American Society and Politics in Film

 Hannah Crouser  This film focuses on the life of Harvey Milk, his journey to becoming a member of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, and his political activism. This film focuses on gay rights, which is a topic that has and continues to affect many people. The main issue people have with gay people in this film is them trying to recruit and convert children. Teachers were fired from their jobs for being perceived as homosexual. Many of us could not imagine something like that happening today, but it does. Many LGBTQ+ people’s lives are still under threat and are denied basic rights. In one of my classes, we had a guest speaker named Dharma Mirza who shared her experiences of navigating the medical field while being HIV-positive and transgender. She talked about how she was denied a urine test because she is transgender and there was no procedure around that. She has also been denied from many health services because she is HIV-positive. Every day LGBTQ+ people’s lives are ...

Both government regulation and the free market have their advantages and disadvantages, and the optimal approach depends on the specific circumstances of the industry or market in question. Government regulation can be beneficial in ensuring that businesses operate in a fair and responsible manner, protecting workers and consumers from harm, and ensuring that businesses do not engage in poor competitive practices. Regulation can also be important in protecting the environment, promoting public health and safety, and ensuring that the benefits of economic growth are shared fairly. Too much regulation however, can lead to many innovators losing their passion and creating a lack of competition between them. Consequently, this can potentially wreak havoc on the economy. Free market can encourage innovation, and promote economic growth, but it can also lead to labor and consumer abuse. As seen in the movie Norma Rae , the employees were given quite the lack of respect and were greatly taken...

El Norte covers two Guatemalan immigrants whose journey escaping political violence and poor living conditions eventually leads them to the United States, facing continuous challenges in the pursuit of a better life. The promise of “El Norte” to them is safety and economic prosperity, though admittedly the economic prosperity they are looking for is still poverty by American standards. A major component of the movie is even though great risks are taken and we see massive changes in the characters’ lives, they are still not able to escape their pasts in multiple ways. From being targets of the Guatemalan government for their father’s involvement in rebellion, after extreme hardship they become targets of the United States government for being undocumented immigrants. From the manual labor that Enrique is shown performing in Guatemala and which his father is trying to rebel against, after nearly rising his way to becoming a bartender in a respectable restaurant, is eventually forced back...

 I thought this movie represented the obstacles people face when immigrating to the United States. The United States tries to sell itself as a country where everyone has equal freedom and equality in terms of many different factors, but when you actually live here, it is a little different than what the promise was. One scene that particularly stuck with me and I think shows this idea really well is the scene where they say "even poor people have toilets and care in America". Once they came to America, they were able to see over the time they were there that being poor in America may get you a toilet and car, but other factors such as intersectionality can come into effect. Being poor and an immigrant created a larger amount of obstacles for them in their journey such as a language barrier and being unable to relate to others. I also thought about how this journey and film representation would have been different if they immigrated to a city that had more homelessness and sho...

  The United States is often termed a “melting pot” of different cultures and ethnicities (The term was popularized in the 1990s). The American Dream is depicted as individuals coming from all over the world and finding success in a nation of freedom. However, the melting pot is actually referring to assimilating into American culture and ideals and leaving the past culture behind.  President Theodore Roosevelt said, “The men who do not become Americans and nothing else are hyphenated Americans; and there ought to be no room for them in this country. The man who calls himself an American citizen and who yet shows by his actions that he is primarily the citizen of a foreign land, plays a thoroughly mischievous part in the life of our body politic. He has no place here; and the sooner he returns to the land to which he feels his real heart-allegiance, the better it will be for every good American.” Although the United States is a “country of immigrants”, those who do not assim...

Immigrants to the US face both opportunities and barriers as they come to terms with the reality of the American dream. Enrique and Rosa were not wrong when they dreamed about the abundance of opportunities in America. There is a chance to make lots of money, own a fancy house, or have a working toilet—the thing that Enrique and Rosa and many immigrants don’t know is that the large majority of them won’t have access to those opportunities. Just like Enrique needed a green card in order to get the better factory job, people living in the US  are locked out of the American dream un less they are part of the highest social status . It was sad to watch Enrique and Rosa filled with the belief that if they worked hard enough, they could go as far as they wanted—and then Enrique immediately got the immigration police called on him, and he was out of work. That scene emphasized the point that immigrants (and descendants of immigrants) are commonly denied full access to the financial...

