"Tonight I saved your ass,
so show a little appreciation maybe." In June 2020, while all eyes were on
the Movement for Black Lives, following the police killings of
George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others, "This particular historical conjuncture
holds possibilities for change that we’ve never before seen
in this country." The Help-a story about a white woman
writing a book to confront racism - became one of the most-streamed
movies on Netflix, even reaching number one in the US. "You is Kind, You is Smart,
You is Important." The 2011 film’s resurgence in
popularity was met with a strong backlash because
The Help is widely considered a white savior narrative:
in other words, a story about people of color that
centers the benevolent actions of a white character. "In every civil rights movie
there’s two heroes. There’s the black hero and
the white person that's 'equally' as important." Looking at the "white savior"
character onscreen over the decades, we can see a common profile: They're a strong-willed,
often optimistic non-traditionalist, who courageously risks being ostracized
by their more prejudiced community in order to help a person of color. "Believe it or not there are
real racists in this town. If the wrong person caught you with
anything like that you’d be in serious trouble." They frequently star in a period piece,
where this character appears ahead of the curve and stands in
contrast to blatantly racist peers in their era. "You really think you can keep
700 union soldiers without proper shoes because you think it’s funny?" The white savior tends to be
the main focus of their story- so, while movies featuring
this character may eloquently advocate for unity and fairness,
they can also end up sidelining the black and POC characters. "You can not hold Carl Lee Hayley
responsible for my shortcomings." Perhaps most jarringly,
the white savior features in feel-good movies with happy endings, "I just thought our kids
could play together." which almost comfort viewers with
a false sense that the ongoing, complex problem of racism is
essentially "solved" by the end of a 2-hour movie. "Come on, make some room,
get this man a plate!" As well-intentioned as
many of them may be, the sheer ubiquity of these narratives
(which are overwhelmingly created by white writers and directors,
and frequently recognized by awards) detracts from other stories grounded
in black perspectives and their firsthand experience of racism. "I'd like to write something from
the point of view of the help." So what makes this trope so persistent? Here’s our Take on the dangers of the white savior trope, and how
we can shift our narratives and conversations to become
more anti-racist ourselves. "It's not enough in 2020
to be not racist, not racist meaning I am passive
when it comes to racism. If you see it you have to
speak on it and call it out." If you’re new here,
be sure to subscribe, and hit the bell to be notified
about all of our new videos. The white savior complex in
Western history can be traced as far back as the beginning of
European imperialism, which was largely justified by
the idea that white people were civilizing indigenous populations,
who were amoral by nature. "Do you think we’ll meet some savages?" "If we do we shall be sure to give them
a proper English greeting." The popularity of this trope on film
really took off during the 1950s and 60s during the rise of
the American civil rights movement. While calls for change were being led
in the streets by black activists, "We shall be victorious in our quest." the mainstream films produced
in this era explored how white men related to these tensions. And this reflected the
prevailing assumption among studios that white audiences would not be able
to relate to stories about race, unless they could see them through
the eyes of a white person. "If you shouldn't be defending him,
then why are you doing it?" "For a number of reasons. The main one is that, if I didn't, I couldn't hold my head up in town." In the 1962 film adaptation of
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Southern white lawyer Atticus Finch
attempts to save a falsely accused black man from conviction in the 30s, "I've been appointed
to defend Tom Robinson. Now that he’s been charged
that’s what I intend to do." and while Atticus is unsuccessful,
his bravery makes him a hero to the black community
(and a role model to his daughter). "Miss Jean Louise stand up,
your father’s passing." As admirable as much of their writing
and ideas were for the time, staples of American film and literature
like To Kill a Mockingbird helped to establish a norm of stories about
black history being told through the lens of
noble white protagonists. In the late 80s through the 2000s,
acclaimed movies like Mississippi Burning, Glory, and Amistad
all articulated inspirational messages of freedom and equality. "The national state of mankind is
instead, and I know this is a controversial idea
...is freedom." but they did so while foregrounding
the experiences (and hardships) of white main characters. "Don’t you have
the whole world to change?" "That’s right and I’m changing it." 2011's The Help - which explores
racial tensions between black domestic workers and
their white employers during the civil rights movement-
chooses as a protagonist not the maids, but the young white woman who wants
to write a book about them. "I’d really like to interview you,
Aibeleen, I know it’s scary." The volume and popularity of
white savior films to this day shows how committed our culture remains to
centering white characters in stories about civil rights,
black history and racism. These movies-usually made by
