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Saturday, April 13, 2013

Summary - The Color of Fear


        Victor, from The Color of Fear, really had an impact on me. His charged, articulate and intelligent words hit somewhere deep down inside me. At the climax of the film, when he was stomping his feet and screaming at the floor, I felt a piece of the frustration he must have had all his life toward the blind racial biases most European Americans have about minority groups, especially African Americans.
At first I was put off by Victor's attitude, which seemed to be that of a harshly repressed, yet primarily self-defeating, victim. I thought he was exaggerating the blame to all white people, thereby prejudging and becoming a version of his so-called oppressor. As I really listened to the man, thinking about other possible reasons he could be brought to such overt exasperation, chills came over me. It wasn't at all that he was blaming; Victor was making it apparent how racism is continued by white people without even knowing it. Since David tried to diagnose him before placing himself in Victor's shoes, Victor probably didn't know any other way to get the point across. It must have been incredibly frustrating. The commentary from the other minority groups helped a lot in clarification too, and the intense language really helped me to further appreciate where they were all coming from.
There are two clear ways the film had changed me.  The first way is that I am much more aware of how I have been like David – how I hadn't considered the issue of race and ethnicity very carefully, how I've consciously and unconsciously turned a blind eye to discrimination because it is rarely against my race, how I haven't taken the effort to really understand the implications of race biases in society, and how many times I let racist jokes or attitudes fly by me without taking a stand against them. Until recently, when I started working at a soul food restaurant, I had dealt little with the issue of race. This class has definitely heightened my awareness of the issue as well. My goal is to become more aware of how the issue of race actually affects people. A great resource for this can be the restaurant where I work; about ninety percent of the patrons are African American, as well as most of the staff.
The second way the film has changed me is that though I consider myself very open minded, I was shocked how little I understood the hurtful experiences of most minorities. And sadly, most people aren't as open minded as I am. So, since I have had this experience, another goal I am making is to be active about acknowledging the implications of racism, even if it's just to my friends and other people I come in close contact with. I hear racial stereotypes every so often, whether they are jokes or beliefs, and I'm pledging to take a stand and educate people about what that does to the individuals they are talking about.

2 comments:

  1. I agreed,I was thinking something about Victor's that he just angry and unhappy guy, but I realizes that had happen to me as well where some people prejudge me before even try to get to know me. So,I put my perspective into his shoes, and I would be so angry too if people stereotype me in daily life.

    Tina Poore-Ciocatto
    SRJC Student

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  2. Wow, cool post. I'd like to write like this too - taking time and real hard work to make a great article... but I put things off too much and never seem to get started. Thanks though. cfa summary notes

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