The Color Of Fear
Watch the full documentary NOW! Get $2 off a 24-hour rental by entering coupon code: YOUTUBE2 upon online checkout. Color Of Fear (7) 6min 2017 7+ A man coming out of a downtown restaurant at night is followed by a man of color, raising fear and tension in the mind of the man being followed, who however, is pleasantly surprised at the end to find out the reality! The film tries to convey the message that 'No truth is bigger than Humanity'! Word associations or verbal synesthesia between concepts of color and emotions were studied in Gersnany, Mexico, Poland, Russia, and the United States. With emotion words as the between-subjects variable, 661 undergraduates indicated on 6-point scales to what extent anger, envy, fear, and jealousy reminded them of 12 terms of color.
Review of the film, The Color of Fear. By Kristine Curry
The Color of Fear documents eight men and the facilitator, Lee Mun Wah, who attend a weekend retreat in Ukiah, California. These men from diverse ethnic backgrounds share their experiences and are willing to explore their beliefs about racism, ethnicity, family history, and prejudices. Some are see themselves as acculturated to our White society. They self identify themselves as:
David C.- “American” of English and Denmark heritage.
Hugh- “Mexican-Irish” descent..
Victor- “Cherokee-Black” descent.
Yakata- “3rd-generation Japanese” descent.
Gordon- “7th-generation Euro-American form Scotch-English and German” descent and “I am a racist but I am trying not to be”.
Roberto- “Latino-Mexican-American” descent.
Lee Mun Wah, facilitator- (Chinese-American” descent and “in China American means White”.
David L.-“American Chinese” descent.
Loren-“Black-American” descent. “But having worked in Corporate America I cannot show my blackness”.
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These men struggle in their honesty just how much to reveal to the group and to the film. These men know they are being recorded for the purpose of expressing their views, teaching others and learning from each other. I am impressed at the risks these men take in a group setting to be honest (as honest as they can be at that moment).
The group spends much time trying to convince David C. that he has condescending and racist views when at the beginning he states, “ Why can’t you be individuals?” Victor takes a huge risk in being real when he confronts David C. and the group with his anger. He demonstrates and backs up his anger with expressive body language. Some viewers would feel threatened and fearful at the loudness and the words. Victor challenges David C. that “ the problem is not a color problem.” “Whites need to step outside their skin and examine being American”. You “need to step outside being comfortable and launch into new territory.” He goes on a roll of emotion stating that, “I’m unpalatable because,” of his nappy hair, talk, loudness and of whites wanting him to act white. He challenges David C., “I am not going to trust you until you are willing to change as much as I” am willing to change. In my opinion this moment was the changing point in the weekend to be honest and take a risk. The group could have stayed stuck, if Victor didn’t step forward to share. Victor was very articulate, honest, vulnerable and his whole demeanor changed. Victor, also, challenged the group to begin doing the work they came to do. Afterwards, he was breathing very hard as if being chased.
David L. picked up the lead sharing about growing up in an all-white high school. “I was the only person of color”. I could somewhat relate to David L. I have had one job where I was the only White in a Native American Health program. I was taught about Indian time and felt alienated to terms that I had no way of knowing what they referred to. I was accepted on one level, but left out of the loop in other ways. I learned that some on the staff wouldn’t talk to others because of they belonged to a tribe that had been an aggressor in Indian history. I left that job as a data coordinator for their Indian Health service and Public Health Service grants. I left when my White administrator asking me to forge documents for a site review and I refused. I left with some happy, sad, uncomfortable and confusing memories. I know I have a lot more to learn.
Discussion began about pickup trucks and gun racks and most everyone in the group agreed that they all felt fearful about that at one time or another.
When Victor shares an experience in grade school at being pigeonholed into a developmentally deficient reading group at a new school I felt sadness. Eventually, he was moved ahead to the appropriate reading group. He was automatically assumed to be behind, when he was ahead several grades in reading.
