Kalepp

The Blind Side Based on the Extraodinary True Story



Sean Tuohy Michael Oher Leigh Anne Tuohy

Sandra Bullock (actress) Quinton Aaron (actor)

The Blindside was released in 2009 and was based on the true life story of Michael Oher. Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, and Quinton Aaron star in this fill depicting the life story of the All-American football star Michael Oher.  Teenager Michael Oher (Aaron) is surviving on his own, practically homeless, when Leigh Anne Tuohy (Bullock) spots Oher walking down the street on a old, rainy night. Mrs. Tuohy learned that the man was one of her daughter's classmates, when she insists that Michael, wearing only a shirt and shorts in the middle of winter, come out of the cold into their vehicle. Without hesitation, she invites Michael to stay at the Tuohy home for the night. What started out as a gesture of kindness turned into something more, when Michael becomes part of the Tuohy family despite the many differences in their lifestyles and backgrounds. With Michael living in a new lifestyle, he faces different sets of challenges to overcome. The Tuohy family helped Michael fulfill his potential, both on and off of the football field. Michael's presence in the Tuohys' lives lead them to insightful self-discoveries of their own.
 * Directed by John Lee Hancock
 * Sandra Bullock stars as Leigh Anne Tuohy
 * Tim McGraw stars as Sean Tuohy
 * Kathy Bates stars as Michael Oher's dedicated tutor, Miss Sue
 * Quinton Aaron stars as Michael Oher
 * Lily Collins stars as Collins Tuohy
 * Jae Head stars as S.J. Tuohy
 * Academy Award Oscar Nominations
 * Best Picture
 * Actress in a Leading Role
 * Sandra Bullock
 * Golden Globe Award
 * Best Actress--Drama
 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">Sandra Bullock
 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">Critics' Choice Award
 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">Best Actress
 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">Sandra Bullock

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 115%;">[]__#__ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> "About the Film." //The Blind Side//. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2009. Web. Feb. 2010. [].

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">What Would Johnson Say? February 14, 2010

The article “Where Are We?” by Allan Johnson, relates to my pop culture artifact, __The Blind Side__. The four core values of Johnson’s article are male dominance, male identification, male centeredness, and control of women. I think that the movie __The Blind Side__ questions some of the core values that Johnson stated.

When we hear about the movie many people think that the movie is centered on Michael Oher, the football player. This would be considered to Johnson, male centeredness with men and women taking part in the Patriarchal system. Although this seems to be the case, I found it centered on the Tuohy family, mostly Leigh Anne Tuohy and Michael Oher. The reason that I find that it seems to be female centered, is because without the decision of Leigh Anne, Michael Oher would have never had the opportunity that he did. She plays such an important role in changing Michael’s life for the better. She also is the character that finds out about Michael’s past and steps in as his mother figure. The movie could be seen to Johnson as supporting the patriarchal system and male centeredness because of the theme of football. Around the world, football is known to be a male sport, focused around males and masculinity. Because football is not played by females, Johnson would say that football is part of the patriarchal system and supporting it through male centeredness.

Another core value of Johnson’s is control of women. Johnson states in the article, “men maintain their privilege by controlling women” (Johnson 14). In the movie, Leigh Anne challenges this core value. She was the one that made the decision about whether or not or allow a stranger into her household. She didn’t make sure that her husband, Sean, would accept the decision she made. She was in control of her life and was willing to open her home to a stranger in need. Leigh Anne wanted to change a teenager’s life and when she made decision’s, her husband accepted them and supported her. In Johnson’s article it would be thought that she shouldn’t be making such decisions seeing that she is female. Johnson would say that this movie is partially supporting this core value of control of women. In the black neighborhood where Michael is from, the younger men believe that they should have control of the women and often times do. One young man thought that the reason that Michael was with the Tuohy family was so that he could “get some” from Leigh Anne and her daughter, taking control of them. When this is not the case the young man becomes very upset and tells Michael he should be “tapping that” (__The Blind Side__).