Maddie  Rosa and Enrique fled their home country of Guatemala  with little to no understanding of the role government played in illegal immigration. They knew that the army was going to kill them in their own country, but they didn't know how the US treated immigrants and how difficult it is to be undocumented. I assume someone taught them what a green card was after they had gotten to the United States, and never learned about the US government enough to know they could seek political asylum. It made me wonder why the US doesn't put more if its resources into teaching and showing individuals who want to immigrate how to do it rather than spending money and resources on finding illegal immigrants in the United States, sending them back to their home country, and patrolling the boarder. I understand that this would probably require a lot of policy changes to allow more individuals to enter the US and for the process to be faster, but I don't see why this would be a problem b...

  This film shows the harsh life that unfortunately many immigrants face. Thieves , border patrol, scandals , you name it. These people leave behind their lives and sacrifice what they have in hopes of achieving a higher quality of life. This movie and many accounts of immigrant life showcase the many trials and tribulations of getting into the United States. They may come to the US seeking better economic opportunities, education, safety, and freedom. They may be able to find better-paying jobs, access to quality healthcare, and education for themselves and their children. They may also be able to build a better life for themselves and their families. However, this does not come without facing many struggles: language, economic status, skills, education, discrimination, housing, etc. As with any immigrant, if one is coming to the States illegally, then their lives become consumed with struggles to navigate complex legal systems and face the risk of deportation if they do not have ...

  The film El Norte painted the whole picture of these two young people's immigration journey. From why they left, to their journey across the border, and their new struggles in the United States every part of the way they were meant with more barriers. It was almost as if with every once of good fortune they say, they were also mean with twice the amount of challenges. They make their way to the border, but then someone tries to rob them and border patrol takes them in. They finally meet someone to help them cross, but they have to crawl through a virus-infected tunnel. They find work, but then immigration tries to capture them. In their home village and throughout Latin America, there is this highly idealized idea of what coming to the United States could mean for them. People from their village made it sound like getting there would be the hardest part, and getting to the United States was almost described as making it to a holy land. Unfortunately, we see how once they get to t...

Hannah Crouser  This film follows siblings as they journey from Guatemala to the United States of America, and the struggles they face on the trip and once they make it to the North. One common theme throughout this film is the idea of identity. It is mentioned at the beginning of the film that Rosa and Enrique are Mayan Indians. They dress in more traditional clothes with lots of colors, but when the government comes to the village and the siblings are forced to leave the color of their clothes changes to more muted colors. The two are also told they need to act like Mexicans and deny their culture. When Rosa is getting food with Nacha she comments on how she looks too much like an Indian. The only things that the siblings have from their culture are Rosa's hair and Enrique’s hat from his father.  This struggle between practicing your own culture and embracing the new culture of the place you are is common among immigrants, and even children of immigrants. Many people in the ...

The story of Rosa and Enrique's journey gives insight into the trials and tribulations that immigrants from Mexico and Central America have to face on their way to "El Norte" as well as their experience once they arrive.  In the U.S., they are given the opportunity to survive whereas in Guatemala they would have been slaughtered by the government.   Unfortunately, the opportunity to survive and the opportunity to live are not the same thing.   Rosa and Enrique learned quickly that just because they are in the U.S. does not mean that their life will be any easier than it was previously.  They also learned that trust is not something to take for granted and people are not always what they seem.  Obviously the guy in Tijuana that robbed them was a wakeup call but another important learning opportunity for Enrique was when his server friend explained the difference between immigrants and natural-born Americans with heritage "south of the border".  Enr...

This film highlighted the harsh reality of immigration to America; one filled with challenges, dangers, and deception. Although America is viewed as the land of opportunity, actually achieving the American Dream is difficult for many, especially immigrants who are not offered the same protections as citizens.  Enrique and Rosa, the two main characters in the film arrive in America as immigrants after losing their father to a violent Guatemalan army; however, the journey to el Norte wasn't the sole challenge Rosa and Enrique faced after losing their father. Upon arriving to America, Rosa and Enrique can't escape their past; Enrique runs from near deportations while working as Rosa worries about seeking medical treatment in fear of being deported. Rosa's hesitation eventually led to her death, as the disease she contracted while crossing the border had progressed too far. Just before she dies, Rosa is speaking to Enrique and wonders where they consider their "home."...

