https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-w18A2eSQk
The other night, I walked into my living room and my housemates were watching the film "Guess Who?"(2005) which is about an African American girl who brings her boyfriend home to meet her family. I thought the concepts being brought up through this form of media were interesting in how they formed representations of dealing with differences. The comedic genre of this film is formed from both racial and labor-specific differences which these characters encounter in each other.
The first interesting point is this white character's (Ashton Kutcher) migration into this African American household and community. His presence is emphasized to sticked out and in return is noted by every other character around him. For instance, the main female protagonist's sister states that she will from now on be the "favorite child" because she didn't bring a white boy home. This attitude, creating a form of racial segregation in the household is further progressed by almost every character within the film, as they all face problems confronting their racial differences. The concept of Labor furthers these differences, when the white protagonist feels like he must make up a fantastical profession in order to gain the father's approval (as a NASCAR employee). This chosen "profession" is interesting because it is usually attributed to a white population, and therefore it comes as a surprise to the characters when her father turns out to be a knowledgeable fan. The concept of white superiority comes into play, as this character tried to impress this family by pretending to have a mainly white profession. Once the family discovers his facade, however, he is looked down upon even more, adding to this form of racisim present.
Although much of the segregation of race and labor is thought to be a thing of the past, these differences are still engrained into our media culture and understanding of representation. It is woven into the fibers of how we perceive our society and our relationships with those around us. Evidence for this concept resides in the basis of race and labor which this film centers and relies upon.
Really interesting, Olivia. This film is a remake/adaptation of a classic late 1960s' film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? In the original, the question of the fiancé's profession (i.e., Sidney Poitier, the fiancé, is a physician) is also built into the narrative, thus complicating how his social class (not just a matter of race) is perceived and affirmed.
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