Sociological Analysis Of The Movie Essay

Before the civil rights movement could begin, a few courageous individuals had to guide the way. Dr. Vernon Johns was one of those individuals. Dr. Vernon Johns was a pastor and civil rights activist in the 1920s. Johns became the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama in the late 1940s. During his time as a pastor, Johns preached many sermons on how African American people were being treated not only in the community but in society. Johns on multiple occasions upset his community through his ideas on social change. Through a sociologist perspective, many sociological concepts were displayed in The Vernon Johns Story. Some of those concepts included: ascribed status, conflict theory, deviant behavior, alienation, and

discrimination.
Through a sociological viewpoint, ascribed status is defined as a social position that is assigned to persons by society or by birth. An ascribed status is often uncontrolled. The ascribed status that occurred in the movie was race. Vernon Johns’ ascribed status was being an African American man and there was nothing he could change about that. During the time period the movie took place, segregation was occurring. The white people in the community seemed to have superiority over the black people. This perception is called white privilege. White privilege is a set of advantages and/or immunities that white people benefit from on a daily basis beyond those common to all others. For example, in the movie on the public bus service, white people had the privilege to sit up front and black people had to sit in the back. Also the white establishments shown in the movie tend to be finer and more well kept than the black establishments. Just because of their ascribed status in society the characters in the movie were treated unequal.
Another sociological concept conveyed in the movie was conflict theory.

Conflict Theory is a theoretical orientation emphasizing the opposition among individuals, groups, or social structures. In the movie, the conflict theory was the black community verses the white community. For example, in the movie, Vernon Johns decided to enter a restaurant that was labeled whites only. As a black man by law he was not allowed to enter. At his own risk, he went inside anyways. As he entered, the white people inside suddenly stopped what they were doing. They all stared him down with an unwelcoming look. They shouted racial slurs at him as he sat down at the counter. There was a conflict between the two communities all because of the color of their skin

complexions.
With conflict comes deviance. Deviant behavior is behavior falling outside the acceptable range according to societal or group norms and values. Vernon Johns expressed deviant behavior multiple times within the movie. He dressed as a sharecropper and sold produce in front of the church because not enough black people were business owners. The white folks began calling him the watermelon man. He also wore the wrong attire to church because he says the clothing he wears are produced by white people and he wont support that. He neglected to wear shoe strings until black people start producing them. He refused to use the bus system because black people had to ride on the back on the bus and it was not fair to him. One night, he saw the Montgomery police drive past his home and was more than happy to approach them until his wife stopped him. He refused to give a young man’s funeral in the church because he believed he was a no good drunk even though his family was within good standing with the church. Usually at most funerals, you say nothing but good things to express your last memories and thoughts about someone but Dr. Johns did otherwise. He said nothing good about the young man and keep his speech very short and to the point. The deacons of the church believe every stereotype they worked so hard to rise above, Dr. Vernon Johns was bringing back down.
Additionally, alienation was another concept displayed in the movie.

Alienation is feelings of powerlessness, meaninglessness, and social isolation associated with certain social relationships. For example, in the grocery store, which were owned by white people. The white cashier refused to touch the black peoples’ hands. When handing them their brought items, he would let it hit the counter instead of handing it to them. The same thing occurred when the cashier went to hand them their change. The white cashier treated the black customers as meaningless and powerless. But, Dr. Vernon Johns said that the black people in their community are not business oriented therefore, they have no choice but to shop at the white businesses. Black people need to own more business which would lead to power and meaning for black

people.
Another sociological concept demonstrated in the movie was discrimination. Discrimination is an overt, unequal, and unfair treatment of people based on their group membership. For example, a young black woman was walking in the street late at night, two white Montgomery police officers chased her down, beat and raped her. She was not doing anything illegal, she was just simply walking along the street. She showed up at Dr. Johns house seeking for help. Dr. Johns immediately drove her to the nearest hospital. Once they arrived at the hospital, the doctors were not willing to treat her because their only color nurse was off duty. If they were to admit the young colored woman, the doctors were more than likely to lose their license and the hospital was more than likely to lose their certification. They had no choice but to leave and go to a Tuskegee hospital. In an immediate rush, Dr. Johns was driving a little faster than usual, which caused them to get pulled over. The officers that pulled them over were white men making racial slurs towards them. A few days after, Dr. Johns went to report the rape at the police station. The officer at the front desk, did not believe the situation and drove them away. Justice was never served.
Through a sociological perspective, Vernon Johns and his community displayed sociological concepts to express how life was in the 1940s. With the help of Vernon Johns and other leaders, the civil rights movement occurred and today’s society is changing day by day for equality.