Film Selection and Outline Essay Example

Introduction

Racism highlights the discrimination that people are subjected to because of their different races. There are various perspectives through which racism can be identified and analyzed. The identification and analysis are based on the unique aspects associated with racism. Therefore, different scholars have various ways of analyzing racism. The study is based on the unique situations and characteristics of the individuals being considered. In this case, the race is analyzed using Bonilla-Silva's four Frames of Colorblind Racism. There are unique identifiers of racism. The Bonilla-Silva's for Frames of Colorblind Racism will be highlighted based on the film Get Out's plot. There are various instances in the film that builds the story and highlight racism from different perspectives. The identification using Bonilla-Silva's four Frames of Colorblind Racism is meant to reduce the degree of discrimination in different societal settings (Pawley et al., 2018). Colorblindness racism is supposed to end racism yet or have less of it to help and eliminate discrimination so individuals can be equal, but colorblindness is not enough to end racism; it's just sufficient for half.

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Alternative Treatments

There are various ways through which people of different races are treated in society. In most cases, the treatment is based on skin color, which is evident in the movie. Therefore, multiple options are used to reduce the instances of racism in society. One of the most common options is based on religion. Religion prefers the treatment of all people as equal so that there is little or no discrimination at all. The other popular perspective is humanitarian, where individuals are encouraged to have better treatment towards one another despite their differences. In the movie, there were no steps that were taken to reduce the instances of racism, as shown through the conduct of the characters. Therefore, it is essential to highlight the racism based on the summary of events in the movie. There will be a highlight of colorblind racism, which is meant to help reduce the effect and occurrence of discrimination in society.

Movie Summary and Characters

Get Out is a movie based on racism; through the summary of the plot that is driven by the difference in the main characters' races. There is a middle-aged black man, Chris Washington, who is the center of the racism plot; he is dating a white girl; from a family that does not like people from a black background. As they start dating, Rose Armitage, the girlfriend, does not want Chris Washington to know she has dated other black men before. "So, I was the first black guy you ever dated," Chris asks (Peele & Due, 2019). The fear is pegged on racism, where she did not want to acknowledge she was in love with people from that race before. As they travel to the girlfriend's home, they are stopped by a policeman, who is another highlight of racism. He asks Chris Washington, black, to produce his identification while the same is not done to the girlfriend. That highlights the unequal treatment that is directed to black people in society. Chris is admired for his physic and photography skills at the family meeting and not just his personality. That highlights the objectification of black people in the movie. However, at that moment, Chris is quite comfortable with the chain of events and the treatment directed to him because the blacks are the minority at the event.

Later, as Chris is almost leaving, he notices the girlfriend had been hiding the fact that she had been in relationships with other black men. He acknowledges that the girlfriend had a racist tendency towards him or wanted to create a fake impression on the boyfriend. Then, Chris tries to leave by force by the girlfriend's family prevents him from going, which is against his will. The altercation leads to Chris being knocked out, and he later notices he is in the house basement. There is an explanation by Rose's grandfather about a technique where brains are transferred to alternative bodies for desired characteristics. That highlights racism, where he thinks the skills and physic by Chris should not belong to a black man. The features should have been better if they were in a white man. However, Chris manages to gain freedom from the oppression; and in the long run, he kills Rose's grandmother as he seeks freedom. When the police arrived, Chris was strangling the girlfriend and would be guilty of her death. In the end, Chris is seen as the criminal, while in the real sense, he was the victim of racism. That points to the poor judgment that is based on racism in society. There was little chance for Chris to get his side of the story and get a better review, given that the police had racial tendencies.

Bonilla Silva's Stating Colorblind Racism Is Damaging To Society

In a colorblind society, a person's race is not a source of discrimination; all people are considered equal by others. Therefore, there is no threat based on the inequality caused by one race's perception being better than the other. According to Bonilla Silva's idea, there are four frames of racism, all of which are based on individuals' color. The most common structure that Bonilla Silva uses in identifying discrimination is abstract liberalism. That is where political liberalism is used to justify the inequalities that exist among people (Clark, B. L. (2015). There is no equal opportunity in various societies because power and leadership are in the hands of a selected few; based on race. In communities where the administration is in the majority's hands, the policies and perceptions are always against the minorities. The majority have the perception that they deserve far much better treatment than the minority. That was evident from the movie where Chris's physic and skills were more suited for a person in another race. That supports Bonilla Silva's idea that colorblind racism is damaging society. There should have been equality, which would have prevented the suffering and humiliation directed to Chris because of his race. Therefore, the abstract liberalism frame of racism damages society through unequal opportunities among people.

