I am decidedly non-plussed at the trailer for the film adaptation of one of my favorite books, The Blind Side.
The book is an analysis of the evolution of the left tackle position, using as illustration the story of why seemingly every rich white person in West Memphis was willing to bend over backwards for a young, disadvantaged man who perfectly fit the physical specs of an LT. It tells the story of Michael Oher, a black teen who out of sheer luck ends up at a nearly all-white prep school. His coaches and other school parents see his potential as a pro athlete and take him under their wing.
I loved Michael Lewis' book for a couple of reasons. First of all, I love football, and offensive linemen are my favorite unsung heroes of the game, so the fact that Lewis focused on their work was fascinating for me. But the book also brings up some pretty heavy issues for discussion (though certainly not as in-depth as I would've liked), namely: if Michael Oher weighed 90 pounds soaking wet and showed zero athletic ability, would the well-off families who helped him still have put so much effort into his rescue? Would his adoptive parents and school officials have worked so hard to get him into college? Had the family who wanted to pull him out of his horrific upbringing NOT been wealthy, influential and white, would they have been able to quasi-adopt him?
There are several places in the book where Michael is torn between returning home to his estranged mother and staying with his adoptive family. He also wants to play basketball, but his benefactors push him into football because he's such a perfectly prototypical left tackle. (Football FYI: after quarterbacks, left tackles are, on average, the highest-paid offensive players in the NFL.)
This story is tailor-made for Hollywood, with all the big issues - race, class, redemption. Unfortunately, from the looks of the trailer, the film version of "The Blind Side" seems to center on the wife and mother of the family who takes Michael in. Not surprising, since she's played by Sandra Bullock. Sure, it's easier to get a film made if you can turn it into a vehicle for a star. But I'm disappointed to see that Michael's voice appears to be many rungs down on the importance ladder, as compared to Sandra.
Race, and class-based racism, played such enormous roles in Michael Oher's youth. As a teen, the kid had something like a first-grade reading level. That scene in the trailer about him never having had his own bed was straight out of the book. And the social agencies that were supposed to protect him lost track of him for years. I'm glad that Oher managed to get out of this situation (after a few years at Ole Miss, the Baltimore Ravens drafted him in the first round earlier this year). But there are thousands of other kids out there in the same circumstances who don't have his luck and physical gifts that, at the moment, happen to be in demand by pro teams.
I sincerely hope that this movie version doesn't ignore those realities in favor of giving us yet another iteration of Caucasian Mighty Mouse is Here to Save the Day.
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The trailer left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. I would think Michael Oher should be the hero of the story, but the trailer makes him seem more like a prop: the gentle giant who allows the rich white woman to demonstrate her largess. Maybe the trailer is just cut to entice middle class viewers and the movie itself focuses more on Oher. Here's hoping.
I see the privileging of athletes as a natural extreme of ablaism. After all, if society doesn't value those whose bodies don't fit into its definition of normal, it will likely privilege those whose bodies allow them to do feats of athleticism. I'm from Texas and I have seen how athletes get away with stuff non-athletes would never get away with. Mainly male (football or basketball-playing) athletes, but some female athletes as well.
I am also curious about the racial issues in the films. It seems to me many films about inspiring teachers show the teacher as the white person swooping in to save kids of color. It is a common theme and is quite problematic, as it seems to re-enforce the idea that children of color need a white teacher to 'show them their potential' and 'save them from drugs/gangs/abuse.'
Joan
I agree with your point that atheletes get special treatment, and I think it's wrong that any person should be able to get away with doing bad thing simply cause they're a valuable football payer-and yet: some people are *talented* and that talent allows them to escape from bad situations, home life, poor circumstances, whatever. I hope I'm not over generalizing here-I'm not saying that every black athelete in college is a poor boy from the ghetto (and I think the fact that most atheletic scholarships are given to men is dumb as hell), but if someone can get a chance at an education because of atheletic skills? Grand. College is insanely expensive in this country. I wish it was simply affordable for everyone, but I also don't begrudge some people getting help.
Confession: My brother got a wrestling scholarship to his college, and if he hadn't, my family would be even worse off than we are now, so yeah. It's personal. I guess my wish would be that we award all sorts of talent, not just atheleticism, and make chances available to everybody-but still, I can't begrudge people their scholarships.
Oh, I have no problem with people getting scholarships or recognition for their athletic achievements, though I do find it sad that there are so many more athletic scholarships than scholarships for art, music or theater. But I do have a problem with the wink-wink I have seen athletes get from school administrators when they cheat or are failing a class and should not be allowed to compete. Not all athletes abuse their privilege of course, but I have seen it happen.
Joan
The Blind Side is one of my favorite football books because it's about LT's in general and Michael Oher in particular.
It's not a vehicle for Sandra Bullock, which it appears the film adaptation is. Really? We're not gonna discuss how Oher got to Briarcrest in the first place? Or the fact that he played hoops prior to getting on the football field?
Or the fact that Sean Tuohy knew about him long before his wife did?
Nah, let's just make a by-the-numbers white redemption story with a big black guy as the focal point.
I don't know if I would call this a racist or classist film. A rich white family is allowing a black teen to stay in thier home. How is that classist or racist?
-Nikki-
My issue isn't the subject matter, although there are plenty of race and class issues to explore in Michael Oher's life. My problem is the perspective. Instead of this being Michael's story (which it is), it's the white family's story.
It's yet one more example of black characters existing only for the enlightenment of white people... which is all the more grating in this case because it's based on a book *about Michael Oher*.
And, just to be clear... I never said that the movie was anything. I haven't seen it yet. But the trailer doesn't look very encouraging.
Yes, I saw this on the "stuff white people do" blog. Maybe after this family is done helping the helpless, disadvantaged black youth (one of them, anyway) they can get together with Gran Torino and help protect Asian neighborhoods from those terrible, terrible Asian gangsters. *sarcasm*
http://stuffwhitepeopledo.blogspot.com/2009/08/help-out-disadvantaged-black-youth.html
As for why this movie is racist or classist, nthomas00, I suggest you read this:
http://www.livefrommemphis.com/ageekandhisblog/924-when-can-we-help-ourselvesthe-white-saviour-in-modern-cinema
Also, if I had said this "this family is...helping the helpless, disadvantaged black youth" without sarcasm, isn't that racist? Isn't it at least implying that without an affluent white person to help "them," all the "disadvantaged black youth" are helpless, and isn't that an insulting idea? But that's the story that this movie portrays, and it's just another movie in a long line of movies that portray the same. That's why this movie is a post on Feministing.
Though there are some problems with Gran Torino, I really don't feel like its a white person saves the day narrative.
Race was used to highlight the racism of the main character, but I think ageism and gang violence, as well as the isolation of migrant ethnic populations was more the focus. In any case, it was the Hmong who save themselves in that movie, not Clint or the priest.
This reminds me of the Mad TV skit about the "Nice White Lady."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O17M-KuQyoQ
I feel bad that they took an otherwise interesting book and watered it down into "White People Deserve A Cookie For Helping Out Someone Who Is Different From Them."
Great sketch at the link. Nailed it!