JUST MERCY and Uniting against Injustice, with guest Chonta Flowers
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- čas přidán 27. 07. 2020
- Just Mercy paints a picture of a "Post-Racial" society that is inherently unfair to black people in America. Not in the distant past. The story only took place 25 years ago, and the villain of the story only retired (after being re-elected many times) last year.
Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright are joined by a guest this week, Chonta Flowers, to break down what we can learn from Bryan Stevenson, a heroic lawyer who represents Death Row inmates across the American South, and the other characters in the movie, brave and cowardly, Black and White, and how they learn, adapt and grow to overcome hate, become better people, and struggle to change institutions in terrible situations.
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Written by: Megan Seawright, Jonathan Decker and Alan Seawright
Produced by: Jonathan Decker, Megan Seawright & Alan Seawright
Edited by: Alan Seawright
Director of Photography: Bradley Olsen - Krátké a kreslené filmy
"You can't be passively anti-racist." THANK YOU. That's how you say it...
Exactly. You can be passively non-racist, but you cannot be passively anti-racist.
Passively racist is such a true thing. Like they said previously, everyone has implicit biases. It's a constant struggle within yourself, and you should never consider it otherwise because that's when the passive racism starts.
It’s such a shame that this is the lowest watched video on this channel because there are lessons very powerful and relevant here that we need to learn.
For some reason, I couldn’t see it on the main channel for some reason. I had to search for it (after seeing it in referenced in the Wonder Woman episode)
I’m a first-year high school English teacher, and I have the privilege to teach Just Mercy (the young adult version of the book) to my freshman. I teach in a mostly white, affluent district, and I myself am a young privileged white woman. I’ve never taught something more important before, and I am forever grateful for Bryan Stevenson’s work so my students can see a world they never would’ve been exposed to otherwise. Fantastic episode 💜
@@carrots7216 Teaching the unit was definitely a humbling experience. I still have a lot of growing and learning to do, and I definitely don’t take my position lightly. I was overjoyed that so many of my students walked away feeling motivated to do better and notice/ take action when they see injustice. At the very least, I hope they learned to be more compassionate. I’m excited to continue building the unit.
I think the only problem I have with your statement is where you seem to be publicly shaming yourself for “white privilege.” You should never apologize for being white, just as a black, Indian, Asian, or any other person should apologize for their skin color. As a black person it offends me when I hear people apologize for white privilege or something else. Your parents, or grandparents worked hard to provide you a good life. You worked hard to earn your degree, apply for a job, and put in the work for your job. Be proud of that. Don’t apologize.
Believe me, black people have plenty of privilege too. We have scholarships and programs given to us that white people can’t apply for. You all have the wrong skin color. It’s ironic, in an attempt to be less racist and provide opportunities for minorities, they end up being racist in the other way. This might surprise you, but racism is a two way street. Blacks can be racist against whites. There’s a tendency we all have of becoming so obsessed with our own group we ignore everyone else. People can be racist, and they can teach others to be that way. I’m glad that you try to combat in your class. Please don’t go to the opposite extreme and teach young people that they are privileged because of their color (which is racist), or because of where they grew up. They may have been given opportunities that others might not have received, but they still had to choose to take it. They still had to develop their talents. Everyone in America has that same opportunity. Everyone can work hard, and do what’s right. That’s the key.
@@christianprincessjohn1122 I think I understand the point your trying to make but it doesn't seem to me she is shaming herself just acknowledging a lack of knowledge.
It's not that being white is bad at all but the experience of being black in america as far as I can tell teaches you things I don't have the opportunity to learn. I can't easily put myself in the shoes of poc because I can't live the experiences that are common for poc in America. We have the tricky task of trying to understand hardships we don't directly experience.
I think it is wise then to speak humbly and with an understanding of what we don't know. All human beings have tendencies overestimate themselves at times and underestimate problems at other times.
I hope you feel respected by my response, God bless you.
@@christianprincessjohn1122 I agree with you, but i think the mistake a lot of people make is when they define racism. racism is when you dislike or hate a certain race just because of how they look, but it is also a power construct. And in America, there is a hierarchy in the different races where white people are on top (because they created the system). There is definitely prejudice and implicit biases that everyone has, but racism (on a hierarchical standpoint) does not allow black people to be racist against white people thus why we see "you cannot oppress the oppressors". This isn't me "playing the victim", this is me realizing and understanding my differences from white people and what we have to change.
when you were talking about teaching kids about their differences, i think that Kids should understand their differences and know how society is going to treat them when they get older. But they shouldn't be taught to be racist. it's ok to teach kids that one race is seen as privileged by the system therefore they will be treated differently in the real world, but don't teach them that one is above another in actuality( because that is racist). teach them the flaws in the system and that everyone is equal.
