The series here confronts one of the great themes and points of Bissinger's book, that is the racism in small town Texas. Peter Berg left this out of his film—and later expressed regret that he did, acknowledging that it didn't mesh with his primary aim in the film, which was to look at what football meant to Odessa. But now he and Jason Katims do address it: not as deeply and grimly as Bissinger does, and arguably not as honestly nor effectively as it could or should be. By the end of the "Black Eyes and Broken Hearts," it seems to me too neatly wrapped up with Mac's apology. That said, it still left enough ambiguous to allow for some depth in its confronting of race and racism in Dillon.
"You quit football to try and make a point about racism in a small Texas town. Y'all ain't the Million Man March. You are 17 and you got a brilliant future ahead of you and I'm not gonna sit here and watch you throw it away trying to teach a lesson to a bunch of fools. You know how you get back at people who think like Mac MacGill? You get back on that team. You play like the star that you are. And you get recruited by an A-list university. Go on and get your degree. Now you get up from that bed, get you something to eat, and get your butt into bed 'cause you're going to that game tomorrow."
This, of course, is Corrina Williams, who shows a whole lot better parenting in this episode than the usual unimpeachable Tami Taylor does as she deals with Julie's few minutes at the strip club. Or maybe not. So:
1. Is Mac MacGill a racist? Maybe an easy question, maybe not. But answer it and explain your answer.
2. Were Smash and the other black players right in walking off the team?
3. Is Eric right in not accepting Mac's resignation? Is Eric as racially conscious as he should perhaps be?
4. Is Corrina right in telling Smash to go back and play?
5. And, as always, what scene or moment stayed with you from today's viewing?
Take a few minutes to answer these questions: try to go beyond yes or no and a sentence or two explanation of what you decided.
I would say that yes, Mac McGill is a racist; however, the more important question in my mind is whether he is any more racist than anyone else in Dillon, which I do not think he is. I think that the problem with everyone in both Dillon and Odessa is that they are all racists, Mac just had an unfortunate slip-up and publicly said what everyone else was thinking. He is not a purposefully racist man, but his beliefs have been instilled deeply within him by the generations of outwardly and openly racist ancestors. I cannot and do not blame MacGill for his racism. What he said was a mistake, and although he has learned from it, he will probably just become more uncomfortable with the state of race relations in Dillon.
ReplyDeleteSmash and the other players were justified in walking off the team, and in retrospect, I think it was the right thing for them to do. They needed to show that they wouldn’t just take whatever racism was handed to them, and that they felt strongly about that. The coaches had to learn what a big deal the act of racism was, and having those players just stand and take it would teach no lessons. Ultimately, Smash’s mom was right, and they did have to go back, but that little bit of boycott was necessary to prove a point to the coaches. The players aren’t there because they’re black, they’re there because they love the game and they’re good at it. This is true for all Panthers, regardless of race.
Eric is right in not accepting the resignation. Lately, Eric Taylor has been all for the second chances, but I think he has been making good decisions. MacGill is not a racist man, as he said, he just made a mistake and has been sufficiently punished I think. Also, had MacGill succeeded in his resignation, it would have given certain players a feeling of superiority, setting them apart from the remainder of the team. Eric is as racially conscious as he needs to be, especially after this incident with Mac MacGill. Although race obviously becomes a factor in everything, Taylor seems to focus as little as possible on the potential racial tension within Dillon. By focusing on the racial issues, Taylor would create disunity among his team, which is something he cannot afford to do, and would do him absolutely no help. MacGill’s slip-up shows us that the racial tension lingers in the air in Dillon, despite how hard the people try to ignore it.
Corrina is absolutely right in telling Smash to go back and play. I think that her advice is always well thought out and wise, and along with Eric Taylor, some of the best advice on the show. By not playing, Smash and the other black players would not only be proving their point to MacGill, but they would also be letting down their entire team. The other aspect of this conflict is that Smash doesn't even feel that strongly about the issue, he has just taken it up as a result of Waverly’s insistence. Ultimately, if Smash wants to stay true to himself, he must focus all of his energy towards football, and Corrina sees that. She knows her son better than he knows himself, something that has been apparent of late.