The third core value that Johnson talks about in his article is male-identified. In the movie, Leigh Anne could be considered to Johnson with, “qualities such as cooperation,…sharing, compassion, caring…emotional expressiveness, and intuitive and other nonlinear ways of thinking are all devalued, and culturally associated with femininity and femaleness” (Johnson 7). Being a women Johnson would see her as participating in the patriarchal society because she poses these qualities. When Michael leaves for college, the family all takes him to school and sends him on his way. When Leigh Anne says goodbye to him she casually hugs him and walks away. Michael is shocked by this response and follows after her. She returns to the vehicle crying, trying to not let Michael see her. After he catches up to her he asks her to come out of the vehicle for a proper hug. The way that Leigh Anne reacted would lead Johnson to say that she participates in the patriarchal system being emotional and compassionate. Leigh Anne also possesses characteristics of the males in the movie. She has qualities such as “control, strength, toughness, forcefulness” (Johnson 7). In the movie the male coach of the football team has a hard time communicating with Michael and gets frustrated with him. Leigh Anne struts up to the coach and said, “Let me handle this, you can thank me later” (__The Blind Side__). In a very tough and forceful voice, Leigh Anne states to Michael what his responsibilities are for the position he plays. After Leigh Anne walks off the field, they run a play. Michael knew what Leigh Anne said to him and how she said it to him, he did his job and was successful. It seems to me that Leigh Anne goes against Johnson’s male and female identified characteristics.

The last of the four core values is male-centeredness. The one thing that Johnson says in his article is, “if you want a story about heroism, moral courage,…or any of the struggles that give human life its deepest meaning, men and masculinity are usually the terms in which you must see it” (Johnson 10). I find that this is not true, especially with this movie. Leigh Anne is the one that is the hero. She saved a teenage boy that could have been a drug addict, school dropout, and homeless, to becoming a successful student and amazing football player, now playing in the NFL. To me she was the one possessed moral courage and over came struggle. She was a very wealthy women and when she was out to eat in a fancy restaurant with her friends, who received a Christmas card of the Tuohy family with Michael in the picture. They told her that she was risking her and her family’s life taking in this “brown boy” in. She told them off and that this boy was changing her life. She also went through the struggle of defending off some of the old neighborhood boys from Michael’s old home town. They would threaten her as being some sexy women, yet she wasn’t offended but told them, “I’m always packing [guns]” (__The Blind Side__).

I find that in this movie, Johnson would have to say that Leigh Anne Tuohy is a good representation of a women going against the patriarchal system. She portrays all of the core values, when in fact they are supposed to be “male”. She is a female that stands up for her right in society and changing a boy’s life, when indeed, she didn’t need to open up her life to a stranger.

media type="youtube" key="i1hG_mjQojw" height="340" width="560"

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">What Would Parsons Say? February 21, 2010

The article, “Ella Evolving: Cinderella Stories and the Construction of Gender Appropriate Behaviors” by Linda Parsons, relates to my pop culture artifact, __The Blind Side__. The main focus of the article is on children and fairy tales and how they observe them. It’s also about what they hear about the fairy tales and how they bring those ideals into their life. I think that Parsons would say that Leigh Anne Tuohy goes against the characters, such as Cinderella, in fairy tales.

In the article Parsons says “fairy tales in the patriarchal tradition portray women as weak, submissive, dependent, and self-sacrificing, while men are powerful, active, and dominant” (Parsons 137). I think Parsons would say that Leigh Anne Tuohy from __The Blind Side__ goes against this statement about the patriarchal tradition with women and men. In the movie, Leigh Anne is not a weak, submissive woman as fairy tales are said to portray them. She was a strong, independent, and powerful woman. During the movie, Leigh Anne Tuohy walked onto the football field to help Michael. She walked up to the male coach and criticized the way that he was coaching Michael. She told Michael what he needed to do and after she finished, she said to the coach, “You can thank me later” (__The Blind Side__). To be considered influenced by fairy tales, Leigh Anne never would have questioned what the coach did and she would have been quiet. The princess and characters of fairy tales are very laid back and don’t question male authority. I think that Parsons would say that Leigh Anne is not seen as a princess character. She doesn’t put her husband, or man, before herself and what she believes is right.

