As depicted in the Diner scene when Wyatt, Billy and George try to make a stop to get something to eat, the issue of race and homosexuality is brought up at the table near by. This group of men who are presumably apart of the local community crack jokes amongst themselves directed at the image Billy and Wyatt illustrate. Although the civil rights movement has made substancial gains in today's society relating to race, we still have goups and organizations such as Black Entertainment Television, Nation Hispanic Institute, and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to name a few. Clearly racism is not of the same magnitude that it once was, but it is still relevant to a degree in today's world.
The one man at the table was talking about Billy's hair, which brought about his phobia of homosexuality. This is very relevant in today's society as it is an issue at the state level for same-sex marriage. Many people don't agree that homosexuals should have the same legal rights which makes the issue relevant even today.
Explicit drug use is a common them throughout the movie. Do you think that drug use is a means to capture the freedom on the road by defying the laws set in place, or was it merely a way of life for so many at this time?
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Greg about the discrimination present in the movie. There was a scene where Jack Nicholson talks to Hopper at a campfire before he dies. They discuss how they were rejected from a motel because the owner most
ReplyDeletelikely thought that they were going to kill him. Nicholson then goes on explaining how other people are just afraid of what they represent: freedom. This is a perfect example of discrimination which still happens often today even though we were all taught to treat everyone equal since elementary school. There are still people who judge others from a far and think that they are right. Discrimination is not as severe as it was back then, but it still happens.
I would also choose the scene from the diner in which the racist and homophobic local men "discreetly" harass George, Billy, and Wyatt.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I want to focus more on the homophobia of the scene because I believe it is the snippet of the movie that is most relevant today.
Forty years after this movie is made and released, gay and lesbian men and women across the country still face such harassment and limitation of rights. Living in Texas for most of my life, I can't tell you how many times I've heard so many hateful things be said about homosexuals, their lifestyle, and their rights from your average traditionalist, conservative Southerner that thinks the country is going to s*** because the people are letting deteriorate the "values in which the country was founded upon." It's times like these in which I would like to point out that the country was also founded upon slavery and racism, and that a number of historians claim that our beloved Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson, was in fact, a bisexual.
We see this issue spring up even further in instances such as when states pass laws defining marriage and college fraternities reject membership to any type of "queer" adolescent that comes their way. Will the gay rights movement eventually be "resolved" (at least lawfully) like the civil rights movement? Do you think it will take another forty years for widespread acceptance....or will it take longer?
Being from Louisiana myself, I found this diner scene to show its age. Despite the stereotype, the current generation isn't nearly as racist, bigoted, and homophobic as the people in the diner. It's true as Nina pointed out that homosexuals are still looked down upon by many people today, but this has lessened a great deal. You wouldn't walk into a restaurant in the South nowadays and hear rude comments about you, for example. I'm not saying that the homophobic men are completely outdated--just that the scene shows signs of age. I can see my grandparents possibly talk about that with their friends (My grandparents all have more tact than the people in that diner.), but my parents wouldn't, and I surely wouldn't. I will say, though, that the South in general still leans more homophobic than the rest of the nation. It's just in the culture's roots and will take time for change.
ReplyDeleteThe various elements of discrimination presented in this film, though, are still applicable to today. Discrimination is sadly an element of human nature. What makes Easy Rider stand out from other biker films is that it's not just about "hitting the road"--it's about deeper themes that stand the test of time.
Of course, this is all just my opinion. Do you think discrimination will eventually fade away?
I wouldn't give discrimination that much credit to say that it’s a "human element". Pssh...no its a learned ignorance. Children can careless what someone else looks like; unless mommy and daddy have an opinion that's right and that's wrong.
ReplyDeleteNope discrimination will never fade away if we keep avoiding the situation. You know the words the men said about the protagonists and his friends were not relevant to me as much as the looks they gave them before they even talked about them. Today, it’s okay to look at whoever you want to just as long as you don't say anything about them.
Discrimination will be taught to our children if we keep repeating the same mentality as our fathers' fathers. It doesn't matter how we express it because in the end discrimination is discrimination. Race, orientation, or any other preferences will continue to drive our race apart if we keep ignoring it.
Ever felt like you were an outsider?
In recent years with the debates over issues ranging from illegal immigration to Obama’s birth place or even same-sex marriage rights its easy to see how group led discrimination is still very prevalent in even “developed” societies. I chose this because this seemed to be the key scene that relates to the social issues of the day and unfortunately forty years hasn’t changed much. In the mid- late 60s, even with the establishment of civil rights laws the mentality of a lot of people didn’t change and those ideas are often passed to children in modern times. As a child of the 9/11-generation I grew up at a time that gave light to a horrific social shift for both Muslims and those of middle-eastern descent (because they are two very different groups). Following the terrorist attacks I saw and heard countless comments looping everyone together with the attackers, when in reality this is nothing more than hate and bigotry rising to the surface in a time of crisis. These ideas of one group being better than another are childish and unnecessary, but they continue to play roles in modern society.
ReplyDeleteIt’s obvious that the biggest theme in this scene connect to the discrimination, bigotry, and homophobia expressed by the towns patrons (set to resemble old controlling society) toward the main characters (the new drug-using rebellious youth) there is a clear connection to 2009 with the reactions of the crowd. In this case the sheriff begins making comments and through either his authoritative position or his social standing among the men at the table the other men systematically take similar attitudes towards the men, eventually elevating the situation to a witch-hunt. Psychologists call this the “social impact theory,” which begins with an influencer performing an action and through some means, usually social influence, causes the group to do or say things they admittedly wouldn’t do alone.
Question: will there ever be a period when we can say that discrimination is a thing of the past or are we meant to constantly stay in the cycle of shifting hate and superiority from group to group?