The twenty-first century led to the expansion of many universally acclaimed freedoms, and nowadays, minority rights find support at governmental levels. However, producing a change in the minds and hearts of people will take time. Today, many stereotypes rooted in people’s conscience since times unmemorable still surface, resulting in abuse and disrespect to minority groups. This paper asserts that the issues of racism and microaggression declared redundant persist in society and have a significant impact on people’s attitudes and everyday life.
Stereotypes are established thought forms rooted in the minds of particular groups of people, in the social environment, and in the perception of other nations. Nowadays, when racism is declared to be done with, racial stereotypes still abound and have a significant impact on minorities’ everyday life. The episode shown in the film “Two Distant Strangers” provides evidence of how stereotypes influence people’s perception day by day. An Afro-American gets into a time loop and every time is killed by a policeman. One time the Afro-American collides with a white man by mistake and is at once seized by the policeman (Two Distant Strangers). Another time the policeman wants to search him for a joint. Since the actions change quickly, the policeman acts on an impulse, born out of stereotypes learned with the mother’s milk. His prejudices against Afro-Americans come to the fore in the act of aggression aimed at the film’s main character. The director of the film aptly portrays how racial stereotypes, when long subdued, can become the breeding ground for feelings of anger, frustration, and enmity. These feelings, in their turn, may accumulate and bring about acts of aggression against Afro-Americans.
While the perspective looks gloomy, certain steps can be undertaken to remedy the situation. First of all, early education as to the equality of all races and genders can help to mend the bridges that have been there for centuries. A good idea with the adult population may be organizing different groups of interests for people of all colors. Thus, people may find something in common with individuals belonging to other races, which may gradually change their perception.
Today, many stereotypes persist in society; the cases of racism and microaggression can sadly be found in all spheres of life. The difficulty abolishing stereotypes lies in their subconscious and intuitive character when a person acts on an impulse and does not give oneself time to think one’s actions over. However, early exposure of children to different races can help to get rid of racial prejudices. By engaging in communication and building personal relations around common interests, older people of different colors can work together to demolish stereotypes. Thus, stereotypes can and will be eradicated if society makes an effort.
This work was rather interesting since it allowed me to test my newly acquired knowledge about stereotypes in practice by assessing a film. The film, though short, raises relevant questions about why stereotypes are still around and what are the ways to combat them.
By replaying the situation many times, the director of the film gives to understanding that many things do not depend on the situation but rather stem from people’s inner stances and prejudices. I liked the movie very much and hope that similar relevant issues will be raised more often in society.
Work Cited
Two Distant Strangers. Directed by Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe, Netflix, 2021. Web.