In Parsons article it also states that, “a powerful female is most often ugly if not evil” (Parsons 138). I think that Parsons would say that __The Blind Side__ goes against this statement. The most powerful person in this movie is the female, Leigh Anne Tuohy. In the fairy tale sense, Sean Tuohy, Leigh Anne’s husband, is the one that should be powerful and controlling while Leigh Anne sits back and observes. In fairy tales the male character is the one that strives to be heroic and be the center of the female’s life. In Leigh Anne’s case she is already married, so during the movie there is no man trying to come in on his white horse and make her proud. Parsons would say Leigh Anne is the one riding in on her horse and saving a young man’s life. Leigh Anne is the one that makes all of the decisions about Michael and if he can stay with the family. I think that Parsons would say that Leigh Anne is not the typical princess and that although she is powerful, she is not seen as the evil or ugly “stepmother” character.

“Fairy tales also convey the message that women suffer, if not be humiliated, before they are rewarded” (Parsons 137). Parsons would say that in the movie, Leigh Anne doesn’t suffer or be humiliated, to be rewarded. She controls her own destiny and throughout the movie, she stands her own ground and becomes a very strong woman who is rewarded with Michael. One part in the movie a young black man from Michael’s neighborhood tries to humiliate Leigh Anne by talking about how attractive she is. He was trying to humiliate her in front of all of his gang. This didn’t work though because Leigh Anne came back with a smart comment, which made him and his gang silent. Even though she is never humiliated or suffers, she is rewarded with Michael. Michael changed her life and she has him in her life by oppressing the typical fairy tale theme.

I think that Parsons would comment on the appearance of Leigh Anne. She is a beautiful woman that portrays herself very businesslike in the movie. I think that Parsons would say that this can reinforce patriarchy and similar portrayal of females in fairy tales. Throughout all the scenes Leigh Anne is concerned about the way that she looks and must look professional. Even when attending a football games, she has a business suit on with heels. This reinforces patriarchal values and fairy tale apparel. Parsons would say that because you don’t see her in a scene with sweats on and no make-up she is participating in the patriarchal system and portraying herself as a princess would in a fairy tale.



<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">What Would Do Rozario Say? February 28, 2010

The article, “The Princess and the Magic Kingdom: Beyond Nostalgia, the Function of the Disney Princess” by Rebecca Anne Do Rozario relates to my artifact __The Blind Side__. The article discusses many different topics about how most princess movies focus on a father and daughter relationship with the mother not being present. If there is a mother present she always seems to be an evil stepmother, never the real mother.

In the movie __The Blind Side__ the mother of the troubled boy, Michael is talked about and is seen in the movie. Although she doesn’t play an important role in Michael’s life she is still present and not forgotten about. In the movie Michael’s mother is seen during a scene when Leigh Anne finds her in an apartment, to discuss Michael’s birth certificate and adoption. In that scene Michael’s mother is very skinny and looks very unhealthy. She is considered an addict to drugs, alcohol and sex. When Leigh Anne talks to her about Michael and his siblings, she didn’t even know which man was Michael’s father or what his real last name is. She said that she had multiple children and that none of them were living with her. Michael and his siblings were taken away from his mother because she was not able to provide the adequate care for them. She was always being caught with drugs and men were abusing her and her children. Social services took Michael from his mother at a very young age, yet he always wanted to return to her. He would run away from his foster family to try to find her and come home to her. Do Rozario would say that this is an important aspect in a movie because not often do the real mothers play a role in the child’s life. Because of the decisions of his mother, Michael turns out the way he does and because of her actions it leads to him finding a different family. I also think that Leigh Anne, the adoptive parent, plays a more important role in Michael’s life, also being more of a mother figure to him that his real mother was. All of the conflicts come between a superior mother figure and Michael instead of the common father/daughter conflict. I think that Do Rozario would agree that because of the conflict and relationships is between mother and son, it gives the movie a different dimension then a typical princess/prince film.