white writers and directors- continue to receive top awards over
films depicting the same themes made by black filmmakers. "I mean every time
somebody’s driving somebody I lose." So the most fundamental issue is that
white creators continue to dominate a conversation where it’s vital that
black voices are featured most of all. "If I were a Negro, I'd probably
think the same way they do." "If you were a Negro, nobody would
give a damn what you thought." Meanwhile, these movies can frequently
lack three-dimensionality in their portraits of black
and poc characters. "Hmm I love me some fried chicken." While the white protagonists often get
love stories and complex character development,
the non-white characters tend to be reduced to
their negative experiences. "I’ve never had one before." "What a room to yourself?" "A bed." Black and poc characters also risk
being portrayed as passive in their own stories. "Did you fire her?" In The Help, it is Skeeter’s revelation
that her childhood maid has been fired that leads her to want to expose racism
on behalf of the other black maids in her community, while in reality,
black people were eager to tell their own stories and had been
doing so since before the abolition of slavery. So this simplified narrative centered on a white woman suggests that
without Skeeter’s bravery, these women would never have encountered
the ongoing black struggle for equality. "My boy Treelore always said
we gon have a writer in the family one day. I guess it’s gonna be me." Focusing primarily on the experiences
of white characters also elevates their brushes with racism almost to
the point where they’re equated with actually being victimized by racism. "I just wanna live my life
and not feel bad about it." "I’m not trying to make you feel bad." Of course, it’s important to note that
the white savior trope is not limited to stories about Americans
or black people. The British film Lawrence of Arabia
(released the same year as To Kill a Mockingbird) similarly
centers a white male protagonist in a story of Arabic people’s
struggle for independence. "They hope to gain their freedom." "They’re going to get it Mr. Bentley. I’m going to give it to them." In Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,
Indiana is the only person capable of finding the missing children
and a sacred stolen stone ' of an Indian village. "You could’ve kept it." "Ah what for,
they’d just put it in a museum, it’d be another rock collecting dust." In Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood’s
Walt Kowalski becomes the savior of the Asian family who lives next door,
while his unapologetic racism. "What the hell'd these Chinese
have to move in this neighborhood for?" is dismissed as
a forgivable personality quirk, or even played for laughs. "How ya doing Martin,
you crazy Italian prick? You see kid, that’s how guys
talk to one another." "They do?" Even in movies based on true stories,
filmmakers often engage in significant historical omissions or rewrites
in order to frame the material around a heroic arc for a white character. 2007’s Freedom Writers recast the
Latina Erin Gruwell as a white woman "White people always wanting their
respect like they deserve it for free." More recently, 2016’s Hidden Figures
invents a scene in which a fictional white boss, who’s
a composite of real NASA executives courageously tears down
a woman’s bathroom sign. "Here at NASA,
we all pee the same color." When the film’s director Theodore Melfi
justified this addition by saying, "There needs to be white people
doing the right thing," his words revealed that the assumption
underlying earlier civil-rights movies. that white audiences can only relate
to movies with white characters is still very much alive today. Some of the people "white savior"
films are based on have even criticized them for being misleading
or oversimplified. Ablene Cooper-a black woman who
worked for the family of the author of The Help-is suing
the author for using and distorting her likeness without her permission
in a way she says is "embarrassing." And the real life family of
Dr. Don Shirley has condemned Green Book’s portrayal of him as
completely estranged from both his family and black culture, "Who is this?" "Who?" "On the radio?" "Lil' Richard." to a degree that the movie
even suggests he requires the help of his white driver to connect with
his blackness at all. "I live on the streets,
you sit on a throne. So, yeah, my world is
way more blacker than yours!" Most fundamentally, Green Book reduces
Shirley’s life to supporting material for a narrative about a racist driver,
when the life story of this queer black composer would
by all accounts have made for a remarkable (and more unusual)
movie on its own. "He holds Doctorates in Psychology,
in Music, and in the Liturgical Arts, and he has performed at the White House
twice in the past fourteen months." "Who are these kids,
rejects from hell?" One of the most central problems
with white-savior narratives is that- while we know racism
to be deeply systemic- these movies often explore it
solely on the individual level. "You threaten my son, you threaten me." In 1957’s 12 Angry Men,
as one white juror tries to convince his peers to act fairly in
the case of a young man of color accused of murder, "Oh boy, oh boy, there’s always one." the film’s focus is on each of
the white men trying to confront his own personal prejudice. "You wanna see this boy die because
you personally want it not because of the facts." In The Help, most of the racism we see
takes the form of prejudiced remarks between white individuals. "All that talk in there today... I’m sorry you had to hear that." The problem with the individual focus
