Stereotypes In Blazing Saddles

Even in the advanced world we live in today, racism is still a strong presence in our everyday lives. Racism today can be seen in a variety of ways that are different than past displays. For instance, my friends that attended public high schools said that they noticed more racism from African Americans toward Caucasians than vice versa. In a lot of movies that are released in theaters today, it seems that the directors do a very good job of not displaying racism in movies, unless the movie is obviously about racism. In one of Mel Brooks’ most well known movies the 1974 film, Blazing Saddles, racism is shown in a different manner than almost any other

Pocahontas is a Walt Disney Pictures animation released in 1995 following the Disney Princess franchise. The movie is about Pocahontas, a native American lady whose home is invaded by Englishmen who wishes to exploit the land’s resources and to “civilize” the people living there. However, one of the Englishmen, John Smith, fell in love with Pocahontas. This essay studies the stereotypes of native American and them being essentialized in the media as being savages, sexism and also over romanticization, as represented in the movie.

Stereotype; a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. In the realistic fiction novel, The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, and in the short story, “Geeks Bearing Gifts”, written by Ron Koertge, stereotypes are defied by ordinary people. In The Outsiders, Johnny Cade and Darry Curtis face many struggles throughout their lives. Their town in separated into two: the rich and dangerous Socs, and the quiet, tough Greasers. For them, living dangerously is a reality. As a result of their lifestyle, Johnny has become fearful and Darry is considered the toughest man in the gang. In “Geeks Bearing Gifts” aspiring journalist, Renee, interviews her fellow classmates who are classified as “outcasts.” After meeting several students, she realizes her assumptions were incorrect about them. After reading both of these stories, the reader learns that our thoughts about others often revolve around stereotypes and assumptions, but most of these ideas that we have about other people are proven wrong.

Have you ever told one of your friends something, and you just felt the need to throw in

Jumping into a burning building is one of the things that the boys from the “Greaser Gang” would do for each other. When the main character, Ponyboy, jumps into a burning church to save children from the flames, his two gang members and family, Johnny and Dally, jump in after him to help get the children out and ensure that he can get out. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton shows two main themes. These themes show many examples of stereotyping could lead to misjudgment of people and to be loyal to the people around you, especially the ones close to you.

Blazing Saddles, a Mel Brooks film, is a perfect example of satire. The main object of the movie is to make fun of the western genre of films. Mel Brooks is notorious for his satires of many different films and film genres, and Blazing Saddles follows true to form. Many of the film’s ideas and problems are common in most westerns, although Mel Brooks has added a twist. In addition, the movie pokes fun at a more modern theme, racism.

American western movies were a thing of the 1950’s but they were no longer captivating in the 1970’s. It was apparent that guns, cowboys, and American heroes were no longer seen as a point of interest for the viewing public. Mel Gibson’s film entitled, Blazing Saddles, debuted in 1974 and seemed to fit the bill of the post-1960’s western. Blazing Saddles is a film that is able to take on racism and utilize it as an important reflection of the time. The film goes where no film has gone before in terms of discussing race and Hollywood. Blazing Saddles was able to seemingly integrate elements of Blaxploitation and introduce the film industry’s first interracial buddy comedy.

That’s what James Farmer grew up hearing. Those words determined everything he could and could not do. His town, he said, “was two towns-two worlds-one black, the other white.” I live in a time where I can go anywhere I wish with no worries. James was going to the “National Negro Conference” in Richmond. He was bringing along his friend and a white kid from the University of Texas. When planning his trip there was worry about driving through the deep south. He planned around it “thus avoiding the worst part of the South.” Living in this racism must have had a large role in James intellectual growth. During his childhood, he was denied many privileges. In his words, “Educated and uneducated alike were denied the privileges of trying on clothes in most downtown stores.” To me, this would have a negative impact on my life. Going places and people don’t serve you because of the color of your skin and not knowing why would have a tremendous