Among all of the wonderful points made in this video, I wanted to add that another reason why it should be an average, white Americans responsibility to speak out against and be present about racism is because the cost of us doing so is often not our lives. If an African American calls out systemic racism, they are vastly more likely to become a victim of it. If a white American does, the worst that will happen to most is that a racist will look down on them. We always need to be present and support anti-racism acts and movements because we are essentially guaranteed to survive it and too many black lives have been lost to it.
I love that she let them lead the conversation and just added additional perspectives and bits of wisdom to it. It definitely allowed for a more productive discussion.
No, she should lead the conversation since she is a Black woman. They are privileged white men,
Honestly it is a damn shame and very telling when THIS is the least viewed video on the channel. There's so much in this video that tells such a great message. It makes me hopeful that things will get better. But the effect of a good message falls flat when no one is around to hear it. :(
Edit (12/07/2020): To be clear, This comment was meant as an observation. I didn't ask for explanations as to why this is one of the least watched videos. You may not agree with my observation but I have been alive and black long enough to know the exact reason why. This isn't something isolated to this particular channel. You can easily see this all over the internet if you know what to look for. Thank you for reading and have a nice day. (PS: if after this edit you still decide to try and explain why its the least watched vid, simply don't. Save yourself the time. please.)
and for future readers context, when I made this comment the vid has less than 1000 views when others were well over.
Thats what I noticed too!! The gap between this video and *every* other video on this channel is completely shocking. I get the feeling youtube didn't distribute it like they did every other video for some reason... wonder why 🙄
@@jeffbrownstain You cannot be serious right now you have to be joking with me. This is there ONLY video with the lowest view the rest surpass yet this one is so low,It's very telling how many people just want to stay ignorant pretending there's no race war and would keep on asking "why does everything have to be a race thing?" I see that on twitter over and over and over and it's honestly disappointing
@@jeffbrownstain Wow. Look how easily you get offended, and how quickly you descend into insulting people for disagreeing with you. If I may offer a word of advice - which I assume you'll ignore - you're not helping your case when you act like this. Someone suggests, "This looks like bigotry to me," you disagree, this person essentially repeats, "No, I still think it is bigotry," and then you get offended and respond like a bigot. I'll consciously choose to make a generous assumption right now, that you aren't intentionally trying to be bigoted, but you should know, that is still exactly how you are presenting yourself. There is no need to resort to name-calling, just because someone says something you don't like. Perhaps this is news to you, but that's highly immature and inconsiderate.
Now, the thing I actually wanted to say, was to respond to your previous comments, where you suggested other reasons why people might not have clicked on this video. Because it kind of troubles me to hear what you suggest:
a) "Longer video." This is simply untrue. If you look through the channel's videos, you will find that this is a typical length for a video on this channel. In fact, it is shorter than some of the most popular videos on this channel, some of which have been viewed almost 250 times as often. (*Future reference: at the time of writing this comment, this video had 4522 views; the most-viewed video on this channel, "Therapist Reacts to INSIDE OUT" had 922,000 views.) Length clearly has nothing to do with it.
b) "Less popular movie overall." There are two things I want to point out. First, the second least-popular video on this channel, which currently has only 11,000 views, is based on a very well-known and well-received movie that was created and advertised by one of the world's largest corporations, known as The Walt Disney Company. The movie is "Remember the Titans." That movie likewise focuses on issues of systemic racism, and learning to overcome it. I do find it a little odd that BOTH of the least-viewed videos on this channel are based on this same issue of racism.
(Even the video about Serenity, which is a lesser-known cult classic, has 22,000 views; and the most recent video, which came out only 16 hours ago, as of the time I am writing this, already has 15,000 views.)
Second, if this movie really is less popular, due to its themes and subject matter, don't you think that indicates the attitude that plenty of people already carry when it comes to racism? Don't you think that basically confirms what these three people are saying in this video?
(Those are rhetorical questions, by the way. I don't expect I can have a productive dialogue with you, so those are questions I'd want you to hear the answers to; I don't need to hear them, if you'll just be rude.)
c) "Less desires (sic) to click based on the thumbnail." Now... what do you mean by that? You mean the fact that the thumbnail image displays two Black men? Are you suggesting that's why people didn't click on it? If you are suggesting that, you're contradicting yourself; you suggest that racial bias has nothing to do with why this video is less viewed than others on this channel, and then you suggest an alternate reason, which relies on the assumption that racial bias did influence it after all.
d) "[CZcams's] algorithm." If you've been around CZcams long enough to know about their search and recommendation algorithms, then you should likely know that they have periodically changed their method for prioritizing what videos they suggest to viewers. In the past, they have tried basing it, at separate times, on video length, audience engagement, view count, Likes, subscriber count, etc. While I don't use this word in a malicious sense, they knowingly and deliberately bias their recommendations. (Prioritizing is biasing, though without the negative connotation.) We could optimistically assume that this is intended to get more viewers to see high-quality content rather than mediocre or terrible videos. Or we could make the more realistic assumption, which is that CZcams is trying to figure out what will generate the most money for them.
