Comments on Race and Class in Knives Out

White supremacy

Definition

• Belief/ideology
• White people is superior
• Should dominate society

Key characteristics

• Racial hierarchy with whiteness at top
• Institutionalised racism
  • Laws
  • Policies
  • Cultural practices
• Historically rooted in colonialism and slavery

Systematic racism

Definition

• Form of racism
• Normal practice in society or organisation
• Reflected in disparities in areas like criminal justice, education, employment

Key characteristics

• Institutionalised discrimination
  • Policies and practice
  • Disadvantaging people of colour
  • Racial inequality
• Impact
  • Unequal opportunities and treatments based on race
  • Social and economic dominance of one racial group over others

Unconscious bias

Definition

• Aka implicit bias
• Automatic and unintentional stereotypes and attitudes
• Influences judgements and actions

Subtle influences

• Even rejecting prejudice, unconscious bias can still affect

Example

• Unconscious bias influence how characters perceive and treat Marta
• Even though they claim to be liberal and fair minded

Types

• Affinity bias
  • Connection to similar people
• Perception bias
  • Stereotypes and assumptions about diff groups
• Halo effect
  • Assuming good qualities in people without knowing them
• Confirmation bias
  • Looking to confirm our own opinions and pre-existing ideas

Liberalism

Definition

• Political and philosphy based on principals of liberty, equality and individual rights
  • Personal freedoms and choice
  • Everyone has those

Core principals

• Everyone has rights that should be protected
• Equality
  • All individuals are equal under the law
• Democracy
  • By the people, for the people
• Free market
  • Economic freedom and minimal government intervention in markets

Context

• The enlightenment
  • Reason and individualism
• U.S. constitution

Criticisms

• Overemphasis on individualism
  • Can ignore systematic issues and collective needs
• Inequality
  • Don’t always address economical or racial disparities
• Paternalism
  • Can lead to patronising attitude towards marginalised groups

Class

Definition

• Group of people who share similar socioeconomic status
• Relationship in production, wealth, social power

The classes

• Upper class
  • Rich
  • Owning means of production
    • land
    • business
• Middle class
  • Moderate income and economic security
  • Professional or managerial positions
• Working class
  • Rely on wages from manual or low skilled labour jobs
• Lower class
  • Little to no economic security
  • Poverty or unemployment

Significance of class

• Economic influence
  • Access to resources, opportunities, power within society
• Social mobility
  • Ability to move between classes
  • Can be limited by systemic barriers
• Cultural impact
  • Cultural tastes, lifestyles, values
  • Shapes identities and social networks

The class struggle/war

• Conflict between diff classes
  • Particularly between those who own the means of production (the bourgeoisie) and those who sell their labour (the proletariat)

Marx theory

• All of history driven by class conflict
• Bourgeoisie and proletariat locked in struggle over resources and power
• Struggle will eventually lead to revolution
  • Proletariat overthrows bourgeoisie and create classless society

History of class struggle

• Industrial revolution
  • Rise of factories and urbanisation lead to harsh working conditions for proletariat while bourgeoisie had significant wealth
• Labour movements
  • Organised efforts to demand better wages, working conditions, rights
  • Trade unions, strikes, protests that have been pivotal in achieving labour rights
    • Proletariat has all the skills
  • Modern class struggle
    • Economic inequality continues to grow
    • Debates over issues like min wage, labour rights, wealth distribution
    • Rise of the gig economy and concentration of wealth in hands of a few highlight ongoing class struggles in contemporary society