The show Reservation Dogs is done brilliantly; It allows its viewers to immerse themselves in Native American reservation life of the 21st century while poking fun of classic clichés used to portray Native life. These clichés were initially shown to the viewers, but then turned on their head when the audience was introduced to the lifestyles of the main characters of the show. Reservation Dogs showcased the true lifestyle of Native Americans on reservation land: areas considered to be food deserts, lack proper healthcare, and are often neglected. In the second episode of the show, the lack of adequate healthcare is highlighted when some of the characters visit the Indian Health Clinic (IHC). Bear, one of the main characters, is jumped which leads him to seek the clinic's services. Cheese has his eyes dilated after a health professional realizes his eyesight has not been checked routinely. In addition, Elora has stomach pains which lead her to seek medical assistance. While at the c...

  Reservation Dogs is a tv series focused on the lives of a group of adolescents living on a reservation. The Native American life portrayed in Reservation Dogs is at often points bleak, contradictory, and soul crushing . The main goal of the focus characters to leave for California before the place kills them as it killed one of their friends serves as their motivation but also serves to set the underlying stakes of Native American issues, which are largely set aside in American politics. While this seriousness is established, the show is largely a comedy. This status for the show is not in contradiction to the seriousness of the topic covered, but instead recognizing and adapting to that fact. That the policies America undertook to remove Native Americans from their lands were brutal and leave America responsible for considerable poverty through the failures of the reservation system is not the sole problem. There is also the compounding issue that America has not yet come to ter...

The show, Reservation Dogs, portrays Native American life in a very accurate way. It focuses on the hardships that individuals face that live on a reservation, however, it represents this in a comedic and impactful way. The show embraces the stereotypes often put on Native Americans in order to better illustrate how their lives actually are. Embracing these stereotypes also allows the audience to address their own misconceptions.  I do not have many expectations for the Native American experience. I, myself, have never visited a reservation or had much experience with Native American culture. Because of this, I was able to watch the show with a completely open mind and learn from the examples shown. Learning bits about Native American culture with the young cast was a fun experience and an enjoyable watch.       The episode I was surprised with was second episode of the season, "NDN Clinic". The lack of specialized medical attention and the behavior exhibite...

El Norte is a film about a brother and sister’s journey from a small Guatemalan village north to the US, where they hope to have a better life. While there they face many of the problems Latin American immigrants face in the US. To migrants, the US provides the opportunity of work and some degree of safety while at the same time the US actively creates barriers for immigrants. This was displayed in the movie by Enrique and Rosa not having official documents which greatly limited their job opportunities and limited where they could live. ICE was also a constant threat to Enrique and Rosa along with the people they worked with, such as Enrique’s coworker who reported him to immigration. Later generation migrants tend to contribute to an idealized version of the US that was portrayed by the villagers’ more positive description of the US. In this idealized version, immigration to the US is an easy process and once in the US wealth is abundant for those who try hard. In reality, living in t...

  Maddie D Reservation dogs was more comedic and relatable than I anticipated, but still pushed forward themes and ideas that surprised me, expanded my perspective, and made me think. This show is written so well, and I love how it asks most of its audience to reflect on their own understanding of present day US reservations and Native Americans through a mix of light hearted and heavy subjects.  A scene that stood out to me was Rita's conversation with her one night stand. Everything seems to be going well as as they chat in the morning until he rolls up his sleeve to reveal a confederate flag tattoo with "Indian" feathers next to it. This is a shocking reminder to the audience (and Rita) that this man's whiteness and experience blinds him to the hurting and humanity of others. He clearly has strong biases that allow him to tokenize and look down on Indigenous people while believing he is entitled to his place in the world. This was upsetting to me because I know peo...

 In connection to the other films, I thought this show represented a lot of unity and togetherness within the characters. The group had to all stay together to progress and questions of leaving versus staying to help the community also came up, specifically for Bear. I thought it was really important that the entire cast and anyone who helped create the film were Native American or Indigenous because of the lack of opportunities they often have and the educational aspect behind it. Growing up and going to school during the years of K-8, kids don't normally learn about Native American culture or history. If you're lucky to learn about them while in school, it is usually pretty vague. I don't remember learning about the history that much, but I do remember a period where we discussed the culture and why some things are important that may not be to ourselves. I think that community gets left behind and forgotten a lot and people are uncomfortable discussing that. The most prom...