Tami’s reaction to the race discussion forum has stayed with me from today’s episodes. It is just interesting to see an adult so distressed and depressed about the next generation’s inability to improve race relations. For her, this discussion was definitely a breaking point, because she wanted so badly for it to be successful. I think it was sad for her to see the students come in without open minds, and simply bash each other openly. It hurt her to fail, but not because of selfish reasons, just because she so badly wants to s
I don't believe MacGill is a racist, I think he was making a point in something he believed in, I don't personally agree, but he was speaking his mind, not being racist. Now the argument can be made that since he was speaking his opinion, his opinion was racist. But I think the way he handled it afterwards made people uneasy and believe he was a racist. An example of this is at first Smash didn't think too much of it, not agreeing with what everybody was saying. But afterwards, when it started to get big and be racial issue in the community and school, he started to care and believed MacGill was a racist.
ReplyDeleteI think Smash and the other players were right in their decision to walk off the team. They were proving a point, and it was achieved. Their point being that they can't do anything without them, was accomplished when they saw the JV players were brought and absolutely terrible. But another point of theirs is that they were protesting, a stand-off between them and the rest of team. If the team is going to stand by MacGill, they won't. They believed nothing will happen between them and the team until MacGill left or was fired. It was all changed when Smash's mom talked to him and gave the unforgettable speech. Smash is a leader of the team, along with Riggins and Saracen, and whatever he does, the team will follow.
I think he was right, because he knew if MacGill would have left, there still would have been tension between the black players and the rest of the team. I think he also knew that MacGill was deeply sorry and if MacGill stayed, everything will move forward. If MacGill did something to regain that trust, everything would be okay again.
Of course she is! She is absolutely right about Smash and his future and quitting football only makes everything worse. Giving this uplifting speech is what parents are supposed to do, so being that loving, caring, and confident parents justified her decision. She is also right about Smash quitting and that it will get him nowhere. It will only make him want to go back to football more, and cause more chaos in the community.
The scene(s) that stayed with me is Julie's attitude with her parents. Julie has dramatically changed over the past few episodes and it is upsetting me. It's upsetting to see the young, innocent good girl become a snotty brat who disrespects her parents. We all know this isn't the real Julie, going to strip clubs and jail, and I hope to see her change back to her normal self. But then again, maybe she is just growing up.
McGill's comment was one that depicted racism, but I wouldn't classify him as a racist. He evidently cares about his players, and wants them to succeed, regardless of their race. To me, such action does not reflect the action and attitude of a racist. What was troubling about the situation, though, was the lack of sincerity in his apology, and his inability to somehow explain himself to any of the black team members. His indifference transpired to anger (when he got upset with Smash), which I didn't find acceptable nor appropriate in the least.
ReplyDeleteSmash and the other black players had the sole motive of not relinquishing to McGill's statement, and I thought they were more than justified to leave the team. There are some issues that may be brought up in the team, but racism is something that should never be an influence, especially to those in authority. Also included in their motive was showing that the team cannot adequately function without them, which turned out to be unmistakeably true. They needed to let their coaches and the team know that they wouldn't stand for deliberate disrespect inflicted upon them, and the consequence of their absence would be severe.
As Eric said: "Mac McGill is Panther football," which, to me, fully explains his decision to reject McGill's resignation. He is as devoted and passionate about football and the well-being of the team as anyone, and Eric vigorously believes this. McGill is the reason why the team is integrated, and Eric had to take that into account. And I do find Eric to be very neutral about the team's racial differences - he has to be, or else he would be contradicting his personal affirmations that racial equality is essential to the mechanisms of the team.
As a mother, Corinna couldn't bear to see her son completely disassociate himself from his dream. It's a parental instinct to want the best for their children, and Corinna blatantly communicated this desire to Smash. It was ludicrous, she believed, for Smash to dispose of his entire career over a single comment that could be deemed as gentle, compared to the overarching racist attitude that will loom over him for the rest of his life. People's demeanor cannot and will not always affect Smash in a positive manner, and the way to deal with that is to prove their preconceptions wrong by playing to the best of his ability.
Eric's rage at his team after the fight broke out on the field really stayed with me today. He was so disgusted with what they had done, with what they had reduced themselves to, and I felt the same way. In addition to this, watching the team walk to the bus with popcorn being thrown at them and rude comments being spat at them was striking for me, mainly because this was the first time that the team's glory and prestige was stripped completely. They were, in that moment, completely drained of anything remotely appealing, and I wonder if that was at all a humbling experience for them.
