Image from billy Eliot
Inequality has existed in humans for as long as we can tell and it usually stems from a fear of the unknown and a lack of humanity in how we act with things we fear. This may seems slightly stupid to you guys because I'm sure your all thinking well I mean I'm not racist, I cant be homophobic or sexist because x, y and z. But in the end the political and social system we live in favours the white cisgender (cisgender is people who agree with the gender they were born with) straight males. Does that mean all white people should live in white guilt? Or all men should go die because of the patriarchy? No and it would be useless to live in white guilt and just feel bad for everyone who is less privileged. Again that wouldn't really be useful or productive so the best thing is education and staying open, as I'm sure non of you would say you were openly racist, you may have misconceptions that need to be broken down.
Ok now that my rant is out of the way, we can get to the fun part so I'm going to give you some fun simple ways for you guys to stay entertained in these times whilst also keeping an open mind which really helps all of us. I will break up the inequalities up into broad sections and give recommended series, movies and music which tackle these issues whilst also just being entertaining.
small disclaimer, a couple of these movies are violent, have strong language or are even sexual so I put up the age rating to help you guys out, and of course for movies without a description look into them before just opening them up. I know a lot of these movies seem questionable suggestions but they all push our thinking as well as in my opinion are just really good so remember that these movies may shock a couple of you
*particular warning for call me by your name, blue is the warmest colour, 12 days a slave*
Racial inequality
Ok so I'm going to start with the most obvious category in my opinion which is people being treated based on the race, race not being where there born or where people live more where they come from and what they identify as. This throughout history has clearly been the biggest inequality and even thought again now everyone seems very open and accepting a little more education can't hurt right?
Freedom writers is my reason for writing this whole blog, it's a nostalgic movie that follows a school teacher who has to help a class of failing students get out of prominent gang life that took place in America in the 90s. She teaches them how to respect one another despite their racial differences. This movie is filled with intense nostalgia and great music, along with its heart warming message. And it can be found on Netflix! *PG-13*
other great movies that tackle racism
Die welle
12 years a slave *PG-15*
images from 12 years a slave, Freedom writers and Die welle
For music it's a bit harder to find clear examples but i would highly recommend varying musical taste for example
you could listen to pop music from around the world such as the ever so famous K-pop, This helps gain respect and love for other cultures and also gives you absolute tunes to listen to! For a specific example I'm very into Rina Sawayama at the moment, she is Japanese but has lived in America her whole life and so has a very interesting dual identity which she sings about in her alternative pop music, this dual nationality is something I think a lot of us at school can relate to, and she has a new album out I would highly recommend!
Rina Sawayama
gender inequality
gender inequality is quiet straight forward it's treating someone differently based on their gender the obvious and most seen example would be men being treated better then women especially in workplace environments getting paid less or with the ways they are and aren't allowed to dress because of the society we live in, in recent years there has also been some women that disrespect men because they feel a hatred towards them. And of course now there are also people who are gender non conforming or anywhere in between male and female who are even more discriminated.
hidden figures is an American biographical drama film, its the story of black female mathematicians who worked for NASA during the space race. It has three Oscar nominations and has gotten two golden globes *PG-13*. The help is another great movie that follows the same lines, It's about an up and coming writer documenting the struggles black maids face on a daily basis *PG13*.
pictures from the help and hidden figures
For music I would 100% try listening to female rap which might be controversial but to me that is best example of women being proud of who they are and being strong for themselves now a lot of pop artists embrace this as well but to me the rap will always be more empowering. I would honestly recommend Jhené Aiko who also has a new album with a whole 20 songs! her music is more R&B which is a bit calmer then rap but it's still very empowering and beautiful.
economic inequality
Economic inequality is the mistreatment of people based on how much money they have, this is often related to physical apparence and jugement of people based on what they own and where they live. This is not very évident to most of the people reading this as you have technology already but there are a lot of small things put in place that oppresse poor people. For example a lot of people describe having been kicked out of shops and coffees because of how they looked poor and reflected badly on the shop.
Parasite is Bong Joon-ho’s award winning film that takes a new perspective on his repeated theme of economic inequality. Unlike some of his other work it is starkly realistic and takes place in the South Korean capital of Seoul and focuses itself on two families of juxtaposing social situations- The parks who live in a lavish architectural masterpiece, and Ki-taek’s family who live in a semi-basement; the films recounts the how the poorer family work their way into every facet of the bourgeois family’s life with many a thrilling twist throughout. However asides that Bong Joon-ho leads us to criticise the economic imbalance presented through pristine visuals and an amalgam of metaphoric plot choices, in order to make us wonder who the true parasitic creatures are, aided by the help of a magnificent score mostly made up of original piano pieces. *rated R*
See also
the great Gatsby (the book is better then the movie but both are quiet good)
Les misérables (again would recommend the book)
La haine *PG-12*
photos from La Haine and Parasite
sexuality
I don't want to talk about sexuality too much again but For more information I would highly recommend my other blog, however in short sexuality being quiet a new Idea a lot of people fear like their ideas and way of life, so it scares a lot of people leading to homophobia and etc.
Picture from paris is burning
The only documentary I would ever recommend is paris is burning, it's a documentary on the underground ball scene in 80s ans 90s that took place in New York. The movie focuses on queer performance and really highlights how underground and almost illegal these places seemed and how everyone there feels authentically themsleves and feels free to enjoys there queerness. This movie is a staple in queer history and really educates you a lot about the secret lives people used to live. And it can also be found on Netflix. *rated R*
call me by your name is a romantic drama that takes place in 1980 Italy and features beautiful Italian villas and orchards, this movies pure aesthetics alone make it a piece of art, but it is all coupled with a thrilling and secretive love story as young Eliot and Oliver, the movie has underlying mix of arts with the study of sculptures done by Oliver as well as Eliot who is a multifaceted musician making this movie highly romantic and moving. The movie has English as it's main language but features bit's of french and Italian which is very interesting for those of you who speak English and french. *rated R*
here are a couple others to consider
brokeback mountain *rated R*
moonlight (on Netflix) *rated R*
blue is the warmest colour (french movie, on Netflix) *PG-13*
billy elliot
pictures from call me by your name, blue is the warmest colour and moonlight
If you chose to watch or listen to any of these please comment about how you felt and start a bit of a conversation in the comment, if you've already seen some of these then same thing, il try and contribute some of my opinions which is something I really love doing so please feel free
References :
https://cafebabel.com/en/article/german-cinema-die-welle-wanting-to-belong-5ae00554f723b35a145de03e/
Some of the movies that were recommended really do make you question how society really is and the racism, sexism there is in the world that isn’t always seen, such as 12 years a slave, which I’ve watched. I wasn’t aware that there was such an economic inequality in the world and how much that affects people’s lives.