DearWhitePeople

couldberenamed
DearAnyoneConsideringAnIvyLeague
Education,
probablywithasubtitlealongthelinesofProceedwithCaution.Inthismovie,
JustinSimienconveysveryclearlyhisnegativeviewsofprestigiousuniversities.Heattacks
differentaspectsoflifeattheseesteemedinstitutions,includingtheadministration,the
compartmentalizationofstudents,andtheconcernwithtradition.
Thefilm
DearWhitePeople
makestheclaimthatprestigiousuniversitiesarenegative,unhealthyenvironmentsthrough
variousrhetoricaltechniquesoffilm.
Beforeanalyzingtheclaimsmadeinthefilm,itisimportanttonotethatitisaresponse
toarhetoricalsituation.Arhetoricalsituationisanaturalcontextofpersons,events,objects,
relations,andanexigencewhichstronglyinvitesutterance,withanexigencebeingan
imperfectionmarkedbyurgency(Bitzer5,6).Everypieceofrhetoricisinresponsetoan
outsidesituation,andthisfilmisnodifferent.addrThewriterscreatedafictionalschool,
WinchesterUniversity,tosymbolizeareallifeivyleagueuniversity.WhileWinchesteris
fictitious,theproblemsaddressedareveryreal.
Thefirstoftheseproblemsthefilmidentifiesisthecollegeadministration.Normally,one
wouldexpectschooladministratorstobeportrayedaskindandsympathetic,genuinely
concernedwiththewellbeingofitsstudents.NotatWinchester.Thisadministrationisdisplayed
asabureaucraticmess,usingitsstudentsonlyasmeanstogarnerincomeandcreategoodPR.
ThekingofPRconcernisPresidentFletcher,whosymbolizestheentireadministration.
Fromthemomentheappearsonscreen,PresidentFletcherisshowninanegativelightthrough
hisspeech.Thedialoguewrittenforhischaracterissaturatedwithlinesconveyingnotonlya
lackofconcernforhisstudents,butadisgustingnaivety.Hisopeningline,Freespeechmy
ass,immediatelypresentshimatoddswithalltheAmericanidealstheaudienceholdsdear.
Eveniftheconnectionisunconscious,thisveryspecificreferencetosomethingusuallyrevered
lendstoanimmediatenegativeimpressionupontheaudience.Further,hislackofconcern
manifestsitselfwhenheismoreworriedaboutimpressingtheinvestorsthandealingwiththe
blatantraceissuedestroyinghiscampus.WhenhediscussesthisissuewithDeanFairbanks,
Fletchershowsconcern,butitisdirectedatthepossibleimpactontheupcomingfundraiserthan
towardstheeffectsofhisschoolsenvironmentonhisstudents.Next,hemuttersracismisover
inAmericaanyway,afterwhichtheaudienceisinvitedtojoinDeanFairbanksinanaghast
scoff.Onlymomentsbefore,theaudiencewasangrythathewasnotrespondingtotheissue,and
nowhegoesevenfurther,claimingitdoesnotevenexist.Whileinsomecasesthisignorance
mayresultinatransitiontopity,hereitinsteadinvitesderision.Theproblemispresentedas
obviousatWinchesterthatapresidentwhoopenlydeniesitcanonlybeeitherincredibly
apatheticaboutthewellbeingofhisstudentsorincrediblystupid.Later,whenconfrontingSam,
PresidentFletcheriscondescendingaboutherlittlewar.Hedoesnottakeherseriouslyasa
person,butseesherasapaininhisside,anobstacleonhisdesperatemissiontoimpress
investors.Finally,thelastlineoftheentirefilmhasFletcher,whentemptedtoexploithis
studentsforarealitytelevisionshow,askinghowmuchwetalking?Thelastlinesticksinthe

audiencesmemory,stampingdownthefinalimportancethatFletcherhasnotchanged,moneyis
stillnumberoneinhismind.
Evenbeyondthedialogue,thecameraanglesconvincetheaudiencetodislikePresident
Fletcher.Duringthefirstsceneinwhichheappears,thecameraviewshimfrombelow,forcing
theaudiencetolookupatthisfigure.Thelongerthescenestretches,themoretheaudience
dislikesthePresident,andthemoretheyresentbeingforcedtolookupathim.Inthisway,they
arealignedwiththestudentbody,alsobeingforcedtolookupattheirpresident.Again,inthe
finalscene,theaudienceislookingupatthePresident.Thistime,thePresidentisalittleman
withabowtieinachairthattowersoverhim.Heisarrangedtolookweak,buttheaudiencestill
hastolookupathim.ThisspecificangleinvitestheaudiencetorealizehowunfitthePresident
isforhispositionabovethestudents.
Theotherleaderoftheschool,DeanFairbanks,mayseemtoshowthepositiveaspectsof
theWinchesterUniversityadministration.Onthesurface,heseemstocareaboutLionel,ablack,
openlygaystudentwhoisbulliedbymostofthestudentbody.Lionelfeelscomfortableenough
tocometohimabouthisissues.Unfortunately,DeanFairbanksmoreclearlyembodiesthe
negativeaspectsoftheadministration.Herefusestolistentohisson.Insteadofworkingactively
tofindasolutiontoLionelsproblem,hejustmoveshimtoadifferentdormthirdtimesthe
charm.Obviously,shufflingLionelfromdormtodormisnoteffective,butitiseasy,sothatis
whatDeanFairbanksdoes,againshowingthelackoftrueconcernforhisstudentswellbeing
thatWinchesterUniversityhas.
Besidestheadministration,eventhegeneralstaffdoesnotreallycareaboutitsstudents.
Inonescene,Samturnsinavideoanentiresemesterlate.Whenpressedforanexcuse,she
admitsshehadtoreturnhomeoverthesummerbecauseherfatherfellill.Hereisastudent,with
apassionforthesubject,obviouslystrugglingwithapersonalissuepiledontopofaheavy
courseload.Insteadoftryingtofindawaytohelp,herprofessortellshertopullittogether.
ThisisWinchester.Hereisanothermemberofthefacultyofthisuniversityunconcernedwith
thewellbeingofitsstudents.
Beyondtheshortcomingsofitsadministration,WinchesterUniversityalsofostersan
environmentofdiminishedstudentindividuality.Thestudentsarecompartmentalizedinto
specificstereotypes.Theselabelscausethestudentstostruggleintheiruniversitylife.
Theeditingoftheshotsintheopeningscenepresenttheharshlabelingthestudentsat
WinchesterUniversityaresubjectedto.Whenthestudentsareintroducedbydorm,aliteralbox
isdrawnaroundthestudents.Thisbox,whileatitsbasesimplyaddingatitletotheframe,also
actsmetaphorically.Thestudentsareputinabox,acolloquialwaytosaytheyareregulatedto
fittingasinglestereotype.Thedirectors,knowingthis,drewtheseboxesaroundthestudentsto
bringthisimagerytomind.Beyondthis,theshotsthemselvesarecreatedwiththestudents
remainingcompletelystillandthecameramoving.Thewaythestudentsarestationarysuggests
thembeingstatuesordolls,positionedasthecreatorsfeelfit.Thestudents,however,arenot