If CZcams's analytic data has suggested that videos discussing racism cause certain viewers to turn away from CZcams, or that in some way or another it affects their revenue, then indeed, they might give lower priority in recommending videos like this. But if that's true, it does suggest that there is sense in what other people have said in this comment section: that CZcams doesn't care about promoting videos to respectfully discuss racism and how to fight it, if it means the company risks sacrificing money by doing so.
So, I just wanted to point out what I've observed, because you should know, it's not completely baseless that people have developed the opinion that you're fighting against. People are not being losers for considering what you refuse to believe.
If you want to talk about people needing to stop being high and mighty, the best place to go to have that talk is always your mirror. That's a universal principle that applies to all of us, but I get the impression you don't get enough people telling you that. Maybe you could use the reminder.
And by the way, if you sincerely want to discuss anything after this, I'll listen. But if instead you choose to be rude, I will ignore you.
Out of habit, I feel like I should wish you a nice day, and apologize if I'm being harsher than I should be. So... yeah. Sorry if this is unnecessarily harsh, and I hope you have a good day all the same.
@@LamanKnight CZcams algorithm, On the +side if you like the topic and are interested, youtube will push it your way - it is a missed opportunity that it works this way, keeping barriers between people of dissimilar minds but I'm kinda glad as I don't want to see a cross burning nazi's point of view.
@@jeffbrownstain Hi! as it turns out, I didn't ask for an explanation. I know why. Racism isn't a topic a majority of people like to talk about. Mostly because no one wants to have to self reflect and possibly deal with internalized racism. Self reflection to those who don't want to see the ugly sides of themselves is difficult. As it turns out, people don't like being labeled racist. Also next time you see someone point out something like this, save yourself the time and don't comment on it. Have a nice day and stay hydrated. ♥
I don't know how CZcams propose me that Channel, but it's really cool! You are amazing ❤️ have a nice day
Same. It was randomly recommended to me and now I love it 💕❤️
I’d love to see Chonta on additional episodes. I really appreciated and enjoyed her contribution!
but send her the popcorn AHEAD of time ;)
Good points were brought up! Some of the hardest truths we can face as humans is when we hold the mirror up to ourselves and ask whether we really reflect the people we want to be or who we think we are. Are we the "good" people we think we are? Are we upholding the justice and fairness that we say exists in our country? I think so many times that we fail on this front, but have hope we can continue to move forward to realize everything we project in actuality.
Well said! Jonathan here. I absolutely believe in what America represents. But we're not there yet. Not by a long shot. As long as we think we are, we're blind to how we need to grow for one another.
@@CinemaTherapyShow I think whenever we reach the point that says we’ve made it, is when we open ourselves up to blind spots and failures. As long as we’re on the earth, we should never stop growing. We’re going to make mistakes because it’s human nature, but we should always want to learn from them and move forward. If we’re not moving forward, we’re going to go backwards. We can’t just stay stagnant for long. Life requires a direction.
For white people, it begins at home. Almost everyone has the racist relative. Speaking up when they say racist or ignorant views. I know many of us have been told not to speak up because "it isn't going to change anything"/"they're set in their ways" but that racist relative needs to know that people will speak up against them. Silence in the home gives them more bravado in public. That and if there are children witnessing the interaction, it let's children know what is happening or being said is wrong. It doesn't mean yelling, just speaking up with the truth. Called out calmly and clearly.
For everyone it begins at home. Anyone can condone racism.
@@Bennahr_Fett exactly I do admit I have made comments that are considered passive racism but thankfully I have family members that are not racist that have corrected me on that and even though I’m not perfect I have learned to think before I speak and have made an effort into not making those same mistakes
Man, this hits hard. My dad is in jail because of something he didn’t do and all the white folks he “befriended” stayed silent and turned their back on him and his only crime was being a black man in a racist town
I'm so sorry for what you and your dad have gone through.
I'm sorry for what you and your family are going through
I’m so sorry you’re going through that, and I’m sorry your dad and family are going through it.
I was assigned the book as my summer reading for my senior year of high school. I didn't bother reading it because I thought it was just going to be another blanket, shallow "luv ppl cause jesus says so" book that we had to read in theology class, and also I was a lazy, jaded high schooler. Then it was assigned again as my summer reading for my freshman year of college, and I decided that maybe that was the world's way of telling me "hey, maybe you should read this damn book". I'm so glad I did. My ignorant, privileged ass learned so much from that book. I cried at some point reading it.
Was this just recently unlocked similar to how channels with Patreon exclusives? Why is this such a big gap? This conversation was so elegant :(
Anyways, as Black person who grew up & graduated high school in Monroeville, Alabama this movie accurately captured the cultural scenery - The Mockingbird claim to fame is very real and there are disparate neighborhoods in the area. The city proper isn't desolate or anything, but the county overall is very rural as you can imagine.
