Many points made, few noticed.
Why do so many people focus only on the racial aspect of this movie? The movie clearly addresses not only the racial divide in this country, but also other topics such as socio economic issues, educational deficiencies, the crime and overcrowding in the inner cities, police brutality, the working poor, and children living in poverty. One of the main points this movie makes is that when someone has been down for so long, he feels as if he has nothing to lose and everything to gain, thus making him a threat to society. Due to the fact that most people focused only ont he racial issue, the other issues were overlooked.
The idea of racial role reversal was meant to bring attention to the other problems facing our nation today. Regardless of ethnicity, unless a problem affects you or is of a nature a person can identify with, it tends to be overlooked by that person. By reversing the stereotypical and true roles of blacks and whites in this country, this movie was attempting to bring suburban whites' attention to the problems facing inner city minorities and to bring to the inner city minorities attention how suburbia sees them and how coming together and making changes could benefit them.
It is sad that in 2005 people still can't look past the color on their own noses.
Life-the most fatal disease. :P