His comment was clearly racist and demeaning. However, I do not think MacGill continuously puts fourth his racist views. As Adria said he clearly wants to see his players succeed, and as Taylor said “Mac MacGill is Panther football.” I think MacGill is a product of the society of Dillon. His father, as he tells Taylor, was a racist and those were the values he learned. MacGill doesn’t know any better because no one has showed him what is right. So do I think MacGill is a racist? Yes, because of the values that have been instilled him and instilled in the entire town of Dillon.
ReplyDeleteI think Smash and the other players were right for walking off the team, but I’m not sure Smash did it for all the right reasons. At first Smash just wants to let MacGill’s comment fly under the radar, but he was influenced by Waverly and other people around him to take a stand. I’m not sure the show makes it entirely clear if Smash takes a stand and walks off the team because he truly values race relation on the team over simply playing football. During the t.v interviews, Smash seems very unsure of himself, and he doesn’t quite carry the typcial self-confidence the Smash usually has. I think Smash would have forever regretted his decision had his mother not told him to go play.
I think Eric was right in not accepting MacGill’s resignation. MacGill made a mistake and although it took him a while to realize it, I think MacGill finally realized the enormity of his mistake. MacGill’s resignation demonstrates how much Panther football means to him as well as the success of the team. Any coach who is willing to sacrifice 20 years of job experience so a group of 17 boys, with possibly the wrong motives, can play deserves to stay on as a coach. I think Eric is racially conscious. He knows MacGill made and a mistake, and Taylor knows he is taking a risk keeping him on his coaching staff. Eric doesn’t want to see a man lose the most important thing in his life because he made one mistake that many people in Dillon consciously do everyday.
Thank goodness for Smash’s mother. She is absolutely right in telling Smash to get back out there. Her advice is flawless. Smash was not able to justify his motivations, but Smash can take his mother’s advice and implement it. Smash can go out there and give the game of his life, and shove it right in MacGill’s face (not that this really happens.) Corrina is right that Smash is not doing anybody any good watching the Panthers lose and possibly throwing away his scholarships. Smash believes in football and loves it. His mother knows this, and she knows it’s the right way to stand up for what he believes in.
The scene that has stayed with me today is when Smahs and his mother are at the bank and Smash begins to get riled up and wants to see the supervisor. He’s ready to fight it out, but Corrina comes in with more sound advice. I love the way she has to ability to calm him down and talk sense into him when he is at his most heightened moments. The scene is incredibly powerful with every single white person in the bank staring at Smash. I was waiting for him to go off, but his mother comes in and talks him out of it. Again she knows exactly what to say and how to say it to get Smash to do the right thing.
I do not think Mac MacGill is a racist. His father was, and repeatedly expressed it around Mac. When someone says something over and over again and drills it into you, you believe it. That’s what happened with Mac. And he does not totally believe what he said, because he said white people are better quarterbacks than black people. But he helped in the recruiting of Voodoo Tatum, a black quarterback, so can’t fully believe his comments.
ReplyDeleteSmash and the other players I think were right in walking off the team. They were offended by Mac’s remarks, and they should be, and they wanted to teach him a lesson. It worked, even though his apology wasn’t very sincere. It would have been a huge mistake if they hadn’t played in the game, but if their goal was to teach Mac a lesson, they succeeded.
I think Eric is right. Mac is a leader for that team, and a very good coach. It was in the best interest for team to not accept his resignation. The consequence would have been bad if the players held out, but they didn’t. Eric needs Mac as an assistant coach, and Mac devoted over 20 years to Dillon football and shouldn’t let one mistake ruin it all.
Corrina is very right in telling Smash to play. Smash, along with the other black players, would have regretted it in the long run if they didn’t play. For the black seniors, they would have never played again if they had lost. And I don’t think the point they want to make would have been made if they didn’t play. The whole town would have hated black people even more than they might already.
The discussion in the gym about racism stayed with me the most. It shows the tension between black and whites exists. Even if the school is integrated, there is still a large amount of social segregation. Like one of the black people said in the discussion, the cafeteria is divided between blacks and whites. The racism isn’t as bad as in the book, but it is clearly still there in the school. The discussion was meant to let people voice there opinions, and it stunned me that it led to a full-on brawl.
