MovieChat Forums > Rosewood (1997) Discussion > Could the massacre be prevented?

Could the massacre be prevented?

posted 17 years ago by LiveLaughLoveAlways
15 replies | jump to latest

Do you think this horrible tradegy could have been prevented in some way? Discuss...

I think it couldn't have been prevented becuase all the white folks in that town were probably just waiting for a reason to have thier way with all the colored people. There was so much hatred there and even though they knew that lady who said a black man beat her was the town tramp they all still wanted it
to be a black man. So they took was she said and ran with it...and this horrible masacre occured.

--
"It turned my whole world around, and I kinda like it." -Natalie Maines

[–] aragem-1 17 years ago

Yeah, there was one tiny way to prevent it.

If those sons of bitches had CHOSEN not to do those things. But instead they CHOSE to listen to a lie they KNEW was a lie.

Also, that little tramp CHOSE to lie and she CHOSE to stick to the lie even though innocent people were being killed due to HER lie.

It's all about choices in this world and there are so many people that CHOOSE to do the wrong thing.

[–] billpoorman 17 years ago

Well stated aragem-1. And the incident at Rosewood was not a singular event. Even more death and devestation occured earlier in what has been called "The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921." The events in Oklahoma two years earlier began almost identically with a white woman falsely accusing a young black man of attempted rape. "Rosewood" is an excellent film depicting a marginalized, almost forgotten darker era of the inhumanity of race relations in the century following the 'Civil War.'

[–] jgibs 15 years ago

to all who do not know the depth of racism in america...

see the film classic made by Oscar Michauex, the pioneering black filmmaker of the early silent film era -Within Our GATES,1920. this is one of the first films ever made that tells the story of racism in america from the black point of view.
Micheux made the film to counter the recently released film by d.w.griffith-'birth of a nation'1915.
the 'birth of a nation' film instigated racial hatred throughout america. many more blacks were destroyed because of this film. you should see this film also, for it depicts america as seen though the eyes of the average white american in the late 19th & early 20th centuries.

for further education on 'race in america' understand these facts:

during the decades after emancipation 1863, that blacks throughout the south were being lynched,burned & violently attacked by white mobs. in the decades 1890-1936,
over 3,300 blacks were lynched in america,not all in the south.

the film singleton has made, only tells the story of one blacktown that was destroyed. there were many afro-american towns and communities and people destroyed by the overt & depraved citizens of america weened on a legacy of racism.

all who call themselves americans should know the truth of history and better educate yourself & your kindred & associates of the harmful effects of racism if left unchecked & undefeated.
.

[–] catrina604 17 years ago

Yes but it is hard not to get jungle fever.

Hugs
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[–] HillieBoliday 17 years ago

There are so many atrocities like this that are ingrained in the historical
fabric of this country. Please don't forget The Scotsboro Boys!

Nine lives totally destroyed by the LIE of a White girl whose reputation was of true ill repute!

When you read their story; it is so full of immeasurable pain, that it is
very difficult to digest. But digest it I did!

As a Black female growing up with 4 brothers; the story of the Oklahoma
Massacre, The Scotsboro Boys, and the very tragic Emmett Till story

WAS REQUIRED READING BY MY MOTHER AND FATHER IN OUR HOUSEHOLD!!!

"OOO...I'M GON' TELL MAMA!"

[–] guserusa 17 years ago

Most atrocities can probably be prevented but usually there are one or two instigators. In this case there was the fat racist with the beard (Duke) who always wanted to kill blacks. There were those who most likely didn't want to go as far as they did, but they didn't want to be labeled *beep* lovers and plus the fact that liquor has a tendency to lower the inhibitions.

Sarah might have prevented the escalation of the *beep* hunt, but she didn't want to speak up when she could have. That abused woman started the whole mess and I guess she was the catalyst of the whole fiasco. What was an amusing scene in a perverted sort of way was the father teaching his son how to make a hangman's noose. Teaching him how to be a man. His son liked blacks, yet the father had to teach him how to hate blacks. These are the sort of things that keep this sort of thing happening from generation to generation.

I would imagine white people think it's okay and just consider it a few good old boys letting off a little steam. They sure must have felt satisfied stringing up blacks and cutting off their ears and other body parts. In this good old USA, poor minorities will always be treated like trash and that's the way it is. Whites rule in most of the world today and nothing can ever change that except maybe a couple of centuries time. Every dog has it's day.

