The Blind Side -- the racial contraversy

[ShinHakkaider]

By the time we get to Webster and Diff'rent Strokes, some view those shows as just watered down versions of that same mentality. In their view, the fact that the series' main stars both had medical conditions that permanently rendered them childlike in stature and appearance provides a disturbing subtext in that they were black men who would forever be perceived as "boys."

It amazes me, that to this day, this stuff needs to be explained and that the first reaction to any sort anxiety about this boils down to "there those people go again, making a mountain out of a molehill, crying wolf,or whatever."

The simple fact that people miss or downplay the racial component here really shouldnt be all that surprising considering where we are I guess but still. Damn.

 

[Mark]

It amazes me, that to this day, this stuff needs to be explained and that the first reaction to any sort anxiety about this boils down to "there those people go again, making a mountain out of a molehill, crying wolf,or whatever."

The simple fact that people miss or downplay the racial component here really shouldnt be all that surprising considering where we are I guess but still. Damn.

The Blind Side is based on a true story. It's about a person who needed help and some people who did the helping. It seems to have turned out to benefit the person being helped and the people who did the helping. The racial component is only as important as people choose to believe it is, IMO, and it is certainly not required that it be the focus for everyone. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

 

[ShinHakkaider]

The Blind Side is based on a true story. It's about a person who needed help and some people who did the helping. It seems to have turned out to benefit the person being helped and the people who did the helping. The racial component is only as important as people choose to believe it is, IMO, and it is certainly not required that it be the focus for everyone. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Race relations, especially between blacks and whites in this country, is NEVER just a cigar...

 

[Mark Chance]

Race relations, especially between blacks and whites in this country, is NEVER just a cigar...

Speaking for yourself, of course.

 

[ShinHakkaider]

Deleted.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Sometimes it really IS just a cigar...but it is rarely perceived that way.

Classic example- my fraternal aunt is a racist. She has trouble ascribing anything BUT racial motives to the actions of whites. When my Dad was stopped for speeding on our way home from a holiday gathering, her first words were "I bet its because we're black."

My Dad was doing 53 in a 35, basically because he was just going with the flow of traffic and forgot to monitor his speed. And when he admitted this to the (white) officer, he said "You're the first person who's been honest with me all day" and let him go with just a warning.

Besides which, since we're originally from Louisiana, we don't look like the blacks in Texas- we look more like the hispanics.

 

[Orius]

Sometimes it really IS just a cigar...but it is rarely perceived that way.

And that's really part of the problem. When a big stink is raised over nothing, people tend to ignore when serious race problems come up.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Agreed.

 

[Aurora]

IME some people are just so jaded and negative that they ascribe anything that even barely hints at having a racial element, as racist. I have known a few in my time (a couple black, a mexican or two, quite a few white people, and believe it or not, a Jewish person), who pulled the race card, literally, any time it was possible. This type of behavior drives me crazy from ANYONE. One such person at work accused everyone around her of not liking her because of the color of her skin. I had to correct her.

One thing I can say though, is I don't recall seeing any truly positive black characters in the Blindside (besides Michael), but we saw many negative. So, I can see where some people were set-off by it. I only saw it the one time though, and it is possible I am not remembering correctly. Of course, it is based on a true story, and to keep it as real as possible, you can't just add in characters that may not have existed. The dad in the beginning that was trying to get them into the school to begin with was obviously a good guy though.....I need to re-watch it.

 

[Mark Chance]

One thing I can say though, is I don't recall seeing any truly positive black characters in the Blindside (besides Michael), but . . . . The dad in the beginning that was trying to get them into the school to begin with was obviously a good guy though.....I need to re-watch it.

I felt one of the faults of the movie was the way the father at the beginning just sort of faded away after his narrative role was done with. It jarred the story's realism for me. I also found the depiction of Michael's mother to be enormously sympathetic. Homes broken by violence, drugs, et cetera, are a serious social blight in the U.S., and I think the movie took the high road by not soft-pedaling the mother's problems while at the same avoiding the low road by not portraying her just another ghetto-living crack addict. Her pain and shame for her failings, and her love of and hope for her son's future were palpable.