of the white savior trope is perhaps best illustrated in two particular
subgenres of this story: the white savior sports movie and
the white savior education movie. "All the poems you taught us
say you can’t give in, you can’t give up,
well we ain’t giving you up." A number of iconic sports movies
feature white coaches rehabilitating black sports teams
to lead them to victory. "What kind of statement are
you trying to make by playing all these coloreds?" "That I’m a basketball coach who
don’t make statements." Likewise, in the white savior narrative
featuring teachers and education, "Actually I chose Wilson because of
the integration program. I think what’s happening here
is really exciting don’t you?" an energetic white teacher is
frequently inspired to "clean up" a black school or change the lives of
students for the better- often against the advice of
more prejudiced or cynical members of their community. "Don't you think that finishing
high school will be valuable to their future?" "That's not in their future." Both of these subgenres can depict
compelling and inspirational black and poc characters, and
they might feature real racial violence and trauma
experienced by their black characters. Still, they rarely spend much time
investigating the underlying systemic structures that lead to
these characters being disenfranchised, underserved and victimized
in the first place. "The league never wanted you to play
this game but you showed up." "There are a lot of people who live
in your neighborhood who choose not to get on that bus. What do they choose to do? They choose to go out and sell drugs. They choose to go out and kill people." And the result is that audiences
usually aren’t presented with concrete ideas for structural change,
but instead left with vague messages of "unity" and "kindness." We’re made to feel that complicated,
deeply entrenched problems can be fixed by an individual who
simply cares enough. "There are no victims
in this classroom!" "Why do you care anyway? You just here for the money." "Because I make a choice to care. And, honey, the money ain't that good." The hyperfocus on racism at
the individual level also creates the illusion of good and bad
white people who either choose to be racist or choose not to be. "Is this some sort
of white guilt thing?" This oversimplified framing offers
an easy scapegoat for white audiences, while handing them an admirable,
non-racist white figure they can relate to. "I don't need y'all to approve
my choices alright, but I do ask that you respect them." Another key feature of
the white savior narrative is that it tends to be set in the past. This allows viewers to comfortably
look back on how far we’ve come from this period setting when
prejudice was more egregious and overt. "They carry different
diseases than we do." And it avoids making white viewers
feel excessively implicated in the ongoing racism of the society
they’re still a part of, "Aren’t you the machine?" "You’re saying I’m the machine?" "Yeah you’re white,
you’re part of the school." Writer Teju Cole, who coined the term
"white savior industrial complex" to describe white-centered intervention
in the African continent, describes white saviorism as
"a big emotional moment that validates privilege." In other words, the myth of
the white savior is that in showing compassion to
a non-white person, white people can absolve themselves
of their privilege. "Let’s get the fuck outta here." In the end, while the white savior is
positioned as relatively selfless, the resolution almost certainly involves
them being rewarded with some sort of personal fulfillment. "When I’m helping these kids make sense
of their lives, everything about my life makes sense to me." This trend in white savior films echoes
the ‘magical negro’ trope which has long been criticized for treating
black characters like counselors in the white character’s journey
to self-actualization. "There's only one shot that's in
perfect harmony with the field. One shot that's his." Crucially, many white-savior narratives
wrap up with a heartwarming resolution. "Merry Christmas." While the world may still
not be perfect at the end, the implicit message is that progress
at large is possible and on its way, because of what we’ve seen these
individuals are capable of. "You’re changing that boy’s life." "No, he’s changing mine." By contrast, in movies about racism
made by black filmmakers, the emotional takeaway is
frequently the opposite: audiences leave feeling challenged,
confused, even confronted. "Watching this is painful,
but it’s necessary. This needs to be watched." And when Spike Lee’s Blackkklansman
ends by cutting from its civil rights era story to 2017 footage
of the Charlottesville white supremacist rally and Donald Trump,
Lee reminds viewers that the fight is very much still ongoing;
these films force us to reckon with the reality that racism is
not some distant past, but a pernicious reality that continues
to be part of all of our lives. "So many aspects of the old Jim Crow
are suddenly legal again once you've been branded a felon." Tellingly, the hallmarks of
the white savior narrative- a central white character,
interracial reconciliation, or an employer-employee relationship
that blossoms into friendship, "White women always wanna
be friends with their maid." rarely feature in the work of
black and poc filmmakers. On the contrary, it’s striking that
in films made by black creators, white characters are very often
on the sidelines. In Spike Lee’s Malcolm X,
they’re either grotesque villains, distractions, or simply irrelevant. "I just wanted to ask you... what can a white person like me, who isn't prejudiced...
