Blindspotting — A Response
Blindspotting is a film about racial identity and the gentrification of Oakland, California. It’s viewed from the eyes of two best friends, Collin and Miles. The former, a convicted felon while the later a “gangsta” white guy from the Town. The opening scene showcases Oakland’s diverse culture which has been saturated not only in blackness but blended with other minority culture contrasted against hipsters taking over and displacing Oaklands current inhabitants. Oakland is portrayed beautifully by the director, Carlos Lopez Estrada using vivid and bright imagery of graffiti, the bodegas, and various streets with Oakland natives. However, with the new tech guys coming in they expect or want to change the Town and make the “city brand new” (Blindspotting) by buying up homes, raising rent to push out the poor, and pushing out the established culture so engrained in Oakland. They are pushing people out by depriving them of the environment they are most familiar with, of the only environment they’ve ever known. The loss of one’s own home at the hands of white tech guys leads to a loss of identity that angers not only Miles but likely other people born and raised in Oakland. Although we see that Miles completely denies the influx of hipsters into the Town, Collin is a little more malleable and open to new ideas and the possibility of creating a more sustainable Oakland. However, this is “gentrification on a whole ‘nother level” (Blindspotting) as so clearly stated by Miles early on in the film. Oakland is part of the identity both men have as they were born and raised in the Town and embraced the culture that came with it such as the poetry, the music, and art. To push the native Oakland people out of their homes not only baffles them but infuriated them because the tech guys not only believe themselves entitled to the culture but entitled to the Town. As such it leaves both Collin and Miles questioning their identities and where they fit on the racial spectrum.
The film weaves complex topics eloquently and allows for the viewer to sit back and reflect once its over as it did with me. It proved that racial identity is not just black and white (no pun intended) but fluid. Collin, is a black man with “dreads” (they were braids, dreads don’t just come out) and a convicted felon. He fits the stereotypical black trope which is that black men are violent and resort to violence whenever and wherever they are. But in essence he’s “a big black dude with braids living in Oakland” as pointed out by Miles who isn’t being “mis-represented” (Blindspotting.) Unfortunately, there is some truth to this as any outsider may feel fear when looking at Collin because of what he looks like and where he’s from. Collin struggles with being a black man because he understands the dangers it brings him. He understands that in the current political climate he can be shot just for being black and walking down the street (which he witnessed early on in the film.) However, Collin doesn’t fit the stereotypical black man trope, he isn’t violent and doesn’t resort to violence. He just happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time as it may be true for other black men. All he wants is to separate himself from the stereotype but fights an outside struggle with his best friend who always involves him in stereotypical black man scenarios (such as bar fights or gun related things.) The film does well in making me think of my internal struggles of stereotyping black men as well as other minorities which is a hard task to face just as you see with Collin throughout the film. Daveed (the actor who portrays Collin) not only shows the internal struggles a black man faces in defying the stereotypes but gives the character an element of realness which allows anyone who watches to relate.
Miles, on the other hand is more racially ambiguous. He’s a white man born and raised in Oakland. Surrounded by African Americans, Asians, Latinos, and various other people. He went to school in a majority black city and as such shares the same dress and mannerisms as other Oakland natives. This is part of his racial identity, he doesn’t know any different because he was never showcased anything different other than the culture he was raised in. This proves to be a disadvantage to him as hipsters believe he’s one of them when he’s not. He feels a loss of identity because people do not take him at face value but instead a white man trying to take a culture that isn’t his. This is exasperated when he begins to notice the increase of tech guys and hipsters coming into Oakland. He sees the change in Oakland as a means of erasing his identity and the identity of the Town. Miles is not in a unique situation, meaning that there likely were many poor white families living in cities like Oakland who Inter-meshed and became one with the established culture. However, as unfortunate as it may be Miles has an advantage above the rest of the Oakland population in that he’s white. His whiteness allows him to escape the troubles that plague Collin thus avoiding prison during the altercation at the bar, being shot for walking late at night, or being thought of as violent because white men don’t act that way. Fortunately, Collin points out that Miles “is out here actin like an ass like there ain’t no consequences…” that he (Miles) is actually “the one they’re out here lookin for” (Blindspotting) putting everything into perspective not just for Miles but for the audience. That we as people don’t realize the advantages we may or may not have in society due to our race and/ or racial identity.