The city JUST elected the first Black mayor and when I graduated high school 11 years ago, Black representation in leadership positions were increasing so I'm sure they used the energy from this film wisely.
Just Found this channel started with Antman, Zootopia, and Just Mercy.
Subbing, I wish they're were more vids, I'm gonna end up binged in a week or 2.
An moving artwork movies are, learn from them you can. Learn great lessons through your own interpretations you would be able to.
@@hansenyan6217 you are a wise one Master Yoda
I too just discovered this channel this weekend starting with the Elf video and i instantly subscribed. I don't usually do that until I've seen enough the videos to get a good feel of whether or not I want more. I'm finding that I'm gonna need to pace myself with the videos so that I don't run out too quickly but also to let each video marinade in the soul before I move on to a new one.
I would love for them to analyze “I am Khan” with a Muslim American.
That’s a good idea!!
They are asking for suggestions right now. Go to their channel homepage and then the Community tab and you should see polls for what they should do next. Comment on the posts if what you want isn't a poll option. :D
I’m curious about their take on My Name is Khan too!
I would watch that!
Just wanted to add a point to the discourse around the scene at 22:42 that I feel wasn't really addressed and I think was the point of that scene and it's about being in a position of privilege that then enables a person to be bold enough to stand up for what is right. Generally speaking, a person who has very little still has something to lose. You either have to have enough of a cushion that the fight won't detrimentally impact you if it doesn't go your way, or you literally have nothing to lose anyway because you're already at rock bottom.
This ties into a comment I noticed in this thread about whistleblowers where the OP seemed surprised and upset that the students they were fighting for against a racist faculty member didn't stand with them during the hearing. OP was then threatened with expulsion for bringing the matter up, so I find it interesting that they themselves recognised that even though (and I'm assuming here) they were in a relatively privileged position in comparison to those students of colour, all it took for them to back down was the threat that their future would be jeopardized, yet couldn't seem to recognise that that would apply even more so to those students of colour had they stuck their necks out.
People of colour that are not in the tiers of the upwardly mobile middle classes are acutely aware of the ways in which their attempts to better themselves or even just subsist day to day are always at risk of being taken away by and within systemic racism, therefore they are much more averse to actively throwing their neck on the chopping block knowing full well that if it rules against them, their lives and futures (and potentially the lives and futures of their loved ones and dependants) within said system will become infinitely worse.
Damn, that’s...true. Great point.
I dunno -- there's more to people than their identity group. Each student, whether PoC or not, has an individual story, and individual circumstances, which affect their decision making. I'd be careful making blanket assumptions about all the other students, because we just can't always know what's going on in their heads, or how privileged they actually are.
@@cowpercoles1194
Good point, but the fact that ALL of them ducked out (not sure how many people there were, though) points to something other than personal insecurity at play-though it was probably a combination of personal experiences AND systemic racism that discouraged them from participating. I know that-as a student-it makes things awkward with the teacher if you bring discrimination up, then have to receive grades from them for the rest of the year. I can see why the students may have been reluctant.
@@Zephirite. But this is a semi-fictionalized account of a rigged murder trial that happened 32 years ago in a small town in Alabama, with a long history of overt racism. Is that an accurate model for a student accusing a teacher of racism in college, and demanding all the other students stand up for them? The situation's different, the stakes are different, the history is different (most colleges are the most liberal places on earth, unlike Monroeville, AL circa 1988)! Having lived in AL in the 80s, and seen overt racism there first hand, the comparison seems frankly, absurd.
A lot of activism these days is affected by concept creep, in which accusations of racism come pretty fast and loose, and things that might not actually be racism, get labeled racism. Are POC college students all equally at risk of losing everything if they complain? Are all white students equally privileged? The term "systemic racism" gets bandied about a lot, the definition keeps changing, and is just assumed to always be present.
It seems to me, that one could take an isolated racist act, and falsely conflate as "evidence" that the entire world/system is racist. That seems like catastrophizing to me. What exactly is systemic racism, in say three sentences, that a layman can understand?
Finally, what if a particular student is emotionally troubled, and either accidentally, or on purpose, makes a false claim? Should they be automatically believed and supported?
@@cowpercoles1194
Systemic Racism: “the pattern of social and political systems discriminating against a group of people based on race.”
I’d argue this should include ethnicity (culture) in addition to race, but this was the shortest definition I could find.
An adept legal system would take into account the circumstances surrounding each issue on a case-by-case basis, while remaining aware and respectful of the trends governing those experiences.
