So Much More Than Just A Movie: Remember the Titans
Nature of the Problem
Are you Racist?
Hopefully, my question has caught your attention because racism still exists in the world today! Before I start talking about the film lets get familiar with a few important terms:Racism: Prejudice and discrimination based on a person's racial background (Kassin, 2016).
Prejudice: Negative feelings about others based on their membership in certain groups (Kassin, 2016).
Discrimination: Negative behaviors directed against others based on their memberships in particular groups (Kassin, 2016).
Plot
In 1971, a black head coach for football by the name of Herman Boone was hired. At this time it was a "white" only high school. This caused many racially motivated conflicts both on and off the field. As the season continues Boone uses his position of power to achieve peace between the white and black football players. He makes the team work together to achieve a common goal and does not allow the players to feed on the racist mentality. By doing this the team is able to achieve greatness and become State Champions gaining the support of their community.
Remember the Titans movie made its debut in 2000, although this may seem a little outdated it can still be used as a tool to demonstrate racism. One difference you'll find is the display of Old Fashioned Racism (Blatant, Explicit, Unmistakable) vs. Modern Racism (Subtle, Ambiguous).
(Pclord20xx, 2008)
In the scene above, you witness racism immediately with the signs being held stating, "against busing." As the scene progresses you hear, "What do you think you're doing in MY school boy?", and "Look at THEM, THEY hate us." By the end, you cringe at the sight of Emma unwilling to shake Julius' hand. The choices made to say or act on these negative feelings because of a person's racial background is what makes this scene a prime example of racism. This rooted idea that someone's racial background makes them inherently different is the nature of the problem.
Causes of the Problem
Are you Superficial?
Many of us have answered this question within seconds. Well, what if I told you this was one of the causes of the problem? Would you believe me? What if I told you that many of us classify people into groups based on common attributes known as social categorization. It can be done just as quickly as you answered the question above, except we are forming opinions of others. We find ourselves overestimating our differences between groups and underestimating differences within our established groups. This makes it especially difficult to recategorize.
(Bigmacmdm, 2012)
Gerry makes the decision to tell coach Boone to cut his close friend Ray from the Football Team because he is unwilling to change his toxic attitude. Gerry was able to get past the superficial attributes and preconceived judgments and develop meaningful relationships with other teammates. He was able to figure out that his perceived ingroup became a noticeable outgroup.
(Akram, 2010)
Why was Gerry able to make this decision? The answer is a special bond he created with Julius. The scene above says it all. When Gerry tells the nurse, "Are you blind don't you see the family resemblance that's my brother." This statement demonstrates the ability to shift groups Julius goes from being seen as someone Gerry had no identity with into someone he considers family. My hope is by watching this clip we recognize that sometimes the people we think have the least in common with us, end up the people we align with most. That we are able to answer the questions above honestly and that our answer will be NO.
Reducing the Problem
Are you Competitive?
Sometimes all we need is a common goal to see just how similar we are. Unfortunately, it is not always that easy because not all goals align. What we witness toward the end of the film is what is known as:
Superordinate Goals: Mutual goals achieved only through the cooperation between groups (Klassin, 2016).
(SR Creative Media, 2008)
This clip shows how Boone shifted the focus to something greater, something each player had no reservations to get behind. Although, Boone guided them the players are what made it possible. The Titans were able to work through their racial differences because their common goal was to win. The competitive nature of being part of the team allowed for the players to set aside superficial differences and focus on what was actually important.
So what does this all mean?
This movie is about so much more than football it is about change. It is about becoming a part of the solution and not a part of the problem. Disagreements between groups of people happen daily. In our own lives, we may have these issues get in the way of our goals, whether they may be personal or professional. If we work to get one another to focus on a common goal, then these issues can be reduced. This movie is a prime example of how to be better and what it takes to overcome many predisposed ideas that may not even have to do with racial background.