Abstract Liberalism and Minimization of Racism

Abstract liberalism, according to Bonilla Silva's opinion, should be used to reduce the occurrence of racism in society. When all people are considered to be equal, they should be given the same treatment and afford the same opportunities. In the movie, when the car was stopped, Chris's treatment was contrary to Bonilla Silva's suggestion. He should have been treated the same way as the girlfriend, despite their racial differences. However, by being treated differently, that highlighted a difference in the treatment of the minorities. Furthermore, Rose did not tell the parents the boyfriend was black because of the racism that was in society. It was perceived the black people did not deserve a chance to be in a relationship with white people. Therefore, the fear of rejection must have informed her decision to keep the information about the boyfriend's race from the parents. "Do they know I'm - Do they know I'm black?" Chris inquired (Peele & Due, 2019). That shows he was worried if he would be accepted given his race.

Naturalization and Cultural Racism

Poor treatment of employees in foreign countries has a history based on slavery. The workers were treated to poor working conditions, which has been carried on for generations. The same is reflected in the poor treatment of employees by the family of Armitage. The poor treatment is explained by cultural racism. Cultural racism is defined as the justification of discrimination based on historical perspectives. Therefore, it has become a culture; where individuals are treated poorly because it is a practice that has been encouraged for a long time. The treatment leads to interracial discomfort, where the individuals discriminated against are more comfortable with people of their own race. Therefore, in this case, Chris was more comfortable with communicating with a fellow black person. That was based on the cultural racism perspective.

Natural and Cultural Colorblindness and Minimization of Discrimination

When a society is naturally and culturally colorblind, the differences that exist among them are not treated as significant. Individuals see one another as being equal despite the racial disparities that exist among them. In the movie, there was no uniformity in the treatment of people from different races. For example, the police mistreated Chris when he was stopped when traveling with his girlfriend. That highlighted the absence of cultural and natural colorblindness, as shown by the police, who is a representation of the entire society. Furthermore, there was a treatment that was subjected to the workers by the family of Armitage. They were maltreated, which was informed by the differences that existed between them and their employer. Given there was no difference in race, the employees would have received better treatment.

At the guest party, the guests were asking about the difference between them and Chris. It was expected that Rose's boyfriend was from their race. However, that was contrary to their expectations. Therefore, they asked how Rose settled for a black partner. Furthermore, the guests inquired about the skills and physic exhibited by Chris. It was expected that all desirable attributes should belong to the preferred race in that case. Therefore, they did not expect Chris to be black and having such great physic and talent. Consequently, they inquired about his abilities and looks because of disbelief. That was a highlight of the perceptions that the people had about people from a different race. The guests' questions were aimed against the diversity that Chris and the girlfriend introduced at the party. It was against the norm leading to them having many problems because of the diversity that had been raised. The questions led to the perception that Chris did not deserve the desirable attributes he exhibited.

Abstract liberalism and Cultural

The concept of abstract liberalism is against racism because it proposes better treatment from all people despite the differences they exhibit. In this case, the relationship between Rose and Chris builds the plot to highlight the effect of racism in society. Towards the end of the movie, the police arrive and find Chris chocking rose. That was evidence that Chris was in the wrong because of the primary evidence from his conduct. Therefore, Rose will not be charged as guilty because all the evidence from the scene will point towards Chris as being guilty. However, he was the victim because of the treatment that he was subjected to because of his race. It is expected that the colored are more violent; from the police's actions as they stop the car earlier. Furthermore, it is likely that the colored are less skilled and have a less attractive appearance—the perception of the colored acts to fuel racism in the community.

Conclusion

The four frames are abstract liberalism, naturalization, minimization of racism, and cultural racism (Bonilla-Silva, 2007). They are all shown in the movie based on the attitude that Rose's family has towards Chris and how Armitage's family treats workers. Colorblindness racism has the aim of ending discrimination in society. However, it is insufficient because of the historical perspectives associated with racism and the deep-rooted racism characteristic of society. Therefore, people must adopt alternative practices to reduce the effect that racism has on people. As shown in the movie, there are adverse effects associated with racism.