what can I do to help you and further your cause?" "Nothing." While many classic white savior
narratives frame the divide as being between "racist" and "not racist,"
in the words of Angela Y. Davis, "In a racist society,
it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist." "We are all witnesses to this injustice!"
(crowd: yeah!) and we will not stop until
the world sees it too!" When it comes to creating or watching
film and TV, being anti-racist means seeking out narratives that
challenge us, instead of ones which make us feel more comfortable. It means actively looking to confront
our own bias, understand ways that we’re involved in racist systems, and
hold ourselves and others accountable. "There are many educated
Caucasian folk who are talking to each other about it. They need to continue to do that, so that we can save our energy
for survival and thriving." On Insecure, Frieda, Issa’s co-worker
at her all-white non-profit, embodies the transition from being
non-racist to anti-racist. When we meet Frieda,
she is well-meaning but can be patronizing in her attempts
to help black children: "And these poor, poor children
need our guidance more than anything." however, over time we see her make
a concerted effort to become more aware of how she and her organization
carry implicit biases that hinder their work. "We’re not about to waste time on
white people, no offense." "No we’ve given
white people enough time." The 2018 film Blindspotting and
the series Dear White People highlight how even well-intentioned
white people can endanger their black friends if they’re not
cognizant of their privilege. "Joelle, I called the cops
the other night... I thought it would keep things
from getting too out of control. I thought I was doing the right thing." These stories force their
white characters to face that they cannot disavow their whiteness. "I didn’t mean to." "Are you sure?" In Little Fires Everywhere,
Reese Witherspoon’s Elena Richardson starts out the story fashioning herself
as a "white savior" who’s self-satisfied after
she does a favor for Mia Warren, a single black mother
who appears to be in need. "What did Lexi tell me,
you’re renting to a homeless woman for practically nothing? I mean, who does that?" But when Mia not only fails to
show gratitude but also brings challenging chaos into
this wealthy white woman’s life, Elena is increasingly forced to confront
her deep-seated biases and privilege. "I think hard work and sacrifice
is a hardship as well." and because the audience at times
can empathize with her, her story pushes viewers
to look critically at themselves. "A good mother makes good choicesl" "You didn't make good choices. You had good choices! Options that being rich, and white,
and entitled gave you." Another complex series starring
an antiheroine, Mrs. America, cleverly subverts the white savior
trope to depict a self-righteous protagonist-on-a-mission who’s
not very relatable and who, far from saving anyone, causes
tangible setbacks to the rights of women, the LGBTQ community,
and people of color. "If we pull this off, Houston will be
the death knell of the women's liberation movement. Let's blow it up." All these narratives represent a
step forward from the reductive racist-versus-not-racist binary from
white savior films of the past. "It’s almost like you’re stealing
the identity from people who fought hard for against colonial structures
so in a way it’s almost like you are the colonist." Meanwhile, as more black and
poc filmmakers have gained a platform to reach large audiences,
films like Black Panther, Get Out, and Sorry to Bother You have been
able to show black people grappling with how best to exist in
a racist society, sometimes clashing with each other in
their views on this complex question. "It's about two billion people all
over the world that looks like us. But their lives are a lot harder." Crucially, black and poc filmmakers
increasingly have the opportunity to tell stories that include
the challenges of racism but are not just about that. Movies and shows about people of color
must reflect a diversity of individuals and stories, in which
confronting prejudice is one part of a complex lived experience. "Like the white population,
we are diverse within ourselves... There is not
a monolithic black experience." [Music]
Really great video, but I have trouble specifically with putting To Kill a Mockingbird in the same category as other White Savior movies. I mean sure, it was the OG White Savior movie, but I think it deserves reconsideration for the context in which it was made, the audience whom it was primarily made for and the very real positive influence it had on changing people’s minds. Unlike other White Savior movies it doesn’t really have a happy ending and it places a lot of emphasis on the issue of systemic racism in the criminal justice system and it forced a primarily white audience to acknowledge that.