The aspect of this show that was the most surprising—but sadly, should not have been—is the normality of the people’s lives living on a reservation. I think that the large majority of Americans have never had first-hand experience with Indian reservations. We are stuck with this romantic, 19th centu ry idea of Native Americans that doesn’t exist anymore; and even worse, we are fine with maintaining that stereotype instead of acknowledging the fact that we still have Indigenous people living here in the US and that we don’t know what their current lives and problems are . The show was comedic, but it also highlighted real issues of Native life: for example, the lack of sufficient healthcare/medical services , as there was one doctor for everything . One of the articles mentioned the continuing lack of access to clean water in the Colorado River Basin, even though the tribal nations have rights to it. Issues like these are always pushed into the background in the US, which makes them...

This show gives outsiders a glimpse of reservation life and what it means to be a Native American/Indian/Indigenous person in the 21st century.  By watching this show, I realized how wrong my expectations were and how much I do not know about reservation life and the Indigenous culture as a whole.  What I was most familiar with were the references to ancestry and the elders that the main characters interacted with in their town.  As explained by Sterlin Harjo, the William Spirit Knifeman character was an attempt to play into the stereotypes of what non-Native people think they know about Native culture.  It also emphasizes the importance of the ancestors and spiritual  magic that are still prominent in Native society while also poking a bit of fun at it.  This character seems to represent the series as a whole in how he is comedic and relatable yet also very integrated into Native culture and tradition.  This is the perfect opportunity for viewers of R...

  This show was brilliantly done. I love how it portrays all the joy, love, hardship, and friendship that the characters have. It paints a greater picture than what we usually hear about Native life. Through the lives of these young teenagers growing up there is a lot of the show that is super relatable, they are navigating friendships, parents, new hormones, and that all shine through. However, the show also highlights the extra layers of challenges these teenagers are facing while growing up on a reservation. The medical system is extremely underfunded and understaffed, their only option to make decent money is through theft, most of everyone's parents are separated or dead, and they are all living in poverty. These teens are forced to navigate learning about their culture and how to honor it and then also the reality of living in a place with a lot of dead ends. I hadn’t realized what a tight-knit community life on a reservation would be like. When Cheese goes to the doctor and ...

The show Reservation Dogs portrays a group of young teens on an Indian reservation struggling with cultural identities. More specifically, the ties between their Native heritage and being submersed in pop culture. This show exhibits multiple scenes of classic Native ideas. We can see that when their friend Daniel has his memorial, they burn things for smoke and ‘wash’ themselves in it. This practice can also be seen in their cultural heritage and the kids want to keep that tradition around. On a less serious note, we also see the more intended comical side of what people think about Native American life. Multiple scenes have a ‘traditional Native man’ where an Indian in classic clothing and feathers appears. Tied with this traditional look, he also is portrayed as a comical character who is not taken very seriously and does funny things for laughs. Similarly, there is also a scene where the kids visit one of their uncles who is very fond of smoking and getting high. They turn the scene...

 Hannah Crouser  This show portrays Native American life for what it truly is. Hollywood has been portraying Native Americans through stereotypes since the beginning, but this show reflects on the hardships Natives who live on reservations face today. One episode I particularly enjoyed, and found interesting, was one where they were having a concert for diabetes in the Native American population. Native Americans are two times as likely to get diabetes than non-natives. This speaks to the lack of healthcare that is offered to Native Americans, as well as showcases the injustices that they have been handed. I found it interesting that the community's plan was to sell fry bread at this event to raise money, when fry bread is one of the reasons so many Native Americans develop diabetes. Fry bread was a food created out of necessity. When Native Americans were forced out of their home the ingredients to make fry bread were all that they were given, but the ingredients are not that...

 With work being crucial to the well being of society, it is important the the rights of workers are protected within their workplace. It has been evidenced throughout society that when either the state or the business itself has total control over its workers, there is a strong potential for abuse. Rather than caring about rights of the workers, many companies simply care about profit. This leads to underpaid workers and an unhealthy society.  In order to protect the rights of workers, it is important to balance the control that the state and business have over their employees. State regulations must be followed, while businesses still have freedoms to run their businesses as they choose. In addition, "workers can leverage their power to negotiate better wages and working conditions" through forming unions (Pelles and Barber, 2022). Such actions were shown in the film  Norma Rae  (set in the 1970s) and continue today. An example of this is when a handful of Starbuck...