In OP’s example, it would be faulty of the court (assuming this was a legal case) to assume that the students with ‘foreign’ names were all equally disadvantaged due to systemic biases on the basis of their race-as indicated by their names. However, it would be equally ignorant for the ‘court’ to assume there were and are no systemic factors at play here either. While ‘overt’ racism has lessened *slightly* in the last few decades (unless you’re including the fallout from 9/11, COVID, and the 2020 BLM protests as it’s impacted Muslim, ‘Middle Eastern,’ Chinese/East Asian, and Black communities, respectively-which you should), both the systems that impacted their families and their childhoods have and are actively shaped by racism. Discrimination isn’t just daily experiences, name calling, etc; it’s also the School to Prison pipeline, standardized, SAT, and I.Q. Test scores, wage and language barriers in job applications, house appraisal amounts, etc. Even if the laws putting those systems in place are being torn down (not entirely the case, if Trump’s immigration policies are any indication), the people benefiting from them now were still raised in communities and families shaped by the more overt racism from times past. The present is shaped by precedent; modern reforms are only helpful in preventing new harm, not making up for the old.
That college you mentioned going to in the eighties? Any people there who were-say-graded more harshly based on their names (and stereotypes based on their presumed identity) may have had a more difficult time getting work than their peers due to lower grades, graduation rates, etc. They may have been paid less for the same job once they got one, and gone into debt as a result. In the present, even if new laws were passed preventing the discrimination they faced in college, they’re still in debt. No reparations will likely be included. So the positive effects of modern reforms only go so far to fix the problems caused in the past.
I can’t give you a detailed blueprint of a system in which all issues are perfectly addressed, but my proposition would be a system in which both the background of an individual is taken FULLY into account; both their childhood, and the ways in which the system was biased against them. There’s a tendency for the group in power to disproportionally dismiss claims of systemic bias, which needs to be addressed just as much as the systemic inequality does.
“Everybody needs to care”
Thank you for making this episode, it’s a very important topic that for many is hard to openly talk about, and you three did so beautifully.
This channel is one of the most clever channels I've seen. What a smart way to talk about issues that need to be discussed but don't know how. I love a good a movie discussion video but these are for the soul rather than the mind.
"It's not that we need someone to step out and lead from the front. You need someone to step up and lead beside." - Beautifully put.
The utter compassion and humanity of every single inmate clamouring to let Herbert know he wasn't alone or alone with white people and that he was loved as he was being killed is one of the most powerful scenes in all of cinema and I will never fully recover and that's okay
Mrs. Flowers is incredible. Thank you for collaborating!
Thanks Chonta for leading the discussion! What a good question about who is the target audience for this movie because if the subject matter is not new for Black audiences, then there must be a message there for people who struggle with their bias and have not found a way to relate to the challenges of doing anything #whileBlack. Empathy and active advocacy are huge in cultivating a better relationship with people of color and other marginalized groups. Justice and mercy for all!
I've been on a Cinema Therapy kick and so far this is my favorite! You guys did an amazing job, like always. Keep it up!
Bryan Stevenson (the lawyer) is from my home state! I hadn’t cried so much in a movie until I saw Just Mercy. Thank you for talking about this. It’s so important.
This movie was phenomenal, and their discussion was fantastic.
Never forget, #blacklivesmatter
I read this book for an undergrad class called “Social Justice” and I LOVED it. I cried so much and during the movie I was SO angry. I’m happy that Chonta was here to offer her two cents in giving some understanding. 😊 I’m so happy to have stumbled across this channel and have all of these discussions to listen to, learn from, and just sit with for a few moments. 💕💕
You know how certain experiences in life catches one so unexpectedly it stands out amongst one's memories? Here's one of mine - I was backpacking in the US in 2016 and was spending a fortnight criss-crossing the country on Amtrak's numerous long-distance routes. I was halfway through this fortnight and had gotten used to the routine of showing my ticket at boarding and approximately twice per 24-hour day whenever the conductor came by. I got on the City of New Orleans train at Chicago for the 20-hour journey to its eponymous city, which included waking up the next morning in Alabama to a view of cotton fields outside my window - a "holy crap this is just like To Kill A Mockingbird!" moment for me. But also, I realise since showing my ticket at boarding, I hadn't had to pull my ticket out again. Which felt weird - was I always asleep whenever the conductor came by? I thus became quite attentive for the conductor...but when he came by, he would just walk past me. Unlike the other long-distance train journeys I had already taken, the conductor was coming by at least every other stop to check tickets. Confused, I paid even more attention. I started to notice a pattern.
Now, as a foreigner and tourist, when interacting with people in the US, their race is not at the forefront of my mind - the social classifications at the top of my mind were more along the lines of fellow-lost-tourist and approachability; i.e. it isn't instinctive for me to notice racism. But eventually I noticed my carriage mostly comprised of black passengers, a handful of white passengers - 4 at most at any one time, and me - a 20-something East Asian female. And it didn't matter whether the conductor was white or black, male or female, the ticket-checking pattern followed as such - my ticket was never checked for the entire journey, the white passengers had their tickets checked intermittently - maybe every 3rd or 4th time the conductor came around, and the black passengers had their tickets checked EVERYTIME the conductor came around. Even if the conductor was the same person who had checked the tickets in just the previous stop. I wasn't sure if this disparity was more absurd, or that none of the black passengers seemed to be annoyed that they were having their tickets checked so often. There was a black lady who looked approximately my age travelling with a fussy 2-year-old, and she would even be apologetic when she couldn't pull her ticket out immediately to be checked because she was midway through feeding/cleaning/settling her child.
