http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfFfUxBDMDY&playnext_from=PL&feature=PlayList&p=052B3A0EA350BFA3&playnext=1&index=28
Someone sent me this video recently and i thought it was pretty amusing.
On a more... intellectual... level I thougt we could discuss the purpose of the vidoe. A lot of people in class seem to be searching for a sort of solution or a way to address this problems that occur. Here Michael Moore does some interesting things to shed light on the issue. So... here are some questions i was thinking about after i watched and i thought others might have an opinion.
Is Michael Moore's approach to this blatent racism at all effective?
At the end of the day does it mean anything to police, black people, Americans..?
It what ways does he, if he does, give up any priviledge that he has as a white man?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Ha ha! What I love about Moore is that he comes up with creative ways to make people face issues that make them uncomfortable in a (usually) passive way. He's a great conversation starter. However, what I think is often missing from what he does is the discussion part. I know he's not there to have people talk through their problems and, because he makes movies,a lot of people do start discussions about the various topics he highlights, but it's only because they are watching as spectators. For example the police officers there that day probably thought more about how pissed off they were at Moore than about their own racist tendencies. I think that the next step would be for the people he's targeting to discuss their reactions to what he does and how and why they feel that way. If he were able to film that and add it to his movies (although very unlikely) it might make them more powerful.
ReplyDeleteI think, again, that what he does probably doesn't have too much effect on the people experiencing his "projects" but is very effective for the "greater good" when his films are watched and start discussions. So yes, I do think his approach to this blatant racism is effective. It brings race to the forefront and to a place where it can be discussed instead of ignored. The challenge is getting as many people as possible to watch what he does and think about it/discuss it.
To answer your last question, I don't know how much privilege he's giving up save acceptance from his "white community" which he clearly doesn't care too much about.
I thought this was funny but in terms of giving up concrete privilege in the structure of the racial state he did little. However, the racial state is so deeply rooted in American society that large and very meaningful instances to give up racial privilege come along very rarely.
ReplyDeleteI thought he did a good job of stepping outside of whiteness though.
I agree with Nick. The concrete giving up of privilege is noted but the way that he does it. Does this not make lite of the situation? Does making it a joke really take into account the seriousness that is white privilege. I understand what he is trying to do but I don't feel that this is the best way to tackle the issue.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing as meghan wwhen i first watched it, (about taking away the seriousness by using humor). But i was thinking more about it and thought that perhaps humor is what is needed to shed light on just how insane these situations are. I feel like poeple hear stories of cops shooting unairmed people and really believe that it was an honest justifiable mistake. moore shows just how ridiculous it is to mistake a wallet or candy bar for a gun. while his actions in the documentary were funny, i feel, or at leas hope that people recognize the seriousness of these "accidents". who knows though i've pretty much lost all faith in the human race after this class
ReplyDelete