America: Positive and Negative

After seemingly endless deliberation I have chosen two images that help represent the positive and negative elements to America.

My first picture is a poster presenting the infamous 1915 film 'The Birth of a Nation' directed by DW Griffin. The film is known for illustrating the Ku Klux Klan in a positive light, and presenting black people as aggressive and stupid. It's the reaction, however, which exposes the darker side to America in my opinion. The film was hugely successful and Americans received it very well. The film is seen as an important factor in the KKKs dramatic rise in membership in the late 1910s and 1920s, showing the depth of the response from Americans.

In a broader sense, I believe this reaction epitomises America's dedication to the media and its naivety when presented with propaganda. DW Griffin's film is just one of many pieces of negative media across the nations history which has drawn in Americans and indoctrinated their thoughts.

My second picture is of some Clemson Tigers fans at the Clemson Memorial Stadium in South Carolina. The stadium has a maximum capacity of 80,000 and often has as many people coming to watch American Football games. Sport plays a pivotal role in American society. In my opinion, the American obsession with sport is something extremely positive. Throughout American history a sports arena has been one of the few places where people from a country often plagued by social, political and racial conflict could all come together as a community. My picture presents a clear sense of community and togetherness. American sport itself has proved to be one of the most diverse and racially accepting areas of American society. For example, Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play in the Major League Baseball association in 1947. This came almost ten years before the Civil Rights Movement had even started, suggesting that sport was an area leading the strive for the stability of racial conflict. On the surface my picture represents community, but beneath the surface it also represents acceptance and pride.