Personally, I do not see Mac MacGill as a racist. I see him as a man who grew up being raised through a racist mentality, and because of this a man who is simply not aware. I think when he makes the comment he does, he is not fully aware of what it is he has really said, as something like that has been totally acceptable for him to say his whole life. Having said that, I obviously feel like his comment is racist and out of line. I do not see him as a racist, but I certainly do not respect the choice he made to say it. Also, I do not like the fact that he is so reluctant to apologize. He is not willing to accept the fact that what he said was a mistake, and he puts the whole team in turmoil because of it. But in the end Mac does end up apologizing, admitting he made a mistake and that what he said was wrong. The fact that he eventually lets himself become aware of how serious what he has said actually is shows to me that he is not a racist.
ReplyDeleteI think that they were right in walking off the team. There was something that they felt passionately about, something that was important, and they wanted to make a point. They wanted to let everyone know that something needed to be done, and I respect how adamant they are about the situation. They are looking to make the Dillon community a better one as a whole. Unfortunately, they have to decide if they want to risk their football in order to try to right a wrong. It all comes back to that reoccurring question, do you choose what is best morally or what is best for football? I am not a football player or a die hard fan, so I choose morals over football, and agree with their decision.
I do not really have an opinion on whether or not Eric should have accepted the resignation. On one side, I feel like it would be the correct decision as a coach to accept it, to quickly bring the team back together and to end all of the controversy and focus on the football once more. But on the other side, I feel that Eric makes the right decision to keep him because as a person he knows that Mac is not a racist, and that he has been Dillon football for years.
While I agree with the black kids on the team taking a stand and voicing their opinions through action, I do think that Corrina is right in telling Smash to go back and play. It is different for Smash as oppose to the other black kids on the team. Smash has a chance to go to play in college on full scholarship, to actually make a life for himself. Corrina realizes this and while I think she stands with Smash in voicing his opinion on racism, she does not want him to throw away his future. Personally, I feel like this is an issue that he can fully address after college and everything is over, because unfortunately it is not going anywhere. Also, I agree with Corrina's mindset of taking a stand against all of the controversy on the field, showing everyone who he is.
The scene that really stayed with me in today's episodes was the scene where the police pull over the bus after the game to take Smash into custody. Mac stands up to them, telling them they need a warrant and that they will not take him. This scene stayed with me because I feel like it is the scene where Mac redeems himself, where he shows the team and Smash Williams who he really is besides one foolish comment. Also, not only is it a turning point for Mac, but it is also the point I feel where the team actually becomes a team once more. Through this action, Mac reminds everyone that they are in fact a team, and no matter what is going on and what disputes are occurring, they are a team and that is what is most important.
I think Mac MacGill is a racist. His comments about blacks being physically superior to whites and white being intellectually superior to blacks in football terms was so backward and ignorant. Yet, from the outlook from the whole of the town’s population, I don’t think Mac MacGill really stands out or shares that different of a view than a lot of the white townspeople. I think the whole town is a bit racist, and Mac MacGill just had the unfortunate luck of getting caught on camera saying something racist. It could probably happen to a lot of the people in the town. So, I think Mac MacGill is obviously racist but not much more than the town is. I think that the reaction to the interview made him re-evaluate himself, his views, and his life. When he comes over to coach Taylor’s house and explains how he’s just a simple man who grew up in a very racist home and how that has obviously effected him. His explanation of his resignation really made me understand and put into perspective Mac MacGill and how he’s just a product of his society and background. He was raised this way and his racist comments were unconscious and coming from a place of ignorance. It’s obvious he loves his team, including the black players, enough to turn in his resignation and stand up against the policeman on Smash’s behalf (regardless of how realistic that was). Yet, even though Mac MacGill seems like an honest and simple man trying to do what’s best for his team he is still racist.
ReplyDeleteI think Smash’s mom words applied to this situation, that by Smash and his teammates not playing football and walking off he’s only damaging his chances at a pro-career and his friends’. Making a stand like that is a great, empowering gesture but how much does it actually do towards battling racism in this small racially divided town of Texas? Not much at all. So the Mac MacGills of Odessa that you’re above stupid racist comments by proving them wrong about what they think of you. I know this is incredibly hard for teenagers to not give into their emotions but I think Smash and his friends shouldn’t have walked off the team and stayed and kick butt in practice.