References
Akram, A. (2010, May 10). Gary and Julius in the hospital. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwJWW6UKnIc
Bigmacmdm. (2012, Mar 13). School Integrated. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZVDBDzQoBE
Kassin, S. Social Psychology. [Chegg]. Retrieved from https://ereader.chegg.com/#/books/9781305888340/
Pclord20xx. (2008, Dec 13). Integrity: Remember the Titans. [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH1SKGXU81U
SR Creative Media. (2012, Aug 7). Remember the Titans - Teamwork. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S02D9QzDe4s
Wow, this was really well done! I really appreciate all the insights you were able to pull from the movie, and get the reader thinking about how it applies to our own lives. One point that stuck out to me was right in the beginning when you highlighted, "look at THEM, THEY hate us." I feel like that attitude, separating people into "them" and "us" is the root of this problem. To take it a step further, I would suggest that this very same mentality in the media is just making racial problems in the US even worse. While attention certainly should be brought to the issue, often times it seems that our media is constantly separating people into us vs them, black vs white, majority vs minority. I can't help but feel that this constant stream might well be an additional wedge that is driving people apart, and even if the hope is to stop racism, it may actually be driving it deeper. Any thoughts on the issue would be great!
ReplyDeleteHi Jake,
DeleteFirst I want to thank you for taking the time to read my blog! I would have to agree with you. The media chooses the words they are going to use very carefully to fuel a fire instead of extinguishing one. I think this is why it's important as a viewer to be knowledgeable and understand that this is a tactic they are using. So this concept may not be applicable to the media but it can be applicable to the viewer. We know the nature of the problem is the media and the causes are Them, Us. Reducing the problem comes from within all of us it's our job to be cautious of what it is we are hearing and repeating so that we are not contributors to these biased ideas. We have to take a step back and put ourselves in the shoes of every person, and use attribution theory because 8/10 times the media is not telling us the whole story.
Hopefully my thoughts were helpful for you,
The movie really goes to show how working together as a team towards a common goal is the most effective way to fight racism. However, I find there are many schools without a student body diverse enough to use achieving a common goal as a means to break down racism. I am referring to private schools where the cost of attendance excludes many minorities that are apart of the lower middle class and below. Caucasians who can afford a private school education receive fewer chances to befriend and work with people of different races. Without the opportunity to practice getting along in school, only students who actively engage in community activities will avoid developing the us vs them mentality. I don't think there is an easy solution to this problem but I thought it would be worth mentioning.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you the method is not always going to work but it can still be used as a guideline. Lets use the private school example above simplified. So the nature of the problem is schools without a student body diverse enough to achieve a common goal to break down racism. The causes of the problem are fewer chances to befriend and work with people of different races. Finally our reduction of the problem what if we focused on the teachers instead of the students. In class yesterday we saw Jane Elliott expose the children to what it felt like to be superior or inferior to another group. Obviously something like this cannot be done today but what if there was something similar that the teachers could use that would not cause any harm to the children. I don't know what that would be or how practical it would be but like I was saying it's really a tool to get us thinking about how we can reduce the problem.
DeleteAlso, Thank you for your insight and posting on my blog :)
DeleteYeah, no problem. Your blog was really well made. The connections between the movie and the book were practically seamless.
DeleteI love this post because I feel that racism has been a big topic in the United States over the past 5 or so years and makes it very relevant to what is going on around us. Yes this movie seems to be outdated maybe because of the way people are dressing or talking or maybe the camera quality. However, it is very relevant to where we are in today's society. Racism has not gone anywhere and never will, it will just change forms and you pointed this out perfectly with the types of racism in today's society as compared to before.
ReplyDeleteAs for Sophia's comment, I feel you are completely correct. There is no easy fix for those who are unable to attend a diverse school whether it be before or during college. This is why I say that racism will never be gone because their are too many variables attached to it. However, as a community we need to be more diligent of taking advantage of those opportunities of stepping outside our comfort zone and getting to know someone of a different race when we get the chance. Even doing a very little thing such as not passing judgment when you see someone of a different color or religion or whatever it may be. That is just a small thing all of us AMERICANS can do to help ourselves and others out.
