How The Blind Side Reinforces Racial Stereotypes

“Popular dance films reflect cultural ideas concerning fundamental issues in life and art (including live art), while, at the same time, they help to shape our reflections on these issues. Moreover, popular dance films may both affirm dominant race, class, and gender relations and represent transformations and/or subversions of the status quo.” Jade Boyd, pg. 67

Jade Boyd’s Dance, Culture, and Popular Film Considering Representations in Save the Last Dance explores how products of pop culture represent members of society and how society and these representations influence each other. The article focuses on dance and how the dynamics of race, class, and gender are present in dance represented in the media. Popular media’s products are based on cultural norms and these norms are reinforced through these products. Boyd highlights how films try to challenge conventional norms, but in turn end up reaffirming them.

The Blind Side, was released in 2009, a movie based on the true story of Baltimore Ravens’ offensive lineman Michael Oher. The film shares the story of Michael Oher an impoverished boy who was taken in by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy. With the help of the Tuohy’s Michael is able to realize his full potential as a student and a football player.

The dynamics of race and class are seen in this movie in both subtle and overt ways.

The White Saviour

The Blind Side is not the first time the white saviour complex has been seen in Hollywood films. In the film, the Tuohy’s take in Michael off the streets where they can bless him with oddments of their white life. It is through Michael’s amass of a new white life that he becomes blessed with so many opportunities. Sandra Bullock who plays Leigh Anne is praised throughout the film for “saving” Michael from his life of poverty. The white saviour complex positions white people as superior. The black character is able to advance only thanks to the blessings from the successful white characters. This common white dynamic reinforces cultural representations.

All Black People are Poor

When comparing the Tuohy family to Michael’s family the extremes of both are evident. The Tuohy’s are financially successful, they live in a mansion in a white suburb with their two perfect children who attend a private, Christian school.

Michael comes from a small home in a poor neighbourhood. All the men from Michael’s neighbourhood (who are black) are portrayed as violent thugs.

These representations are overly dramatized and create an inaccurate representation of white vs black people. The binary differences are emphasized furthering the racialization of each group. All the black characters in the film are poor and the white characters are overly successful. These representations coincide with the white saviour complex where black people are poor and need a white person/family to save them.

The character of Michael

Michael’s character is quite flat with little depth to his personality and actions. Michael is very shy and barely speaks throughout the film. He is passive and does what the white people tell him to. When the Tuohys explain things to Michael they use simple terms and explanations that are similar to how one would explain things to a toddler. The character of Michael is transformed thanks to the white people. Through the “saving” actions from the Tuohys Michael’s personality advances, his grades improve, and he learns how to excel in society. Michael’s character needs rescuing and leadership from the white people in order to be a successful member of society.

As Boyd’s article points out film is an outlet where for the transformation of societal norms, but many films have trouble doing so. The Blind Side is a contemporary example showing how media products mirror cultural norms and stereotypes. Media products further these stereotypes and norms through passive consumption without critique.

Image source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/60/Blind_side_poster.jpg