This is just a movie and I don't believe it would have gone so bad in such a short time. At least I want to believe that. I never lived in the south and I would hope that a massacre like this would be rare. Movies like this probably aren't that good to watch since I think it brings about a lot of bad feelings that would otherwise be kept subdued.

Humanity is really a mess. It's amazing there are as many humans left as there are. One planet and each race looking at the other like the other is lowlife. And on top of that, constantly seeking to find extraterrestrial life to fear and loathe.

It was an exciting film to watch and was rather moving even if it was exaggerated a bit for effect.

[–] abarrentine 16 years ago

I agree with most of guserusa's comments. As to "Could the massacre be prevented?", I think not because of the mental and spiritual climate of most of the (ignorant) whites of that area. What struck me was the disconnection from reality of their perceptions. They had become truly deceived about the humanity of the blacks, about the truth that all humans are created equal and basically similar. Of course, historically some whites made a choice to propound this myth as an excuse for brutality due to their greed, hunger for power, etc.

And so such myths have always been a part of human history with various faces, and will continue to be. I thought that Rosewood showed the evil results of such thinking and behaving in The South of that era extremely well. Sure makes you want to speak out for the truth that any inferiority/superiority perceptions are lies; physical characteristics, intelligence, social status etc. have no bearing on us "human folks'" inherent worth!

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] voicutu 16 years ago

Anyway, "another proud moment in American history".

[–] awriterinme 16 years ago

I'm Sorry...but I saw no reason to LOL. This story really happened. And since you know of the woman, you realize her Lie got a lot of innocent people, including a few whites killed. This kind of thing has got to stop being a laughing and/or joking matter.

[–] awriterinme 16 years ago

The sad truth is, this kind of thing is still going on, and No it couldn't have been prevented unless the Blacks just up and ran or laid down and took their medicine. Remember Susan Smith? She swore a black man kidnapped her children. The country practically stood still waiting for this man to be found. (Truth was, she described a man so dog gone Ugly, someone should have noticed him with the white children) Remember, when you're really ugly, people have a tendency to remember.(Take Flava Flav, for Example. There's a face only a mother could love. Nevertheless, weeks went by and no one had spotted this man. I knew that after a day, he had to be found. But at least a week went by and by then,everyone was beginning to doubt her. But, she didn't have me fooled by day 2. No one that ugly could have been running around with those white kids and no one noticed. When it comes to ugly, color has no factor. It stands out like a sore swollen nose, toe, thumb, whatever!

[–] desifir667 15 years ago

evil

[–] bryanac625 15 years ago

The movie takes a lot of liberties with the real story. In reality, was Fanny Taylor a whore who slept with every other man in the town, or just the one man who beat her up? I do think there was enough fuel to create the massacre. Many at this time had so many fears of blacks. The movie Birth of a Nation (1915) validated these fears, and similar race riots had occurred all around the country in places like Atlanta, Chicago, East St. Louis, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Washington, D.C.

Personally, I would think that with so many knowing the woman was that big of a tramp, why would anyone believed anything she said? But I don't know what really happened.

[–] josie75 15 years ago

The sad truth about it is that even though all the men in town (except her husband) knew what type of woman she was, they chose to go along with the lie. It could have happened in reality because of the times. If you are able to find texts and documentaries then you would be able see that a black man could get hanged just for glancing in the general vicinity of a white woman. If it did happen that way, I could believe it.

In reality, was Fanny Taylor a whore who slept with every other man in the town, or just the one man who beat her up? I do think there was enough fuel to create the massacre.

Being from Louisiana, you hear lots of stories from the older people in the families and they can more than assure you that the massacre could have been created with less fuel than that. Not all the time was it a case of fear, most of the time it was because some of the whites thought that they were more than blacks and that blacks had no say in anything and they were more that right to put them in their place. Now I did say some whites because, not all whites thought that way. There were actually a lot of whites that didn't mind being in the company of blacks. There were also a lot of whites that didn't mind being in company of blacks, but would never voice or show that to their white friends. They aren't the only ones, there are blacks that act the same way.

Never take life too seriously, no gets out alive anyway.