David C. defends Whites as; “ We don’t look at ourselves belonging to an ethnic group.” “You block your own progress,” said David C. to the group. Loren replied when David C. said that, you are saying, “White is human being” implying that ethnic groups are not.
The group later attended an ethnic neighborhood, walking together on the sidewalks. Lee Mun Wah, the facilitator asked David C., “What is keeping you from believing?” David C. shared he “didn’t feel a sense of privilege” that the group implied. I felt the group go back a few notches in trust. The body language in the room shifted. I feel that is the three steps forward one step back that most everyone experiences in counseling. Progress is not a straight continuum. Racism and prejudice is not going to go away overnight.
Later, the group took a further risk and shared about their own racism within their own ethnic groups and in other groups. Ethnic and family history was shared that influenced their own biases. There was reluctance to share, but there was honesty about that, knowing that it could be misconstrued.
Victor shared that he is accepted in places his mother, who is darker, can’t. Loren shared that history goes back to the plantation lighter-skinned Blacks worked in the house, while the darker Blacks worked the cotton fields. I had not thought of this before. We whites feel more comfortable with lighter skinned people. David L. expressed frustration at people’s insensitivity when complimenting him for being Chinese and his achievement academically comparing him to Blacks and darker skinned people.
Yakata shared his family’s internment during World War II. His father changed his religion, became a Christian, leaving his Buddhist roots. Yakata shared he is beginning to experience those religious roots. His own family refers to his father and the “Archie Bunker” of the family. David then felt he could share deeper about distrust of the Japanese when his family experienced the Sino-Japanese War. He expressed Japanese as, “arrogant, repressed and violent”. At this moment no one it seemed had actually called anyone hurtful names or adjectives. Roberto seemed to feel safe in sharing and apologized to the group for, “Not coming to intervene on your and my behalf. He gave an example of hearing, “Cubans taking over Florida”. “I hope you know I sat on it.” Several began expressing their stuffing their defenses when they felt otherwise. I could relate to this. I remember my grandfather who grew up in the Ozark Mountains telling stories about “Coloreds and the Darkies” as a child. Family lore was always exaggerated tall stories about watermelon eating and stealing. I knew that it was wrong to refer to African-Americans in such a demeaning manner. I feel shame that I do not always come to the defense of ethnic groups when I hear phrases, “Send them back where they came from.” I have begun to confront immediate family members when I hear uncomfortable name-calling. I do have a new daughter-in law who is Chinese American. I have yet to confront her when she refers to Mexican-American people in a demeaning way. She is a pharmacist and deals with the public in a health care setting. When she lived in the Southwest she refused to eat Mexican food, implying that it is somehow less than. I felt confused as to why she had these limiting beliefs. I will have to work on confronting her when I can see her and know her better.
A memorable moment in the film was David C. sharing that he was raised by a racist abusive father. He described his abusive childhood as being hypervigilent “trying to anticipate his father’s needs” and moods. He shared that he works workaholic tendencies avoiding the “pain in this world”. He seemed walled off from emotions when he worked all the time. Some of the group came to accept him closer at this time. I feel that they could feel he had experienced some pain in his lifetime that they also could relate to. Even though David C. had not experienced racism, assimilation ever had to put a damper on his words and demeanor they saw progress. At that point he and they seemed to listen. There is always a point where in a group of different people; there is a common ground to start to agree. For this group it was David C.’s sharing about his physically abusive father. I could, at this point relate even as a White person, to his painfully childhood. Most could feel empathy toward any abused child. Much of the film I wanted to shake David C. to tell him to “ LISTEN TO THESE MEN”. It is not that I feel enlightened about racism or feel better than David C. I feel that the first important step is to listen to others experiences. Allow them to finish their point before responding. That is common courtesy. As a counselor I need to learn more about ethnic cultures before I can be of assistance to them. I know I have erred in my assessments and counseling sessions, avoiding the ethnic questions. Viewing this film and reading multicultural counseling books will give me knowledge and understanding of other cultures.