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Kennedy N. Goolsby
English Comp. 1001
Professor Auterson
September 21, 2015
Dear White People: A Reflection
Curly haired, fair skinned, passionate, young female. Sam is determined to exploit the racist society that she lives through while attending the fictional Ivy League school, Winchester University. With a radio show and a self published book, Samantha “Sam” White quickly begins to stir up controversy on campus. Following the lives of four African American students in a predominantly white university, this film hits a nerve that in today’s society, we tend to try and disguise. Dear White People is a timely film that blatantly states it’s purpose and connects with an audience, that has provided such positive feed back. Many people have
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said that they feel attacked by the title itself, but that just shows how much the issues in the film need to be addressed. One major scene in the movie involves Sam creating a short film that is a spoof on the movie “Birth of a Nation” called “Rebirth of a Nation.” It showcases Caucasian people in white face and an overall feeling of resentment towards President Barack Obama, especially after running for a second term.
This scene appeals to kairos because it talks about current issues and current events that are timely involving the President of the United States. For example, the scene references the president making history by being the first African American president in America. Dear White People brilliantly uses the complexities of Obama-era racial consciousness to explore a basic paradox of interpersonal interaction (Scott). This scene also appeals to pathos because it focuses on the feelings and beliefs that African Americans have about the way Caucasian people in America rudely express their opinions of other …show more content…
races. Another influential scene from the film involves Sam and three other main characters (Lionel, Troy, and Coco) eating lunch in their residence hall while discussing controversial topics such as affirmative action, welfare, and gay rights.
During this discussion, a Caucasian character, Kurt Fletcher, decides to chime in with his opinion, “Bullshit…Look you’re biggest athletes, movie stars, hell guys my president is black. Sometimes I think the hardest thing to be in the American work force right now is an educated white guy”. Fletcher expresses logos in this statement because he presents a counter argument that he believes African Americans have so much opportunity that they are taking away chances for people of his race. Like many other Caucasian people in the film, Fletcher tries to support his opinions by making false statements that are completely out of context. Although there is a good dialog between Fletcher and White, there is a lot of people talking at each other stiltedly, not with each other (Harris).
Additionally, in another scene, Sam begins to get in trouble for her unruly actions on campus. When stopped by the dean, an African American male, for having a “racist” radio show, Sam counter argues that, “…racism describes a system of disadvantage based on race. Black people can’t be racist since we don’t stand to benefit from such a system”. Sam’s counterargument not only appeals to the audience of African Americans and minorities, but it also gets the message across
that these topics we thought were resolved in today’s day and age, are not talked about enough. Moreover, many say the climax of the film is inspired by Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing scene with the burning of Sal’s Famous Pizzeria and mixes with the overall concept of School Daze (Harris). The scene involves a Halloween party created by Fletcher and hosted by an African American female, Coco, to “unleash your inner negro” (Harris). The party is an outrage to the black community around and on campus, and soon it is shut down, do to violence. The relevance of the scene is extremely necessary and the timeliness is current. This is proven when the film shows images of real life parties that were the inspiration to the scene, which have occurred in the past few years. The parties made national news about exploiting the harsh realities of many prestigious universities across the U.S. This is in part a movie about racism, about how deeply white supremacy is still embedded in institutions that congratulate themselves on their diversity and tolerance (Scott). Simien’s created an opportunity for himself rarely granted to a person of color in Hollywood: the chance to criticize and expose racism almost entirely on his own terms (Harris). Due to positive reviews, the overall audience seems to enjoy the concept of the film. Because films today lack such honesty, Dear White People is a revelation for all willing to understand and listen to the obstacles African American face daily in the United States.
shows how important this is to him. It is as if them being white is an
Sam Woods is a middle-aged man, who works for the city of Well's police department. Until Chief Gillespie had arrived in town, Sam Wood had been rated as a big man, but Bill Gillespie's towering size, made Sam look a normal size. Sam takes a lot of pride into his work, and has read up on everything you need to no about being a police officer. Sam takes his job very seriously, and dislikes being told what to do by everyone and anyone, especially when it comes to Bill Gillespie. Sam dislikes Negro's. He thinks that they are very dirty compared to his race. It is not only black people who are dirty, there are many different races whom are dirty, and that has nothing to do with color, but self-induced. Also, he thinks that all Negro's are poor criminals, and also, he thinks that they have big butts, and they stink terribly when they sweat, and that they are stupid. But like I said, everyone is the same, being stupid has nothing to do with color, and having a big butt has to do with your genes and not color, and everyone's sweat is the same, and it is not like black peoples sweat is like acid. Sam Wood's opinion on Italians was that they married too early, and all got fat. But very many people do that, not just Italians, but white, black, yellow etc. But his opinion changed when he first me...
Not only does White discuss those instances of racial prejudice, she also talks about how racism affected her in her adult life. She is unsure if her being black was the reason her group of faculty members were denied a boat to explore the river. However, finally at the end of her essay, White explains how she overcame her fear and connected with a part of her identity that allowed her to find peace and strength in nature. She talks about how her ancestors from Africa were not afraid of the world around them and how they embraced it and how she
“I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group,” Peggy McIntosh wrote in her article White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Too often this country lets ignorance be a substitute for racism. Many believe that if it is not blatant racism, then what they are doing is okay. Both the video and the article show that by reversing the terms, there is proof that racism is still very existent in this world. By looking into A Class Divided and White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack along with their ability to broaden the cultural competence, once can see how race is still very prominent in our culture.