This was the most difficult question I felt like the episode poses: should Taylor have accepted the resignation? I think (I’m not positive though) that Eric Taylor was correct in not accepting Mac MacGill’s resignation. I think that this would make him look indecisive, if he easily gives into teenagers’ requests all the time and not think out what would be the best move for the team then people would question his ability to act as the leader of the team. Also, I think by trying to not focus on or make racially conscious decisions like this one coach Taylor is doing what’s best for the team by not driving them apart and instead trying to bring everyone back together. At the same time I can understand how the morally right thing would be to accept that resignation. But I think it’s important to look at what moral change it would make to the prejudices of the town. And I don’t think it would have changed the way things were in Odessa. It’s just unrealistic to think that with Mac MacGill not coaching will make the town think about their own beliefs and racism. I mean just look at the new generation “talk” about race in Tami’s forum. That was a complete disaster and just ended up emphasizing the racial lines in the community. The football team seems to allow for a space where races doesn’t matter as Riggins and Smash kind of touched on how just because they were buds on the fields doesn’t mean they were close outside of the football setting. So I think the coach makes the right decision.
ReplyDeleteCorrina is completely right to tell Smash to go back and play because she knows this is what’s best for her son’s future and for the team. Smash was influenced by Waverly to make this stand in the first place and I’m not sure how sincerely he feels about making a difference. Smash needs to prove everyone like Mac MacGill wrong about him and his black teammates and the football field is where he can do that.
For me the scene in the loan office was what stuck with me most. I think Smash’s mom is absolutely amazing and completely understands the underlying racism in the town and what’s the best way to deal with it. It was just so powerful to see her able to diminish Smash’s extreme anger against the racist prejudices they were facing in trying to obtain a loan in a few words. Corrina is so wise. She and Tami are definitely the best mothers and people I’d say on the entire show. She knew that if Smash reacted with violence was just proving the office people’s stereotypes of young black men right. She got him to act like the bigger person and just leave.
Mac MacGill is a racist. He said to the press his opinion that people like Smash, black people, are like dogs. He said he meant that in a good way because they have no fear, but it makes them unsuitable for the position of quarterback, which takes a lot of thinking. People like Saracen, he said, are more suitable to play quarterback because they have the mental aspect. This could have been a misinterpretation of some very poorly phrased sentences. However, late Mac tells Taylor that he was telling the truth, there wasn't a misinterpretation. Mac makes assumptions about people based on the color of their skin, and I think that makes him a racist.
ReplyDeleteI think that the black players made the right choice in doing the walk out. It was an effective nonviolent way to protest the racism of Mac. And although they bailed out at the last second, they still proved their point that they wont just accept racism; they will fight it. That being said, I think backing down was also the right decision. They already made their point, putting the whole town in a worry, but they still had a commitment to the team.
Coach Taylor should have fired Mac. It is bad enough for a coach to run his team with a racist mindset, but it is downright inappropriate for him to say what he did to the press. His comments put the team and the school in a bad light, and caused the black players to leave the team. They were definitely grounds for his termination. Mac was smart and decided to resign because he was causing a lot of damage to the school and team by staying on the coaching staff, and Taylor should have accepted his resignation. morally Taylor felt obliged to keep Mac on staff, and that is the reason he did so; however, I think that this shows lack of race-consciousness on Taylor's part. When Tami kept telling him that firing Mac was the reasonable thing to do it seemed as though Taylor was making excuses for Mac, saying that Mac accidentally let it slip out.
I think Smash's mother was right in saying that he should play. He she not be responsible for leading a civil rights movement as a seventeen year old boy. He should be looking out for his future. And his future is in football. To not play would be detrimental to not only his shot at collage, but the other black players that followed him in the walkout. Further, Smash had already proved a point that racism will not be just accepted by black football players, and now he had a duty to himself and the team to fulfill in making it to state.
The moment from today's viewing that stuck with me the most was when Eric heard that Julie was put at quarterback and his face lit up. He proceeded to teach her some plays in the street. It stayed with me because it was such a sweet father daughter moment. It happened right in the middle of a fight between julie and her parents, and I think it shows what Eric loves most, his family and football.
