Walt held some very old-fashioned values and flung racial slurs at everyone he met. But at the same time, he also had a good heart and would even help those the most different from him. He's not a crazy psychopathic coot, he just happens to be behind the times. Doesn't mean he can't be a good person.
sharehe also had a good heart and would even help those the most different from him
He was a racist since he constantly would insult Hmongs with unflattering racial slurs and also had a lot of presumptions about their culture. Just look at a lot of the passing racist comments he makes in the movie ("You gonna carry your tools in a rice bag?"). However, compared to most racists we see depicted in movies, he doesn't think someone deserves to be miserable just because of their race (he even helps Thao, who he despises in the first half of the movie). And that's what I love about this movie, that we see a different side of the issue.
And if we're talking real life, some racists do oddly enough hang out with people of different skin color or culture, only that they do so with reservations. There are several different types of racists, not all of them are... well, American History X types.
Therefore, he's not a racist.
He never had an issue with anyone's skin color; only their actions. Think of how he sh!t all over the white guy who was walking with Sue when they got stopped by the black guys. He didn't support the white guy. He insulted him because he wanted to act like a thug, but was too much of a p&ssy to stand up to the real thugs.
Walt also didn't like his own children and grandchildren because of their attitudes. Same with the priest, who he felt was just citing rote memorization of what he learned in the seminary, as opposed to having lived in the real world.
Sue was able to see that Walt wasn't a horrible person and gave the sh!t back to him as much as he gave it to her.
Nothing he did was out of hate or a feeling of superiority to anther race.
No he was a racist. He judged others by their race and thought that he was superior. But he was a racist in general, but not to individuals. Once he got to know the individual he acknowledged their good qualities, hard work, etc. Didn't mean he was less racist towards others, that he had on direct contact with. Just means that he grew to respect/appreciate those he actually met.
Alternatively, though I'm not sure I'd agree, he became less racist through getting to know the Hmong.
That still isn't racist. He didn't do anything to hurt anyone based upon their race. He was from a different generation, where coarse language was acceptable. My father and his friends all went to a garage to get their car worked on, and the guy who owned the place was nicknamed, "Polack." Any new Polack joke they heard they'd stop in to tell him. They also invited him to their parties.
Walt was also very closed off. He was haunted by what he did in Korea and how he didn't have a good relationship with his family.
We see how that changes when he meets people who want nothing from him.
If he were a racist, he'd wouldn't get involved in their lives, wouldn't interact with them, and if he had to do so, would be disgusted later.
The term "racist" is used too easily in today's world. Actually, ALL terms like racist, homophobic, sexist and the such are used too easily in today's world. Not being bright, and shiny and happy about every person around just about gets a person one of those labels today.
Racist is a way of thinking. Noun: someone who believes that a particular race is superior to another. I think Walt does think this way. Or more precisely that some races are inferior. (Same thing? Subtle difference? )
Yes, agree 100% that he was closed off and haunted by the Korean war/relationship with his family, but disagree that racists don't get involved with those they think are inferior. Read somewhere that in the south, good ole boys, who genuinely thought blacks were inferior, upon seeing elderly blacks (sorry African Americans today) with flat tires, would be more likely to stop and help them than members of their own race. It used to be a tenet of Christian faith (at least among some sects) that it was their Christian duty to help the inferior races to find Jesus and save their souls. They thought the other races were inferior but it was their Christian duty to guide them like parents, to salvation.
And yes nowadays those words get thrown around too much and for silly reasons. Another message from the film is that word can be hateful and such, but actions are more important. At the end of the film Walt still used racist language but , like his interactions with the barber, those words did not negate his friendship and respect for Thao and his sister. His words may have been racist, but his actions demonstrated that the words were not what was important in their relationship.
Walt used racial slurs as a defense mechanism. It got overly sensitive people to leave him alone, and it was a way checking the skin thickness of the people he was communicating with.
He was not leaving burning crosses on anyone's yard, throwing bricks through windows, or leaving threatening messages telling certain people to go away.
When someone throws a racial slur at Walt, Walt does not go crying to his safe space.
I know someone like Walt. I do not endorse his methods of communication, but I understand them. I also know someone who is a snowflake that is always looking for new ways to be offended, so she can try to censor everyone around her. I would rather deal with "Walt".
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A dope trailer is no place for a kitty.