I also think that Michael’s mother plays a femme fatal role. This role is a alluring and seductive woman who leads her lovers into bonds of desire. I think that in the movie Michael’s mother is the femme fatal in sense that she always allures men into her life always having a hidden agenda. She always seems to have multiple children with the different men that she sleeps with. Also I think she is a femme fatal towards Michael. She always seems to get him to return to her even if what she does isn’t at his best interest. In the movie there is a part where Michael is upset with the Tuohy family and decides to run to his mother. It seems that he has some sort of obsession to be with her even though the decision isn’t really rational, seeing as what she has put him through. I think that after a while he learns that he is happy with his new family and new mother and that he doesn’t need her anymore.

Another key topic in this article is when Do Rozario discusses the princesses determining their fate and how the main character is the princess instead of the hero. With comparing to my artifact, I think that Do Rozario would say that the princess/prince or main character is Michael. The hero in this case would be the Tuohy family that took him in and gave him a new life. Looking at it this way, this movie seems similar to that of princess movies where the princess/prince would determine the fate of the hero. In __The Blind Side__ Michael, the prince, is the main character determining the fate of the hero, the Tuohy family. Michael can choose to accept their gift and stay part of their family, or he could decline it and leave the family alone. I think Do Rozario would say that this is very similar to Disney films and we are clearly still directing our movies toward the common princess theme.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">What Would Hager Say? March 7, 2010

The article, ““Saving the World Before Bedtime”: The Powerpuff Girls, Citizenship, and the Little Girl Superhero”, by Lisa Hager relates to my artifact, __The Blind Side__.

Hager challenges gender stereotypes by saying, “they exist within the show as “normal” little girls, the male-oriented sexuality of women superheroes, as well as girl anime characters, remain present even in its absence” (Hager 70). I think that Hager would say that Leigh Anne Tuohy challenges gender stereotypes and typically female dress. Leigh Anne is a very independent and strong individual. She works at her own job as a salesperson for carpeting and rugs. She dresses very sophisticated in business attire, such as blouses, long skirts, and dresses. Her attire isn’t sexual and keeps her body covered, where in most films where a woman would be very seductive. Women are seen to be wearing low cut shirts revealing their breasts or short skirts that show their butt off. Hager would say that the way that she dresses goes against gender stereotypes where the woman always dresses seductively.

I also think that Hager would say that Leigh Anne can be seen as a superhero in the sense that she saved a young boys life by taking him in. If she would not have been in his life, it was forecasted that he would have become an addict to drugs and alcohol, not finished school, and possibly lost his life. In this movie, Leigh Anne is also a very active and supportive football fan. She attends all of Michael’s games and also helps Michael with learning the game. She helps the coach, and at times tries to tell the coach how to coach his team. One part in the movie she calls the coaches cell phone during a game. Michael was struggling against this one boy and she wanted to tell him what he needed to say to Michael. The coach answers his phone and she yells at him telling him that “Run the dang football” and “Michael needs to protect the QB”. Hager would say that this challenges typical gender roles. Football is seen as a guy’s sport for tough, rugged men. Not often times you would see a women having such an interest in this sport, also knowing as much about it as she did.

