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film

Submitted by Michael McGinnis on September 1, 2009 - 1:28pm

Because I think some Blogora readers might find this of interest, a trailer for the upcoming film Agora, which purports to be a biopic of Hypatia. Here, the agora is apparently the public forum for crowds and soliders on horseback to tussle with one another.

Crawford, TX

film

Submitted by Jim Brown on October 27, 2008 - 9:42pm

I just got home from the Alamo Drafthouse where I saw the movie, Crawford. Filmmakers David Modigliani and Matt Naylor ask the question: What happened when W came to town? This is not a Michael Moore hack job. In fact, the film premiered in Crawford (on the football field!), and just about everyone who's in the movie agreed that it's a fair depiction of Crawford. You can watch the whole thing, for free, on Hulu.

"Subconscious Racism": The NBA and Crash

Submitted by Jim Brown on May 3, 2007 - 11:40am

A recent academic study suggests that racial bias is at work as NBA officials work a basketball game. After accounting for a number of other factors (including whether players are veterans or rookies - anyone who watches the NBA is aware that the "star system" is a big problem in the NBA), researchers from Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania have determined that a white official is more likely to call a foul on a black player. Further a black official is more likely to call a foul on a white player, but "that tendency was not as strong."

The study is raising questions about "unconscious" or "subconscious" racism:

"The paper by Mr. Wolfers and Mr. Price has yet to undergo formal peer review before publication in an economic journal, but several prominent academic economists said it would contribute to the growing literature regarding subconscious racism in the workplace and elsewhere, such as in searches by the police."

Maybe more studies like this can begin to undo the great damage that a film like Crash has done. In my view, Crash did little more than let everyone off the hook. For me, the general thrust of the film was that everyone's racist. If everyone's guilty, it's difficult to fault anyone for carrying around some racial bias. The film did nothing to trouble the notion that much of the racial discrimination that happens is of a subtler nature. What about racist systems and institutions? The film's cathartic power was evident when it won Best Picture and Hollywood began a big round of back-slapping.