Tatum’s book “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” (1997) analyses the development of racial identity and the influence of racism in American’s culture. She emphasizes the Black-White interactions by comparing the terminology in which racism perceived based on David Wellman’s definition of racism. Tatum also believes racism is not one person in particular but is a cultural situation in which ethnicity assigns some groups significantly privileged compared to others. She illustrates how engaging children in terms of interracial understanding will empower them to respond to racial stereotypes and systems of discrimination.
When she first is confronted by the problem or race it hits her with a thump. Bob takes Alice to dinner where she states, “I don’t want feel like being refused” (55). Alice does what she can to avoid the face of racism. She lacks the integration within the different community, which gives her a one-path perspective. While going to the restaurant with Bob, he asks, “Scared because you haven’t got the white folks to cover you” (55)? She doesn’t have the protection of her friends or her parents to shy away from the truth of her being African American. She is hiding behind a mask because she’s passing as white. She’s accepting the assumption that she belongs to their culture. When she goes out, “with white folks the people think you’re white” (60). But, when she goes out with Bob there is nothing to hide behind. She’s confronted with the truth. Already feeling low about the restaurant, and getting pulled over by the cops, she uses her wealth to get out of the situation. She says, “I am a supervisor in the Los Angeles Welfare” (63). The power of her family shows that she be treated better by the cops and others in the
...nly seen in everyday television. Common beliefs of black families being more aggressive, having lesser moral values, and living less socially acceptable and lawful lives can be clearly seen through the actions of the white characters, and the thoughts that Chris expresses throughout the episode. The show uses satire to exaggerate black stereotypes to the point where it means the opposite of the comedic nature of which it was presented. The treatment and visualization of the lives of the black characters in the episode, through comedy and exaggeration, clearly shows the real-life problem of black stereotyping that is still all too present in American life. Chris’ everyday life as a black student in a white school and struggle to “fit in” is a struggle that non-white students have faced and are still facing today.
In “Citizens: An American Lyric” by Claudia Rankine the audience is placed in a world where racism strongly affects the daily American cultural and social life. In this world we are put as the eyewitnesses and victims, the bystanders and the participants of racial encounters that happen in our daily lives and in the media, yet we have managed to ignore them for the mere fact that we are accustomed to them. Some of these encounters may be accidental slips, things that we didn’t intend to say and that we didn’t mean yet they’ve managed to make it to the surface. On the other hand we have the encounters that are intentionally offensive, things said that are
This character tends to be the best friend of the white main character, yet the friendship is always one-sided. The character’s whole world seems to revolve around this white character; they never have a life of their own, aspirations, or even family. Their sole purpose is to be a prop to advance the characterization of the white character. The character Bonnie Bennett from CW show The Vampire Dairies exhibits these traits perfectly. In blog’s critique of the lack-luster portrayal of People of Color in the series the writer
Because the counselor sees that Dina is an African American student in an all-pronged white school, she assumes that she cannot fit into the white patriarchal system, which includes playing “frustrating games for smart people” (Drinking Coffee Elsewhere 117). The counselor assumes that Dina’s African American race deters her from being part of their school system. In many other instances,. Dina faces more events that show how institutionalized racism is seen in the workforce.
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 ...
One of the biggest issues depicted in the film is the struggle of minority groups and their experience concerning racial prejudice and stereotyping in America. Examples of racism and prejudice are present from the very beginning of the movie when Officer Ryan pulls over black couple, Cameron and Christine for no apparent reason other than the color of their skin. Officer Ryan forces the couple to get out of the car
This essay is about a girl who sees the different ways “Negroes” are perceived in a small town. She states that white people constantly remind her that she comes from grandparents who were slaves. It does not bother her, because it happened years ago and slavery was a price they paid for civilization that had nothing to do with her. The only time she feels like her identity is seen as something dangerous is when she 's in a white neighborhood. She feels that she sometimes is not a race but she 's her own self; she identifies herself as a human and not someone who people should be afraid of. The narrator feels discriminated against, but doesn 't feel angry about it. This essay shows that the narrator felt different when it came to skin beautiful dark skin and people with lighter skin than her, like people would discriminate against her for her skin color. Her racial identity was represented as someone was dangerous and someone whose background was from the times when there was slavery and thats how the whites see her; that is how she is identified but she says that it really doesn 't bother
Bradford’s intense past of dealing with not only being black in an essentially white neighborhood, but being called a “sissy” and “too sensitive,”
After Knocko calls out a racial slur, Fudge, Malik, Dreads, and another black student start a gang fight with the white power skinheads, beating them. At the underground skinheads’ dorm, Scott says that Remy 's posturing means nothing, and only actions do. He then shows Remy a sniper rifle and challenges him to action. The alienated and warped Remy agrees to kill for the white race. Remy has moved to the rooftop of a nearby building with the sniper rifle and prepares to open fire on the students. Erik stands lookout while the other racist skinheads attack a gay couple to distract security. Remy is obviously having trouble with doing this, but acquiesces when pushed by Scott who tells him to "do it for the Aryan Nation". He opens fire on the Peace Fest, causing a riot. An unnamed student is killed, and Deja is shot in the stomach. I felt overwhelmed, sad, shocked that a student would murder innocent people just to prove his loyalty. However, starting a gang fight did not help the situation. This event is bad because if racial groups start this method of “proving yourself”, ethnic controversy will be on a rise. My future expectations are to end school shootings while promoting unity. Ultimately, racism can have physical consequences such as violence. Moreover, racial conflicts occur because of social stereotypes and not scientific facts. Racist usually plea the concept of biological differences to support unjust social