Of course it’s always hard for somebody else to take your perspective or “walk a mile in your shoes”, but why does it seem so easy for; essentially in our society; a white man, to tell the story of another woman, or man, or person of color? How can they really get every single little detail and experience right? And on top of that, make sure that they interpret and portray the experience correctly, so that the possibility of a stereotype to form has little or no room at all?
We discussed this issue in class, and that was the first time I thought of it like that, especially in the media. By now we should all know that the media greatly influences us, from the time we began watching TV as kids, till now. Whether we like it or not, the media directly and indirectly influences us, attaching many negative messages along with it. If you really think about it though, who has the power to put these images and messages out? Usually men, usually heterosexual white men.
The Bechdel Test is a very simple one, yet many mainstream movies and televsion shows don’t pass this test, for women and race. Why do you think that is?
We discussed the movies we signed up to watch in class, and watching Whale Rider, made me realize that this movie, is a very rare one. One that was written and produced by a Maori person, a person able to tell their own story about their own people and culture. When you watch this movie with these issues in mind, you will come to the realization that, the typical stereotypes of indigenous people’s stories or any other people of color in movies aren’t depicted in this particular movie. The main character, Pai, is a young girl who, in the end is the one to save her own people, without the need of a “white messiah” to save her tribe and people. Now, how many movies can you think of, that fit this standard? This movie is an example of how people of color having the power to tell their own stories, can eventually cut out the stereotypes that are present in most Hollywood Produced films. The next step we can try to make a change in, is getting more people from everywhere to gain the opportunity to tell their own stories, from their perspective. If the percentage of women and people of color having the opportunity to share their stories with others through the media increases, then the messages can change for the better.
