Racial Ideologies In Remember The Titans

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Media has infiltrated every aspect of everyday life. Society turns to mass media for the news, to enjoy a movie, listen to music, or watch a TV show. But these various forms of media are not solely for entertainment. Instead, media texts reproduce and circulate a variety of ideologies. Croteau and Hoynes assert that an ideology is a system of meaning that helps define the world while also making value judgments about that world (152). In the film Remember the Titans, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin in 2000, Bruckheimer and Yakin impart three major ideologies: racism is unacceptable, the power of respect and a common goal in overcoming racism and reversing stereotypical gender roles. Remember the Titans is an American …show more content…
In one instance, after being told to get to know a player of the opposite race, two teammates were shown asking each other questions after practice. The white player, Ray, asked the black player, Pete, about his dad. Ray asked what Pete’s dad did for a living, then said “wait, he does have a job right?” This relates to Croteau and Hoynes discussion of racial minorities being depicted as problem people, and the racial stereotypes portrayed in films and television (201). The scene displays the racial stereotype that African Americans are lazy and unable to hold a …show more content…
Coach Boone, the black head coach of the football team, was the main character whose actions revealed this dominant ideology. When the two teams first merged, the players feared for their starting positions now that there was more competition. Coach Boone made it known that he was not going to pick favorites based on the color of the players’ skin. He stated that “The best player will play, color won’t matter.” Boone forced the players to get to know one another and to treat each other as teammates and equals. When addressing the team, he stated “I don’t care if you like each other, but you will respect each other.” Coach Boone knew that the team had to form a mutual respect for one another in order to bridge the gap between the races. The players were able to bond as teammates once they got to know one another and viewed each player for who he was as an individual and not based on the color of his

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