Crips Made In America Documentary Analysis

America, the country that many dream to live in, the country that promises a change to one’s lives and give them opportunities they would never get haven’t they been here. America the great is what they call it, but is this country really that great? Or are we choosing to show the great while we hide major underlying issues that deserve attention? For many years America has painted this picture of a perfect life, perfect job, and perfect family, well what does it take for one to live that lifestyle? They say you come here, pull yourself by the bootstraps and if you just work hard enough you will have everything you need. Although for some it may seem so simple, it is not. Not everyone is given the same opportunities and so the road to getting

Through all the issues that arise in the documentary, oppression and racism stick out to me the most. In the beginning of the film, we see how people of color are constantly being treated by people in power and institutions. Examples consisted of racist traffic stops, questioning about one’s whereabouts and even acts of violence based on the individual’s race. Here we can see that this so-called great country wasn’t so great towards all of its people. Cast members of this film offer some strong insights on how they feel America as a whole treats them, suggesting things like: “being fed a spoon full of hatred, immunity to fear and harm, rejection.” To me it all suggests oppression, not opportunity nor equality which is what the country promotes. In other words what I am saying is that America doesn’t provide everybody with the same opportunities to succeed and so some people have to work much harder for thing that others could easily earn. Therefore one should question who America is really great for. America has always oppressed people of color and other minority groups. They have done this through slavery, assimilation, segregation and so forth. These constructed systems abide by a hierarchy that favor dominant groups while leaving many minorities at a disadvantage. Not only that but it is also this fixed structure that will continue to marginalize minorities. Consequently with no way out people turn to other means of survival, in this case, gangs. Often times, individuals that join these groups don’t do it because they want to, rather because they need to as a hope to create significance in their