Many people would argue that Dear White People is a film of the past. They would argue that racism doesn't exist anymore and that this film should have been produced at a time when it could actually mean something. Director/producer Justin Simien uses several different stasis to take a stand to oppose the mainstream beliefs. His main stasis, I believe is Fact/Definition. The main argument of the movie was to prove that racism still exists, that even almost 60 years after the Civil Rights Movement we still see racism prevalent today. Cases like Trayvon Martin and Jamar Clark are perfect examples of black lives being taken too soon. Now although this film doesn't portray violence, it displays the deeper stereotypes and racist jokes that are overlooked today. Quotes like," Dear white people, please stop touching my hair. Does it look like a petting zoo to you?" or "Dear white people, the minimum requirement of black friends needed to not seem racist has just been raised to two. Sorry, but your weed man, Tyrone, does not count," brings up ideas that people wouldn't even think about. This film does a excellent job in reassuring that racism is still alive, different, but definitely still alive.
– Jack Vigneron
I agree with the writer of this move in their belief that racism still does exist indeed. Although it is not as bad or as evident as it was 60 and 100 years ago it still does exist.
ReplyDeleteI agree that racism is still going on. I think it will never stop even if we bring big faces to talk about it.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great movie! "Dear White People" used fact and definition in stasis theory to show that racism does exists, and provided timely and important look at black identity.
ReplyDelete- Shengyi Chen
I agree with the fact that the writer's main theory used was Fact/Definition. This movie does a great job of addressing and dispelling micro-aggressions, seen with your quotes, associated with race.
ReplyDeleteYour examples from the movie were extremely accurate and a major aspect of the type of racism that exists in contemporary society. Not all of the racism that occurs is physical and visual; much of it is verbal.
ReplyDelete-Gujri Chadha