The White Savior Complex is a damaging subconscious underlay of the Hollywood system, and more broadly all of western society. It is used to further separate the notions of “us” and “other” by creating a firm separation fueled by self-righteousness, and a sense of entitlement. Hollywood attempts to address race relations, but fails because of this trope. Kingsle, from the article “Does My Hero Look White In This?” described that both racism and colonialism are acknowledged, but not without reassuring that not only were white people against the system of racist power dynamics, but also were actively fighting against it in leadership roles (2013). In the remainder of my essay I will be commenting on many modern films and their use on this trope, and why subscribing to this filmmaking strategy is problematic.
The White Savior Complex is a trope where an ordinary ethnically European character meets an underprivileged non-European character. Taking pity on the other characters situation, the White Savior ‘selflessly’ volunteers themselves as their tutor, mentor, or caretaker, to help them rise above their predisposition (White Mans Burden, 2004). The White Savior, at their core is the application of colonialized ideals, which casts people of colour as incompetent, and hopeless, until the White Savior comes to rescue them (White Mans Burden, 2004). A common destructive trait of this trope involves white people conquering non-white people, and eliminating their culture under the prefix of 4helping them (White Mans Burden, 2004). The conception of this trope took place in the 18th and 19th century in adventure fictions. During the period of European exploration, the trope has since modernized and has become problematically common (Kings...
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...help. The Blindside had similar characteristics of white privilege, the Sandra Bullock character appeared to be headstrong, passionate, capable, and effective while Michael Oher was perceived as emotionally stunted, and unable of helping himself. The White Savior syndrome as we have seen has the tendency to render people of colour lacking the capacity to seek change, and erasing their historical agency (Cammarota, 2011). Any progress or success is from the aid of a white individual, which suggests that escaping poverty, or ignorance, is thanks to the intelligence of the White Savior. Freire calls this “false Generosity” (1998) a white person may provide help to a person of colour yet help comes in the form of saving, the emphasis on saving instead of transforming fails to acknowledge the oppressive structure and in turn maintains white supremacy. (Cammarota, 2011).
In “The Help, A Feel-Good Movie That Feels Kind of Icky”, Dana Stevens discloses her thoughts on a movie that focuses on the civil rights movement. Stevens has a lot to say about the movie, good and bad, however the focal point of it is that in the media industry we like to sugarcoat the truth about times in history. This movie is about black-white relations in America and happens to end up being mostly about a white character and her journey to enlightenment. Stevens points out that in media it seems that we address issues but always have a dominant white character. The movie offers insight into what life was like during the civil rights movement but “the catharsis it offers feels glib and insufficient,” reinforcing Stevens statement about the media and it diminishing the ugly truth about race relations in America (Stevens 776). She also goes on to say that media does this to allow the viewer to not feel so guilty about racism in the past and to try while at the same time putting the viewer’s mind to rest about present day racism. Stevens believes that the movie is somewhat of a blurred line between what actually happened in the past and it being a feel good movie. For it to be historically accurate, Stevens would say it
Robinson, Cedric J. Forgeries of Memory and Meaning: Blacks and the Regimes of Race in American Theater and Film Before World War Ii. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2007. Print.
White privilege is incredibly in evident in Rush Hour through the roles of the FBI agent in charge of the case. When the Chinese consular calls Lee for backup. The FBI agents feel threatened and annoyed and use the excuse that Lee will simply become a distraction and liability on the case. To the agents, Lee is a foreigner whose crime fighting tactics are subpar when it comes to the almighty FBI of the United States of America. They believe their department is the number one enforcer and that Lee will simply be a pest. As a result, they assign Carter, who is African American, to babysit him. As a result, the entire film is about their desire to find the consul’s daughter despite the commands of the FBI. Pham makes the comment that “Because Lee and Carter are the racial underdogs who successfully challenge two white FBI agents, they represent globally sympathetic figures” (Pham 126). As audience members, we often root for the underdogs and celebrate their victories. At the end of the film, Lee and Carter save the day, while the FBI agents experience embarrassment for not having trusted them. But is that all they get? Embarrassment? In today’s day and age, a public announcement of this racial discrimination would have gotten those FBI agents fired. Hollywood’s omission of the repercussions of exhibiting racism just goes to show that white privilege is incredibly prevalent. The FBI agents belong to the dominant class. Desmond and Emirbayer point out that
The film industry is no stranger to racism; from the days of blackface to the exploitation and appropriation of Black culture, Hollywood executives, producers, writers, and actors have all sought to suppress and oppress Black culture for the mainstream viewing audience, as well as Black audiences themselves. These days, however, to reach a perpetually changing demographic of teenagers, film companies have had success stories with films like American Pie, Cruel Intentions, and Can't Hardly Wait - all movies geared towards teens armed with their parents' money. However, in an effort to appear diverse while making movies that appeal mainly to suburban, White teenagers, Hollywood has decided to place in the 'token black guy;' the one person of color in the entire movie, but stand in the back and doesn't really do anything.
