White Man’s Burden (1995), is a movie that was written and directed by Desmond Nakano, who is a third-generation Japanese-American. (Nakano, 2017). Nakano, born in 1953, was forty-two years old when the movie was released. Being a third generation Japanese- American, it is likely his grand-parents and/or his parents, or people they knew, were interned during World War II. That experience may have been a motivation for writing a story about race relations.
The history of America is replete with numerous incidents of the subjugation of black people by white people, and slavery was just one example. Even after the abolishment of slavery in America, blacks still had to struggle to become seen as equal to whites. Malcolm X in his essay, A Homemade …show more content…
Like a negative of a photograph, the expected developed picture has been reversed. All black characters appear affluent, and all white characters appear poor. By using an alternative reality, Nakano attempts to shock the conscience of his audience. But Nakano engages in stereotyping, albeit in the reverse, to convey social injustice as well as man’s inhumanity to man.
White Man’s Burden is a not so subtle film that uses imagery and dialogue to disgust his audience to reveal the unjust and inhumane ways that black human beings have been historically subjected to, and were being subject to when Nakano wrote his screenplay. And some may say are still being subjected to. It is a social commentary film where African-Americans …show more content…
By making white characters the minority and black characters the majority, the movie attempts to nullify the stereotypes associated with minority groups. In the end, Louis’ character evolved. He refused to leave Thaddeus when he was having a heart attack, while Stanley, Louis’ white friend, ran away. But Thaddeus’ character did not evolve. He came to Louis’ widow and offered her money because as Thaddeus put it, Louis thought he owed him money. Thaddeus did not acknowledge that Louis gave his life to save Thaddeus’ life. Thaddeus merely offered her more money when she refused his offer of blood money. Thaddeus also did not offer any condolence to Louis’ widow, which would have shown some degree of humanity. Making the viewer feel the pain of their kin in distress, the movie is able to emotionally connect with its audience and deliver a good punch in the gut for those who feign ignorance of the realities that minorities live
The history of America is replete with numerous incidents of the subjugation of black people by white people, and slavery was just one example. Even after the abolishment of slavery in America, blacks still had to struggle to become seen as equal to whites. Malcolm X in his essay, A Homemade …show more content…
Like a negative of a photograph, the expected developed picture has been reversed. All black characters appear affluent, and all white characters appear poor. By using an alternative reality, Nakano attempts to shock the conscience of his audience. But Nakano engages in stereotyping, albeit in the reverse, to convey social injustice as well as man’s inhumanity to man.
White Man’s Burden is a not so subtle film that uses imagery and dialogue to disgust his audience to reveal the unjust and inhumane ways that black human beings have been historically subjected to, and were being subject to when Nakano wrote his screenplay. And some may say are still being subjected to. It is a social commentary film where African-Americans …show more content…
By making white characters the minority and black characters the majority, the movie attempts to nullify the stereotypes associated with minority groups. In the end, Louis’ character evolved. He refused to leave Thaddeus when he was having a heart attack, while Stanley, Louis’ white friend, ran away. But Thaddeus’ character did not evolve. He came to Louis’ widow and offered her money because as Thaddeus put it, Louis thought he owed him money. Thaddeus did not acknowledge that Louis gave his life to save Thaddeus’ life. Thaddeus merely offered her more money when she refused his offer of blood money. Thaddeus also did not offer any condolence to Louis’ widow, which would have shown some degree of humanity. Making the viewer feel the pain of their kin in distress, the movie is able to emotionally connect with its audience and deliver a good punch in the gut for those who feign ignorance of the realities that minorities live