Remember the Titans

Throughout the history of our country, American societies have been subject to biasing

influences that have led to segregation and persecution of certain individuals or groups based on

differences of individual or group backgrounds--whether such differences be founded on social,

economical, ethnic disparities etc. Though modern-day tolerance for the overt and intentional

maltreatment of others has recently abated, the pervasive history of discrimination has permeated the

mainstream American mentality, even as recently as the era depicted in setting for the Disney movie,

Remember the Titans. This movie centers on a typical high school football team in the southern states

with the unique challenge of responding to a newly-formed racial integration policy. As the formerly allCaucasian coaching staff and players are compelled to acquiesce to the incoming African-American

players and head coach, the team's status quo is upset, and the former players and coaches are charged

with the challenge of integration.

This film is exemplary in its portrayal of the social biases and judgments that give refuge to

feelings of resentment, prejudice, misunderstanding, intolerance, and even abhorrence between

different social groups. Also portrayed throughout the course of the film is the social evolution that

takes place as the characters struggle to confront their preconceptions and elevate their understandings

as they assimilate the values, beliefs, and even "cultural tastes" (i.e. musical appreciation, clerical

tendencies, modus operandi, etc.) of dissimilar others. The final result is a football team which is not

only successful, but also transcendental throughout the course of the football season.

Throughout the course of this paper, it is the author's intention to attempt to highlight the trials

and