Prior to beginning my readings on white racial identity, I did not pay much attention to my white race. If someone had asked me to describe my appearance I would have said short blond hair, blue eyes, average stature, etc. One of the last things I would have noted was the color of my skin. Growing up in overwhelmingly white communities, I never thought to use the color of my skin to differentiate myself from others. Over the course of this dialogue I have learned that my white racial identity is one of the most defining aspects of my appearance in this society. There is a certain level of privilege that I am afforded based solely on the color of my skin. According to Peggy McIntosh, “White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, compass, emergency gear, and blank checks” (71). All these objects listed by McIntosh are things I have access to and certainly take for granted. Due to a history of non-white racial oppression, which transformed into decades of racial discrimination that still lingers today, the white race has dominated our society in terms of resources and prosperity. The ideas of wealth, higher-level education and ambition to succeed are all traits commonly linked to people of the white race that collectively define privilege. The aspect of privilege can also produce disadvantages for people of the white race as well. In the book Promoting Diversity and Justice, the author D. Goodman notes that people of advantage groups develop a sense of superiority, which will sometimes lead them to wonder if, “their achievements were based on privilege or merit” (107). Along with a diminished sense of accomplishment, the cost ...
“Once we had only the land. The white man came and brought us the Bible. Now we have the Bible, and they have the land” (Hare, 178). In Nathan Hare’s Brainwashing a Black Men’s Mind, Hare believes the Black society is being brainwashed into thinking that Whites are the supremacy. Nancy Larrick’s, The All-White World of Children’s Book’s (1956), states “... white child learns from his books that he is the Kingfish [top dog].” (63) Which leads to, how are the Whites brainwashing a Black man’s mind? Hare gave the following example, controlling and manipulating the minds and bodies of the subjects [blacks] will be the best by removing the blacks normal settings.
In the twenty-first century, black audiences have the opportunity to enjoy movies where leading roles are black figures, and witness the diverse stories within the black community. Several film directors feel the need to comment on African-American history in order to contribute to the progression of the century. With the increase of films engaging in the trials and triumphs of African-Americans, comes a new problem—blaxploitation films. Blaxploitation films essentially use African-American stories as a basis for their plots, but instead of being profound, are a detriment to representation of the black community. Tarantino’s film, Django Unchained, serves as the perfect example of a blaxploitation film, because: the film is primary based on a historical
As a fan of cinema, I was excited to do this project on what I had remembered as a touching portrait of racism in our modern society. Writer/Director Paul Haggis deliberately depicts his characters in Crash within the context of many typical ethnic stereotypes that exist in our world today -- a "gangbanger" Latino with a shaved head and tattoos, an upper-class white woman who is discomforted by the sight of two young Black kids, and so on -- and causes them to rethink their own prejudices during their "crash moment" when they realize the racism that exists within themselves. This movie does provoke a dialogue on race that, according to author and journalist Jeff Chang, "has been anathema to Hollywood after 9/11. " During the first viewing of this movie, the emotionally charged themes of prejudice and racism are easy to get caught up in. (125) Privilege is inclined to white males through every facet of our everyday lives that inconspicuously creates racism through classism.
In the blockbuster movie The Blind Side, director John Lee Hancock brings to light an emotionally charged and compelling story that describes how a young African American teenager perseveres through the trials, tribulations and hardships that surround his childhood. The themes of class, poverty, and also the love and nurturing of family encapsulate the film mainly through the relationship that Mrs. Tuohy and Michael Oher build during the entirety of the movie. This analysis will bring together these themes with sociological ideas seen throughout the course.
