Hollywood has been criticized for perpetuating ethnic and sexual stereotypes. However, movies (like Brokeback Mountain) often confront stereotypes.
Do you feel that Hollywood has the power to change stereotypes? Do you think they chose to reinforce them instead? Are they responsible or is the easily swayed consumer?
While I don’t think Hollywood has the power to CHANGE stereotypes, it does have the uncanny ability to force them into the general household. For example, many people who may dislike the stereotypes will refuse to watch the film (like Brokeback Mountain) but it still becomes such a media mainstream thing that it’s on the news, entertainment shows, cooler talk, etc. Which millions of people watch.
In that, it helps surface the knowledge of the specific stereotype which eventually people slowly begin to accept as a normality. People can be so oblivious to a stereotype and that’s why it’s becomes a “stereotype”. The more common it becomes, the more people stop reacting to it as some sort of shocking thing, just for the shock of it.
In 10 years, the stereotypes we have now will become a “what the heck were we thinking?” mindset.
Two very interesting movies that look stereotypes right in the face, in terms of racism specifically are Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989) and Crash (the new one, Paul Haggis, 2004).
Do the Right Thing is a film about a community within Brooklyn, NY. You have the predominantly African American neighbours and teens who make up most of the main characters, but then you also have other ethnic neighbours who work within the community (the Asian family who run the convenience store and Sal and sons who run the neighbourhood Pizza Parlour). Racial stereotypes make up the whole premise of this movie. Once you see it, you will understand, nothing is held back and everything is raw and in your face. Do the Right Thing really puts into perspective the whole concept of stereotypes and their negative impact both on a community but also on many individuals on a bunch of levels. It is a movie NOT to be missed.
Crash on the other hand is a more modern version, based on a premise that is said in dialogue very early on in the movie. Two characters are sitting inside of a car and one character says “we’re always behind this metal in glass. In LA, no one touches you. I think sometimes we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other just to feel something”. That quote for me, sums up the whole idea of the movie and how stereotypes play into it. Many characters from different ethnic backgrounds expose their personal stereotypes and each characters story interweaves with the others and they realize they’re all not so different. Again, another movie not to be missed. The soundtrack is quite great as well.
I think that the majority of mainstream films appeal to stereotypes because they are more relatable to a wider audience. There are definitely films that explore deeper analyses of gender, sex, race, etc. I definitely believe movies have the power to influence the average viewer, especially those who aren’t perhaps able to “see beyond their walls”. I really do wish there were films with more “diverse” characters. Unfortunately doing this isn’t easy – people want to watch what they’re familiar with, and they’re already familiar with watching a certain type of movie character and dialogue. I’ll admit it myself – it’s easier to watch something with familiar-looking characters.
@acrosstheuniverse – Crash is a great movie for looking at stereotypes – it both plays up to them and negates them, both at the same time. It makes for an interesting perspective :)
Post Comments