Hager would say that Leigh Anne participates in diva citizenship. “Diva citizenship as a movement in which a previously abject citizen “stages a dramatic coup in the public sphere in which she does not have privilege” and temporarily makes her radical critique central to the dominant discourse, thereby disrupting its fictional universality (223)” (Hager 65). Leigh Anne participates in a movement of reaching out to children that are less fortunate then her and that need help. She steps up and takes in a child that was struggling with his life and she does this without really having a reason to do so. She steps out of the box and becomes a very well-known individual for what she has done, and starts a movement, hoping other families can change children’s lives like she did. Leigh Anne also participates in diva citizenship when it comes to Michael playing football. Being a female, she is seen to not know anything about the manly sport. She instead takes matters into her own hands about how to coach Michael. She takes stand in the way that the coach needs to talk to Michael and actually does it herself. She really doesn’t have the privilege to walk out on the field and give the coaching staff advice, but she does it anyways, participating in diva citizenship.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">What Would Schrum Say? March 14, 2010

The article, “Teena Means Business; Teenage Girls’ Culture and “Seventeen” Magazine, 1944-1950”, by Kelly Schrum relates to my pop culture artifact, __The Blind Side__.

In the movie __The Blind Side__, Leigh Anne has a young daughter named Collins. She is the same age as Michael and in the same class as well. I think that this article relates to her because of the way that she presents herself and the message that is depicted by the viewers of the film. In Schrum’s article she states, “The influence of school and peers, combined with the growing prominence throughout the early twentieth century of professionals who advised on family life and child-rearing practices, decreased parental authority” (Schrum 4). Schrum would say that Collins is influenced by her peers at school. She does what is expected of her and follows in her friends footsteps. She never really disobeys her parents, but she does act disrespectful toward Michael right away. Instead of acknowledging him at school when she would see him, she would hurry and turn away and act as if she never saw him. I think that this behavior was influenced by her friends because after Michael had lived with the Tuohy’s for quite some time, Collins soon ditches her friends to go study with Michael since no one else would. Schrum would say that the way that Collins acted right away could be from the influence of outside sources.

Another statement from Schrums article is, “The scant literature on female adolescents addressed issues of behavior, appearance, and relationships and idealized teenage girls for their domesticity and dependence on consumer goods to alleviate feelings of inferiority (Schrum 5 [Silverman 12; Lynd and Lynd 159-167]). Schrum would say that this applies to Collins because of her behavior. She acted very rudely toward Michael right away because that is how her friends thought that she should act. Second, she appeared in an idealized teenage role. She was a cheerleader. After high school its says that she went on to pursue a scholarship in cheerleading at the Ole Miss. It never says that she got a scholarship in an academic area. All if focuses on in her college life is cheerleading nothing academic. This is defiantly a sign of idealized roles for teenage girls.

In class we also discussed the ideologies of Schrum presented in magazines. First we talked about the emphasis on appearance. I believe that the way that Collins is portrayed in the film leads the young viewers to focus on their appearance. Collins is a well-dressed female, wearing seductive clothing, which is appealing to the young teens that view the movie. The second ideology is participation in consumer culture. This means that what you seen around you is what you see yourself in. If your friends or young actresses are wearing miniskirts, then you should be too. I think that __The Blind Side__ portrays Collins as participating in consumer culture, there for acknowledging the viewers to participate in that same culture. The third ideology of Schrum is the limited emphasis on education and careers. Schrum would say that the viewers of the movie would take this same message from Collins. She does attend high school and college, but the focus is cheerleading, and not academics. The viewers see this as cheerleading to be more important than academics. Another ideology is what girls should be for guys. In the movie Collins must always be made up and looking her best, especially when cheerleading. She is always trying to impress the guys. Schrum would say that from this depiction, viewers see how they must look in order to impress men.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">What Would Zipes Say? April 4, 2010

The article, “The Phenomenon of Harry Potter, or Why All the Talk?” by Zipes portrays relates to my pop culture artifact, __The Blind Side__.

In the article Zipes talks about how Harry Potter seems to be a phenomenon and how things can be “transformed through institutional changes of education, shifts in family relations, the rise of corporate conglomerates controlling the mass media, and market demands” (Zipes 2). I think that Zipes would say that __The Blind Side__ portrays the same institutional changes of educations and shifts in family relations. The first piece of evidence from the movie would be how Michael transfers from school to school barely passing any classes. He attends public schools near his home, The Projects of Memphis. Michael then transfers, because of a friend’s father, to a private Christian school. Michael was not going to be accepted right away, but after a long discussion the school board decided that being a Christian school they would accept him because it is the right thing to do.

