Jungle Fever, The Answer is in Black and White Essay Sample
In America. we are known as the thaw pot. the state of diverseness. where citizens can be who they want to be. We can be who we want to be. and expression at ourselves nevertheless we want to ; but how are others looking at us? In many instances. an person does non even have a opportunity to do an feeling on person. because they have already been judged merely by their physical facets. The contention of one’s colour has been around since the beginning of clip. In the history of the United States. the racism against African American’s has put them through much subjugation. and many walls have been built up over the old ages between African Americans and other cultural groups.
As a consequence of the barrier between these cultural groups. the film Jungle Fever. written and directed by Spike Lee has many facets of stereotypes against African Americans. non merely how Whites perceive them. but besides how African Americans see themselves. In the film. there is a major mark of symbolic interaction which is the survey of how people use symbols to develop their positions of the universe and to pass on with one another. Most of these marks are easy pointed out and boldly provinces to the viewing audiences.
Like it or non we all grow up with some degree of self perceptual experience. Self perceptual experience is defined as seeing certain characteristics of an object or state of affairs. but staying blind to others in the book Sociology: A Down-to-earth Approach. ( Henslin 272 ) An illustration from the film associating to self perceptual experience is when Paulie argues with the work forces inside his shop. Paulie says that you can’t judge person merely because they are black. because they are non all the same ; but the work forces come back by stating “its black on black” . significance that if one of them does it they all do it. Henslin reveals a consequence of symbolic interaction. which is if we apply a label to a group. we tend to comprehend its members as all the same ( 273 ) . These work forces have had bad experiences with black people and hence group every black individual in a negative class ; moreover. they block out the good material they see inkinesss making. such as the black adult female that cares for Paulie’s instruction and hereafter.
Another illustration of have oning “blinders” is brought up when Flipper and Angie are discoursing Drew being a mixture of white and black. Flipper puts it to the dorsum of his head that Drew is in world merely half black. He exclaims to Angie stating “if they look black ; they act black ; they are black! ” The act of being black harmonizing to this film can be a signifier of symbolic interactionism in itself. and this label of being black affects many of the things Flipper does in the film. Examples of this is how he describes himself as a strong black adult male when speaking about his will power. and he besides states that he is really pro-black when it comes to adult females.
Flipper’s brother besides takes on the label of being stereotypically black. as Lee sees it. Not merely is Gaitor addicted to drugs. but he likes that he is a drug addict. He to the full accepts the mentality that he is traveling nowhere shortly. and that it is all right to make whatever he must so that he can acquire drugs. He is stereotyped in the film as the mendicant who ever goes to his parents for money because he can non take attention of himself. Harmonizing to Henslin. “some stereotypes non merely warrant bias and favoritism but even produce the behaviour depicted in the stereotype” ( 273 ) . If a group is labeled as invariably making a certain act. that becomes acceptable to them. and they give into what society is stating them. Harmonizing to this theory from symbolic interaction we see that Gaitor has given in to the stereotype that it is common for a black adult male to be dependant on others. and addicted to drugs. therefore it makes it much easier to conform to this mentality. Flipper negotiations about Gaitor to his female parent. stating that there is no hope for him–he is excessively far gone. This could be a manner for Lee to demo that there is no hope for African Americans. which is a really bold label and statement.
Lee besides likes to demo that it is non merely whites that label inkinesss in a negative sense. but that inkinesss label themselves in that sense every bit good. We see an illustration of this when Drew yells at Flipper. stating “the issue is your so black you have a job! ” Gaitor besides belittles black when he says that he “swears before God and white people” when claiming he will non inquire for money. In this statement Gaitor is stating that white people are sacred. and they are fundamentally above everyone else and can be compared to God. Drew and her friends realize after they find that Flipper has been unfaithful that they are fring all of their black work forces.