This video gives information that is new to me and is well argumented in my opinion. It shows the biases a human feels towards their own culture, race and other facets of their identity. I reccomend watching this with an open mind.
In the comments there are is a list of movies mentioned in this video.
Almost all of the first videos were used as examples of films that focus too much on white saviors:
12 Angry Men (1957) A Time to Kill (1996) Amistad (1997) Avatar (2009) Black Like Me (1964) Blood Diamond (2006) Broken Arrow (1950) Cool Runnings (1993) Dances with Wolves (1990) Dangerous Minds (1995) Freedom Writers (2007) Glory (1989) Glory Road (2006) Gran Torino (2008) Green Book (2018) Half Nelson (2006) Hardball (2001) Hidden Figures (2016) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) Isle of Dogs (2018) Lawrence of Arabia (1962) Lilies of the Field (1963) Mississippi Burning (1988) Music of the Heart (1999) Pocahontas (1995) The Blind Side (2009) The Green Mile (1999) The Help (2011) The Last Samurai (2003) The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) The Principal (1987) To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) Top Five (2014)
And they mention better films that tell more diverse stories:
BlacKkKlansman (2018)
Malcolm X (1992)
When They See Us (2019)
Black-ish (2014-)
Selma (2014)
Get Out (2017)
Broad City (2014-2019)
Blindspotting (2018)
Sorry to Bother You (2018)
Dear White People (2017-)
Insecure (2016-)
Little Fires Everywhere (2020)
Mrs. America (2020-)
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Never Have I Ever (2020)
Ramy (2019-)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
The Big Sick (2017)
13th (2016)
Edited several times. Thanks
This was a great watch. I especially love how they touched on the magic Black person saviour trope. I have seen most of the movies they reference and most of the time I fail to recognize this troubling plot device.
Sounds like a lot of Reddit tbh
At 2:43 Emmanuel Acho advocates people to be vocal about racism when they see it. It isn't enough to just not be racist, you need to speak out against it. I wholeheartedly agree. Yet, this video at the same time attacks films encouraging whites to speak out about racism, especially in a social context where they observe racism.
If the goal is to teach a white audience to speak out, wouldn't explicitly showcasing examples of that happening be a good thing? We are all the protagonists of our lives, and it makes sense to have the protagonist of the film be an example for your target audience, and give your audience an ideal to aspire to.
We definitely need more first person narratives about racism, but going about it by attacking other anti-racist films probably does more harm than anything. It creates a sense of internal conflict between people who ultimately agree, whereas the focus could probably have been better spent at fighting the views of those who directly harbor racist sentiment.
I am not arguing against the points in this video. I agree with them. I would just like to add that a movie about a "white savior" standing up against discrimination has the potential to be an attempt at inspiration for white people, by white people, to stand up and combat racism - to be a savior in their own community and beyond. Although that is addressed to a degree, from 12:37 - 13:20
Obligatory, I’m mixed race and nobody would mistake me as a white man... however, I’m also not black. After watching this, I agree somewhat. I agree there there exists a “white savior complex” among white people in society. Where I somewhat understand this; these films are made in a majority white country, by majority white people, targeted towards a majority white audience. So, to me it only makes sense. I imagine this sort of thing will continue until the US is no longer a majority white. TBH, I don’t know if there is anything wrong with that.
A lot of new action movies include a token asian character, because they’re now targeting the asian audience in Asia as well. I don’t know that it’s anything personal or “purposefully oppressive”, but more of a business decision. If the US was a majority black or majority Polynesian, we’d see films depicting these races as the “hero”. It just so happens that the US was colonized by a majority white Europeans and not a another race...
That being said, outside of films the white savior complex is alive and well and it somewhat drives me crazy to see so much ironic virtue signaling etc by privileged white Europeans. I guess it only really bothers me when it’s obviously ironic. I’m well aware there are some amazing people of all races, including white who have a true desire to see racial equality, opposed to seeking recognition for their “wokeness”. Just my opinion though.
Some of the examples they mentioned were good examples of the trope but quite a few are a stretch of what I would consider the film being made and intentionally playing within the trope. The biggest outlier was Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I understand what they were referencing but if you actually watch the film, the village was literally starving and couldn't make the trek and couldn't confront the regime themselves to free the kids. And the focal point of the movie is the action of it and the adventure! It was just a fun movie not something you watch to learn a moral or lesson