Michael also goes through shifts in family relations. Michael didn’t know his father at all. He was separated from his mother at a young age because of her abuse of drugs. He was also separated from his siblings and was forced to live with other foster families or friends. Michael then becomes part of a wealthy family who takes him in, clothes him, feeds him, and gives him the support his mother never did. He became to know the Tuohy’s as his family, soon calling Leigh Anne mom.

Zipes also discusses how things become phenomenal. He states, “they are ordinary and yet have become extraordinary…a person or commodity must conform to the tastes of hegemonic groups that determine what makes up a phenomenon…it is impossible to be phenomenal without conforming to conventionality” (Zipes 3). I feel that Zipes would say that __The Blind Side__ would partially be considered conventional. The movie is centered on a wealthy white family and a poor, big, black boy. Throughout the movie the whites are seen as the ones with wealth and power and the blacks are gangsters and poor. Zipes would say that this fits to conventionality because that is how much of Americans see the world around us. Whites are superior to blacks. I also think that Zipes would consider this movie to be considered not ordinary. This movie doesn’t have a common theme throughout Hollywood. Most movies focus on romance and comedy. This movie has no romance, and is not considered a comedy. There isn’t a man chasing after a woman trying to win her love. The only romantic relationship in the film is Leigh Anne and her husband, Sean. Their relationship is not the focus of the movie. The main focus of the film is how someone can change another person’s life. They focus on generosity, caring, and support. Without all of these, the film would have no meaning and not be life changing. This is a real story with an inspirational theme to change people’s lives. This type of theme is truly extraordinary, yet without being ordinary. (The film cover it says, “Based on the Extraordinary True Story”).

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">What Would Heilman and Donaldson Say? April 4, 2010

The article, “From Sexist to (sort-of) Feminist //Representations of Gender in the Harry Potter Series//” by Elizabeth E. Heilman and Trevor Donaldson, relates to my pop culture artifact, __The Blindside__.

In the article the authors talk about how in the Harry Potter Series, the women are outnumbered by men. The article states that there are estimate 36% females and 64% males (Heilman and Donaldson). They believe that the Harry Potter series is sexist against women. I believe that in the movie __The Blindside__ there are about 70% males and 30% females, leading Heilman and Donaldson to believe that they are sexist against women. I feel that this would be examined differently based on the roles that the women play. Throughout the movie the few women that are in the movie, they play important/lead roles. For example Leigh Anne Tuohy is Michael’s adoption mother. Without Leigh Anne the entire film would not have been possible. She makes all of the important decisions and if she would not have decided that Michael could come stay with her family, he would have stayed on the streets and been unknown to us. Another important female in the movie is Ms. Sue, Michaels tutor. She is an important female in Michael’s academic transformation. She helped Michael achieve grades so he would be eligible to play football at the college level. Collins, Michael’s adoption sister, also plays an important role. She becomes one of Michael’s closest friends, someone that he can trust and lean on. I find that these roles are very important throughout the movie and without their roles, the movie would lack interest. Heilman and Donaldson would say that lack of females in the film would lead them to say that the film is sexist against women. They would also say that because of the importance of the women they are making up their lack of numbers and playing important roles.

Heilman and Donaldson would say that the numbers are higher for the men because of the football theme. All of the coaches that are recruiting Michael to play football at the college level are male. This is not part of the director’s decision for having male coaches. This problem rises outside of the movie. All coaches in real live at the college level are male. Yes, this would make it very sexist for women, but it just doesn’t happen. I find it just part of the movie to follow what society does and when they present the coaches, they should have males.

I think that Heilman and Donaldson would say that this movie is very sexist towards women. The article states, “The more important characters are predominantly male” (Heilman and Donaldson 141). In the movie all the coaches, teachers, and principle are male dominated. These seem to be important characters in the movie. Heilman and Donaldson would say that because these roles are played by males, it makes the movie to be male dominated and sexist to women.