This is such an important conversation. I wish it had more views.
Agreed.
The book also really opened my eyes to the injustice in the American prison systems and made me rethink my values. It is such an incredible book and movie and I’m so glad to stumble upon this channel for such an amazing analysis
I love these episodes that talk about race and implicit bias. I really think these videos are important. At the same time, I would also love you all to review black movies that aren't about race or discrimination and/or also have guest of color on to talk about romcoms, comedies, dramas, or genre movies. I really love what you all are doing so keep up the good work!
I’ve only just recently discovered this channel! I wish I found it sooner! It might be too late, but I also wanted to throw in a comment to please the algorithm overlords for the team. This video was brilliant and insightful.
I hope Chonta got her popcorn :)
yes please report back on the popcorn issue... :)
This hit me deep. Really deep. I didn't watch the movie because I knew full well of the horribly sad reality they were going to include in it. I was and still living in it. Why would I want to see it onscreen? But it's informative and touching reviews like these that I thrive in. It breaks down the plot and the moral of said story/biography.
Can you guys get her again as a guest? She was lovely.
The quote "Each one of us is more than the worst we've ever done" hit me real hard. I have a decent amount of trauma in my past, along with actions that I did that hurt people I care about. It's so hard to except the idea that I'm not a terrible person because of what I did. My own scars don't not excuse my bad behavior, but I'm also not condemned as a bad person for the rest of my life because of my past. It can be terribly difficult to accept the blame for past actions without believing your inherently a terrible person for doing so. It is most definitely a process that takes time and compassion to forgive yourself.
In personal experience, the idea of finding common humanity with people who don't look or sound like you is fairly common in working class jobs. People see "oh, you also drag yourself out of bed 5-6 days a week to put food on the table for your family".
Thank you so much for this Chonta, we need every ounce of sensitivity towards this topic because it's not over yet. Post-racial(racist?) society is definitely not the one we're living in yet
Thank you, all these movies are helpful with the analysis. I have been not just enjoying them but find they are helping me become the better person that I want to be. This particular one has shown me that I need to stand up in public and be accountable to fight against racism.
The car scenes hit different. Every single one of my black friends has been aggressed by a cop for no reason, and most of their brothers and sisters and parents too. I used to live in St Louis and I had to stop wearing my hoods up because I lived in an mostly black area and cops kept stopping me walking at night because they assumed I was black and therefore up to no good. If you think cops are uniformly good, live in a proper hood for a while and see what you see.
I really appreciate you guys for this video. Thank you for having this conversation. Thank you for having such an open discussion.
This video needs more views.
Great video. I really resonate with the idea that we need to ask ourselves why we feel uncomfortable, or fearful, or judgemental. Just asking myself these simple questions has allowed me to find so many faults in my own thinking. It can be tough (and shame-inducing) to take that critical perspective with yourself, but it is very much worth it.
Love love LOVE this episode! Amazing of you to take the steps and set an example!
This is such an underrated episode :((
People fear the unknown. That's human nature. If people don't know each other, then they will fear each other because of the unknown that they represent. As soon as we get to know each other, fear disappears because the unknown disappears. It's hard to step outside your comfort zone and get to know people that seem foreign to you, but when you do, you realize that they are just as human as you are. We all have that in common. If you do take that step, the rewards are infinite. We are social creatures. We crave connection. Especially after the time of isolation that we've been through, we should recognize the advantages of being connected to as many people as possible.
This was a great discussion. One thing I wanted to say was that the story arc about the guard that made Stevenson strip naked did not really make me feel particularly sympathetic towards his growth. It's amazing that he is evolving, growing and fighting his own bigotry, but at the same time what he initially did was so horrible and sadistic that it was a not easy to jump from that image of him towards this sanitized version of the man. Maybe it's an issue regarding the simple story telling of a minor character, but it made me realize that it should not be easy for people who did horrible things to get redemption from the people they abused; they may get encouragement along the way, but it should be very hard for them to atone for the wrong that they've done in very substantial ways.
Absolutely wonderful to watch your discussion with Chonta. Thanks for making such wonderful videos!
Great video, not enough views by a long shot
👏🏿👏🏿 great video!
And it needs more views
I am going to rent and watch this movie RIGHT NOW. My autoplay started these videos, and I need to watch and share this one with loved ones.
I love the discussion on this one, very honest.
Cinema Therapy is my favorite channel. I am Latina I am teaching my son about this.
