The immigrant families are considered inferior and uncivilized. The dominant race fails to embrace the diversity presented by the immigrant families. Particularly, the dominant race blames the immigrant families for various societal ills that are unrelated to their populations in certain geographical areas. For example, the society believes that the immigrant families have prompted economic recession and increased unemployment rates. Furthermore, the society believes that diversities in race, religion and language amid the mainstream group and the migrant subgroups result to cultural misunderstanding. In this respect, the mainstream citizens treat the immigrant families ruthlessly with hatred and discrimination as they consider them as a liability.
Explain the significance of the “banlieues” in the film.
The banlieues provides a strategic setup that develops film’s themes. La Haine describes how the administration harasses the youths from the banlieue, particularly the nonwhites. Furthermore, the banlieue presents an example that highlights the violent gun culture that is dominant in the setup, with its detrimental consequences as evident in the film’s stunning finale. Through exploring the situation in the banlieue, the film affirms that the authority focuses on the aggressive non-whites community instead of the whole population. La Haine portrays a youth culture that is characterized with the music, colorful language and the clothes, which essentially highlight the banlieue identity (Vincendeau 59). In this context, the banlieues indicate the characterization of the society along racial lines. The idea of establishment of the banlieues indicates the authority’s plan that intended to deceive immigrants while in essence; it acted as a restriction camp under which foreigners would face exploitation. The life in the banlieues that is mainly inhabited by the non-whites is entirely different with life in other areas occupied by the whites.
Discuss the role of the police in this film.
In La Haine, the police develop the themes of racial discrimination and exploitation of the immigrant families by the mainstream citizens. The police force mainly focuses on implementing the wishes of the mainstream society. The police officers discriminate against the non-whites instead of practicing fairness while executing their duties. Particularly, the group presents a police force for the whites only instead of being a force that serves the society. For example, the film presents the police as uncomprehending and racists with the exception of individuals of North African lineage only (Vincendeau 36). The police force is informed by biased racial assumptions that consider the non-whites to be natural criminals or the ‘bad’ elements in the society while the whites as the ‘good’.
How is this cultural misunderstanding expressed in La Haine?
The film La Haine presents an educative piece that expresses how cultural misunderstanding occurs following aspects of social-cultural constructions of the ‘good’ and the ‘evil’ in relation to issues of citizenship, immigration and foreignness. Initially, the community described by the film experiences cultural misunderstanding because the mainstream citizens attribute their social problems and economic challenges to the presence of immigrants in their land (Vincendeau 47). However, this is a misinformed assumption because problems such us economic recession mainly assumes a global scope. Furthermore, the mainstream citizens fail to account for the economic importance of the presence of the immigrant. For example, the foreigners introduce both human and capital resources into their new land that is accompanied with economic development. Diversities in the language, religion and race between the mainstream group and the foreigners enhance cultural misunderstanding due to lack of tolerance and inclusiveness. For example, in La Haine, a conflict emerges because the mainstream citizen believes that their culture is supreme thus despising those of the foreigners. This results to serious cultural misunderstanding and conflicts as the immigrants attempt to defend their culture. However, such differences would carry constructive consequences if individuals fostered inclusiveness.
Work Cited
Vincendeau, Ginette. La Haine (hate). Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2005. Print.
