Analysis of 'Remember the Titans' Using Colorblind Racism Frames

This essay provides a detailed analysis of the film 'Remember the Titans' through the lens of colorblind racism. It examines four key quotes from the movie, interpreting them using the frameworks of naturalization, abstract liberalism, cultural racism, and minimization of racism. The essay argues that the film effectively portrays the prevalence of prejudiced attitudes and behaviors, highlighting the challenges faced by the protagonist, Coach Herman Boone, and the gradual unification of the football team in the face of racial discrimination. The analysis demonstrates how the film's dialogues and scenes reflect the complexities of racism in American society, both historically and in contemporary times. The essay concludes by emphasizing the film's emotional depth and its successful portrayal of overcoming racial barriers through leadership, empathy, and collective effort.

Running Head: FILM REVIEW AND ANALYSIS
Film Review and Analysis
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1FILM REVIEW AND ANALYSIS
Remember the Titans is a landmark film that was made in the year 2000, with Denzel
Washington starring as the lead protagonist of the story, Herman Boone. The film follows the
journey of Boone, a black man, as he takes up the position of football coach at a white majority
school, receiving much opposition and resentment as he does so. What the film eventually shows
is how Boone is able to unify the football team to win the tournament that year, thus defeating
challenges and obstacles like the issue of racism and getting the football team members to
recognize individual worth and human dignity in the bargain. Remember the Titans is a movie
that does a good job of showing how prejudiced white people were at one point of time in their
attitude towards the blacks, and that it led to a lot of empathy and nobility on the part of many
white players and the assistant coach Yoast, to combat this prejudice and work for the good o0f
the football team under the leadership of Herman Boone. This essay will analyze four important
quotes from the movie Remember the Titans using the four different frames of colorblind racism,
namely, naturalization, abstract liberalism, cultural racism and the minimization of racism
(Burke, 2017).
Analysis of Film Quotes using the Framework of Naturalization
Naturalism is a framework of colorblind racism, according to which racism occurs as a
natural process, as something which is an inevitable part of social behavior and cannot be
avoided therefore. Racial frictions are those that are perceived as a natural problem under this
framework of racism, and have to be dealt with as one would deal with other natural issues and
problems that are there in society (Bonilla-Silva, 2017). An important quote from the movie
demonstrates the elements that are commonly associated with naturalization. Coach Herman
Boone asks the question, “You think football is fun?” and pat comes the reply from Petey
Jones, “Zero Fun Sir”. While this dialogue may appear as one that is rather funny it is actually

2FILM REVIEW AND ANALYSIS
not so. By declaring football to be a sport that was no fun at all for Petey Jones, what Jones’
character meant to imply was that playing football and learning football under the leadership of a
black coach like Herman Boone was not something that was going to be fun at all. Jones wanted
to insinuate the fact that the game of football is one that could be fun only if it was going to be
coached by a white man. This insulting comment that was made by Jones, reveals very clearly
the fact that insulting a black man right on his face is not something that was considered to be a
big deal at all in American society. Jones found it absolutely okay to insult Coach Herman
Boone in broad daylight by declaring that football was not going to be fun under his coaching,
and that a white man was capable of doing a better and more interesting job. The racist behavior
in this respect stems from naturalization, that is the regard for racism as something that is
common and natural in white society and something to be engaged in on the part of white people
if they so desired.
Analysis of Film Quotes using the Framework of Abstract Liberalism
The framework of abstract liberalism is one that emphasizes the accordance of minority
rights, including black rights, an act which is believed to be unfair by the white majority or
ethnic majority (Bonilla-Silva & Ashe, 2014). There is a well known quote in the movie,
“Remember the Titans” that is reminiscent of the theory of abstract minimalism. This is when
Coach Herman Boone says “This is no democracy. It’s a dictatorship. I am the Law”. The
quote may sound harmless at first, but it is not so, given the fact that it is a statement that was
made by Herman Boone to assert his rights as a black coach of a white football team. Herman
Boone was appointed as the coach of the team because of his fantastic sporting skills, acumen
and expertise. In spite of being black, he was given a right or a privilege, that is the scope of
coaching a white men’s football team for a tournament. So when Herman Boone makes the

