Depiction Analysis. Communications & Media Movie Review

Depiction Analysis
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Institution Analysis
Racial inequality in the US is quite evident with persons from minority groups continuously discriminated by their white counterparts. They have been sidelined from most of the powerful and leadership positions in the country in what has been labelled as white privilege. As such, the group which predominantly comprises of African Americans and Hispanics has been forced to live under deplorable conditions. They live in poverty-stricken neighborhoods where sleeping hungry is the least of their worries because of rampant levels of crime and drugs and substance abuse. The other significant issue in the US is gender disparity with men in society treating women as inferior beings who should play supporting roles in their lives. Women and particularly those from minority groups have to go great lengths not only to have their voices heard but also just to be recognized. Last but not least, matters pertaining to sexuality and members of the LGBTQ community are still contentious. Individuals who associate as LGBTQ have not been fully embraced in the American society and in some cases face discrimination even from their families and friends. Over the years, movie directors and producers have been phenomenal in addressing these issues in their films in efforts to elicit debates that would bring them to an end. Most recently, the All American series has been instrumental in touching on matters associated to racism, gender inequality and sexuality in the US. The essay purports to examine episode 3 of season 1 of All American and highlighted on the themes of racism, gender and homophobia.
Brief Summary of the Episode
The TV series All American has gained significant traction and a huge fan base since it first aired. It centers on a talented black American football player called Spencer James who lived in a poor neighborhood and where drugs and substance abuse and crime were very rampant. After an altercation in his former school, his mother called in a favor from an old friend who coached American football in the leafy suburbs of Beverly Hills. The initiative according to the mother was to keep him out of trouble and propel him towards achieving his dream of one day playing in the NFL. Spencer was initially against the idea because it meant that he had to stay away from his family on school days and live a pretentious life with people who had never been subjected to any form of suffering. However, over time he became accustomed to the idea and even made friends in his new school including Jordan Baker, the captain of the football team and the coach’s son. Jordan had been exposed to a lavish lifestyle all his life. He lived in a fancy house and even drove a sports car, something Spencer and his friends in his home neighborhood could only dream about. One fateful evening after Jordan was driving Spencer back to Beverly Hills after spending the afternoon in Spencer’s neighborhood, they were stopped by two white police officers. They were not driving over the speed limit which left Jordan very surprised. However, from the perspective of the police officers, it wasn’t common to find two black boys driving such an expensive car on that part of town. Black people didn’t have the privilege and finances to own such and the only explanation was that they must have stolen it. Jordan who had clearly not been exposed to such police brutality directed towards African Americans became livid, tried to object and the two were eventually arrested.
Similarly, the episode also shows Jordan’s mother who is white and a successful lawyer use her white privileges and position in society to get the two out of jail. Throughout the TV series, she is only woman who can deemed to be doing anything substantial and which is reflected in the lifestyle she accorded her family. Little is known of the job Spencer’s mother does but it is evidently not as important. Similarly, throughout the series and the episode, the women are seen supporting the men in their lives without the opposite being reflected. Additionally, the episode also touches on homophobia involving Spencer’s childhood best friend Coop who was forced out of her parent’s house after she came out of the closet. While everyone in the community knew that Coop was a lesbian and had accepted the idea, her parents remained adamant that their daughter was straight until the point she spelled it out to them.
Discussion of the Issue of Racism in the Episode
The United States remains highly divided despite the stipulations of the Bill of Rights in the US constitution that accord all citizens equal rights and freedoms. According to the episode and the TV series in general, racism is evident in the division of the two neighborhoods. While Spencer and his family lived in a poverty stricken region, Jordan and the Baker family resided in the leafy parts of Beverly Hills and were accustomed to a lavish lifestyle. Spencer’s neighborhood was plagued by serious challenges including rampant crime levels and drugs and substance abuse. There were gangs in the region that terrorized the locals and recruited young people such as Spencer to advance their criminal activities including theft and “pushing” drugs. Similarly, unlike Beverly Hills High school that Spencer joined, his former school was inadequately resourced. Racism usually involves complete discrimination of a section of people and their neighborhood with their resources being unfairly diverted to others.
Additionally, the societal issue of racism also becomes evident when Jordan and Spencer are arrested for no apparent reason other than being two black boys driving a very expensive car in a poor neighborhood. Jordan owned the car and occasionally drove it in his neighborhood without any challenges from law enforcement. Furthermore, on the fateful day he was driving within the speed limits and therefore, had not broken or violated any laws. However, as has been the case in the US for many years, black people are often associated with crime and are continuously targeted by law enforcement officers (Chaney & Robertson, 2013). There is a stereotype that black people are violen...