The film was produced in nineteen fifty six during the time of segregation. The main character Ethan Edwards played by John Wayne symbolizes an entire culture of white supremacy. Since Ethan has an untoward attitude toward the Indians, his orphan Martin, who is one eighth Cherokee, is treated as outsider by stating "I could've mistaken you for a half breed" (Ford). According to the Racial Slur database, the word "spigger"(Anonymous) is a combination of spic for Hispanics and nigger for black. Both Ethan's statement to Martin and the racial slur referring to both blacks and Hispanics have parallel meaning in that they both represent racial discrimination of a person who is of mixed race. Not only are the racial slurs hurtful and bias toward another ethnicity, but also the malicious behaviors of people toward others has an even greater effect.
From my perspective there is also racial bigotry in the movie with the inclusion of Martin's squaw Look. She is not white and doesn't speak nor understand English. Whenever Martin was trying to tell her something in English, she responds only in her native language. Martin eventually becomes very irate and kicks her out his blanket after she lays down beside him. Here it portrays a prejudicial comedy because to the audience it can be accepted as funny. According to the New York Times article, "Three young white men plead guilty to the hate crime killing of an African American man in Mississippi by running him over with a vehicle" (Severson). It is from these types of wrongdoings that even though in the eyes of some individuals that America may be the number one country in terms of being proclaimed as the promise land and living the American dream, it is still very elusive because of the several social barriers that are instilled in society.
In modern society there is a major conflict stirring in the criminal justice system, which is racial disparity. The cause of this ongoing phenomenon is due to racial profiling. Racial profiling is a strategic method of scrutinizing by placing a person or group in a particular category simply because of their ethnicity. After the imprisoning of Debbie, who is Ethan's niece, at first she is almost killed by him because in his eyes he views her as no longer white considering she was now raised within the Indian culture for five years. Ethan states "she is no longer considered my kin" (Ford). From the New York Times article there was also a hate crime perpetrated against an Iraqi immigrant woman in California resulting in her being beaten to death after receiving a threatening note from an anonymous person calling her a "terrorist" (Lovett & Carless). From these malevolent actions, it is quite clear that people will harm others in society simply because they observe them as different and they feel justified due to their belief of envisioning them as traders or rejects.
Some African Americans live in strict impoverishment, or slums. They endure extreme hardships because they tend to grow up around drugs as well as crime. These areas have a large number of low income families with very little education. As a consequence, these provinces have a high number of police arrests and convictions. Also these types of living conditions tend to promote racial profiling by law enforcers. A young African American man could be walking with his headphones on, wearing a hooded sweater and bag pack and may be stopped by the police because of the officers' intuition of him stealing something. The situation of the death of seventeen year old Trayvon Martin in Florida is a relative topic because according to James Rainey of the LA times "The media is making it feel tolerable for what George Zimmerman had done despite the fact that there were recordings of him being informed by an officer to not pursue the young man in the neighborhood" (Rainey). From my standpoint as a consequence of these predisposed acts, they have become a detriment to societal values.
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When human beings are born we are taught certain traditional values and ethics from one generation to the next in which we receive from our parents and our fore parents. Specific teachings may be seen as moral or immoral. With the ever changing society in which we live in today it has stemmed from all the way back with the initiation of slavery and it has shaped American as a nation. From my viewpoint if the American people want to rise above racial intolerance, they must develop ways to make more vigilant laws to ensure the safety and tranquility of each ethnicity.
Carless, Will & Lovett, Ian. Iraqi Immigrants In California Town fear a Hate Crime in a Woman's Killing. The New York Times. March 27, 2012. Web. 31 March 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/28/us/killing-of-iraqi-woman-leaves-immigrant-community-shaken.html?ref=hatecrimes>.
Google Images
Rainey, James. Media gives ample coverage, little clarity to Trayvon Martin case. Los Angeles Times. March 31, 2012. Web. 1 April 2012. http:www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-trayvon-media-201240, 0, 1199315.story
Severson, Kim. Three Plead Guilty to hate Crimes in Killing of Black Man in Mississippi. The New York Times. March 22, 2012. Web. 31 March 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/us/three-plead-guilty-to-hate-crimes-in-killing-of-black-man-in-mississippi.html?ref=hatecrimes>.
The Racial Slur Database. 1980. Web. 1 April 2012. http://www.johncglass.com/racialslurs.htm.
The Searchers. Dir. John Ford. With John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Natalie Wood, Henry Brandon, and Dorothy Jordan. Warner Bros. Pictures, 1956. DVD.
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