White Saviors in Media

 In recent years as the world heads towards the inclusion of minorities and people of color in media, White characters in fiction have become a topic of debate. This is usually due to the phenomena known as "White Savior Syndrome". In short, a 'White savior' is a White character who plays the role of the one who solves everyone's problems, most commonly those of people of color. Many believe this sends a bad message, as it could play part in establishing a White-dominant culture and influence people into thinking that White people are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

 

 One example of this would be the 2003 film, 'Radio'. Radio is a movie about a mentally handicapped African-American boy who has a fascination for radios, hence the nickname. One day Radio passes by the local high-school and catches glimpses of the football team practicing. This doesn't end up well for him, as the players end up locking Radio in an equipment storage, where they proceed to scare Radio by throwing footballs at the storage. The coach of the team sees this and rescues Radio. The movie then continues as Coach Jones' personal mission becomes to involve Radio with the team.

While it does make for a great movie, this  premise does have one slight issue to some people. The thing is, Coach Jones is White. That's a shocker, I know right? But people nowadays aren't fond of the White Savior stereotype in movies. The only problem with pointing the finger at the movie Radio is that it's based on a real story. Coach Jones was a White man who, in a racially divided town, looked beyond Radio's skin color and disability. He simply saw a scared boy who was in need of help. Saying that Radio is a 'White Savior' movie just doesn't work because it's not a fictional story.

But do you wanna know a movie that actually fits the mold of a White Savior flick? Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Most people have at least heard of Indiana Jones, but here's a quick rundown. Indiana Jones is an archeologist. That's about it, and the movies are just about his wildly unrealistic adventures. In the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones encounters a cult that involves human sacrifice. This cult, largely comprised of Indians, is rescued by Jones, a White man. You can see the problem here. 

The tale of a White man coming in to save the day is just not accepted in today's progressive society. I personally have no gripes with the stereotype, unless it is blatantly obvious of what it's attempting to do. In my opinion, these character's just happened to be White. The story can be told the exact same way, regardless if Indiana Jones were Asian, Black, Latino, etc. The way I see it, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a story about a man who gets into trouble and finds his way out of it, meanwhile saving innocents from a murder cult. 

In any case, this all comes down to personal opinion, how you choose to perceive the importance of race when it comes to fictional characters, and the roles they play. Some choose to be more optimistic on the matter, while others choose not to. Whether or not the films producers actually intended for these movies to be White supremacy propaganda will continue to be a mystery.