This is a good answer. I have no problem with old people who speak their mind, it's how they grew up. Walt is a great character.
share"Racist" or "racism" requires the implication that one race is superior to another race due to GENETIC differences between those two races. None of Walt's remarks or actions suggest he thought that way. His remarks and actions were influenced by his opinions regarding the CULTURE of others. That is not "racist" nor "racism." If you want a dictionary example of a true racist...look no further than Abraham Lincoln, who believed and espoused the idea that "the Negro" was genetically inferior to Caucasians.
shareI think Archie Bunker takes the "Most Likeable Racist" award. He's certainly my favourite racist.
shareHe wasn't racist
shareThe world of today needs more people like Walt in it. Instead we've been inundated with politically correct morons like that white stooge in the movie who was too cowardly to stand up to the black yard apes who were planning on raping Sue. It took a man like Walt to send both the white coward and the racist black goons packing. If Walt is considered 'behind the times' then we need to go back to that sort of behavior instead of the idiocy of today that makes excuses for criminal trash.
share@ridgerunner:
You sound like a damn racist yourself. "Apes" and "goons"? Funny how you didn't use either one of those words to refer to white people, and hell,yeah, that's a racist term that was applied to black people in the past. I haven't seen this film (even though it was filmed in Highland Park, a city in Detroit, that I'm familiar with)and might check it out only for that reason. But, a racist is a racist, no matter how you try and twist the term around. Also, it's easy for someone who's never had to experience racism as a regular part of their life (like most white people) to look at racism as some abstract thing, instead of something that has always been,unfortunately, very real and just plain horrible to black people/other non-white folks of color.
I haven't seen this film
But, a racist is a racist, no matter how you try and twist the term around.
That's because the only white person who was truly despicable in the movie was that stupid turd who caved in to the gangbanger APEs who wanted to rape the girl. And you sound like one of these emptyheaded morons who always make excuses for criminals as long as they're not white, heterosexual or conservative.
shareIn case you didn't see the other bullsh!t he posted in other threads, he also admitted he never saw the movie.
Typical liberal attitude - pass judgement without ever bothering to get the facts.
That doesn't surprise me in the least. He's another left wing moron. They're always yapping about tolerance as long as the victims of the crimes are white, Christian, heterosexual or conservative and the criminals are any race but Caucasian, muslim, homosexual or left wing extremist. They're the biggest hypocrites on the planet.
shareRule #1 - liberal = hypocrite
shareLOL....Truer words were never spoken. When the left thought they were going to win the presidential election, Clinton started yapping about how Donald Trump and those of us on the right shouldn't question any fraud. And after it was apparent that Trump won, these left wing hypocrites started with their crying and rioting, then they started with all this vote counting nonsense in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Now they're yapping about 'the Russians' somehow changing the election. Obama, the Clintons, and the imbeciles who support them have never looked more hypocritical and idiotic than they have since they lost the election.
shareWhat's also funny is that all the hacking did was FURTHER expose how horrible of a cVnt Hillary is.
It's like if you look at your significant other's cell phone and see a bunch of naked pictures of them which they didn't send to you, a bunch of personalized, naked pictures sent to your SO and racy texts back and forth from your SO to someone else - and your significant other gets p!ssed off at you for find out what they are doing.
This is another thing that is wrong with American society, lack of CRITICAL THOUGHT. As you mentioned, Walt was an old fashioned guy who also happened to speak in UN-PC terms. Although Walt said racial slurs, he never used them in a hateful context. To be blunt, Walt seemed like the kind of guy who simply hated most people. At least people whom he perceived to be lazy, spoiled, or just plain inconsistent. Hence, why he despised his family (they were spoiled and materialistic and they blatantly disliked being around him). On the other hand, the Hmongs who moved next door were hard working and did not care about frivolous things. They judged him not by his use of words, but by his ACTIONS (saving the Thao from the gang and taking him under his wing). Naturally, as the story progressed, The Hmongs became the family Walt always wanted, and he became the father figure Thao desperately needed.
Progressives keep using the word "racist". However, it does not mean what they think it means.
"Racist," "old-fashioned," and "behind the times" are all handy things to label someone in a pinch.
But these so-called racist people, for all their faults, are generally far more likely to help someone in need than the SJW rioters who litter the streets donning balaclavas and tossing molotov cocktails.
Exactly. The SJW and liberals ONLY focus on the words and not the actions/meanings. It is why they want to ban books like Huck Finn and To Kill A Mockingbird.
Never mind that those books teach racial equality, they've got the "N" word in them and that melts the snowflakes!!!