Just Curious....


I am a big fan of the movie and lucky to have obtained a DVD copy of the film. Regarding the election of a black sheriff, Price was helped by organizers from up north to win the election. I assume all the people the organizers got to vote were registered voters in the county? Seems like the town/county had a somewhat equal black/white population and I doubt anyone of the white people voted for Price so just curious because it seemed like Price got elected too easy. If the organizers helped Price, why didn't Rankin and the Klan do the same for Little? Also, after Little lost, why were the white people so against Little (i.e. kids calling him and his kids chicken little, the good old boys saying how does it feel to have a n&$$*r take your job, etc.?) You would think they would have been more supportive both before/after the election seeing they seemed to run the town for the most part. Finally, you would think the Mayor would have done more to avoid this happening knowing how much he hates outside interference (federal troops for instance) in his town that he would have devised a plan to ensure Little was re-elected.

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When Sheriff Little is leaving Junior's store at the beginning of the movie, D.J. Rankin says, "Sheriff, you know as well as I do that he didn't get a single white vote in the whole county." Little replies, "Accordin' to the law, it don't make no difference. A vote's a vote. That's the law."
That simply told me that the non-white population of the county made up the majority, thus voting Sheriff Price into office.

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Yes, I remember that now that you mention it. But this took place in the late 60's/early 70's. The Klan had a lot of influence in the rural south so i am a bit surprised they did not devise a plan to make sure Price was not elected. I am sure the election was watched closely by state officials knowing the possible outcome but it seems that certain people ran the counties in the deep south back then and they could influence things.

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To be real honest, much as this 2016 election people did not actually believe that Little would lose, they were so confident that they would win dispute the Blacks having the vote they never even considered having a "plan" to prevent the possibility of the black vote dominating the polls. As to their reactions, that is the attitude in small towns like this, I actually live in Colusa where this was filmed ?, they will blame the low man on the totem pole, in this case Little,for the failure of the vote to carry because he is the easiest target to focus on, plus the harassment didn't start until AFTER he decided to help the Sherriff. They saw him as a turncoat, not just to his race but to the town itself. He couldn't stand by and watch his town, that he had loved and protected in his time as Sherriff become overrun with criminal activity in protest to the new Sherriff. The law and his fellow citizen's safety was more important to him than any racial lines that were in lace, and that is why, even though he starts out as prejudice and racist as the rest, he is a likable and sympathetic character.

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All good points, thanks. One thing I do want to question you on is that they did sort of turn on him BEFORE he started helping Price. At the beginning of the movie when Little goes into the store to get a drink of water, when he left the store, someone says 'How does it feel to have a n*&&3r take your job'. Little was still Sheriff at that point and had not started helping Price from what I recall.

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That remark was just plain snarkiness, like someone saying toHillary "how does it feel to lose your job to a jackass?" They were so sure he would win they just lash out at whomever they can, once again it's Little, even Little's wife is snarky about the fact he lost, like he did something to cause the vote to come out against him. Just small town b$&chiness again. Little is the visible target and they need to be angry with someone. Stupid but true psychological reaction.

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After seeing the movie again this weekend, I did notice there was some sort of tension between Little and Junior which may have prompted the 'losing to a n&^^3r' comment by Junior.

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