At the surface, Remember the Titans is an inspirational as well as an intense sports movie, it has some ideological themes centered on racism. Although the film has a clear review of racism in the society, it is ineffective in that criticism as it is made in a society where racism is present.
It is important to look at every movie as having a political undertone as well as significance. This allows one to have a clear understanding of the dominant ideology and the impact it has on the society in question. I would classify Remember the Titans as one that has explicit political content but falls short in developing effective criticism of the ideological system in which it is embedded. The film has adopted the language and imagery of the dominant ideology, which is racism ( Collett, Kelly, & Sobolewski, 2010) . The requirement for the film to be considered as explicitly political is evident when one looks at the plot of the film and in particular the desegregating of the high schools and the desegregating of the football teams. Consequently, although the film has a happy ending where the team members unite together, there is the portrayal of a society that is dominated by racism ( Cranmer & Harris, 2015) . The segregation of the team for the majority evidences this.
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At the start of the film when the two schools are integrated, one cannot fail but wonder the expected outcome based on the animosity that ensued between the two dominant races. The naming of an African American as a coach in a school that had won many accolades under the guidance of a white coach was bound to cause a lot of alarm ( Collett, Kelly, & Sobolewski, 2010) . The white players in the team feared that they would lose their starting positions as a result of the coach’s race. To them, an African American could not attain the same results as Bill Yoast had when he was a coach. The hatred based on race was imminent when the white players decided against playing with the African Americans, sit together, speak with one another, or make any eye contact with one another ( Cranmer & Harris, 2015) . The entrenchment of racism in society is evident when one looks at the actions of the parents in one of the day schools. The parents were opposed to the integration of the two races and preferred continued segregation.
When Boone attempted to pair the players together, more fighting ensued that led to the coaching looking for ways to eradicate the whole problem. It took reminding of the past and the consequences of the hatred the players felt towards one another for them to be able to come together. Research shows that America had always been entrenched into racial hatred due to slavery ( Collett, Kelly, & Sobolewski, 2010) . One of the main issues during the civil war was the need to eradicate slavery. The message of the coach was that the players needed to appreciate the efforts made by those in the past who worked towards promoting freedom in America. In my view, what the coach wanted the players to understand is that America had come a long way and it was time that people respected each other even though they did not like each other ( Cranmer & Harris, 2015) . The call was for them to play the game without bringing the issues of race between them. This was a turning point as the players start respecting each other and can stand strong against the challenges that they faced across the season. There were insults from opposing teams as they could not understand how blacks and whites were able to work together. To the two coaches, it was about how the society can work together in ensuring that there is harmony amongst all the members of the community.
The movie mirrored the American society in the 60s and 70s when the segregation laws were being eradicated in the society. The American society had lived with the Jim Crow laws for a long time. The laws had made it constitutional for segregation to exist in schools, hospitals, and also residential places. It is as a result of these laws that the American society viewed it right for the two races to stay segregated and was resistant to any attempt at changing the status quo ( Collett, Kelly, & Sobolewski, 2010) . However, the efforts made by the two coaches to unite their players and ensure they respected one another was the starting point. The film clearly shows that both blacks and whites can stay together in harmony and also take part in the same activities such as sports.
Overall, the characters in Remember the Titans depict the situation in the American society where racism reigns despite past efforts to eradicate it. Racism can be eliminated through the systematic integration of the members of the society coupled with respect for one another. Working together and remembering the sacrifices that were made by the forefathers in promoting equality can be a starting point in enhancing respect for one another in the society. Remember the Titans shows what the society can achieve through working together without any form of prejudice amongst the members of the society. Despite the hatred, the Titans felt during the season; they were able to work together towards attaining the required goal of playing the beautiful game like men.
References
Collett, J. L., Kelly, S., & Sobolewski, C. (2010). Using Remember the Titans to teach theories of conflict reduction. Teaching Sociology , 38 (3), 258-266.
Cranmer, G. A., & Harris, T. M. (2015). “White-side, strong-side”: A critical examination of race and leadership in Remember the Titans. Howard Journal of Communications , 26 (2), 153-171.
