Research Paper On The Movie 42

“42” features protagonist, Jackie Robinson, a black baseball player who is scouted by a major team executive, Branch Rickey to join the Brooklyn Dodgers. Being the first black to break the colour barrier in major league baseball, Robinson is faced with unrelenting racial hostility both on and off the field. He braves incessant racial slurs and threats while having to fight the tenacious urge to retaliate. The movie documents a pivotal moment of US history, as a single black man makes his mark in the history of baseball and changes the game forever, making it more inclusive of players of all skin colours. The premise of this essay is that news media plays a key role in changing society’s attitudes over time. This essay will discuss how racial

stereotypes in society led to the discrimination and oppression of the blacks, how the media holds the power to twist and publish stories with hidden agendas and how the gradual acceptance and breaking of the colour barrier in baseball was due to the diffusion of innovation theory.

Firstly, racial stereotypes were prevalent in society and often led to discrimination and oppression of the blacks. Racial stereotypes are over-generalised opinions of an individual or group because of his affiliation with a certain race. It is assumed that the entire racial population has the same characteristics, and these stereotypes are mostly negative (Ngee Ann Polytechnic 41-42). It often results in the race falling victim to discrimination or unfair treatment due to their skin colour or ethnicity (Ngee Ann Polytechnic 79).

Rickey, the team executive of the Brooklyn Dodgers countered the negative racial stereotype against blacks by scouting Robinson to join the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Several white players in the team were so outraged by this decision that they started a petition to refuse to play with Robinson on the team. The whites had grown up with the perception that the blacks were inferior to them and labelled them as ‘worthless’ and ‘dirty’. Growing up with such a stereotype ingrained into their minds led to them being unable to accept a black man on their team. Thus, discrimination and protest was the answer for them when faced with such a situation. Despite the internal unrest within the team itself, Rickey was rooted in his belief that race should not be a determining factor if one could play baseball or

not.

Similar to Rickey’s role of a change-maker in “42”, Martin Luther King was the leader of the African-American Civil Rights Movement in the United States who fought hard against racial inequality of the blacks. At that time, the blacks were seen as far more inferior to the whites and were treated with little to no respect. King’s speeches, such as “I Have A Dream” moved and inspired many blacks to stand up for their rights and called for the whites to stop the racial segregation (Martin Luther King’s Vision). Just like Rickey, King was a key figure in countering the negative stereotypes of the blacks.

Racial stereotypes are very much real and prevalent in society, even in today’s modern world. However, we have made immense progress as a society, and have become more accepting of all races. Racial stereotypes are now frowned upon. There are even laws in place to prosecute those who openly post racist remarks on public spaces such as social media. Discrimination and prejudice resulting from these stereotypes have likewise, decreased significantly.

Secondly, the media holds the power to twist and publish stories with hidden agendas. According to agenda setting, news media plays a vital role in prioritizing what news is most important, and guides the reader on which pieces of news to focus on. The events and issues given more extensive coverage shape and direct what the public should be thinking and talking about
(Wimmer, Dominick 5-6).

In “42”, Phillies’ manager, Ben Chapman had his own agenda for making up with Robinson in front of the media. It was an opportunity to save his personal and organization’s reputation from being marked as racist. Chapman had previously attacked Robinson with a string of derogatory remarks on the field because of his race, and came under fire for jeopardizing the reputation of the Philadelphia organization. Chapman tried to rectify his mistake by having his photo taken with Robinson on the field by reporters and saying that Robinson had been accepted by the Philadelphia organization. Robinson, however, had his own agenda when he agreed to the seemingly peculiar request. He knew that the picture would be circulated by many newspapers and that the story would be on how the white man who was once so against blacks on the field had become accepting of it. The portrayal of this acceptance had garnered wide media coverage, and was a first key step to society opening up their minds to the equal rights of the blacks. With such a media release, the audience is primed to think about the picture of Chapman and Robinson, while framing is used to spark discussions and thoughts on the reason behind Chapman’s sudden change in attitude. The news media in the movie, however, chose to focus on how a white racist man had softened his attitude and mindset towards welcoming blacks into baseball. In this case, the agenda set by the media was in favour of Robinson. From the audience’s perspective, if Chapman, someone who felt so strongly against blacks having the right to play baseball could accept the change, then maybe society could deal with the change too.

A real life example where agenda setting took place as well would be the Malaysian Airlines MH370 case.

The company was heavily critiqued for their poor response to the crisis. In response, Malaysian Airlines’ crisis director, Fuad Shariju admitted that his team could have handled the case better. He claimed that the airline was kept in the dark regarding the government’s efforts, which came off to the public as withholding information, which was beyond their control. Shariju expressed his grief, identifying with the devastation of the families of the victims (Culbertson). Agenda setting was used in this situation to evoke sympathy and understanding for Malaysian Airlines. Shariju’s transparency in the statements he released, as well as his identification with the emotional struggles of the families put the company on a more empathetic level.

Agenda setting was both very much prevalent and effective in both the movie scenario and the case study, as both media releases were twisted in the way in which the publications wanted to portray the

situation.

Thirdly, the gradual acceptance and breaking of the colour barrier in baseball was due to the diffusion of innovation theory. The diffusion of innovation theory is a social change that takes place over a period of time. This alteration is sparked off by a fresh perspective or idea introduced and may be met with challenges or uncertainty as people are often resistant to change. However, the idea may gradually be accepted and adopted, eventually leading to the change (Rogers 5-6).

Although this is an ongoing theme throughout the movie, the biggest breakthrough is when Robinson scores a home run which advanced his team to the World Series. All the spectators and commentators, regardless of race cheered and applauded Robinson for his outstanding performance. This scene was crucial in capturing the society’s validation of Robinson’s talent on the field, despite him being a black man.

According to the five adopter categories, the innovator role was played by Rickey, as he was ambitious and eager to present an opportunity for Robinson to prove his worth. The early adopter role was played by Leo Durocher, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, as he was in a position of power and was quick to jump on board with the idea of accepting Robinson once he saw his potential. The early majority role was played by the sprinkling of whites who supported Robinson as they believed that if he had the talent, he should be given the chance to compete fairly. The late majority role was played by Robinson’s teammates, who struggled to adapt to such a change, but eventually managed to accept him. The laggards role was played by Chapman, who was bitter and completely adamant about blacks not belonging on the field.

Parallel to the social change in ‘42’, the acceptance of homosexuality in Singapore is growing. For example, Pink Dot SG has become an annual event since 2009. The event was initiated by a group of individuals who advocate for the Singapore society to be more inclusive of the local LGBT community (Pink Dot SG). It is also widely publicized and supported by multinational companies. Homosexuality is also portrayed as the norm in the Western media, and this value is picked up by mostly the younger generation who are constantly exposed to these media forms.

The diffusion of innovation theory was both effective in the movie and the Pink Dot SG example. Although this theory may not produce immediate results, its effects are powerful. This theory is very prevalent in today’s society where new ideas are always being formed and perceptions are ever changing.

The acceptance of the first black baseball player in major league baseball was a slow process which initially met with immense backlash, but eventually resulted in the blacks being accepted as equal members of society. The news media and opinion leaders played a significant role in facilitating this change in society’s attitudes. It showed the whites who were initially resistant to Robinson joining the team eventually accepting him and highlighted Robinson’s achievements on the field.