Table of Contents
The plot is introduced
The Blind Side film analysis
In conclusion,
Leigh Anne Tuohy – Michael Oher – true story.
The Blind Side plot introductionThe Blind Side movie is based on Michael Oher’s true story. Michael Oher was an offensive lineman in the Baltimore Ravens. Michael Oher is a young black man who grew in the “projects”, an impoverished section of Memphis. After being removed from his drug addicted mother and running away from foster homes, he became homeless. He is noticed by a coach in a predominantly white and exclusive private school for his athletic potential, due to his size and movement. Michael was initially refused admission to the school due to his low grades and records. The football coach convinced them to accept him. Leigh Anne Tuohy noticed Michael in a tee shirt walking in the pouring rain one evening as she was driving home. Her son calls Michael “Big Mike” in school. Leigh Anne Tuohy invites Michael to spend the night at her house. The Tuohys live a privileged life due to owning multiple fast food restaurants. Michael’s life is transformed and he has many new opportunities. Leigh Anne, her husband and Michael become legal guardians. Leigh Anne Tuohy gives Michael her full attention to help him reach his potential. She is his strongest advocate when he is being treated with racism and she refers to her as son. She teaches her son how to be a good football player and he is now sought out by numerous universities. Michael was not given a great education when he was growing up. His GPA might not pass the test. Leigh Anne Tuohy then hired a tutor every evening to help him. Michael finally graduates from exclusive, private schools and accepts a scholarship to University of Missouri.
The Blind Side analysis I found racism, sexism and classism all over the film. This film was dominated by racism. As an example, the Tuohys’ and other whites only stayed in one neighborhood and only socialized with other whites. Memphis was a highly segregated city, with minorities and whites living on opposite sides. Leigh Anne was told by her friend that moving to the other side of town would damage her “reputation”. This is an example also of white flight. The suburbs and the cities are still highly discriminatory, even though segregation has ended.
The film also contained several instances of racism. Mike walked up to the girls at the park and they both fled. Michael’s stereotypical portrayal of black men in the media must have been ingrained into their minds. Michael’s football opponent also taunted Michael during the game. I was most affected by the taunt when Michael’s opponent told him, “you’re not welcome here”, implying that he didn’t belong in this place because he’s black. Michael was also teased by a spectator who made a comment. Leigh Anne and her friends would always make racist comments at lunch (Smith et.al., 2009). They were also an instance of backstage racist remarks, when a comment was made in a company that is all white and accepted as a prank. Her friends seemed to be against her because she was working with a black person. At certain points in the movie, the Tuohys acted as if they were racists. Michael’s parents were afraid he would steal the first time he was at their house. Later, they said that he is a black man. Leigh Anne’s daughter was also asked if Michael could stay in the house. This question, I think, would have never been asked if Michael was white.
The film also featured institutional racism. Institutional racism is likely to be the cause of many of the minorities not having jobs. Even if the minority people had jobs, they were always low-paying (Smith et. al., 2008). The majority of people in the region lived in an area with better resources, but the area in which the minorities live was poorer in quality. The film implied that schools attended by minority children did not receive as much funding as schools attended by children from the majority. Michael was less likely to be successful in his life because of this. The film also dealt with institutional classism, which was as prevalent as racism.
Social mobility in the United States is becoming more difficult. A person’s social class is likely to remain the same for their entire lives if they were born into that class. Michael wouldn’t have achieved his success if he hadn’t been adopted by a wealthy family. The Tuohy family had more life opportunities, such as easy access to an education. Michael, however, was not privileged, and grew up homeless. He didn’t have the resources necessary to succeed in his life until he was taken in by the Tuohys. The sexism in this movie was minimal, but it still needs to be acknowledged. Leigh Anne arrived late to the Tuohys’ daughter’s volleyball match. Their son informed her that it wasn’t a big deal because the game was “girls'” volleyball. This is a cultural sexism. This example might seem small, yet it is important for our culture to continue to reinforce that male sport is more important than women’s sports. The media does not give female sports the same attention as male ones, and viewers don’t watch as many female sports as they do male sports.
ConclusionI am affected by all three social issues that I have just discussed. When it’s about cultural racism, unfortunately I still observe that people only interact when they are with others of the same race. Although I think we are doing better in terms of racism today, there is still much work to be done. This is especially true when it involves stereotypes, segregation, and other issues. Minorities have higher rates of poverty and low-paying employment. As I grew up, my upper class friends had many more opportunities than the movie depicted. When I consider classism in its truest form, I find that the majority of people I am familiar with have remained in their social class. Liberal by nature, I had always thought conservatives were more likely than liberals to show racism and less willing help others. Parts of the film confirmed my beliefs, and other parts challenged them. Leigh Anne, for instance, had friends who were obviously racists and conservatives. Touhy’s family rebutted this notion. Michael Tuohy’s life was changed by the Tuohys, who were initially racist.
