Race as a Social Construction in the Bamboozled Film Essay

Race is a social construct that defines the people or groups of people in the society. Bamboozled, a satirical film written and directed by Spike Lee was released in 2000 and depicted racial characteristics of the black people. The movie was about a minstrel show televised in the modern era and featured mainly black actors who wore black makeup. Initially, the show was a success; however, this was short-lived as it plummeted with the progression of the movie due to the fall out between the actors (Lee 1). The majority of the movie characters are blacks or rather African-Americans. However, there is a white boss who claims to be married to a black woman and a father of two biracial children, which makes him blacker than anyone. The Bamboozled film is primarily based on race and explains the issue in association with the black people. This paper takes into evaluation two characters from the movie to analyze the aspect of racism and present an explanation of the functionality of the racial construction to the film and in the society.

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In the first scene of the movie, the television station (CNS) where Pierre Delacroix works only airs the show of the white people (Lee 1). Pierre Delacroix probably landed the job due to his uptightness and hard work. Consequently, he is also a Harvard graduate. His boss, Thomas Dunwitty, on the other hand, is a tactless white man who believes that he is blacker than anyone due to his lifestyle. Another aspect that highlights racism as a heavy theme is the fact that the movie contains a minstrel show. Minstrel shows were used in the 19th century to depict behaviors and mannerisms of the black people (Knowles 9). The 19th-century minstrel shows were based on the comic plays, dances, and skits that would mock black people; hence, the Bamboozled movie was depicting a modern version and side of the minstrel shows. Therefore, it can be categorically stated that the film was developed based on racism.

Language has also to no small extent been used to depict the social construction of race in the film. Thomas Dunwitty is portrayed using the African-American Vernacular language (Lee 2). The people of the African-American race primarily understand the language. The boss uses that particular language as he realizes that Pierre Delacroix, who is a person of the color, will eventually understand the language. Therefore, instead of Dunwitty keeping the relationship professional, he tries to bring up the issue of a racial division at the workplace. While grouping people into a particular race, skin color is not only the factor of consideration but also the language. People of a common race use a universal language that is mainly understood by particular people. As such, Thomas Dunwitty's language creates the first scenario that portrays the prevalence of racism in the film.

Also, the use of "nigger" is an aspect that refers to people of color. The term also refers to persons of African-American origin. Most of the times, Thomas Dunwitty refers to Pierre Delacroix as "nigger" due to his race (Lee 2). The term falls under the category of language use. For a long time, the use of the term was specifically meant for people of African-American origin. The term was a form of communication code with which the black people were identified. The Latin meaning of the word "nigger" is black; henceforth, the use of the term means that the character referred to is of African-American origin. The adoption of the term is derogatory and also a racist insult to people of color.

The interracial relationship between people from the different races is also evident as portrayed by the interaction among the white boss, Thomas Dunwitty, and the black employee, Pierre Delacroix. The stereotyping nature of the boss is represented by his actions of rejecting most of Delacroix's television scripts. The boss holds onto a misguided belief that anything from an African-American is inferior and that Delacroix's scripts which presented the confident and intelligent side of people from his race were mythical. Dunwitty believed that the characters in such scripts would only be clones (Lee 2). The society or the people have a particular prejudice about the people of color (Keirns et al. 244-245). Such bias builds up making some people believe that they are superior or inferior to another race. Dunwitty's rejection of Delacroix's scripts is a representation of the inferior judgment meted on people of color by Whites.

Also, the movie shows the aspect of discrimination based on race, Delacroix writes the minstrel show because he does not want to get fired from his job and; thus, he had to come up with the minstrel show (Lee 3). It is evident that if Delacroix were a White employee, Thomas Dunwitty would probably have been more lenient with him. Due to the difference in origin and race, Dumwitty had to be bossy. The prevalence of discrimination is an aspect that showcases the convergence of people of different races whereby people of a particular societal group perceive themselves as superior to others.

Another aspect of stereotyping is evident when Delacroix with the help of his assistant decides to start a minstrel show "Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show" which featured actors of black origin who would wear blackface makeup while acting. The show involved pun and dancing skits which were a representation of the mannerisms and behaviors of those from the black race. Although the television show was initially meant to be a satirical show, it was widely accepted by a significant number of viewers as an accurate representation of the black people's lives (Lee 3). Surprisingly, Dunwitty readily approved the show. Therefore, it is evident that Dunwitty was only ready to endorse the television shows that portrayed people of the black race in a specific contrary manner. The scene depicts the denial of the freedom based on race.

