Tonight while I was home alone I watched this movie I'd recorded a few weeks ago on the DVR. (Gotta love a DVR - how did we ever get along without them?) Anyway, I have either never seen this movie or I don't remember ever seeing it. I thought it was very good and I would recommend it. Apparently it got 2 academy awards - one went to Katharine Hepburn for best actress. I've loved Sidney Poitier since I saw To Sir With Love. Apparently Spencer Tracy died just 17 days after filming was completed and this was his last film with Katharine Hepburn. Anyway, I digress.
The random thought I wanted to post tonight had to do with prejudice. The 1967 groundbreaking story dealt with the controversial subject of interracial marriage which had been illegal historically in most of the United States, and was still illegal in 17 Southern U.S. States up until June 12 of that year. It's been 41 years since the movie was released. I couldn't help but think about all the advancements that have been made in those 41 years in eliminating prejudice. Interracial marriages are very common now and widely accepted. But I wonder if we as a country have made lasting advancements in the overall area of eliminating racial prejudice. I don't feel well qualified to give any answer, especially living in the predominately white valley where I live. My opportunities to live in a ethnically diverse part of the country will probably never happen. The information I gather about continuing prejudice will have to come from reading the newspaper and national magazines. Based on that, it seems like racial prejudice still exists and in some cases is worse than ever although now it involves many more races, religions, and nationalities. I think it comes down to people not accepting other people who are different than they are, and thinking that they are better. It seems like a lot of people are either afraid, suspicions or untrusting of what they do not know or someone they do not know or a way of life that is different from what they are use to. Trying to find the good in others, finding commonalities and shared interests can go a long way in building bridges. I abhor racial jokes, slurs and bashing other people because of their race, religion, and chosen way of life. My opinion is that we don't have to agree with the choices people make, but I don't think we have any right to verbally slander them or ostracize them.
4 comments:
I just read a 2006 conference talk by President Hinckley about that, and he was saying there is just no place for that in our church. But honestly, I'm still stuck on the idea that you watch TV. I can't picture it.
Jamie, I don't do it very often, but I was home alone and looking for something to do. I love watching movies, just not regular TV. That might make a good blog post some day!
It does seem that the country has made a lot of progress in overcoming racial prejudice, if only for the nomination of Obama as the Democrat candidate for president. Prejudice still does exist, but it is much less widespread, at least in this country, than it used to be.
As to miscegenation (interracial marriage), it does come with its own set of special problems, but it is not as much frowned upon or looked down upon as it used to be, for sure.
Weird, I just added that movie to my Netflix list last week! Prejudice definitely still exists, just not as overt as it used to be. I do think it's interesting there's a BET (Black Entertainment Television) and imagine everyone would be in an uproar over WET (you know what it means).
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