I think that Mac MacGill is a racist but, as he explains when turning in his resignation to Coach Taylor, he got all his ideas from his father. He even says that he thought his father’s prejudices were wrong but he still adapted his ideas because of all the time they spent together. What he did was wrong but it was clear that Smash and the other black players on the team helped him truly understand the wrong in his words. It is clear that he is regretful of his speech to the reporters when he stands up for Smash when they get pulled over by the police. It is clear that this is a racial thing and MacGill quickly identifies this and calls the officers out on this, knowing they have no real evidence or warrant. It is clear that this is a man who is trying to change his ways.
ReplyDeleteI think that if Smash and the other black players didn’t walk off the field then MacGill’s statement would slowly fade from the spotlight, leaving reinforced tensions in Dillon but changing nothing. The removal of the black players from the team greatly affected the dynamic of the football team and, since the football team is the sun to which Dillon orbits around, it greatly affected the town as well. Smash’s movement was probably one of the only protests of racism in Dillion. One of these reasons is, like Hannah said, that the majority of the town is just as racist as McGill. However, Smash’s removal of almost half the team jeopardized the thing Dillion longed for the most: state. This forced the team, the coaches, and the rest of the town to finally start to acknowledge the issue of racism and how prevalent it was. While the players were also jeopardizing their future, they made a statement that would speak to Dillion in the only language they knew: football.
While I think that MacGill is a very smart coach and the definition of Permian football, there is no reason for Taylor to deny Mac’s resignation. Tami, as both wife, friend, and guidance counselor, is absolutely certain that Taylor should fire Mac. I think that while Mac eventually learned that he was wrong, he should have either fired him sooner or accepted his resignation because his presence on the team could have been detrimental in the games to come. I think that Eric, in almost all of the situations that have come up this season, puts football before everything else, even if benching or removing a player is the right thing to do. For example, in terms of Reyes and Riggings, Taylor struggles over whether to do the “right” thing or do the right thing for the team. It always seems that he has trouble putting things in perspective and puts the success of the game in front of the fair treatment of his players.
I think that even though Smash’s cause is a noble one, Corrina is right. A town that is so deep rooted in racism is not going to change all of a sudden just because of a single protest. Smash is young and has his whole life (and possible football career) ahead of his and it would be silly to throw it away just because you missed a single game. Corrina has experience racism and knows how stubborn it is and I think she just wants her son to be a kid and not assume the responsibility of everything. To be a good player, to get recruited, to end racism. I think she is just looking out for her son and for his future.
The scene that stayed with me the most was the conversation between Julie and her parents after they got home from the police station. It was so shocking because earlier today we had talked about how stable and perfect Julie’s family seemed to be and in the course of just two episodes, Julie had transitioned from the “perfect daughter” to the rebellious teenager. Just like good-boy Saracen became the partying QB1, good-girl Julie also became corrupted. This scene stuck with me because of Julie’s intense attitude compared to her usual good-natured behavior. I also thought is was interesting how she defended Tyra even though she knew Tyra was bad news.
That is a difficult question but I do not think that Mac McGill is a racist. His comment was incredibly offensive and the lightness in which he handled the apology and Smash’s confrontation was completely inappropriate. As Taylor said, it was a dumb thing to say. It is important for us to consider McGill’s upbringing in small town Texas many years ago where he was taught all of his racial prejudices and stereotypes through the Jim Crow Laws and segregation. He has been brought up to be prejudiced, but as Eric says, he loved football more than he ever cared about race. He was the coach who initially integrated the football team and he was willing to resign from the job that he had done for years in order to let the kids play because he knew that their lives were more important than his own. To me, a racist man would never do that for the team. He may be stupid sometimes, but McGill is not a racist.
ReplyDeleteI think the Smash and the other black players had the complete right to walk off the team. That was the only way to make an impression and a way to be taken seriously. They knew that the team could never survive without them, and walking off would show just how serious (they are risking their futures here) they are about this issue, and how seriously everyone in the town should be taking this issue. The coaches had to reflect and figure out what was more important to them: the team or themselves, which in the end, turned out for the team. Of course there is a time to move on, and Smash’s mom gave Smash the push to be a man in the situation and deal with forgiveness and be a leader for the team.