Thanks for bringing passive racism into light, it's so easy to say you're pro for something so long as you agree with the idea positively, but the reason why you do so is because of implicit bias. Also, thank you for the insightful content! Love it! 💖
Just Mercy made me cry the first time I watched it
This video had me going through my feelings. Thank you for touching in movies like this.
I'm binge watching all of your videos and i enjoyed every single one of them. Please don't stop making these type of videos. They're very insightful 💛
Thank you! Lots more to come!
We need more with her. I enjoy hearing her speak
It’s nice to be able to learn so much about people through videos like this. Makes me feel horrible, but it’s important. I should really see this movie.
I love that you guys talked about this movies and stereotypes and humanity. You guys are awesome, enjoy the content.
If I, as someone with ASD, may make a request for your next cinema therapy session, breakdown either Rainman or Music, and breakdown some of the harmful stereotypes of Autism and acknowledge positive representation. Last month was Autism Acceptance month and this month I'd mental health awareness month. We on the spectrum deal with so much that the average neuro-typical doesnt quite understand.
Cant wait to see your next video!
Thank you Chonta! Great episode!
Great episode, thank you for being awesome, everyone! ❤️
Thank you for this episode
Would love to see a discussion on Get Out!
This is such an important video. Thank you for this.
I am saving this for after I watch the movie which will be after I finish the book. I am literally about to read chapter 10 right now for school.
as a sociologist, i'm geeking out about all the analyses. this video is underrated!
Great video and an important discussion for everyone to have
I love that they actually brought a black woman on and just let her talk uninterrupted, they looked to her to affirm their own statements, and they didn’t make this about them trying to prove something about themselves. I wouldn’t say these two men are allies, they are our cohorts to the cause, which is 1 million times better.
This is one of the best videos that these guys have ever done. Thank you Cinema Therapy.
Such a great conversation.
This episode should have more likes than it does right now, I hope that changes soon
I just found this channel yesterday when I was introduced to the analysis of Inside out and zootopia. Ever since, I was hooked and immediately subscribed! I love this channel so much!
Please bring Mrs. Flowers back- she is so cool!
beautiful conversation!!!!!!!
Great channel, great content, making me think about the films I have watched multiple times in different ways. I just recently finished reading the novel the film is based off, and it is really emotional but inspirational that people are willing to really go to such great lengths to make positive change. His financial situation and how mentally stretched thin he was is really elaborated on in the novel. Even with the relatively small number of subscribers you have, this video should have a lot more views with the great discussion you had.
The film even had some facts and statistics at the end of the film during the credits that really drove the messages of the film home. The inmate we see known as “Ray” was convicted on the basis of a faulty ballistics report and the judge saying “he looked guilty”. He was finally released after 30 years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit, only after Brian took his case to the US Supreme Court.
The sheriff was re-elected 6 times AFTER Walter McMillan was released. While the film mentions Walter cheating on his wife with a white woman, the book really goes into how the framing of Walter was due to this cheating due to segregation laws at the time.
A particular statistic, that really shocked me, was “For every 9 people on death row executed in the US, 1 death row inmate has been proven innocent and released.” This is an error rate of 11%, which is shockingly high.
Then again, take everything I say as you will and with a grain of salt, as all of this is coming from an Aussie white male who was only born in 2002. Sorry for writing a miniature essay in the comments, just a lot of praise for the film, really highlighting the injustices felt by the African American population of America (apologies if that is the incorrect term), which I think are pretty similar to those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (the native owners of Australia, who are now the minority in Australia).
Chonta please confirm you received your snacks! You guys made a smart move filming it with her, that created a much more reliable and informed conversation.
Awesome video! I think that there’s also the unexplored role rap place in the “fear of the black people” mindset; I know one too many people who say things like “well how can I trust that *any of them* are good if they rap that they want to shoot people and do drugs in every song?”
Oh man. That is a truly terrifying lack of understanding and empathy. Are all White people depressed drunks cause our ex left us, took our dog, and stole the truck? Cause all White people are country songs, right?
That's one of the reasons we're doing this. We want people to reach outside themselves a little more and find things out about others, learn how to appreciate everyone.
Thank you Alice, hopefully now you have a video to show people who say things like that to you in the future?
@@jeffbrownstain No. It's been proven time and agian that the media you consume does not influence your behaviour. Violent films do not make you violent. You'll need some sources before you claim science does anything. Because sounds like your talking about the science of 40 years ago
Allon Verlete said media affects a person's mindset, and you responded with saying it's been proven it doesn't affect behavior. You're arguing a different point. Mindset leads to behavior, but usually in much more subtle ways, such as the passive racism discussed here.
Your notification sound at 10:46 ish is JUST like my actual, real life doorbell. Made me scared to death because I was watching this at night time... 'Who is it at my door?! What do they want at this hour!' 😅
The "Will you [minority] people stop saying [cis white hetero] privilege exists?" is just a nicer way of saying "My right as a [cis-white-hetero] gives me the power to tell [minority] what they need to believe and do.".
