Bamboozled, a controversial movie produced by Spike Lee, is based on the relationships that forms between people of racially contrasting perspectives. Throughout Bamboozled the audience sees the struggle between Dunwitty, the white boss, and Pierre Delacroix, the black scriptwriter. Dunwitty exemplifies white power and although he believes it to be alright to casually throw the word "nigger" around in a conversation, he doesn't truly appreciate or respect the black race. Lott and Bell Hooks are two writers that point out the nature of the "Other's" race. Lott, a writer who specializes in cultural studies, speaks about how blackness has formed from the way whites have treated them. In Racial Cross-Dressing and the Construction of American Whiteness, Lott expresses his views on how whites tend to act black, and blacks tend to act white. Bell Hooks, a feminist writer, speaks out from a different stand point. In her writing, Representing Whiteness in the Black Imagination, she talks mainly about how blacks view whites. Bell Hooks feels that in general, blacks tend to feel terror towards whites and their superior place in society. She also states that it is important to accept each others race in order to appreciate each other. After watching Bamboozled, analyzing both the Hooks and Lott readings, it is apparent that without compassion and empathy, it is impossible to truly understand and appreciate the black race and black culture.
Bamboozled, acclaimed for being the "most outrageous and disturbing movie Spike Lee has made to date," is a satire that deals strongly with societies' and television's views on African-Americans. Pierre Delacroix, a Harvard graduate is a program executive at a cable TV network that has fallen behind in ratings. In one of the very first scenes Delacroix enters a business meeting late. The first remark made was that Delacroix was "pulling a Rodman". From this comment, it becomes evident that Delacroix does not receive