3FILM REVIEW AND ANALYSIS
statement that there is no democracy as far as his leadership is concerned, and that whatever he
says must be followed to a tee, he simply goes ahead and asserts the rights that he has been given
as the black coach of an all white football team. This is of course not well received by the white
members of the football team who are to be coached under his leadership. For these white
football team members, it is unfair that Boone was given the right to coach a football team
comprising of white members in the first place. They cannot come to terms with this accordance
of such a right, and prefer instead to cause as much trouble as possible for Herman Boone, so
that he is forced to resign eventually, as the coach of that team.
Analysis of Film Quotes using the Framework of Cultural Racism
Cultural racism is an important framework of color blind racism, whereby, cultural
groups are blamed for a particular community or ethnic group being backward, socially,
economically and politically. In other words, if a black community is oppressed in society, it is
because of such a community’s poverty or inferior social status or lack of proper education that
is responsible for this (Bonilla-Silva, 2017). There is a quote in the movie, “Remember the
Titans” that is reminiscent of this framework of cultural racism. This is when Daryl Stanton
states, “Does the term cruel and inhuman punishment mean anything to you?” This is a
statement that is made in the movie with the full intention of degrading the black coach Herman
Boone and the black players as well as the white players and counterparts who have agreed to
work under his leadership and in harmony to win the school football tournament. This is a
statement that is made very easily by Daryl Stanton who considers the black community to be
backward because of their poverty and social status, thus believing that cruel and degrading
forms of punishment can be used against the black people in order to bring them in line with
what it is that white people desire. The statement is one that is literally quite cruel and degrading

4FILM REVIEW AND ANALYSIS
in tone and it is made in a cold tone of voice, with no compassion being shown at all for Herman
Boone in the process, for his supporters, and for the members of the black community in general.
The person who makes this statement, that is Daryl Stanton, is absolutely okay with the idea that
it is alright to degrade black people, largely because they are marginalized lot in the first place
and deserve to remain so, something that is entirely in keeping with the theory or framework of
cultural racism.
Analysis of Film Quotes using the Framework of Minimization of Racism
The framework of minimization of racism is one where the existence of racism is denied
in the first place. Under this framework, even if racism is seen to be practiced in the society, it is
ignored or it is overlooked, with racism being alluded to as a thing of the past, something that is
no longer in vogue or in existence anymore (Bonilla-Silva, 2017). This is quite a dangerous
framework as far as colorblind racism is concerned, as it enables people in society to simply
overlook atrocities that are committed against racial minorities (Browne, 2018). There is a quote
in the movie, “Remember the Titans” that reflects the theory of minimization of racism in the
best possible way. This is when Coach Herman Boone says,” I don’t scratch my head unless
it itches, and I don’t dance unless I hear some music. I will not be intimidated. That’s just
the way it is.” This is one of the best quotes from the movie, where Coach Herman Boone
clearly points to the practice of racism as it is being implemented against him because of the fact
that he has been made the lead coach of a football team that has predominantly white members.
It definitely points to the fact that Coach Herman Boone is outraged by the fact that he is being
discriminated against and that it is not something he is going to put up with, even though it
seems that others around him believe this to be something that is normal and nothing to protest
against. In other words, this refers to the minimization of racism. Racism is seen to be no longer

5FILM REVIEW AND ANALYSIS
in existence in the society of Coach Herman Boone, so even though he is being discriminated
against, there is no apparent protest from the people around it because they are content to deny
the existence of such racism in the first place.
Thus, Remember the Titans is one of the best made films that focuses beautifully on the
theme of colorblind racism as it was practiced in America at one time and continues to be in
existence even today. Most of the dialogues and quotes from the movie are full of emotion and
pathos and showcase how conflicted people were, especially the members of the football team
when they were initially placed under the leadership of Coach Herman Boone. None of the team
members wanted to play under his guidance, except of course the black members of the school
football team. It took a considerable amount of time, effort, generosity and effective leadership
on the part of the Coach Herman Boone in order to get the members of the football team and
even the assistant Coach Yoast to be on his side, being united to the extent of defying all forms
of racism being practiced against Coach Boone and working under his leadership to bring the
trophy home for the school.

6FILM REVIEW AND ANALYSIS
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