Racism in Film

Racism in Film Throughout the history of film in the United States, the depiction of race has only changed slightly. Although, the display of various races in film is pertinent to the specific time period in which the film was made, films have, for the most part, always portrayed white superiority over other races. People of color have traditionally been presented in a negative way (if presented at all) that helps to maintain the status quo where whites are at the top of the social hierarchy. A few common methods are used to elicit the issues and depiction of race, in the films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Glory, and Bamboozled. According to Stephanie Larson, the three common methods that are used in film to depict racial minorities in a negative light are exclusion and selective exclusion, stereotypes, and system-supportive themes (15). The entertainment industry, as a whole, uses these methods to reinforce subordination. The principle of exclusion is based on the idea that, “television and films without racial diversity promote an inaccurate picture of American society” (15). In short, exclusion in film means that people of color are completely absent. Although, exclusion of racial minorities in film is not an overt form of racism, exclusion is harmful because it keeps the focus away from minorities, and away from their cultural practices and issues. Exclusion is also harmful because it “deprives minority viewers of role models and ignores the contributions of people of color” (16). Selective exclusion occurs through the constraining and misrepresentation of racial minorities in film (16). This prevents people from seeing differences between cultures and causes them to form generalizations of entire groups of people based on their appearance. Another method that reinforces the subordination of racial minorities is stereotypes, which suggests that certain characteristics are universal in all members of a particular racial group (16). Racial stereotypes

Cited: Larson, Stephanie. 2006. Media & Minorities: The Politics of Race in News and Entertainment. Lanham, MA: Roman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. DVD. Directed by Milos Forman. 1975; Salem, OR: Fantasy Films, 1975. Glory. DVD. Directed by Edward Zwick. 1989; Los Angeles, CA: Tristar Pictures, 1989. Bamboozled. DVD. Directed by Spike Lee. 2000; New York City, NY: New Line Cinema, 2000.