ATTITUDES: Remember The Titans Examples

Question 1

Issues present at the beginning of the film?

Answer 1

• In 1970’s, racism was especially prominent; the black and white schools are combined, and so is the football team – no race mixing
• Coach Boone is made the head coach instead of Coach Yoast; the white players are prejudiced against him because he is black and because they’re afraid that the blacks will get more playing time than them

Question 2

Prejudice at the beginning of the film?

Answer 2

Whites don’t want to play with the blacks - Gerry doesn’t want to play with “those animals”
White players believe that Coach Boon stole Coach Yoast’s job

Question 3

Evidence of discrimination?

Answer 3

Coach Boone is threatened to be fired if he loses a match
Gerry’s girlfriend, Emma, does not initially shake Julius’ hand
They wouldn’t let the black men, Blue and Petey, and the “hippie boy”, into the restaurant

Question 4

Stereotypical comments?

Answer 4

Blacks often called animals

All head coaches are white

Question 5

Evidence of sustained contact reducing prejudice and discrimination?

Answer 5

Coach Boone makes both races sit together on the bus and to live together;
They have to spend time with a person of each race every day until they met everyone, and afterwards they were to report to coach Boone - as a result, friendships were formed across both groups, like Rev and Louie, Julius and Gerry

Question 6

Evidence of mutual interdependence reducing prejudice and discrimination

Answer 6

Relied upon each other to win

Battle of Gettysburg speech

Question 7

Evidence of superordinate goals reducing prejudice?

Answer 7

To “be perfect” and have the “perfect season”, by winning all of their games and ultimately the state championship
To eliminate racism from within the team

Question 8

Evidence of how equality of status reduced prejudice

Answer 8

Coach Boone ensures playing time is given to the people who deserve it, regardless of race
When boarding the bus, Coach Boone tells them that on the team, he is their daddy and their brothers are their teammates. This teaches them to view each other equally. Near the end, when Julius goes into Gerry’s hospital room, the nurse says “no family allowed” and he says, “but he’s my brother”
Louie sits with Julius and the black people, they are surprised by why he does this and when asked, Louie says “I don’t have any people. I’m with everybody”.

Question 9

Difficulties coach Boone faced throughout the film?

Answer 9

Getting the team to mix together
Threat of being fired if he loses any games
Initially they didn’t want him to be coached

Question 10

Difficulties the team faced throughout the film?

Answer 10

At the start, both races ignored each other
They weren’t playing like a team
They came together at camp, but there were racial issues in the real world after they left
They lost their captain to injury

Question 11

Key moments in reducing prejudice and discrimination?

Answer 11

Rev and Louie both share an interest in music, which leads to singing in the dining room and the bus. Eventually, the whole team comes onto the field chanting and dancing.
After Emma refuses to shake Julius’ hand, she shakes it.
Gerry insists on playing basketball with Julius even when his mother says no
Petey is getting beat up and the others stand up for him.