MovieChat Forums > Monster's Ball (2002) Discussion > BBT not racist?

BBT not racist?

posted 15 years ago by miamisfootballplaya
5 replies | jump to latest

I have to comment on this because I haven't seen it discussed yet, and if it has then please excuse me. I got the impression from the film that Billy Bob's character wasn't actually a racist. There are 2 instances in which we see him act in a racist way in the film: the first is when the neighbor boys come over and he fires his gun, and the second is when he is beating up his son and calls one of his coworkers a racial slur.

The first display of racism is only after his father nags him to the point where he can't finish his meal in peace. To me, his body language and his response said to me that his racist display was a means of placating his father, especially after his father commented about BBT's mother.

The second display is when he is in a highly emotional manner. He was beating up his son. The black guard just happened to be the one to grab him and unfortunately he was an easy target for misdirected anger. He was trying to cut somebody deeply and emotionally and that guard got a verbal lashing because BBT could no longer physically harm anyone.

I just thought of his character as a miserable person. He was mean to those close to him, and living in the south black people were an easy scapegoat for a pathetic and unhappy man who really hated himself. That's just my thoughts, I am open to discussion.

PS

I am a black female living in the south, so I have definitely had my run ins with racism, I just don't think that his character held racist views, it was just the path of least resistance in his household.

[–] Ilario1 15 years ago

No he was a racist at first. We as human beings are just more complicated than we want to admit. It was through his sorrow and loneliness that he found solace in someone who was just as sad and miserable as he was. This person just happened to be black. We don't have to hold on to old values and beliefs just because we always held those values and beliefs. We can through are feelings and our humanity change if we choose to.

[–] miamisfootballplaya 15 years ago

Do you care to expound on why you think he was a racist?

[–] anousleshommes 13 years ago

I think you more or less answered to yourself. He was racist and that's quite obvious because he feels the need to belittle the black guard. Any non-racist person would just go "get the *beep* off me". In fact the word *beep* wudnt enter in their mind same as most black people arent racist towards white and dont even know any derogatory terms for whites.

[–] Blackace 13 years ago

He was racist mainly because his father was a racist. He learned to be that way from his father. Because of his depression and lonely ways he was able to find someone who was just as bad as he was. It just so happened to be a black woman. He still loved his father, but hated the person that he had become. By being with this black woman he could rid himself of the depression and loneliness as well as stick it to his father, bt showing him he was like him. The final straw was when his father said to Leticia that he or his father liked messing with black women too. The way he disrespected her, caused Hank to put him in a retirement home. After that his racist thought slowly disappeared. When the movie started though, he had racist thoughts and motives. No doubt.

[–] Reedtz 13 years ago

I have to agree with the thread starter, Hanks racist thought and motives doesn't seems that deeply felt. 'Miamisfootballplaya' analysis is good, there are no other real indications of Hanks being racist by heart. On the opposite he gets mad at his son for ruining Leticias husbands last walk, which shows respect for the convicted, even though his a black criminal.