These days it seems like you can’t escape the all-seeing eye of PC culture. Every poorly worded joke or inconsiderate prank about race can lead to a person’s whole life being destroyed by woke twitter. Yet, a small made for TV movie known as Windy City Heat has managed to walk on by, unscathed by the wrath of PC culture. By stereotyping almost every minority group, Windy City Heat is arguably one of the most offensive films ever made, yet I found it amusing, hilarious, and a little enlightening. Ultimately, I believe that Windy City Heat uses extremes of stereotypes to vitiate the negative aspects of these stereotypes, and in doing so, acts as a morally acceptable pranks that aims to teach members of the film and the audience to be more welcoming.

We have all seen them in TV shows, movies, and music videos from the day. Greasers were heavily stereotyped gang members in the 40s and 50s that were known for their greased hair, switchblades, and leather jackets. How many of those are inaccurate, for greasers are not the only group that have been wrongfully stereotyped. One fictional greaser that has been stereotyped is Ponyboy, the fourteen year old narrator and main character of the popular novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Ponyboy is wrongfully stereotyped to be dumb, rough, and a criminal as are the rest of the greasers.

We are always told that we, people in America, are completely free, from speech to freedom of choices. A common known fact by all sociologists is that that way of thinking is completely false. The reason for this is the way we act, from the way we do our hair to the way we treat others, is hugely influenced by our society. To be more specific, the urge to fit in is fueled by the leadership, and crowds we consider “cool” in our society.

Imagine being hurt to the point you have trouble making rational decisions and you over-indulge on unhealthy foods. Well that is what is likely to happen when you face a negative stereotype.This study was done by April Kemick at the University of Toronto. People don't accept others the way they are because of stereotypes and prejudice.

For one second I want you to think about everything that you feel formed your identity, the neighborhood where you were raised, the city you’re from, your family and what were you surrounded by daily. Ponder on those things for a moment, now do you think that they give a fair description of who you are? Some would say yes and some would say no, all of us at one time or another has felt as though the people who are not from the south opinion of us is based on what they see; whether it be from movies, television shows, books or even the news, in their mind what they see is what it is. All of us are or have been guilty of subconsciously stereotyping people based on what may or may not even be completely accurate. “The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia” depicts a family let’s just say not in the best light, but in true authenticity. The film shows the ups and downs that the white family experience daily. From the “Mother” of the family Bertie Mae, who to me illustrates southern grandmothers all so well, by putting her needs to the side to care for others. Then to the children and cousins on the total opposite side of the spectrum, the film shows them as a country thick accented family who is careless in all of their ways, but one thing about them that

The single story is about how a people stereotypes one another based on what they learned through books, media, people, and other sources. For example, Chimamnda announced how she viewed Mexicans as immigrants and them trying to get through the borders, but the moment she stepped foot into Mexico the perspective she got from other sources changed everything. She was ashamed of herself because when she visit the view was completely different because what she saw was happiness, love, and fun. The single story is an image that is created based upon information that was given, but not on your own perspective. In other words, it is the truth to the reality. For example, when people hear of Niagara everyone think of land, poor, Africa, homeless,

Although the character of Sofia knows that her resistance will cause trouble, she feels it is more important to stand up for herself, than to bow down to repression of white authority. Had Sofia not fought back, she still would have been punished for cursing the Mayor’s wife. There was no pathway for Sofia to keep her dignity and not offend the Mayor and his wife. In that system, a black person had to remain inferior to whites, and in the South, follow the Jim Crow Laws that enforced segregation. C N Truman describes Jim Crow as “a minstrel show character from the 1830’s. He was portrayed as an elderly, crippled and clumsy African American slave and his portrayal showed all the negative stereotypes of African Americans – the black man with his white master with Jim Crow being thankful for his lot in life.” Sofia goes against these stereotypes as she is a strong-willed woman who throughout the text knows she is entitled to more. The only idea that Sofia follows, is that she unwillingly has a white master, but is never thankful for this.