Severe Racial Issues And Segregation In Remember The Titans

Within the film ‘Remember the Titans’, it is apparent that the majority of these groups have been formed mostly dependent on the people within, rather than the circumstances around them. It is evident that the leading group as a part of the film is the cultural groups, more specifically, the African Americans and the Caucasians. As a result of the severe racial issues and segregation evident throughout society in the era which the film is set, and the way in which America was in the prime of these issues, it is clear that these two groups reflect this division through the way in which they stay in the societal norms, based solely on the colour of their skin, formed as a result of their race. These two groups are also fundamentally supported by one’s need to feel both supported and included within a community, accepted for the person they undoubtedly are. This aspect leads to the factors of especially meeting one’s personal needs and the need to further interact with others in a manner that is similar to their own social ways.

Another group within the film is the sporting and leisure group, coaches. The formation of this group was not specifically a self-choice as Coach Yoast didn’t want to work alongside a man of colour (Coach Boone), but was instead inaugurated by their desire to coach players who are eager to develop their skills and participate in the sport which they are passionate for, acting as a common interest. The coaches joining was primarily established by their shared interest and common goals of coaching a team of which has unity between players and an eagerness behind so to do their best. Along with this, the typical gender stereotypes of a male coaching football could further mainly play a role in the formation of this group. In accordance with this, the players branching off the coaches were not willingly formed but were instead done so by their enthusiasm towards football (shared interest and common goal) and their need to socialise with others that share commonalities and engage in doing so. Likewise, the opposing team was formed in a similar manner, due to their interest in the sport as a general common ground and the need to feel included in a group. Overall, however, the central aspect of joining these groups together is the schooling system supplying the ability to join a football team, categorising it into locality and geography.

In another general group, the parents, students, and spectators are the smaller subsections of the larger groups, fuelling many of the gaps within the film. As a large, they are formed through either their interest in football or their connection to the teams playing. We see further through the student group, smaller groups formed within the student body are shaped by their cultural differences within the film.