Women, Sport, and Film Course

FORUM ARCHIVE

WEEK 3

Name:  Amy Campbell
Username:  acampbel@brynmawr.edu
Subject:  Remember The Titans
Date:  2004-02-12 16:52:06
Message Id:  8139
Comments:
Racial tension and social equality are complex issues which reside through out all aspects of society- as do the other 'isms' and "phobia's" --sexism, agism, classism, homophobia, etc.

Movies can provide a snapshot of those issues and in Remember the Titans, a true story has been used to portray sport as 'an even playing field' and a place where the common goal of pursuing victory and what it will take to achieve victory, eventually trumps the racial tensions.

What makes sport an easy vehicle to shed animosities and what other vehicles are there on College campuses to "bring people together" in dialogue and deed. What are the vehicles we can use on our campus to bridge cultural, racial, ethnic, orientation divides, when they exist?

Name:  Charles DaCosta
Username:  dacostas@post10.tele.dk
Subject:  Remember The Titans
Date:  2004-02-14 11:48:58
Message Id:  8157
Comments:
Amy Campbell said, "Racial tension and social equality are complex issues which reside through out all aspects of society- as do the other 'isms' and "phobia's" --sexism, agism, classism, homophobia, etc."

This is true because, if you accept the standard interpretation of Darwin's view, we are animals. We are driven by the same needs, and this includes the need to dominate.

Amy Campbell said, "What makes sport an easy vehicle to shed animosities ..."

ibid [if you accept ...] we are pack animals. Things like race, sex, etc., normally define the pack. Sports redefine the pack.

Amy Campbell said, "... what other vehicles are there on College campuses to 'bring people together' in dialogue and deed. What are the vehicles we can use on our campus to bridge cultural, racial, ethnic, orientation divides, when they exist?"

Redefine the packs, or change the primitive thinking (i.e., the animal nature) in your fellow students. The second is a very tall order, most religions have tried and failed, however that is not reason for you to give-up or avoid trying (the individual is a good place to start).

Name:  Naomi
Username:  nspector@brynmawr.edu
Subject:  Remember the Titans
Date:  2004-02-14 12:27:05
Message Id:  8158
Comments:
I think that it was not only the fact that the football players were playing a sport, but the fact that they were doing something TOGETHER for a common goal. If we were to then use this case as a model of how to "even the playing field" so to speak for all aspects of racism, sexism, etc. then it would seem logical that if you put a bunch of different people together in a situation where they need to work together to achieve a goal, then they would resolve their problems surrounding those "isms." However, this sounds fairly naive, although theoretically one would think it would work. It is impossible to bring all the people in the world together in situations where they would be forced to bridge their differences. But, on the microcosmic level of our campus community, perhaps if there were smaller activities where this idea was pushed, then maybe it would change the way people talk about and deal with these issues.

Name:  Kate
Username:  ktucker@brynmawr.edu
Subject:  Remember the Titans
Date:  2004-02-15 01:16:51
Message Id:  8165
Comments:
I think one of the things that makes sports a useful medium for overcoming racial, social, ethnic boundaries is that to be part of a team you must redefine your personality to some extent. The training that Denzel Washington's character put his players through at camp was very reminiscent of army boot camp (or at least how boot camp is portrayed in movies!). One of the important things that they got out of it was a group personality. They sacrified some of their own personal beliefs for the sake of the team. Being part of a team requires that people come together. Teams allow people to unite around a common goal. The characters in Remember the Titans didn't need to have a lot in common. They worked really hard to be good football players and spent a lot of their personal efforts on the team; for the rest of the time they could be different. While they were on the team they were united in their efforts. Sports rules also are irrelevant to all those boundaries that those characters had to deal with. The rules within the game are the same for everyone. This is why other organizations can be used for the same purpose. Political groups or issue groups are a good example. There are many different organizations on campus that allow people to organize around common issues, regardless of their other "isms".

Name:  Kelsey Smith
Username:  klsmith@brynmawr.edu
Subject:  Remember the Titans
Date:  2004-02-15 15:24:21
Message Id:  8176
Comments:
Education helps to bring people together in colleges, but only if people are open-minded about differences that exist among their peers. If that is lacking, no amount of information will bring people together. If people are open to new perspectives, everyone will be changed since all will appreciate those who are different.

Volunteering is another vehicle for bringing people together because it provides a common goal of helping others. People will achieve satisfaction from improving the lives of those who are less fortunate. They will also gain information about these people and the lives that they live.