There are so many variables attached this is what makes it one of the hardest problems to reduce. I really like that you expanded on the importance of not passing judgement no matter shape, racial background, religion, etc and how it is something each of us can work on that will cause a change for the future. Thank you for your words :)
DeleteI really enjoyed reading this blog post, not only because Remember The Titans is one of my favorite movies, but because you had a lot of questions for the readers to ponder and the clips you included worked perfectly with what you were trying to show. Racism is something that people think has gone away, but it is still just as relevant as it was back in the olden days. I think people have this idea that racism isn't a thing anymore because there aren't "white" and "black" only water fountains or a divided transportation setting, these are just some of the more common examples from back then. Instead, racism that is happening right now is more about judging and the social categorization you had mentioned above. I agree with Jake's comment, that the media is making the racial problems in the world even worse by what they portray in the media. I feel like every week or even to the extent of every day, there is some news report or news article that talks of the separation of different groups in the world today. By having the media talk about these things on such a big platform, just shows that racism isn't going to be able to just go away just like that. I agree that if we do work together as a community to gain a common goal with each other, then we will be able to reduce these issues between different groups in the world.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you because it is not as obvious many people immediately jump to the fact that it has been resolved. Unfortunately, such a huge problem requires so much more work and time. My hope is that one day we are able to find a common goal not just in sports but in every day life that can reduce the problem in all areas. It's hard in the world today where people are able to say cruel things to one another behind a screen or are really stuck in their ways where they are unable to put themselves in the shoes of others.
DeleteThank You for writing on my post :)
DeleteI love that you used Remember the Titans for your example of racism. I like this example because the movie accurately represents struggles of playing sports at time where integration was uncomfortable. This movie brought really positive lights to what integration can be. Examples like dancing and singing in the locker room and eating together at the same table, really shows how society should be. Great job breaking down the specific scenes in the movie!
ReplyDeleteThis is incredible! Growing up, this was one of my favorite movies to watch. I really believe you did an amazing job in pointing out the actual meaning of this movie being change and not just football. The clips you showed demonstrated the definitions that you provided perfectly. The "superficial" example used in this post is demonstrated exactly the way you have written about it. The ability to be able to overcome a superficial trait had to be hard on Gerry, but he realized that it was the right thing to do to go to coach Boone and explain the situation about Ray. Overall this is an excellent post that brings many great points to the table. I think the movie does a great example of breaking down certain racial problems and has a nice turn around throughout it to tie everything up and show the people overcoming their racial beliefs. Very nice job!
ReplyDeleteYou did an awesome job on this post. Your ability to connect the themes of the movie that were relevant back then to things that are currently happening in the world today is awesome. I really liked the way you talked about breaking down the wall between two groups of people that may think that they do not have a lot in common but in reality they do. I totally agree that when two people who think they do not have anything in common find a common goal then they may realize they are a lot more alike than they realize. Loved that you used this movie, great job!
ReplyDeleteSimilarly to what others had said above, I too grew up watching this movie without giving much thought into what it was actually portraying until reading your article. I would like to add that I haven't seen the movie for sometime but seeing the clips that you added were perfect for remembering key scenes. I especially like how well you linked this back to the course content, excellent job. Lastly, I would also like to add a comment on the title of your summary was titled "Reducing the Problem". While racism is an incredibly complex issue, we can each make actions that are reductionist to this issue. Although its a hopefully thought that we can independently change how racism is currently viewed in the United States, the reality is that we can't change it alone. However,there are things we can do to reduce it and your suggestion of finding the common goal is a stride in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that many of us grow up watching movies and not realizing the extent of their messages until later in life. It goes to show how much we still have to learn in this world. Even before this class I wouldn't have realized the extent to which this movie demonstrates the steps we can take to try and influence change. Reading Chapter 5 a lightbulb went off and the first thing I thought of was Remember the Titans because it progressed the same way our book did. Thanks for your words :)
DeleteOh man, I've not thought about this movie in ages. When I saw it I was really young, and didn't really get the meaning of the movie. Your going back and reviewing notable aspects of it really does make the movie seem more impact-full than I thought it was. I really like your topic about the movie being about change. In the book it talked about how we are moving away from explicit racism, but how implicit racism is still running rampant. When you talk about needing a common goal in order to overcome this, do you have any examples in mind. As a society there have been many times when we've shared a common goal, yet racism still exits. I'm not sure that alone would be enough to overcome prejudice.
ReplyDelete