Saturday, September 12, 2009
Media Prejudice
Marriam-Webster defines prejudice as a preconceived judgment or opinion. We see this judgment every single day, but little did I know that prejudice is often satirized in today's media. Last weekend I was watching Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. This movie is overflowing with all of the different kinds of prejudice seen today. One instance is when Harold and Kumar are driving away from the federal police, and they crash into a fire hydrant. Normally this wouldn't be a complete catastrophe, but the fire hydrant was in a ghetto neighborhood. After crashing, a series of upset looking black men approach their car. Harold and Kumar freak out thinking that they are going to get mobbed and leave the scene, running for their lives. The group of black men around the car were in reality just checking to make sure everything was alright. Whether prejudice is taking place on the big screen, or in our own neighborhood, we know it's wrong yet we frequently make jokes about it, or often laugh about it. Something needs to be done to move past these elimentary instincts that plague our so called "advanced" society.
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Kyle, I liked your definition of prejudice which opened your blog. I have also viewed the movie, Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. I agree with you this movie does an excellent job at depicting different types of prejudices. Another example to add to your blog regarding this movie is when they get mistaken for terrorists because of their race. I enjoyed reading your blog!
ReplyDeleteI would argue that laughing about prejudice or satirizing it actually moves us forward by opening the discussion. I'm thinking about the TV series The Office . . . Michael Scott is so naive about his stereotypes, but it's clear through their reactions that the other characters see his faults.
ReplyDeleteI like how you tie it in with Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. It's good to connect with your audience, which you did a great job with. Even if they haven't seen the movie they could visualize it. I also think that it helps to get passed things by laughing and making jokes about them, although, there is a fine line that gets crossed a lot.
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