One of Drew’s friends states that there “aint a good black adult male out there” . which is a major symbolic shooting to the labeling of African American’s. African Americans may look down on themselves because they are a minority group in America compared to white people. Harmonizing to Henslin a minority group’s physical or cultural traits are held in low regard by the dominant group. who treats them below the belt ( 266 ) . Flipper’s father negotiations of the white adult females. or the dominant group as being a “pure” race compared to other races. White adult females are seen in his eyes as really high up on the societal position. with much power.
The ground many people in America today. every bit good as in the film are racialist is because this is how they were brought up. by the labels they were taught to populate by. Past coevalss were exposed to segregation between cultural groups. which has greatly carried on to how people look at others today. Up until 1967 it was prohibited for inkinesss to get married white people in 38 provinces ( Henslin 276 ) . Flippers father gives illustrations of past segregations he was exposed to. stating that the act of white people and black people get marrieding in Alabama would be plenty to acquire person lynched when he grew up. The film shows many people gazing at Flipper and Angie when they are together. because this goes against the norm of the society at the clip.
The server in the eating house besides does non function Flipper and Angie right off because of how the two are taking to be together. and non segregated. Peoples of past coevalss are rebelliously affected by this issue more. as we see Angie’s father beat her for dating a black adult male. while shouting at her about how disrespectful such a thing is. Besides Paulie’s male parent lectures him about traveling on a day of the month with a black adult female. and so subsequently disowns him for making such a thing. These illustrations entirely show that symbolic interaction has a major result in our lives which a batch of people don’t notice.
In the film we find that there is a label put on black work forces that they are streetwalkers when it comes to adult females. harmonizing to Henslin these labels create bias which is shown in the film ( 273 ) . Though it is non out in the unfastened. one can state that Flipper does non hold many emotions when it comes to his relationships. It takes about no clip at all when he is about Angie to rip off on his married woman. After his married woman finds out that he cheated on her he foremost tries to acquire back together with her by conveying her flowers. when that doesn’t work he and Angie acquire a house together. When Flipper goes to pick up his girl it is apparent he wants Drew by stating how beautiful she is. so he goes back to Angie and introduces her to his parents. so they break up and by the terminal of the film he is back together with Drew.
Besides when Flipper is harassed by the bulls for “attempting rape” he instantly inquiries if she is worth all of this problem. Flippers shallow side comes out even more during the terminal of the film when he states that he has ne’er loved Angie. and he besides speaks for Angie by doubting that she has of all time loved him. He continues to talk Angie by stating “this true love prevails material is merely in the Disney films. it’s non existent. ” He so comes out to Angie and says that she was funny about black. and he was funny about white. basically connoting that the lone ground they had chemical science between each other is for their physical facets.
Jungle Fever lets its audience know that despite how far racism has come from where it was. there is still a large hurdle to be jumped. Even in today’s society though it is acquiring easier. the film reveals that it would be a challenge to keep a relationship between an African American and a Caucasian. Not merely must one get the better of their ain perceptual experiences of the other race. but it is another obstruction when those around them disagree with the determinations to day of the month another race. Because of the labeling we have been victim to covering with symbolic interaction that we have all grown up with. Lee is allowing everyone know that life in a racism–free universe is a long ways away. From the clip most of us were born. depending on our colour we have learned to judge others. take sides. and cognize how much authorization we have over another group. or how much authorization that groups has over us. It is non impossible to populate in a universe where colour does non count. but the first measure we all must take is everyone must take part on credence ; cultural groups must seek to associate to other cultural groups and see what they have been through. Once this is done we can get down to interrupt down the walls that have been built around our frights and insecurities by the colour of our tegument.
Bibliography
James M Henslin. Sociology: A Down-to-earth Approach. Core Concepts ( 3rd Edition ) . Boston. MA: Allyn & A ; Bacon. 2008.
Dir. Spike Lee. Jungle Fever. DVD. 1991 ; New York City: Cosmopolitan Pictures.
