Analysis of Election Movie - Essay Example

1) What is important and probably difficult to digest in terms of ethical dilemmas in this movie is that characters have shown that all politics is personal. In such garb, characters have shown that what is relatively an outward matter of local high school elections has been considered a personal matter. They, therefore, have failed to make a distinction between their different roles and failed to avoid conflicts of interest in their different roles. Tracy’s affair with the teacher and his subsequent divorce outlines how unethical relationships between different characters can bring untoward consequences.

2) One of the reasons why McAllister despises Tracy is the fact that she had an affair with a friend of his. The fallout of that affair between Tracy and McAllister’s friend, therefore, may be one of the reasons why he views Tracy negatively. Given the level of energy Tracy depicts, McAllister may also fear that he may face the same fate if he allows Tracy to be elected and become president.

Though it seems that the overall reaction of McAllister to Tracy may be based on a factual position, the methods adopted by McAllister to disallow Tracy to win elections may be considered unethical. There is also a fact that Jim felt Tracy may go unopposed and, given his circumstances, he may be challenged because he is also responsible for maintaining governance within the school, too. Therefore, there may not be any ethical justification for the way he reacts to Tracy. The overall reaction is relatively overt and involves other characters; Jim attempts to manipulate the election results and engage in unethical and discouraging doings.

3)
There have been two important real-life personalities that have been associated with the character of Tracy Flick. One is Henry Clinton and the other one is Sarah Palin; both of these characters have been able to rise from modest backgrounds to fame.

One of the key elements of the character of Tracy Flick is the fact that she is a hard-working and ambitious girl with relatively low social and economic status. The overall characterization of Tracy Flick, however, has been portrayed as negative because of her manipulative way to achieve success in the high school elections. What, however, many fail to understand is the fact that a brilliant, hard-working, and ambitious student is fighting – in the context of elections – against a somewhat dull football player of the school.
The overall portrayal and the general understanding of Tracy Flick’s character may have been overboard. Hilary Clinton’s biography outlines her general feelings about the inferiority of the opponents, while at the same time Kirsten Gellibrand, New York Senator, has been depicted as an opportunistic and sharp-elbowed – a comparison with Tracy Flick (Auerbach and Dreier).

The general understanding of Tracy Flick’s character has made all of us associate her image with any ambitious and successful woman. Over the period, women who have come forward and attained a higher degree of success have been termed Tracy Flick and are assumed to have manipulative abilities.
4)
Historically, women have been considered responsible for handling home affairs, whereas men acted as bread earners for the family. This tradition has long remained one of the most practiced social and cultural practices within Anglo-European culture. However, this seems to be changing now as more and more women are now becoming part of the mainstream economy and rising to different positions within organizations.

What is critical to note, however, is that there is an unseen glass ceiling for most ambitious women, because, despite all modernity, organizational culture is male-dominated. There still exist unwritten rules, which restrict the growth of women beyond certain positions, and discrimination against women is not an uncommon issue now. Standards, therefore, are different for men and women because of a general perception that women may not be as productive as men and that women may not be able to handle tough assignments and challenges. Read More