where racism was stronger and more open then today. When the school board decides to integrate both schools the white community doesn’t take it to well and a Young African youth is slain which causes uproar in the city. The uniting of both schools goes on and we as audience can see the hostility shown towards both races. It’s not until the football team and leaders unite do we start seeing a change in the community. The respect for an individual isn’t based upon his color but his soul. The uniting of a team brings a community bound by racism and hatred together for the greater good.

The world was at a major turning point in the 70’s, anti-racial segregation groups had started fighting for their rights as equals, much to the despair of the prominent whites of the United States. African-Americans were often bullied, harassed and attacked, they weren’t even permitted to get on the bus, so the Titans received very racial discrimination and objections.

Recently my english class had read the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. We also watched the movie Remember the Titans. Race relations have changed drastically through the years and is represented in the book and the movie. In this analysis, I will write about how in America we have gotten past seeing color and see people for who they are.

Non-discrimination is an important aspect for the unification of different cultures in our society. I will demonstrate how black and white youth can form closer relationships, how parents can teach non discrimination and how can society find their true cultural identity. Discrimination in society is an issue that has been happening in our society for many decades, where people of color were not able to have certain privileges. As the years past white and black people learned how to form a close relationship between each other. The movie Remember the Titans, is an example of how this relationships came into practice.

The social construction of race and the correlating stigma and stereotypes associated with different races has consistently played a large role in our society. Since our country’s founding, race has been deeply engrained into our culture—the most prominent example being slavery—and has created layers upon layers of underlying societal issues. The race issue in America has been illuminated in recent years, both intellectually and physically. Artists have explored the repercussions of race as a societal function and the implications of our country’s racial history through literature and artwork, and specific events such as racial crimes have sparked attention in the media through physically showing the issues race and its history create. An example of examining race in America on an intellectual level can be seen in Toni Morrison’s essay Playing in the Dark, which discusses the role race plays specifically in literature and how that role reflects and influences society. Anna Deveare Smith examines race on a physical level in her play Twilight: Los Angeles through taking the concrete example of the event involving Rodney King and reproducing her interviews with local community members. Through this reproduction, Deveare Smith expands this concrete example of injustice in the name of race to how society is impacted as a whole by race. The ideas set forth in Playing in the Dark are mirrored in Twilight

Over 400 hundred years there has been slavery, racism, and discrimination in America with blacks, and other minorities. A famous man once said “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word” – Martin Luther King Jr (brain quote). The movies ‘Miracle at St. Anna’ directed by Spike Lee, and ’12 Years a Slave’ directed by Steve McQueen both show the struggle African Americans went through during a tough racial period in American history. Even today in Modern society African Americans still deal with racism. Spike

“For the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line,” this was a statement made by W.E.B. Dubois in 1903, and it can be seen in many areas in today’s society with the film industry being amongst them. Many films have gone down the line of troubled youth needing a leader to guide them and in so many of these movies the troubled youth are from ethnic backgrounds. One film that shows the divide of race that is prevalent today is the film Dangerous Minds directed by John N. Smith in 1995. The film is loosely based on the book “My Posse Don’t Do Homework” by ex-Marine Lou Anne Johnson. The film comes off as a feel good, inspirational film that is supposed to encourage students and teachers not to give up when things seem rough in life, but it accomplishes this through false ideology. Analysis of this film through Critical Race Theory will show that pedagogy, the white savior approach, and race are misrepresented and promoted to further enhance white supremacy in the American culture.

The inferiority complex placed upon the subaltern is adverse, calamitous, and destructive. The subalterns are and have been alienated, isolated, marginalized, and outed from the hegemonic forces. They are distinguished as that of a lower class, inferior, and they do not have a voice in the world because they are outside of the hegemonic class; they are not able to tell their side of history. “To be colonized is to be removed from history, except in the most passive sense.” In the world today, the reason why that we rarely hear from the subalterns is because their voice is viewed as inferior, they have assimilated into the colonial power’s culture, and loss of personal identity. However, from becoming aware about African intellectuals, such as Frantz Fanon, and historical references to the conscious development of “racial constructs” will allow people to view the static images of subalterns in films in a different light; a light of awareness and outrage. It helps to give the subaltern a chance to tell his or her side of history and it results in talk about race in the world. In Frantz Fanon’s book, Black Skin, White Mask, it expounds that films, from the subaltern’s point of view, help to create is discourse about race relations in the Unites States and the world alike through allowing the view to think differently, express sympathy for the subaltern, and give as to why we rarely hear from the subaltern.

The United Arab Emirates is competitive in many areas of economic freedom. Barriers to trade are quite low, and regulations support open-market policies. With a favorable business climate and political stability, the UAE has created a dynamic entrepreneurial environment for international investors. The finan To Kill a Mockingbird, produced in 1962, is an exquisite film adored by many. This classic trial displayed drama and established a childhood innocence from the narration of an adult’s point-of-view, which captivates the viewers’ attention throughout the entire film. To Kill a Mockingbird uses dynamic historical references, narrative structure, and editing to contrast the problem of the racism and the hope for a sentiment of a kinder, gentler, more naïve America. Horton Foote utilizes the development of the civil right movement which deals with the eradication of racial segregation and discrimination against African-American to create a magnificent movie. The film “To Kill a Mockingbird” uses the reality of white supremacy to backdrop the idea of African-American Civil right movement and to depict the concept of racial segregation during this era. African-Americans in the South had little or no rights and were considered an easy picking for abuse and accusation. The historical reference is an important aspect of the film where it uses racism, slavery, and discrimination to influence the narrative structure and style of a very outstanding movie. This essay will