The Color of Fear in
structured in an unconventional format—it is simply footage of a conversation
and a few interviews mashed together. In the film a group of two white men, two
Hispanic men, three Asian-American men, and two black men attempt to talk about
race in America and how racism has affected their lives. As they speak, they
address prejudices and reveal personal experiences that evoke emotional and
often violent reactions. As I watched, I was astonished by their blunt
willingness to purge all of their emotions and personal stories and I at the
end of the film, I found that I agreed with Hugh: the only way to even come
close to finding a solution to racism or to understand those who suffer from
racism is to force yourself to have a conversation about it, however painful it
might be. Without that emotional and violent conversation—like the one
portrayed in the film—racism will continue unchallenged.
Something I found surprising was the conversation about “interethnic
racism.” Loren suggests that racism occurs between minority groups according to
cues from white behavior and norms which reminds me of the racial
stratification on the Hawaiian plantations. With the whites at the top of the
power pyramid, the descending levels were organized based on the races that
could “pass” for being white in higher paid positions with the Filipinos—who were
the darkest ethnicity—at the bottom (Takaki 140). While I had read this, I was
still surprised to learn that within
the black and Latino communities, those who had lighter skin—who could “pass”
as a white person more than the others—were regarded as more desirable or more
prone to success. This—according to Loren—is a result of the white
establishment of social norms engineered to grant success only to those who
appear white and it is this notion that David is unaware of. This was very
eye-opening to me as well because I considered myself to be very conscious about
the complex history of racial oppression in the U.S.. After watching this film,
I witnessed the perspectives of minority groups in the context of today’s society and it made me reconsider
my place in that society as a white person in the eyes of minority groups who
are being oppressed.
Toward the end of the film, Gordon—one of the white men—says
he was afraid as he drove to Ukiah to engage in the conversation of racism
because he “represents the oppressor.” I can relate to that fear—especially as
I write this—because I don’t consider myself to be an oppressor. But it’s
difficult for me to understand the plight of minority groups in America because
there are so many layers of historical prejudice and violence that will remain
for a very long time, affecting the relationships between and within racial
groups.
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