PSY 317 "Burning Mississippi"

A film to repent on all of our doings...

Living in a multicultural country, we might have just did the same to others with or without noticing it.

       Agent Rupert Anderson and Alan Ward, 2 FBI agents "invading" into a small town to find the 3 missing civil rights agents and all they get is their 'feet in the mud'. In Jessup county, most villagers treat the FBI as how they treat the "blacks", which are the African American. They called them the outsiders and would not let them find the 3 'boys' in their state. To obsessed in thinking that they are the superior beings, they neglected and would not take the chance into really seeing who or how are the African Americans. In the end, there was finally an integration displayed where a few "whites" were singing together with the "blacks" on the burned down church.

      I've always liked to watch films that involves police or a detective solving crimes. It has been a thing that police usually go by the order of stuffs and that defiant police are not the best police. To my opinion, to catch a bad guy, you either think like one or be like one. The best is to give them an eye for an eye since the good old way would make them running further. At first, Agent Alan and Rupert did it the old-fashioned FBI way. Until Rupert started to make a different approach.

After many incidents, especially the part where the judge released custody of 3 of the Ku Klux Klan, Agent Alan became even more desperate to catch the culprits as soon as possible. Agent Alan who was against Agent Rupert's idea had to go along with it in the end. Due to the suspense, my friend and I thought that throughout the movie Rupert will be killed while taking dangerous measures. Well..... All's well that ends well....  I still don't understand why the Sheriff got acquitted....


       From a few scenes, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) burned giant crosses when committing the wrongs or worshipping their clan. I thought the KKK were heavily dependent on Christian and worship God until I came upon websites explaining that there were no burning crosses in the beginning of their acts. The burning crosses means the lighting up of the cross that symbolizes a light for God to watch and know of their 'deeds'. Or just a simple sign of victory of war to others. I see it funny how they could kill lots of people, or perceived they are acting in the name of God when the Bible has a commandment "Thou shalt not kill".

Prejudice & Discrimination {that always leads to HATE}

        An innate response from a baby is crying. As they grow, the first thing a baby learn to do is smile and laugh, not hate or hurting others. Thus, as said by Mrs. Pell, hatred is not something innate, but taught, "After seven years of age, you get told enough times, you'd believe it." 'It' being the disassociation of the African Americans from themselves.






       I believe there is also an essence of conformity and obedience in discrimination. Because one person obeys the hatred to the African Americans, everybody else follows and conforms to it which gradually turning it into a norm. It is not just a norm but a generational and worldwide norm, even children have to believe in it. Like how Clayton Townley give speeches to the people and the audience supported it. In many of these scenes, there are children watching and some big enough to follow or conform with their parents. The social learning theory of being exposed would eventually lead to imitation of the behavior. The same goes to hatred. My father threw a stone at an African American, then I'll throw a stone at his son, no biggie.


       As we all know, prejudice is not the same as stereotype. Yet, it could be the source of one. We should not discriminate a group just because a minority/majority does the same. The only way to avoid this is to understand everything about one another or just don't make it worse by putting your nose in it. I stop myself from negative impressions of someone until I see evidence. Besides, this is only to that particular individual and not the whole group.

We are a bunch of different, yet, unique individuals.

{who unfortunately conforms to anything available}

P.s. I'm sorry but I don't agree that every single person would learn from their mistakes. As mentioned earlier, it is taught, conformed, and practiced over time. Plus, lots of people just watch movies for the sake of it. Not many would consider about stuffs after a movie. {not like us curious, nosy psychology students :P}