Ngũgĩ (1993) explains how Africans have been “oppressed and silenced” (132) for years in order to benefit the white character, although, the white character does not “see the human faces” (132) of Africans, but instead only see them as a form of profit. Yet, in both films, the director slowly reverses the roles of both races as some white individuals try to understand Africans oppression, treating Africans with respect and kindness. In Sarafina!, when the white mother realizes Sarafina needed time alone with her mom, instead of ignoring her needs, she allowed them to spend time together (Sarafina!, 1992). This is important because it shows how white characters are starting to be more empathic towards Africans needs, starting to value them as people instead of servants. In Amandla!, white individuals rallied together with Africans to help push for equality and some were put in jail in hopes to decrease African’s oppression (Amandla! 2002). Both examples reflect Dargis’ work (2002) on how white characters are slowly seeing Africans as “more than a decorative function,” (1) as Africans are speaking up for the actions and trying to stop the hatred in a humane way. Dargis (2002) criticizes how directors provide a more truthful and raw story of Africans struggle and injustice as “the camera usually talks louder and more honestly than anything he [the director] may say” (2). This allows, for the first time, for white characters to connect and see Africans as humans, rallying with them and not against
However, the movie industry has been booming for years now, and creators are trying to gather up new ideas where and when they can. This has lead to movies being produced showcasing many other cultures, regions, and religions but there is only one problem: these movies meant to display the grand diversity of the world are being depicted by the same caucasian Hollywood actors. The phenomenon of originally characters of foreign ethnicities being portrayed in Hollywood films by white actors instead of actors of the correct heritage of usually referred to as “White Washing”. As of 2017, the public census has shown that specifically African-Americans compose 14 percent of the entire United States population (“Facts About Racial Discrimination”), yet hardly any movies are made to specifically target this audience by people of this descent. There are many instances of white actors being hired to play POC in big screen hits, with examples including Angelina Jolie, a woman of mixed-european heritage, playing an afro-cuban character in the 2007 film “A Mighty Heart”, as well as Carey Mulligan, another woman of mixed-european descent, playing an originally latina character in the 2011 flick “Drive” (“25 Times White Actors Played People Of Color”). The underlying issue here is that it’s not like there are a lack of actors and actresses of all different ethnicities to be
As white explorers venture into Africa, they encounter the native populations of the land. These interactions illuminate the difference between the two cultures concreting the idea of white superiority as they bring order and civilization. The introduction of diseases, harsh environments and rural living begin to test the mental stability of the colonizers. Through the colonization of Africa, both Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart emphasize the deterioration of the white men’s sanity without the rigid boundaries to keep their sense of control.
The power of this is used as a tool to inform audiences of particular races by enforcing stereotypes. It is a way that does not mess with the structure already in place. Shohat and Stam 's reading provides a powerful insight to the practices put in place by the industry. Shohat and Stam 's reading provides a powerful insight to the practices put in place by the industry. It is rare to see a person of colour portray themselves of the 'white race '. Yet it is acceptable for a white person to portray someone who they are not. These practices of white washing excuse the behaviour and paint the idea that only European views are acceptable. Racial politics raise serious debates as to why this issue is present. Despite numerous efforts this problem still remains in Hollywood. Due to Europe dominating the world with their view it is no surprise that the same is done in
While watching movies, have you ever noticed that the villains in almost every single Hollywood film are of Middle Eastern or European descent? In a reoccurring theme of Hollywood, the villains in these films are almost always foreigners or people of color. This is a stereotype. On the other side of the spectrum, we often see that the heroes of these films are most often than not white males. This is another stereotype. Within the last few years, we’ve seen actors such as Will Smith, Morgan Freeman, and Zoe Saldana take the lead roles, so it can’t be said that there are no non-white heroes, but there certainly isn’t many. Hollywood action movies, moreover than other genres, are typically loaded with an abundance of stereotypes. The way these movies are composed and structured can tell us a great deal about the views held within the American psyche and who holds the social power. The harsh reality is that the media ultimately sets the tone for societal standards, moralities, and images of our culture. Many consumers of media have never encountered some of the minorities or people of color shown on screen, so they subsequently depend on the media and wholeheartedly believe that the degrading stereotypes represented on the big screen are based on fact and not fiction. Mary Beltran said it best when she stated in her “Fast and Bilingual: Fast & Furious and the Latinization of Racelessness” article, “ultimately, Fast & Furious mobilizes notions of race in contradictory ways. It reinforces Hollywood traditions of white centrism, reinforcing notions of white male master while also dramatizing the figurative borders crossed daily by culturally competent global youth – both Latino and non-Latino” (77). This paper will specifically look...
Often times there will be harmful stereotypes perpetuated through the characters that we are shown, and although it is improving over time it is still rare to see people of various ethnicities shown as main protagonists in large scale movies even when they take place somewhere it would make the most sense. A study done from 2007 to 2014 showed that out of 700 popular mainstream movies, 73.1% of the characters were white, and that “[o]nly 17 of the 100 top films of 2014 featured a lead or co lead actor from an underrepresented racial and/or ethnic group.” In the same way that women are often depicted as sensitive and emotional, you will frequently see people of different races put into roles that play into common stereotypes surrounding them. Having these images shown not only to the people not represented, but also to young people looking for themselves in shows and movies and all things of the sort, can negatively influence the way that people see and act towards themselves and