Well, if you are looking for a mindless movie to see in the theaters, Dear White People is not the movie to see.
Ali and I ventured to a small, local place on Saturday night to see the directorial debut of Director Justin Simien, Dear White People. This self-proclaimed satire on race, ethnicity, and identity is set in the present tense; this movie is uniquely and profoundly perfect for today - not yesterday or tomorrow, but today. The movie is focused on four main characters that round out the movie to intentionally display the experience of being black in America.
As interesting and compelling as each character was to watch, I believe that there were three themes that need to discussed. In my perfect world, I would have the time to investigate each character to properly communicate the intricacies of their experience throughout the course of the movie, but we live in a fallen world so these reflections will have to do.
This will be the first of three posts on Dear White People. I hope you enjoy my perspective and my desire to lovingly discuss important things in the movie, your life, and my life.
This movie is about IDENTITY.
The moment when it became evident that this movie is about identity happened in a conversation between two of the main characters, Troy and CoCo. CoCo has taken on a new name because of her fear of ridicule of her birth name Colandrea.
Troy: “Is that what you want… to be famous?”
CoCo: “I want everyone to know my name.”
Troy: “Which one?”
This simple moment was profound due to its weight not only on CoCo but on each individual in the movie. Now, I could break down each character’s struggle with identity but I think that might take a year to write about, so for now let’s make it directly personal.
What is YOUR identity? Who are you? What would you say makes you… you?
You place your identity in something. This “something” could be a boyfriend or girlfriend. It could be your talents or skills. It could be the approval, acceptance, or love of someone in your life. Or it could be your race and ethnicity.
The problem with placing your identity in those things is that they will eventually let you down. Those things are not worthy of your mind, heart and soul. They will destroy you in the end because they are not designed to be all-sufficient. They were designed to be enjoyed, but they are not designed to be where we find our deepest joy.
When I was growing up all I wanted to do was play baseball for the Chicago Cubs by the age of 25. I had it all planned out, but my plan never had a chance. I can’t remember a night when I went to sleep growing up without my body hurting, my body was specifically weak in my knees. That might not seem like the biggest deal, but here’s the thing: I was a catcher. I needed my knees. I needed strong knees and a strong arm. I had neither. When I was a Junior in high school I was indirectly told that if I kept catching as much as I was, I wouldn’t be able to walk at some point in my life.
I was a catcher… but what was a gift from God, I treated as if it were God. Being a catcher was my identity. Being a baseball player was my everything, but God didn’t want me to place my identity in a gift from Him. God wanted me to placed my identity in Him. It took much longer for me to realize that’s what He was doing, but now I can say that it needed to happen so that I would see how nothing would give me the satisfaction, hope, and joy like God can.
Only God is all-sufficient, so he is calling you to place your identity in Him and Him alone.
So, how does the movie play a part in this? Well, each character believes that there are certain parts of their lives that they need to be hidden. Some do this out of fear of ridicule, some do this to not be the stereotype, some do this to overcompensate, and some do this because of the pressure to fulfill someone else’s image of them.
In the movie, as well as in America today, people believe that what makes them truly themselves is their race and ethnicity. But, the sad part about this is that being one ethnicity or the other is not meant to be our primary identity. Being Latino is a part of who I am, but it is not everything. Being a Christian is what drives me to appreciate God creating me as a Latino man, but I don't view my race and ethnicity as the point of my creation. The point of my creation is to glorify God in my life for Him.
We live in a fracture world with a lot of hate, prejudice, and division, but I trust that God’s plan for the future will come to pass. Only through the good news of Jesus do we see that one day in heaven there will be people “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” worshipping together (Rev 7:9). That is such a beautiful picture of the unity of all people while still remaining diverse in people groups and languages.
As I conclude the first reflection on Dear White People, I hope to restate my main point: Only God is all-sufficient, so he is calling you to place your identity in Him and Him alone.
God is good and gracious.
Jacob Luis Gonzales
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