Name:  Talia
Username:  tsquires@brynmawr.edu
Subject:
Date:  2004-02-15 23:54:45
Message Id:  8187
Comments:
I think one of the things that helped bring the team in remember the titans together was the fact that they were all miserable together. One of the quickest, albeit most unpleasant ways, of making a bunch of people befriend each other is to make them all equally unhappy together, then they at least have the fact that they are all miserable together. The coach used this technique to bring his football player who had very little else in common together. Later their competitiveness brings them together, they realize that the best way to reach their common goal is to work together. The desire to be part of a perfect team made each of them more willing to ignore other differences. Someone unwilling to work for the team, and accept everyone only hindered them. So they couldn't be accepted. In the end the drive to excell and the competitveness pushed the team to come together, because it was the only way that they would succeed.

Name:  Nicole
Username:  nwittig@brynmawr.edu
Subject:
Date:  2004-02-15 23:59:58
Message Id:  8189
Comments:
I think one of the things in sports that helps overcome racial barriers is the amount of bonding between teammates. You see each other in practice, your teammates fighting as hard as you for a goal. I think when you share a physical hardship together there is this instinctive bond. And you fight together. You fight in every game and this means you also share your loses and victories. I think sharing in this way, the elation of victory or the duldrums of defeat, and knowing that there is someone else at the same moment feeling the same emotions, thats bonding between anyone despite race.

Name:  Laura Sockol
Username:  lsockol@brynmawr.edu
Subject:  Remember the Titans
Date:  2004-02-16 10:40:37
Message Id:  8203
Comments:
Talia said, "One of the quickest, albeit most unpleasant ways, of making a bunch of people befriend each other is to make them all equally unhappy together, then they at least have the fact that they are all miserable together." ... and I wholeheartedly agree. There is no better vehicle for bonding than an all out bitch-fest. At Bryn Mawr, girls who have NOTHING in common can at least find something to complain about. Ahh, discontent. Such the uniter.
---I think that another reason sports are so uniting is that the decisions of who interacts with whom are made by another person. In classes and on the bus, students can segregate themselves. On a team, the coaches tell you where to go and what to do. If you don't want to block for the guy of another race, you can do it - and get yourself kicked off the team (a la Gerry's friend). It takes pressure off the individual to make a stand.

Name:  Amy Campbell
Username:  acampbel@brytnmawr.edu
Subject:  response 2
Date:  2004-02-16 11:55:09
Message Id:  8209
Comments:
Great responses. These are complex issues. Many have talked about the arts and athletics as providing an environment which brings people together for a common goal. Are there other opportunities on campus to engage in conversation, areas which encourage an inclusive environment and ones which support and appreciate diversity?

Name:  Tiffany
Username:  tstengle@brynmawr.edu
Subject:
Date:  2004-02-16 13:54:18
Message Id:  8212
Comments:
Film acts as a passive forum; they don't require any active commitment from the audience. Other passive fora have the same ability, like TV shows. The audience memeber is not required to state an opinion, only follow along like a good little lamb and agree with what is placed before him/her. When we try to have real conversations in the real world, participants actually have to take stands on controversial issues, not just agree when presented a one-sided argument. Film can also, as we discussed in class, "sugar coat" issues. Remember the Titans certainly glossed over Gerry's disability. In television or film, there is also a limited amount of time available to resolve a conflict. In reality, conflicts can last much longer than the hour and a half reserved for a film.

Name:
Username:  Anonymous
Subject:  2nd response
Date:  2004-02-16 20:01:06
Message Id:  8227
Comments:
Other places that are inclusive of diversity ...
the first thing that comes to my mind regarding Bryn Mawr is the work-study program. If you get financial aid here and you're a freshman, you're in the dining hall. It's as simple as that. I think it'a situation that forces you to bond. Working in the dining hall is kind of like that football camp, just on a less extreme scale. The work sucks, it's hot (or freezing), it's dirty, it's wet, and nobody really wants to be there. Again, there is bonding over the complaining. And it gives you a common ground with other people that you'd otherwise have no reason to talk to. I like that Bryn Mawr forces all the freshmen to work in dining services - for one thing, it makes sure that there are enough people to staff them, but it also forces people to bond with very different individuals.

Name:  Kate Tucker
Username:  ktucker@brynmawr.edu
Subject:  titans #2
Date:  2004-02-16 23:52:54
Message Id:  8236
Comments:
I think that the comment re: work-study is very true. All freshwomen go through the same sucky situation...and bond with the people they work with. That's true in pretty much any work situation, even if you don't work in the cafeteria. Since you're confronted with a common set of problems to deal with, you end up bonding with the people you work with. Also, as I said before, this can work for any club. Some clubs are oriented towards certain groups or people with certain beliefs, but even those orientations will mix people up to a certain extent.