I think Eric is right in not accepting the resignation, because like I said before, I do not believe that McGill is a racist although he said a racist remark. If he had resigned, the team would be losing a leader that initially worked to end segregation in football, and a man who had worked so hard for the support of the town. I think Taylor is racially conscious as he needs to be because he is fully aware of the problem, but he is not going to let stupid remarks and racist banter keeps his team from playing fair football games. In the last scene with the fight at the playoff game, Eric’s reaction to the game is extreme anger towards the players for not being the stronger people and disregarding the remarks and giving into violence. To me, he is one of the most racially conscience adults.
I think Corrina is definitely right in telling Smash to play. There reaches a certain point in which it is just time to move on. Smash was risking everything he loved, dreamed for and worked for to make a point and statement for the town, but after a few weeks, it was time to let it go and be the bigger man in the situation. I think Corrina really pushed Smash into the position of a leader by reversing the strike because it takes a leader to lead a strike and maintain in, but a much stronger leader to end the strike and get everyone to move on. Corrina was definitely right in making Smash understand how to deal with racism, not just run from it, but how to face it without losing himself or his identity.
The moment that really stuck with me was after the cops pulled over the bus asking for Smash and McGill spoke up to them, risking his own position for his team. I think it really shows how much the football family means to this man, and how important it is to learn how to take responsibility for mistakes and move on with life.
Although Macs comments where racist, I don’t think that he’s a racist. What Mac said was wrong and, although it took him some thinking to realize this, he truly regrets what he said. He loves his team, loves coaching and loves football. Although he made a mistake, what he did when the buss got pulled over by the cops and what he said to Smash at the end of the episode show that he is deeply sorry for what he said.
ReplyDeleteI think that Smash and the other black players were justified for walking of the team. They wanted something done about what Mac said so they decided to make a statement. They had a right to teach the school, and the rest of Dillon, that they won’t stand up for racist comments and that the towns pride and joy, the Dillon Panthers, may have to suffer the consequences for it.
I think Eric made the right decision in not accepting Macs resignation. Mac has been part of the Dillon Panthers for over twenty years and loves his team and loves football. Eric knows that mac made a mistake but also knows that he’s not a racist and that Mac regrets what he said.
I think that Corrina is the hero of this episode. Smashes only way to get into to college and to be somebody is through football, and his mom knows this. When she talks with Smash, she uses her widom to explain to him that protesting will only hurt the team and hurt himself. She makes him realize that the best way to get back at people is to show out on the field and play amazing.
In my opinion, MacGill is not inherently racist despite the fact he voiced several overtly prejudiced opinions during an interview with a reporter. The fact that the reporters were seemingly attempting to coax MacGill into either making a racist statement or admitting to the presence of racism within the Dillon football program, accompanied by MacGill’s story regarding his personal racial conditioning on behalf of his father give me a more understanding view of MacGill. MacGill’s eventual recognition of the gravity of his statement, in addition to the genuine remorse he felt for it, render it difficult for me to label him a racist.
ReplyDeleteI believe that although it was likely not a consciousness intention of any of the black players that left the team, their departure prompted MacGill to reassess himself as an individual, and through this introspection he is able to alleviate himself of, or at the least recognize, several preconceived racial prejudices that plague towns such as Dillon. While Smash and the other African American students’ decision to remove themselves from the football team would not be viable in the long run (as stated by Corrina Williams), their short term protest will have a lasting, and hopefully beneficial effect on the town.
Eric sought to maintain neutrality throughout the entirety of the conflict, and although ridding the team of MacGill would relieve the team of racial scrutiny, it would also strip the team of what, in Coach Taylor’s words is Dillon Panther football. It almost appears as if Coach Taylor possessed an uncanny feeling predicting the black players’ return, as despite his vehemence regarding MacGill’s statement he refused to order his termination on the spot, something that seemingly contradicts his nature. While I’m doubtful we’ll never know for certain, it may be possible that Coach Taylor’s considerable knowledge regarding communities such as Dillon (especially following his visit to Smash’s house in a preceding episode) allowed him to draw the conclusion that the African American players had no viable long term option except for returning to football, as evidenced by several black players’ comments in the cafeteria regarding their jeopardized futures due to their departure from football.