I once thought like that. Then Donald T**** got elected President and my illusion that white privelege was a thing of the past was utterly shattered and ground into powder over the next four years. If it was glass I'd be shredded to the bone. I was so wrong.
I am noticing a lot of comments about how many views this video has. Algorithms be trippin', especially with content like this. If I hadn't already been on a mission to watch everything this channel has to offer, I would have missed it.
Just like with systemic racism, we cannot really on systems to do the fixing. The algorithm is not promoting this video, so we have to. Share it, be the signal boost and improved analytics you want to see in the world. I am going to share this video with folks, and ask them to do the same.
Amen!
I've been watching this channel for a long ass time and thought I'd watched all the videos. Today is the first time I saw this episode.
This episode is seriously underrated, but I guess we know why (unfortunately). Great movie, great critique, and I'd like to see Chonta back again soon! Thanks for sharing and can we get more movies like this?
This review was SPOT ON until the end. You have to land the ending. You both just said your piece while Chanta Flowers waved in the background. This is an A. It will be an A+ when you do Get Out and make sure your guest also says something at the end. I want to hear three voices and then, "watch movies"!
I HOPE this is constructive, love you both!
There is a litmus test for these kinds of things if I am someone's ONLY friend of color and all the other friends they post on social media or hang out with ALL looks like them... That's the first red flag that I'm your token friend to feel like you aren't a part of the problem. Another thing I've noticed from a cinema standpoint that a lot of these films are set "in the past" and in the south so that people who think they're progressive (simply because of their location or generation) feel absolved from possibly being these types of people. Because they think it's "impossible" that they live in LA or NY and can be racist, because that's a southern problem or that's a problem from 50, 75, 100 years ago. Ignoring that it's a present problem.
I really appreciate Chonta throwing it back on the guys to do the heavy lifting, and she just affirmed, added to, and corrected as needed. Put the labor on the white folks! Well-done.
Fantastic!
Everyone needs to see this
Loved Chonta’s perspective. ♥️✊🏾
Great vid! Have you considered making videos about TV shows? I mean, I'm not hinting on anything, but the second season of The Umbrella Academy is coming out soon, and the first one was great. There's a lot of things you can look at from a psychological point of view.
We've certainly talked about it, this being the Platinum Age of television, and all. But if we do that, we'd likely have to change our format. Just too much TV, and shows are longer than we could cover the way we are now. That's not to say it'll never happen, it very well might! But it's not something we can tackle just yet.
Plus, Alan and Jonathan's 1st love is movies. It's always been movies. It'll probably always be movies, even though TV is so good. They just can't quit movies, even though they probably should.
Also, yes. The Umbrella Academy S1 was GREAT! Right?
I had a conversation with my parents and they were talking about their recent trip to the city and how at one point "it didn't look like we were in Australia any more, there were so many Asians and not many Australians." And I'm still angry with myself for not speaking up and asking how they KNEW these people WEREN'T Australian.
The mantra my mother installed in me ever since I was little is “treat others how you want them to treat you”. I live in a diverse neighborhood, we have whites, Hispanics, blacks, and Asians and everyone gets along and after Hurricane Beryl we were all checking in with one another.
My mom a few years ago was standing in line at a gas station and the kid in front of her was dressed like a thug, with his jeans around his knees and his underwear in full view. My mom says to him, “thank you for wearing underwear” and he started laughing and everyone started laughing 😂
Glad you had Chonta on.
Beautiful video
I'm really enjoying your videos, and I feel like I understand these movies and characters a lot better. Can I request that you do "What About Bob?" at some point? I think it would be great to get an actual therapist's opinion on that movie.
So much good content!
Amazing ❤👌🏽
Re-watching this after watching the long shot documentary opens my eyes more
Listening to this video, I remembered how disappointed I was with the movie "Wind Talkers". It was not focused on the Navajo responsible for helping to shield information from the Nazis in WWII, but on Nicholas Gage's character. The screenwriters and everyone involved with that film could have made it so much more. I loved "Dances with Wolves" because it respected and focused on the viewpoint of the Native Americans. "I have a dream..."
Great content
I'm not passively anti-racist, I just tend to keep to myself.
But if I do happen to notice something out of the ordinary where any person may be victimized, I am always sure to
1: Observe the situation, and find some sort of way to confirm/pinpoint where the person is wrong on the matter.
2: Assess the situation, and find some sort of way to move past my previous shock to tell them why it's wrong what they're doing.
3: If they are simply a fool and are completely arrogant, I won't raise my voice, I'll simply stay silent for the time being, and comfort the victim of the situation/let them know I am an ally to them.
Herbert scenes made me cry😭
You guys should do radio next that one has so many good messages