The Problem of Conflict in the Film Remembering the Titans - Movie Review Example

Analysis of Remembering the Titans XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX Remembering the Titans: Issues of Trust, Conflict and Power Imbalance Introduction The movie “Remembering the Titans “ is based on true events that happened in Alexandria, Virginia in 1971. At that time discrimination was heavily practiced by the community and an incident where a black man was killed by a white parked outrage from different groups in the community. In fact, it was only during 1971 that the School Board agreed to combine the blacks and whites together in one campus which created a public uproar. Change always breeds resistance especially when it is abrupt and people are not ready for it. Things became more complicated when the new coach for the high school football team was a black man named Coach Herman from another state. However, Coach Herman is a proven winner that is why the school board recruited him for their team. The community was not particularly receptive to the idea for two major reasons: 1) he is black 2) the hometown rooted for their very own coach Bill. Even at the very beginning of the movie, tension could already be felt as the opposing sides ( balck vs white ) racial issues resurface even on the playing field. This paper will discuss the different ways conflict was handled by the characters in the movie as well explore the issue of trust which is a requisite in any human relationship. Moreover, issues on power imbalance would also be touched upon as tensions between the two groups shift due to the arising circumstances presented in the movie. The characters and their ways of handling conflict Conflict is the major theme in this movie which is complicated by issues of racial discrimination. Conflict usually comes from differences in opinions or ideas which does not exclude bias. The movie immediately made the viewers feel the tension on the scene even at the very beginning as protesters pandered their ideas about the school board decision and the crime that just happened in their community. The scene where Coach Herman was asking for collaboration from his fellow coach Bill was already enough to make viewers feel uncomfortable since there is a mounting tension between the two headstrong coaches. Coach Hermann wants collaboration since he is a winner and all he cares about is winning. He also resorts to a better style which is compromising since he went over Coach Bill’s house to sort out the differences. It does take humility to do that considering that he is in a superior position. Nevertheless, it must be remembered that he is using legitimate authority to influence his assistant coach. For coach Bill, the issue is not football but racial discrimination that becomes a source of conflict. Conflict is also present between the two coaches since they have different leadership styles. Coach Herman is very authoritative while Coach Bill is situational and charismatic type. Coach Hermann believes that his style is the best way to create and discipline the new trainees. He resorts to forcing the team to follow him whenever he sees conflict among the members. He makes them run an extra mile for mistakes that they commit. His attitude manifested quite early when he began to mock Gerry and Ray since he asked Gerry “Who is your daddy ?”. Indeed, his ways are rather unusual and harsh but it worked for the team. The team is composed of a bunch of young and immature students who needed a direction so they can all go to college later. Coach Bill showed a different way of handling conflicts since he is open to compromise when needed. He also advocates positive reinforcement which is counter-productive in the opinion of coach Herman. As for the relationship between him and Coach Herman, he is admirable since he knows where he is in terms of balance of power. Although Herman asserts his authority and legitimacy as head coach most of the time, coach Bill just follows orders as long as they are reasonable and would not hurt the players. Bill is fully aware that he is just there to support coach Herman and provide good defense tactics for the boys. The scene where he talked to Petey and put him back on the game shows that he exerts situational leadership. Later in the movie, he finally puts his foot forward and emphasizes the importance the hard lesson of discipline for Petey which was quite too late then. In short, coach Bill tries to achieve balance between him and people whom he has power upon. He relates to other people as a non-nonsense but good human being who sees potential in others. Another conflicting situation worth mentioning is the part when Julius was approached by Gerry to talk about their playing styles. Gerry believed that their team was not collaborating enough and the argument that ensued presented two important perspectives. For Gerry, all he wanted was good team work and sharper skills on the field. He hates being penalized since it’s very exhausting. Also, their days are numbered in the camp that is why they should make the most out of it. Collaboration or team dynamics works out in such time-driven situations. On the other hand, Julius presented his point that he simply does not care which was misinterpreted by Gerry as selfish. Julius clarified his point that he just doesn’t know if they have a real team. It can said that he is not only looking for a real theme but a theme spirit. This statement surprised Gerry since it revealed a deeper issue that must be resolved. Coach Herman’s uncanny approach was to make the boys familiarize with every team member from a different race. The boys felt awkward acquainting themselves since racial discrimination was really practiced at that time by their own community. It is almost like a sub-culture that is deeply imbedded within them. Nevertheless, the bond among the boys gradually improved towards the end of the camp. The boys sang happily on the bus as they reached Virginia much to the dismay of the white crowd. Reality sets in for the team as the community reveals to them the true colors of discrimination. Good thing is that the experience that they have gained from the camp gave them a change in perspective. Coach Herman used such experience to motivate the boys on their first game. He emphasized that their team is unique since they survived the hard camp. During that game, coach Herman was collaborative to the point of harmonizing with coach Bill which made him let Bill do the coaching. The only incident that changed the evening was when Petey was scolded by Herman ; afterwards, coach Bill took the risk of changing some play which led to the their first win. Coach Bill manifested practical situational leadership which was needed that moment. Coach Herman accommodated the play of Bill but later reminded