I believe that Corrina was correct in telling Smash to return to football, as his removal from the program for a prolonged period could solely serve to incite further racial tension and potentially mire his future. As Corrina stated, only a situation in which he had nothing to lose could prove advantageous to Smash, and thus his return to the program is the only decision that could prove to be beneficial to not only himself as an individual, but for the entirety of Dillon.
The scene that has left the most prominent impression on me is the one in which Coach Taylor lividly admonishes his team in the locker room following their initial playoff victory. Nearly decimating the team’s image that Coach Taylor had only recently meticulously rectified as to avoid further condemnations from the media, it is made apparent that the vast majority of players on the Dillon team prioritize football over the near entirety of aspects in life, based on their celebratory nature in the locker room following their less than distinguished actions of the field.
I don’t think that Mac is necessarily a racist. His comment was definitely racist, but he obviously regretted it afterward, he didn’t show it in his apology, but we see it later with the police. I think that he is a product of Dillon society. Mac’s story about his father shows that he was brought up in a racist setting.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think that the black players were right in protesting, because nothing was being done about it. They made a statement about how things need to change. I think that at least Mac realized how big of a mistake he made from it. I also think that the protest made other people realize that Mac’s statement wasn’t just something that could be brushed aside. It needed to be dealt with.
No, I don’t think that Eric is right in not accepting Mac’s resignation. What Mac said and how he dealt with it afterward should be punished. Mac wasn’t really punished at all for it. He just got a little slap on the wrist. Although Eric does depend on Mac’s coaching, I agree with Tami. He should have fired him. With all of the racial tension in these episodes, it seemed to me like Eric distanced himself from it. He only did something when he had to, like in forcing Mac to apologize. Other then that he didn’t really do much. I don’t think that he was as racially conscious as he should have been.
I think that Corrina was right, because, although I think that Smash was right in protesting, he shouldn’t throw away his future. Like Corrina said, they weren’t the Million Man March. They are 17 players trying to make a difference. I honestly don’t think that they could have really made a change in a town like Dillon where there is so much racism. In such an isolated community it would take more then their protest to change the mindset of so many people. But I think that the protest was a good first step.
The scene that stuck with me was when the police officers came to get Smash. It scares me how these police officers think that they have the right to do that, when Smash obviously wasn’t even the one who started the fight. It shows how deeply rooted both the racism and the bitterness from losing go with the other team. Like with Dillon, this small rural Texas town depends on football and is pretty racist in general. I was very glad that Mac stood up for Smash. It was a step in the right direction and was a kind of unspoken apology for what he said.
Mac McGill is a "racist", but not a racist. He stereotypes races inherently from his upbringing, leading him to say things like "blacks are more fearless than whites" and "whites are smarter than blacks." However, he does not view his race as superior to other races, like a true racist would. He treats all of his players the same, regardless of their race. This is highlighted when he stands up for Smash when the crooked police try to take him away. However, his highly insensitive comments and stubbornness in apologizing for them leads me to label him as someone who is very prejudiced, but not a full on racist.
ReplyDeleteThe players walking out on the team was the right thing to do. McGill's comments were causing turmoil in Dillon, and if the black players on Dillon continued to practice under him, they probably would have been ridiculed by the entire black community, similar to how Smash was ridiculed by Waverly for not engaging the racial issues on the team head on. The boycott also forced the coaching staff to take charge of the racial issues, something they would have just let slide if the black players did nothing.
Eric was right in not accepting McGill's resignation. McGill had coached Dillon for 27 years and was described by Eric as the person who integrated the football team in the first place. Someone who has done so much for the team definitely deserves a second chance. Also, Corrina took most of the heat off of Eric and Mac by convincing Smash to play along with the other black players.
Corrina was right in telling Smash to go play. She is a very smart woman and I think she realizes that Mac is not a stone cold racist, but simply a man who is inherently prejudiced and was taken advantage of by the media. She also is very wise in saying that there's no point in trying to eradicate racism in a small Texas town, and that that cause is certainly not worth risking Smash's football career over.
The scene that stayed with me from today's viewing was when the other football team's player was getting in Smash's face after the late hit, and called Smash a racist slur. Instantly, Riggins steamrolls the player and causes a bench-clearing brawl. This is the first time in the series that Riggins stands up for Smash, and the fact that it was over a racial slur, especially during the huge media firestorm, shows great team unity.