The entertainment industry is grappling with mounting backlash as allegations of favoring “White Savior” storylines resurface, particularly in light of the ongoing controversy surrounding the 2009 film “The Blind Side.”
Michael Oher, the former NFL player whose life inspired the Academy Award-winning movie, has recently claimed that he was never formally adopted by the Tuohy family, asserting that he was manipulated into a conservatorship that allowed them to profit from his name and story.
Critics in the film industry and liberal journalism circles contend that “The Blind Side,” which earned multiple NAACP Image Award nominations and a Best Actress Oscar for Sandra Bullock, exemplifies the problematic “White savior” trope. This trope often entails narratives of marginalized minorities being told through the lens of “heroic” White characters.
In a conversation with the Los Angeles Times, Claudia Puig, former President of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, expressed not being surprised by Oher’s revelations but rather by the delay in him coming forward. Puig criticized the “White savior” aspects in “The Blind Side,” branding the film as self-serving, patronizing, and potentially racist.
Puig further called out Hollywood for its paradoxical stance, where it positions itself as a progressive advocate for minority rights while frequently overshadowing the voices it claims to amplify. She expressed a hope that the industry would refrain from producing such cringe-worthy films in the future.
Greg Braxton, a senior writer at the LA Times, acknowledged that although recent controversies surrounding movies like “Green Book” might have tempered the prevalence of the “White savior” trend, the industry has not completely abandoned it. Braxton observed that such projects, often led by White filmmakers, intend to condemn racism and are inspired by true stories. However, these narratives, by primarily focusing on White characters, can undermine their intended messages and, in some cases, even contradict them.
Numerous films and TV shows, including titles like “Lawrence of Arabia,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Glory,” “Dances With Wolves,” “The Help,” “Avatar,” and “Game of Thrones,” have faced allegations of perpetuating the “White savior” trope.
Tim Cogshell, a seasoned film critic, highlighted the movie “Ghosts of Mississippi,” where the story of a White assistant district attorney took prominence in a narrative centered on the murder of civil rights activist Medgar Evers. Cogshell expressed his concern over how such stories divert focus from important historical figures.
Additionally, Erin Ash, a communications professor at Clemson University, criticized the 2018 Academy Award-winning film “Green Book” for simplifying racism for White audiences. She argued that such tropes persist because they resonate within the cultural context.
While Braxton acknowledged that Hollywood might not entirely abandon the “White savior” trope, he underscored that evolving cultural norms could result in a high cost for producing similar content.
The recent revelations made by Oher in legal filings indicate that he was never formally adopted by the Tuohy family. These claims have sparked further debates, with the Tuohy family vehemently denying all allegations, including accusations of profiting from Oher through the conservatorship.