him that he went directly against his authority. While coach Bill presented his opinion on positive motivation, coach Herman insisted that he was just doing the kids a favor by equipping them for the harshness of the real world. It is also important to emphasize that conflict between Gerry and Emma ( Gerry’s girlfriend) was also grounded on difference of opinion. Emma refuses to respect Gerry’s beliefs and played the avoidance strategy by not interacting with any blacks at all. Trust is an important foundation in sports Trust is in fact a touchy issue on this movie since the plot began complicated. Racial discrimination creates distrust, feeds on hate, cause strife and divides people as manifested by the civil war. This is one of the best approach used by coach Herman when he asked the boys to jog with him to the cemetery in Gettysburg. The sad fact is that skin color is used a s a tool to judge a person which is very superficial and unfair. For this reason, trust is hard to expect from the opposite sides that is why collaboration fails. Racial discrimination did not just lead to a war, it is a war itself against the principle of human rights. At the very beginning of the movie, Lewis finds himself in the orientation for the blacks since he was there for the football and nothing else. Even during lunch break, he joins the black boys since he simply trusts them that is why it does not matter to him at all. A sports team must capitalize on trust as a foundation so it can be strong. Goodwill among its members increase the probability that the team would act as one thereby creating loyalty among its members. The training that they went through is rigorous but would not amount to anything without deep love for the team itself. Sports is not just about skills, it’s about values such as discipline, commitment, and trust. It was shown in the movie that when the boys started to trust one another, the team played well. It can be said that trust is a key element in all relationships. Even for individuals, trust is important as shown by the case of Lewis in the movie. He trusted other people but he didn’t trust himself. His self-esteem a slow as he ranted about his being “ a no good white trash”. Later, he learned to trust himself and gained confidence which led to being eligible for college. He also became a successful businessman that proves that he started respecting himself. Trust is also an issue between the two good coaches. Coach Bill trusted coach Herman and accepted authority willingly hoping that he is harmonizing the situation. He passed on some good offers and awards because he trusted his instincts and believed that whatever he is doing is right. It was very crucial for him to choose between the offers and the team. History shows that because of his trust in his beliefs, he helped lead the team to becoming the 1st runner-up in the nationals. Not only that, he has shown the difference in this world what a good and ethical coach he is. Coach Bill is admirable since he used trust well in his life. Another good example of trust is when Gerry asked Emma (his girlfriend) to watch the regional championship game despite their differences. Gerry trusted that his girlfriend believed in the team and respected his principles. Emma was very hesitant but changed her mind especially after Gerry’s accident. It dawned upon her that sje was arrogant and wrong in having a bias toward Gerry’s black team mates. Gerry trusted Julius 100% as shown by his request to talk to him after the accident. Even Gerry’s mom showed that she trusted Julius to help Gerry recover soon. The trust in this scenario was hard-earned yet well-deserved which touched the heart of the community that is why they applauded Gerry’s mom when she watched the game. The imbalance of power makes people resentful The reason why coach Herman migrated to Virginia is that he was not promoted for a position he deserves due to discrimination. He was resentful of that idea that is also why he is harsh in his ways. Although things started in the wrong foot, coach Herman made amends with coach Bill since he also wants a harmonious relationship. The incident where on player ( Ray) asserted that he should get water first before another black team member shows imbalance of power that is propagated by the culture during that time. The black team members were very aware and sensitive of this imbalance of power. They worked hard to prove themselves since they were looked down upon by the whites. Coach Herman approached such situation in a different way when he mocked Gerry and Ray as they approached him before getting on the bus to the camp. They insisted that the white team is enough to make a good defense and offense. Obviously, coach Herman sensed the imbalance of power as the whites asserted their superiority so he humbled them by mocking them in public. The situation as arrested because coach Herman asserted his legitimate authority over such matters. Another case of imbalance of power is when “Sunshine “ along with his two black team mates were refused entry into a diner/bar. The owner said he can refuse entry to anyone which is right but not really ethical nor moral. The two team mates felt insulted and sunshine was not aware of such gross imbalance of power in the community then. Conclusion The movie is definitely inspiring since it tells of human triumph over the evil desires of men. The story tells us that conflicts exists is any type of relationships which creates imbalance of power. Indeed, life is unfair. Nevertheless, conflicts can be resolved through different approaches that could lead to the betterment of the group. Conflicts are also a chance to attend to the underlying issues that exists in our society today. Sadly, many organizations are locked in conflict and even intimate relationships experience long-term conflict leading to sorrow and misery. A conflict that could have been avoided is the case of Gerry when he told Ray that he was dropped out of the team. Ray didn’t mind the team but he felt bad about the friendship that he lost. Gerry could have tried a non-confrontational and direct approach so it could be a compromise. He could have talked to Gerry as a friend and explained clearly the rationale behind his decision. Of course, Ray would still be hurt but Gerry could have kept the friendship after all. Gerry’s decision was valid but his timing not approach were not advisable. Even if one side represents good intentions, it could always be misinterpreted by the other side. For this reason, Ray lost his trust in Gerry as a friend. Conflicts, imbalance of power, and trust are inter-related to one another inside human relationships. The most important thing is that humans must remember that there is always a solution to the problem as long as people are willing to communicate openly. Read More