Moreover, Delacroix's recruited Manray to appear in the show. Manray was a homeless African-American as well as a tap dancer (Lee 4). The people of the black race came to America as slaves of the whites. Such people did not have freedom or rights to own land. As such, Manray is the character who showcases the aspects of racism due to his state of homelessness. Playing such a role was a portrayal of the African-American race. Those people of color were portrayed in a particularly cynical manner is proof of the stereotyping that the people of the other races, notably the White, have towards those from the black race. Such issues still prevail in the modern society where people are yet to embrace equality. The dances and actions of the characters of the show were an explicit representation and discrimination of the people of the African-American origin.

Consequently, Manray accepted to be recruited as one of the actors in the minstrel show as he thought it was an opportunity to get money and change his lifestyle. During the colonial time, slaves of the African-American origin were overworked and misused by their masters to have money. In the film, Manray tap dances to get payment (cash). Also, Dunwitty who is the boss of the television company believes that to achieve success; there is the need to create a television show that would be readily accepted by the viewers (Lee 4). Delacroix comes up with the minstrel show as a way to get fired and get out of his contract. As the show becomes more successful, Delacroix wants to stay at the television station to make money; and become a famous writer who wins awards and no longer cares about the original purpose of creating the show. The actions of Dunwitty were because he was a boss and had money. Therefore, he would not allow the people of the black race to have the freedom in the workplace. The boss was more concerned about the financial outcomes of the shows played rather than establishing a friendly and conducive working environment. The financial state of the black characters (lack of money) as portrayed in the film pushed them to work under unfavorable conditions.

The minstrel show which was run by Delacroix ended up in violence. Due to the negative portrayal of the black people in the show, the characters plus others not directly involved in the show sought to resolve the issue using violence. The content of the minstrel show was demeaning and unappealing before those of black origin. Henceforth, the people sought to use violent acts to resolve the rampant racial discrimination (Lee 4). In fact, in one of the shows, Manray appeared without the blackface makeup as a show of irritation. The characters and those against the show wanted to ensure it did not continue due to the manner in which it portrayed the people of color.

The confrontation between Hopkins and Delacroix over a videotape leads to a heated argument which eventually leads to Delacroix's death. Before Delacroix show, he was shown a videotape of the past minstrel shows had destroyed the lives of many African-Americans. In a raid to catch the Mau Maus, the police decided to kill all black members of the group while leaving only the white members alive (Lee 4). As such, it is clear that the police discriminated the people of the community based on race to the extent that they would spare a law-breaker due to his race. However, the spared sixth member of the Mau Mau group demanded that he die with his comrades.

In the film, history is used to create a racial identity. Since the 19th century, the minstrel shows were used as a mockery of the people of black origin (Knowles 9). Consequently, Dunwitty accepts the Delacroix scripts to be aired when he stated that he would play the minstrel scripts instead of the scripts which positively portrayed the characters of the blacks (Lee 3). From the film, minstrel shows were used to represent the mannerisms and behaviors of members of the African-American community in a contrary manner, as well as act as a mockery. The minstrel shows date back to 1910; hence, the use of the minstrel show in the Bamboozled firm was a portrayal of the history of the black people. Therefore, use of the African-American Vernacular language and the minstrel shows are historical representations of the black people. The shows are a clear aspect that creates a racial identity of the black people.

The Functionality of the Racial Construction

The storyline of Bamboozled is mainly based on race. The race represents the social construction of the society. The color of the people portrays the theme of the film and also the mannerisms and behaviors of the people. It was considered wise to involve a white character as this illuminates the issue of race (Keirns et al. 244-245). The difference in the skin color of the characters involved in the film is a representation of the prevalence of the issue of culture in the movie. Also, the description of the specific roles being homeless and having to work under unfavorable conditions is a portrayal of the African-American people as it was the case in the colonial period.

The denial of Pierre Delacroix's scripts which portrayed the confident and intelligent side of the black community is a representation of how the people have not yet gained freedom since the colonial time. Thomas Dunwitty mostly guides Delacroix's actions at the workplace to the extent that he opts to write minstrel show scripts just to please the boss. As such, it is clear that despite the education levels of members of the African-American race, the whites are still as inconsiderate as it was in the 19th century (Knowles 9). The people have not yet gained the needed freedom as other people in the society (Keirns et al. 245). Despite Delacroix's minstrel show scripts being entirely meant to portray satire, the audience and the community has a different perception which ends up hurting the African-American characters. The f...