MovieChat Forums > The Color of Friendship (2000) Discussion > Just would like to point out....

Just would like to point out....

posted 15 years ago by Quik87
8 replies | jump to latest

This movie conveys aparthied very accurately, but it does not portray the attitudes of everyday South Africans correctly.

Most white South Africans, Afrikaans and English speaking, were against aparthied, but if they had spoken out against it, the government would have put their lives in danger as well. My parents are both white English speaking South Africans and got the vibe that they believe all South Africans are just bigots.

I also didn't like how the film portrayed America as the utopia of racial tolerance, as any of us who live in the United States know, there is still alot of racial intolerance here in the 2000s, let alone in the 1970s following the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

When I went to South Africa in 2002, I saw much more progress in terms of tolerance of one another than in the United States.

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ghostofthepast1986 14 years ago

well...not having the American media might help things.

[–] justakid_24 14 years ago

Really? Because I just got back from studying in South Africa and was appalled by all the racism (from both sides) that is still so pervasive when they claim to be the "rainbow nation" that has had a "little miracle" of just forgetting the past and becoming an accepting nation with freedoms for everyone. It sounds nice in theory and their Constitution is arguably the most fair and accepting in the world, but reality does not match that at all.

I realize that Apartheid only ended 15 years ago and that is NOT enough time for everyone to heal from the injustices of the past, but people act like there is no more racism and then you talk to them and they're attitudes in private are not at all the same as they act in public.

I'm NOT saying that every white South African was for Apartheid and I know there were a LOT of white South Africans that fought against Apartheid, but I just find it very strange that you say you noticed more progress in terms of tolerance when I noticed the exact opposite.

I could go on about this forever, but this post is already long, so I'm just gonna end there.

[–] Tro44 12 years ago

interesting note

[–] StarWarsIsMyLife 14 years ago

The portrayal of America being a utopia of racial tolerance was meant to serve as a contrast to the government-sanctioned system of racism in South Africa. This is a children's movie, after all. I do agree, however, that America hardly was a utopia in 1977, nor is it today.

[–] lovelyx06 13 years ago

bullsh!t...respectively of course. America, while it still has its problems, has more racial tolerance than SA.

But anyway I think you're bionic & I don't think you're beautiful, I think you're beyond it.

[–] Samuraibro 13 years ago

Compared to the intolerance/racism/apartheid in South Africa during that time, the U.S. would definetely look like some sort of utopia, LOL.

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[–] blaircam 12 years ago

There are LOTS of countries around the world who have struggled with race issues and continue to struggle with those same issues today.
The US still have much highest rates of incarceration for blacks than whites - as does my country, Australia - only our 'blacks' are our Aboriginal people. In fact, the better parallel for South Africa is not how the US treated its black former slaves but how they treated their indigenous people - the American Indian.
Either way, most countries have had to fight the fight to remove endemic prejudice and injustice. South Africa just was one of the last white-dominated countries to dismantle the legal prejudice. There are still injustices to fight - other countries still have entrenched injustice against minority peoples. Women's rights are still non-existent in many countries, and poverty is still the biggest injustice.

"They who... give up... liberty to obtain... safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."