In the movie Michael is the main character, but Leigh is the other main character. When nominated for Academy Awards, Michael’s actor wasn’t nominated; instead the actress that played Leigh Anne Tuohy was the one to be nominated. Obviously her portrayal in the movie was very significant and important.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">What Would Inness Say? April 25, 2010

The article, “It’s a Girl Thing: Tough Female Action Figures in the Toy Store”, by Sharrie Inness relates to my popular culture artifact, __The Blind Side__.

Although there are no real action figures for the movie __The Blind Side__, there are many different characteristics about each character that would be portrayed if they were to be created. First off the two main characters would need to be the main focus of the action figure line, Leigh Anne and Michael. Michael would have the typical male action figure build. He would be “over-muscled plastic figure that look as though they spent the last decade in the gym”, (Inness 75). This would be an accurate action figure for Michael because in the movie he is a tall, muscular football player. For his position on the team (left-tackle or the blind side) the best qualities are strong muscles, long legs, and quick feet.

The other main action figure that would need to be presented is Leigh Anne seeing as she plays the most important role in the movie. This goes against what Inness said about “when women do appear, they are frequently secondary to men”, (Inness 78). Her role as an action figure would be the hero, seeing as she was the one saving Michael. Again this goes against what Inness says about the males being the one’s that play an important role as superheroes (Inness 78). Her action figure would not be the one that is typically seen for female action figures. Inness says that the typical female action figure, “must not appear to be masculine and tough…they are frequently presented as feminine and heterosexually desirable”, (Inness 83). Leigh Anne’s action figure would be dressed in business like attire, with long hair. Although her character seems Barbie like, this representation is how she is presented in the movie. In the movie Leigh Anne is seen as heterosexually desirable for the young black men in The Projects. This doesn’t mean that her character should be half naked and showing cleavage. The only reason that she was appealing to those young black boys in the movie is because she is a rich, white woman, someone they see as desirable.

The properties of female action figures/heroes and the way that Leigh Anne Tuohy is presented in __The Blind Side__ relate to each other. Leigh Anne has heroic qualities that are visible in the film. One part in the movie Leigh Anne is searching for Michael and returns to his apartment. Upon arriving there she comes across some of Michael’s neighborhood acquaintances. As they see her walking up to them, one of them starts to threaten her and Michael. As she starts to walk away he states, “Hear me, bitch?” (__The Blind Side__). She turns around and says, “No, you hear me bitch! You threaten my son, you threaten me. You so much as cross into downtown you will be sorry. I’m in a prayer group with the D.A., I’m a member of the NRA and I’m always packing.” (__The Blind Side__). This is definitely words coming from a woman that has the courage and heart to stand up for her family. She could have gotten shot by that guy, but she didn’t care. She risked her life to save Michael, her son’s. These are heroic qualities and they challenge traditional ideas about heroism. These words are heroic because she stood up for her son and didn’t let some guy push her around or talk smack to her. Inness would say that these are great qualities to have in a female action figure.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">What Would Inness Say? April 25, 2010

The article “Anti-Barbies” by Sharrie Inness relates to my popular culture artifact, __The Blind Side__. Inness discusses three different forms of ideology suggested by Sutherland.

The first of the three is politics of advocacy, which is described as “pleading for and promoting a specific cause, or upholding a particular point of view or course of action as being valid and right…serves the aims of indoctrination, urging a particular value system or course of action, or attempting to enforce conformity to a set of behavioral norms” (Inness 172 [145, 146]). The politics of advocacy can work to affirm different values and which we may disagree or agree. The movie __The Blind Side__ would have a positive side of politics of advocacy. Inness would say that the movie addresses racial and social equality. The Tuohy’s don’t discriminate against Michael even though he is black and poor. This shows that they are providing social equality throughout the economy. The Tuohy’s promote multicultural understanding as well. They accept Michael for the man that he is, not for what color he is or where he is from.

