First of all, think of Riddick. My sister can’t watch The Chronicles of Riddick enough; she thinks that it is so cool. Why? Because Riddick is so dog-gone tough! He can take out any obstacle, whether it is just one man or an entire army. Striding a few lines like Shaft, Riddick is both criminal and somewhat of a hero; he mostly looks out for himself, but he also shows hints of caring for others. Being in the middle ground can really take its toll. Both of these men are thrown into danger’s way to protect those who can’t look out for themselves. Now, Shaft is definitely more of a hero than Riddick because Shaft is defined on the justice side instead of the criminal side, but these two are hardened by the middle-ground. For Shaft, the racial tensions, criminal tensions, and lifestyle tensions force him to develop a think skin. He is made physically tough from his job fighting crime. After being shot several times, he is able to resolutely bounce up a few hours later to take vengeance and finish the job. He is also emotionally tough both from his social middle-ground and his job. He receives insults and jibes from both sides of classes and races because he doesn’t fully belong to one group, but this doesn’t bring Shaft down. No, he just jabs right back and puts those people in their place. Nothing brings Shaft down, he can always rise up.
While the middle-ground throws many daggers and forces the character to become tough, it also opens many doors that would otherwise be closed. Shaft is oftentimes the only answer to the racial or class problems in the movie. Since he can walk on both grounds, he is the only one who can keep the peace. To be the only solution to a problem, to be the only one who can get the job done, that is pretty cool! Another example of this coolness can be seen in Disney’s Pocahontas. Pocahontas is the only person who can make the white men and her people live together in harmony and the same goes for Shaft. Just imagine what would happen if these two characters weren’t around in their stories.
Good Pocahontas reference! But do you think Shaft was really trying to keep the peace between the 2 sides, or was he associating himself at certain times with the side that would give HIM the most benefit?
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that we find Shaft cool for being in the middle. When we first discussed cool it was said that cool lived on the extremes of the continuum and not in the middle of the road. How is Shaft different? How does he make the middle cool?
ReplyDeleteYou've made some really good points in your post about Shaft's role. But let's not mistake his middle-ground for being a mediator, because he never acts in that role. He is certainly a man apart from all of those around him. In fact, he very much knows it and feels it (his women are supposed to bring him back to earth again, but he can never stay there). Shaft's position, though I'm sure he wouldn't tell you, is very lonely.
ReplyDeleteI agree that shaft was in between to cultures/social groups, in more than one way even: between white and black, but also between mob and gang. Also, in answer to Amy's question, I think that Shaft makes the middle cool because no one else will do it. He is an original.
ReplyDeleteJust because Shaft was in the middle doesn't mean that he wanted to be a mediator though. Would he be as cool if he were a mediator like MLKjr or any of the other civil rights leaders?
ReplyDeleteIt seems that my position is seen as incorrect, but I beg to differ. I am going to stick with my view of Shaft mainly because he DOES act between these groups and resolves problems between them. Sure, he's not an ambassador or anything like that, but he is the one both sides go to for help. I think he is just a different type of middle man, one who didn't really volunteer for it, but he does the job asked of him. It is rough on him, too. I agree with you guys there. This relates to FJohn's question, he's not going to make any speeches or wear any suits, but he does work to make sure people can live together relatively peacefully. His motive isn't entirely noble, but he does care that the federal forces not get involved if a war breaks out between the mob and Bumpy...
ReplyDeleteAmanda, I am really impressed for holding your ground on what you believe. I can see each person's point, but I also think you have hit on something as well and that because of this you shouldn't give up on what you believe.
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