Name:  Naomi Spector
Username:  nspector@brynmawr.edu
Subject:  response 2
Date:  2004-02-18 14:52:43
Message Id:  8269
Comments:
I think that, along the lines of what Kelsey said, that the sheer fact that the people attending or teaching at a college are there (or at least presumably)for the purpose of education. And just like people were saying with other situations, it's a case where "we're all in this together" -- we all have some sort of shared identity as "Mawrtyrs" and would feel a sense of closeness to a stranger who was wearing a Bryn Mawr shirt on a random street. So, I think it is the creation of a common identity that is beyond the realm of race, gender, etc. that allows those usually dividing factors to become less important and causes people to overcome a fear of difference (or at least in an idealistic world).

Name:  Kelsey Smith
Username:  klsmith@brynmawr.edu
Subject:  Titans #2
Date:  2004-02-18 19:15:30
Message Id:  8274
Comments:
Another way to bond is to play what my friend Jean calls "Poor Man's Poker", an activity that is no more complicated than people listing what work they have to do and how little sleep they've had in the past three or four days. It is considered a good activity because many people at Bryn Mawr prefer talking about the work they need to do before they actually do it.

Name:  christina kim
Username:  Anonymous
Subject:
Date:  2004-02-18 23:47:08
Message Id:  8280
Comments:
I agree with the previous comments on how it was not just the sport, but doing something together. It's about teamwork, and teamwork can also be found outside sports. It's found in the classrooms, especially at institutions like bryn mawr college, and clubs and other extracurrical activities. however, we have to remember that in the movie, racism was embedded in the mindset of all the characters. It was something they all had to overcome, although initially it was an issue they did not want to confront.

All the -isms dissolve into nothingness when people can defeat prejudices and prior misunderstandings, experiences, or knowledge and just get to know people as people. I'm not sure if any of this makes sense... but I know that here at Bryn Mawr, although we continually discuss issues such as race, class, and sexuality, they are always approached with a positive light and try to set an example of harmony. It's not what sport you play, or what club you're in; it boils down to the individual to make a difference.

Name:  LAURA SOCKOL.
Username:  lsockol@brynmawr.edu
Subject:  AAAARGH.
Date:  2004-02-18 23:52:47
Message Id:  8281
Comments:
And just to say ... that anonymous post with the subject '2nd response' about working in the dining halls ...

yeah that was mine. I NEVER remember to put my name on things!

Name:  Talia
Username:  tsquires@brynmawr.edu
Subject:
Date:  2004-02-19 00:04:57
Message Id:  8282
Comments:
I agree wholeheartedly that the dinning halls are a place that we are all equals. Even if we do not specifically utilize them as a forum, we learn to respect our fellow workers, both the students and the permanent staff. I know that there are diversity forums and such to discuss "problems" of diversity, but I feel that these are a bit redundant. It seems that those who are willing to tromp to where they are held, and activily participate are the most dedicated to the idea of racial, sexual, etc. equality. As I close up my first evening of hellweek, I feel that a lot of the traditions here work to break down barriers for everyone. I've just spend an hour and a half running around looking for cans of soda, novelty condems, and crazy straws. Being on the same neurotic escapades as everyone else brings us all together in the same way being miserable together does. On that note, I'm going to go bond with my fellow scavengering mates.

Name:  Nicole
Username:  nwittig@brynmawr.edu
Subject:
Date:  2004-02-19 00:09:44
Message Id:  8283
Comments:
Though labs are required I think they offer a forum for people with a realted interest to explore their field of study together. I know once a week I come together with my other geology lab partners to discuss our common interest and to solve the problems of the lab for the week. And he labs share the same diversity we have on campus and those students from Haverford as well.

Name:
Username:  dacostas@post10.tele.dk
Subject:
Date:  2004-02-19 00:27:19
Message Id:  8284
Comments:
Love this, you all are really thinking. We need more about why sports and the arts (film) work, and how could we use the model. Also other models. I don't think an answer is far away.

Name:  Tiffany
Username:  tstengle
Subject:  2nd response
Date:  2004-02-19 14:55:47
Message Id:  8290
Comments:
This entire campus brings people together in a supportive way--well, except for men. What the college doesn't do enough of is opening dialogue. We're all here, working together, but we don't actually talk about our differences. We ignore them and try to pretend that they're not there. I really don't know whether ignoring our differences is progress or not, but it seems to be where the college--and our society in general--are headed.

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Women, Sport, and Film Course

Sponsored by the Department of Athletics and Physical Education at Bryn Mawr College, with support from the Center for Science In Society at Bryn Mawr College and the Serendip website.

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