Political Science Essay Examples

Scholars agree that films are useful tools that can be used to unveil the realities of varied societies. This is evidenced by John Singleton in the film Boys N the Hood where he offers an important account of real experiences of the black community, and, particular, black males who reside in the poverty-ravaged South Los Angeles neighborhood. The core of this film is an interaction and relationship between three black males and through them, the audience can view with clarity the reality of racism, indifference, increasing disintegration of the black community and rampant violence. This film, when examined on the political structure in which it is set, the audiences realize the damaging impact that these political structures have had on the progression of the black males. On the same note, the film Milk is also a real account of America’s first elected self-declared gay and liberal activist. The movie addresses the violent attitudes and conduct of the police against the homosexuals. This film, which shows men hiding their faces for they want to protect their identities, depicts a time in history when being affiliated to homosexuality was illegal, and there was victimization and harassment of such people in the political arena. This paper addresses the important issues in politics and the differences that have been presented in the two films, Milk and Boyz N the Hood.
In the Film Milk, the central character, Milk, a businessman who is also gay, decides to run for a political office in his neighborhood. To begin with, Milk assembles a core time by pulling people in the streets including a gay teenager who was also a former prostitute originally from Phoenix. He also forms an alliance with local organizations that support homosexuals with a promise to help in the hiring of gay people in the workforce. Despite the alliances and his outspokenness, he lost his first bid for a political office. His main outdoing during his political activism and campaigns is his support for gays, and, thus, he could not get the support of the wealthier and more established figures in the community. One of the issues an audience can note in his political message is that it cuts across all ethnic groups in his community with Blacks, Hispanics and Black represented in his supporting group. He fiercely fights for all the groups to have their own representative as members to the Board of Supervisors that govern the City including the gays. Milk is also vocal and gets the support of several leaders in opposing the directive to exclude gay teachers or their supporters serving in the city’s public schools. Historically, this was a matter that had been opposed by conservative American leaders including President Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. The strength of this film in addressing political issues lies in its addressing the plight of the oppressed and the marginalized that had been frustrated, tormented and deluded by irrational political leaders. Prior to this period, political groups that had slogans of affirmative action or community control had no clear causes that they were advocating for. They existed to dispense perks among the privileged groups of people around racial lines, and ethnic constituencies while the majority of people stagnated in the society like women, blacks, and gays. It is during this period that Democrats in the United States refashioned as a party representing various interest groups.
In the film Boyz N the Hood, one of the political structural elements that black people have to deal with is Eurocentric school curriculum. This education has no significant cultural benefits and relevance to the black students. This system of education has no authority from black scholars and thus does not appeal to the black students. As a matter of fact, this film is concerned about the predominance of white authority and people in curricula activities and space. The black students are always segregated against and live unsettled lives because they fear they will be expelled because of the dictatorship of the white people in the school’s administration. The black students receive punishment primarily because they do not embrace and conform to the curriculum yet they feel it does not suit them. They have to find a sense of belonging as the structure is organized to achieve the goals and objectivities of the dominant people in the society. The social and political structure is not relevant to the black community, their rights, and their responsibilities. The significance of this film lays in its demonstration of the indifferences that is created from the inherent political structures in society. The economic and social structures are constructed primarily from political ideologies that exist to undermine some groups in the society. Of importance to note is that in this film, militarism is used to fight the dominant political structural frameworks that seem to oppress the marginalized groups in the society.
In conclusion, while both films address important issues of politics in the American society, it needs to be noted that they are concerned about the plight of the minority groups who have been long marginalized in the political front. The films appreciate that political battles are meant to make the views of the minority to be recognized, whether militarism methods or alliances are made to support them.