MovieChat Forums > Hostel (2006) Discussion > Double standard

Double standard

posted 3 years ago by OvertonPendulum (4026)
33 replies | jump to latest

It's interesting that whenever Hollywood makes a movie about something horrible happening to Americans who travel abroad it's always some European country. Weather it's Hostel, Bloody Hell or Midsomar. It's never a non White country, (because that would be racist). even though getting kidnapped and tortured is much more likely to happen to you in third world than in Europe. But portraying Eastern Europeans or even Europeans in general as backward savages is Ok because they are White.

[–] BensGirl (590) 3 years ago

You are proof that anyone can be offended by anything. Get over yourself. It’s a movie!!!

[–] OvertonPendulum (4026) 3 years ago

It's not about one movie, it's about a PATTERN. I have made a totally valid point.

[–] wearsalan (5554) 3 years ago

The same applies to movies like Gladiator where all the bad guys (despite being Italian/Roman) had English accents. Hollywood went through a phase of the Bad guys being English (might have started through Alan Rickman Diehard/Prince of thieves).
But try not to take offence, it is as the other poster says, just a movie.

[–] OvertonPendulum (4026) 3 years ago

Yep, Hollywood definitely has a trope of evil Englishmen. But English are White so it's OK. But you must never portray Black or brown people as bad.

[–] cyguration (3951) 3 years ago

Yup, you'll only find other nations being honest about the real barbarians of the world.

Check out the film Operation Red Sea, it's Chinese nationalist propaganda, but they actually portray the savages in the Middle East as absolutely heartless, inhumane savages.

[–] TheMan18 (13015) 3 years ago

And is that really such a bad thing BensGirl, aren't people entitled to their own thoughts and opinions including what to get "offended" at? And is "Its a movie" really a valid argument here?

[–] ADBruno1985 (3482) 3 years ago

Turistas

The Ruins

The Grudge

[–] ShogunofYonkers (77380) 3 years ago

I was going to post Turistas and The Ruins as well!

We should mention the dozens of Cannibal movies from the 70s and 80s

[–] ADBruno1985 (3482) 3 years ago

Ah, yes, Cannibal Holocaust. The Green Inferno as well.

[–] ShogunofYonkers (77380) 3 years ago

There you go, and a lot of others

Green Inferno was much more recent though…you probably know this

✌️

[–] DustyWolf (86) 3 years ago

Why would these college kids be backpacking through a third world country? Backpacking through Europe and staying at youth hostels is almost a trope in itself and it made sense that these characters were there to smoke weed and get laid. Seriously this fragile over the villains being white?

[–] ccr1633 (1523) 3 years ago

White people travel all over the world, sometimes even with backpacks.

[–] DustyWolf (86) 3 years ago

Yeah I guess it would've made perfect sense to have the characters stay at a youth hostel in Ethiopia just to protect the fragility of any white people watching. JFC...

[–] ccr1633 (1523) 3 years ago

Fragile white people? Lol. Which group of people is it that have a chemical meltdown anytime a certain N word is uttered in any context whatsoever? Now *that* is fragile.

[–] DustyWolf (86) 3 years ago

But that's not what we're discussing in this post is it? If I wanted to discuss my thoughts on use of the N-word (I don't) I'd wade into the Joe Rogan board. What we're discussing is the idiocy of complaining about white villains in a 16 year old film and I'm not interested in whataboutism. And anyone who has a problem with the villains' being white is either a troll (probable) or a very fragile white person (possible).

[–] GuyHaynes (18) 3 years ago

I agree, art mirrors life and there is a good reason why the villains usually have that skin color. White villains are the key to a progressive society. I would even go as far as to say that every complaint about this, sets society back a few years.

[–] OvertonPendulum (4026) 3 years ago

Seriously this fragile over the villains being white?

If it was just one movie, it wouldn't bother me. It's a PATTERN or a trope and it has political/ideological reasons.

[–] DustyWolf (86) 3 years ago

So just to be clear, you complaining about the villains being white in a 2006 movie wasn't you simply trolling?! I'll be damned...that's just so fucking pathetic I figured it had to be a goof but wow!

[–] OvertonPendulum (4026) 3 years ago

There is nothing pathetic about complaining against a racist double standard against your people. Still waiting for your argument about how what I have explained isn't a legit grievance. If Black people tended to be portrayed in this way, there would be a hellstorm of controversy.

[–] Kowalski (75528) 3 years ago

"your people"...LMAO...YOU SUCK.

[–] OvertonPendulum (4026) 3 years ago

What is your ethnicity? How you identify? Apply this to your group, moron.

[–] Kowalski (75528) 3 years ago

"your group"...HMM

[–] OvertonPendulum (4026) 3 years ago

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

I get your point. But you do sound like a butthurt bitch. What about Black Hawk Down, by the way, and the soldier being ripped apart by the locals?

[–] OvertonPendulum (4026) 3 years ago

Movies that portray reality are totally different from fiction. Writers don't have much wiggle room there. Somalia cannot be portrayed as a successful country in movie about true events.

[–] Moonglum9 (11267) a year ago

"Somalia cannot be portrayed as a successful country in movie about true events."

Even with all the vibranium they have?

[–] TheMan18 (13015) 3 years ago

For a while there, I thought the topic would be about men and women somehow but in this case its country related, interesting.

Also - yeah, in life and also in movies and art, you can't please everyone, and, no offense to anyone of course, in a lot of things if not in anything one can find something to offend him/her for one reason or another.

Incidentally I am Russian and I wasn't really that bothered with it all in this movie, for one, but that's just me.

[–] ADBruno1985 (3482) 3 years ago

That could be part of the point. Since we view Europe as less dangerous, it's all the more shocking and scary for it to happen there.

[–] moviefanatic505 (6097) 3 years ago

Funny because you never make this same point when a black person is the villain of the film.

[–] OvertonPendulum (4026) 3 years ago

There are maybe 5 movies that fall in this category. Idiot.

[–] moviefanatic505 (6097) 3 years ago

First not true, number two the point stands why don't you complain in those cases? Double standard?

[–] OvertonPendulum (4026) 3 years ago

It is true. There are very few movies where Blacks are bad guys. And even when they are, they have to be coupled with them being geniuses like in that Spider man movie. Name me movies were Westerners travel in a third world country and something bad is done to them by the locals. Judging form how often it happens in real life, there should be plenty of movies like that.

[–] moviefanatic505 (6097) 3 years ago

Nope not true. Captain Phillips says hi.