Posted   by 

The Color Of Fear

Wah, L. M. (Producer, Director and Facilitator), & Hunter, M. (Co-producer). (1994). The Color Of Fear (videocassette). (Available from Stir-Fry Productions, Oakland, CA.

The Color of Fear. In: Film and Music. Submitted By jrue17. The film shown in class, The Color of Fear, featured a focus group of men representing multicultural America, who held an open and often frank discussion of racial issues in the United States. Among the many topics and issues mentioned included the notion of White. The Color of Fear is a emotionally charged film that will leave your students talking and rethinking their perception of the world around them. The film places eight men in a room to talk about race, prejudice, and discrimination. “White Privilege and the Color of Fear.” Chapter in Lessons From The Color of Fear. In Victor Lee Lewis & Hugh Vasquez (eds.), Lessons from The Color of Fear Field Reports. Using the Color of Fear in the Classroom. Speak Out - The Institute for Democratic Education and Cultural. The Color of Fear (Part One) is an insightful, groundbreaking film about the state of race relations in America as seen through the eyes of eight North American men of Asian, European, Latino and African descent. In a series of intelligent, emotional and dramatic confrontations the men reveal the pain and scars that racism has caused them.

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”.

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.

The

The Color Of Fear Fact Sheet

Produced by: Stir Fry Productions 470 3rd St. Oakland, CA 94607 (800.370.STIR)

Directed by: Lee Mun Wah

VHS & DVD; TRT: 90 minutes

© 1994

Winner of the National Educational Media Award Golden Apple.

Characters in the Film:

Roberto (Mexican American)

Lee Mun Wah (Facilitator & Chinese)

David Christensen (Euro American)

Yutaka (Japanese American)

The Color Of Fear

Hugh (Latino American)

David Lee (Chinese American)

Gordon (Euro American)

Victor (African American)

Loren (African American)

“The Color of Fear” is a film about the pain and anguish that racism has caused in the lives of 8 North American men of Asian, European, Latino, and African descent. Out of their confrontations and struggles to understand and trust each other emerges an emotional and insightful portrayal into the type of dialogue MOST of US fear, but hope will happen sometime in out lifetime.

This film was the first in a 3 part series that engages the issues of racism, intercultural competence, and intercultural communication in a real and intense environment.

Study Guide:

Take a moment to think about your own experience with race and ethnicity. What has it been like to be your ethnicity? What are the challenges? What are the positives?

The Color Of Fear
  1. Think about each of the responses from each of the men in the film. How might they compare with your own life story in regards to race? If you cannot make any comparisons, howcome?
  2. Why do you think Lee Mun Wah, as the facilitator, did not “talk” very much or stop any of the conversations?
  3. If you are male, how does it make you feel to see grown men cry? How does it make you feel to see grown men hold hands and embrace? Is that something you are accustomed to seeing? Break your answer down.
  4. If you are a woman, where do you find yourself within the film given that these are all men? Does it bother you that some of the men cry? Explain what you mean.
  5. Spend some time talking with someone from a different ethnicity and ask them what their experience has been like. Might there be any comparisons with your life? If so, where are they at? If not, howcome?
  6. So what about David Christensen? What do you make of him? Do you feel sorry for him? Explain what you mean. In the film, David C is obviously dealing with deep seeded race issues. Issues that trace all the way back to his childhood. How might your own developmental process been shaped in regards to race and ethnicity? How have you been racialized?
  7. Where do you think we are at as a nation now that president Obama has been elected? Is racism declining? Over? A dead issue? Worse now than it ever was? Discuss this among a variety of different ethnicities to get a well-rounded perspective.
  8. How might class factor into the race issue? Do you think classism is worse than racism today? How so? And, what is your own definition of class? Share that with several friends and see what they come up with too.
  9. What are some realistic solutions you could offer the men if they were standing in front of you today? For your friends? List out a set of racialized problems you think are issues and see what solutions might realistically work.
The color of fear part one

Things to take notice of:

  • Notice the copyright date. What is the significance of that? Why am I making you watch such an “old” film? How relevant can it be? Right?
  • What are the major/ minor issues within the film?
  • What points does each person make? Is it valid? How so?
  • Where do you find yourself within the film?
  • How important is ethnic ID in this film?
  • What are the themes that arise in the film?

Deeper probing Questions to ask / be discussed in class:

  • What point does Victor have when he confronts David C?
  • What was so important about Gordon’s direct talk about White privilege to David C? What was that all about?
  • What was the point of stating their ethnicity?
  • What did Roberto mean that the “Cure for the pain is in the pain itself?”
  • What did Loren mean by saying “Walk through some halls with some pride, your gonna scare somebody!”
  • What was so important about Lee Mun Wah playing the “Devils Advocate” with David C concerning his daughters and getting into college?
  • David C. stated that he would hire the right person for the job, but how does his past knowledge about minorities and “Coloreds” affect his hiring process?
  • Does interethnic racism put minorities down while lifting Whites up?
  • Does everyone have “equal footing” in society today?
  • How does our own personal ETHOS play a role in this film? Life?
  • Where are you at in the film? Which character could you be?
  • Why do you think they announced their ethnic background first?
  • How much does your past social construction of identity play a part in your own ETHOS, worldview, and stereotypes?
  • What about internalized racism? What is that all about? Did David Lee have a point?
  • When have you not intervened in the face of racism?

The Color Of Fear - Sociology Source The Society Pages (TSP) Is An Open-access Social Science Project Headquartered In The Department Of Sociology At The University Of Minnesota

Connection to the Literature

The Color Of Fear Summary

  • How does David C represent and connect with what George Lipsitz asserts in his chapter?
  • What elements of White Supremacy are present in the film as laid out by Herbert Blumer?
  • How does a sense of group position shape how we see other racial and ethnic groups? What illustrations of that are seen in the film?
  • How is categorization language (Them, they, us, you people) used at different variances by David C in the film? How does that affect race and ethnicity talks?
  • Describe how Aguirre & Turner’s concept of colonialism, Puritan values, and the concepts/ issues of cultural and institutional legacy of early colonization connect with both the entire film and David C’s initial posture on racism? How might religion also play a role in racism?
  • What part does spiritual and theological understanding have as it relates to racism?
  • Explain what Aguirre & Turner mean by Anglo-Saxon hegemony and the dynamics of ethnicity? How is that seen through the film? Inter-ethnic discrimination? Break that down a bit.
  • What elements of racism is Victor talking about as he reflects to David C the problems of racism?
  • What roles does Gordon play in relation to Aguirre & Turner’s chapter on White ethnics?

The Color Of Fear Book

Last Updated 4/7/2019

Daniel White Hodge PhD

The Color Of Fear Discussion Questions

CSULA