The second ideology is politics of attack, which is “generated by the authors sense of amusement, outrage, or contempt when they encounter something that runs counter to their concepts of right and wrong, good and evil, justice, fair play, decency, or truth” (Inness 173 [147]). Inness would say that the politics of attack in __The Blind Side__ would teach behavioral messages. Leigh Anne teaches people to accept people for who they are and what they bring to your life. She teaches the viewers of the movie that if you take the time to help people in need, they will in fact change your life tremendously. This movie also shows how discrimination can affect a person’s life. In the movie Michael was playing football for the Christian school. He was the only black football player in the area. During the game one of the defensive players tackled Michael and while Michael was on the ground he kicked Michael in the head. The referee was standing right by Michael when this happened and he never threw a flag. The coach started yelling at the ref for not calling unsportsmanlike conduct, but he never did. The coach received a flag and a technical. Michael grabbed his coach and said to him, “I got your back Coach”. After the coach settled down, Michael grabbed the flag off of the ground and handed it back to the ref without any complaints and continued playing the game.

The third ideology is politics of assent which is often hidden. Politics of assent is “ideologies generally prevalent in the society…it affirms the status quo and continually reinforces it…it has great potential impact on the shape of society” (Inness 175 [151,155]). Inness would say that __The Blind Side__ can potentially affect society into adopting young, athletic black boys so they can play a colligate sport at the families alma mater. This topic was discussed in the movie because the NCAA thought that they only reason the Tuohy’s adopted Michael was so that he could play football at Ole Miss, their alma mater. After discussion with Michael he said that he wanted to attend Ole Miss because that is where his family went to school. This discussion could be taken the wrong way by viewers and they could participate in adopting children just for their athletic ability.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">What Would Gaunt Say? May 2, 2010

The article, “Let a Woman Jump” from //The Games Black Girls Play//, by Kyra Gaunt relates to my pop culture artifact, __The Blind Side__.

In the movie __The Blind Side__ Michael, one of the main characters is a black boy from “The Projects” a section of Memphis were poor black people live. Throughout the movie there are times in the movie where they show some scenes in this community. In those scenes you see the black community and apartments. Although when viewing them there are never young girls present. You see young black boys and once in a while there are older women, such as Michael’s mother.

In the article, Gaunt says, “black musical style and behavior are learned through oral-kinetic practices that not only teach an embodied discourse of black musical expression, but also inherently teach discourse about appropriate and transgressive gender and racial roles (both girls and boys) in African American communities” (Gaunt 2). I think that Gaunt would say that the producers of the movie left out an important factor in black communities. If they really want to get the point across about how children are raised in poor, less fortunate communities they should have included some games that the little girls would play such as double dutch, hand-clapping games, and foot-stomping. Gaunt also says that “embodied musical practices performed by girls are ordinarily visible in African American neighborhoods and urban communities” (Gaunt 2). Obviously they didn’t provide this in the movie, but I think that Gaunt would feel that if we had gone to the community where Michael grew up, there actually would have been girls playing these games.

Gaunt also states that, “the kinetic orality of black musical expression is a path to learning ethnic group and gender identity, and is a way of playing with a somatic consciousness that expresses such identifications” (Gaunt 8). Gaunt would say that by dancing, singing, and stomping this gives a way for the girls of a black community a way to represent themselves positively and a way for them to carry on a tradition that has been passed down by their parents. If __The Blind Side__ was correctly portraying Michael’s life in “The Projects”, they would have included those girls in the background, giving live to a community that seems so dull. The girls would be engaging in a common activities found among young girls in a black community who don’t have much to do other then dance, stomp, and sing.

The movie confirms Gaunt’s arguments because the practices and activities that are made present in the film, such as sports for African-American men, are the main focus. Gaunt also argues that the females and their activities are underestimated and left out in the film. She would argue that the movie __The Blind Side__ focuses on the male African-American sports, yet completely forgets about the girls and women of the same culture.