dolls.Theyareactualhumanbeings,eachwithhisowncomplexpersonality,andhecannotbe
regulatedtoasinglebox.
Anotherwaythefilmmakersportraythisforcedconformismisthroughtheircostume
choice.Characterswhoaresupposedtoactthesamewayareusuallydressedthesameway.This
isespeciallyeffectiveintheopeningscene,butalsoshownthroughoutthemovie.
ThecharacterizationofLionelshowsaspecificinstancewherethiscompartmentalization
mentalityprovesparticularlyharmful.Lionelhastroublefittingasinglestereotypicalgroupdue
tobothhisraceandsexuality.Thescenewherehecallshisownhometofindanextremely
offensiveoutgoingmessage,setbyKurt,thatspecificallytargetshimduetohissexualityshows
howhedoesnotfitinatKurtshouse.Later,inArmstrongParker,heiskickedoutalongwith
Kurtwhenalloutsidersareremovedfromthedininghall.Lionelobviouslydoesnotfitinhere
either.ThedangersofthisoutsiderfeelingtakesformwhenLionelismanipulatedbythe
newspapereditor.WhenheisassignedtheprofilepieceonSam,Lionelisvisiblyuncomfortable
withtheassignment,buthesaysdoesnotrefusebecausethatwouldbearejectionoftheonly
peopleoncampusthatseemtoaccepthim.Ifthestudentbodywasnotregulatedtospecific
stereotypicalcompartments,Lionelwouldhaveaneasiertimemakingfriendsandwouldnotbe
soeasilymanipulatedbythechanceatcompanionship.
ThisenvironmentisalsohugelydetrimentaltoSam.Shestruggleswithheridentity
becausesheishalfwhiteandhalfblack.Feelingshemustchooseagrouptojoin,asingle
stereotype,amold,tofill,SamchoosestoembraceherAfricanAmericanidentity.Herhair
especiallyissymbolicofthischoice.Sheworksdailytoputitup,tomakeitlookmore
stereotypicalofthegroupshestrugglestojoin.ThescenewithGabeshowshowthissingle
groupdoesnotfullyshowherpersonality.Hetellshowshedisplaysstereotypesofbothgroups.
Forexample,hetellsherthatheknowsshelistenstoTaylorSwift.Thattheaudience
understandsthisisastereotypeofwhitegirlsshowsourinterpretationofimagesor,inthis
case,speechoftendependsuponhistoricalcontextandtheculturalknowledgewebringto
themtheconventionstheyuseorplayoffof,theotherimagestheyreferto,andthefamiliar
figuresandsymbolstheyinclude(PracticesofLooking30).Theaudiencesunderstandingof
Gabesspeechhingesonourunderstandingofourcultureandstereotypeswithinit.Anda
completeunderstandingofthespeechisnecessaryinunderstandinghowSamstruggleswiththe
extremestereotypesituationatWinchesterUniversity.GaberevealsahugepartofSams
characterthroughherstruggletohidethepartsofheridentitythatsocietyviewsaswhite.Sam
feelsregulatedtoasinglegroup,asinglestereotype,andsomustrejectallpartsofherthatdo
notfitwiththisimage.TheenvironmentatWinchesterlendsitselftosuchastruggletofita
welldefinedmold.
Anotherissuethedirectorsrevealaboutprestigiousuniversitiesistheconflictbetween
modernworldandstricttradition.Theuniversityattemptstomaintaintraditionevenwhenitis
unrealisticforthecurrent,moderntimes.

Onewaythefilmsetsupthisjuxtapositionisthroughtheset.TheCorinthiancolumns
andgeneralarchitectureofthephysicalschool,reminiscentofancientGreektemples,standin
starkcontrasttothestudentsplayingsocceronthequadbeforethem.Anotherexampleisthe
ArmstrongParkerdininghall.Fabrictableclothsandcrystalglassesgracethetablebeforethe
students,butontheseeleganttablesSamflipsKurtsplate.Here,theactionsconflictwiththeset
toillustratethisdisparity.ThisrefusaltochangetraditionatWinchesterbecomesaseriousissue
withhousing.Originally,theuniversitywasmostlywhite.Recently,athrivingblackcommunity
wasbuiltatArmstrongParkerhouse.Tocombatthischange,theadministrationproposedthe
RandomizationofHousingAct,whichwoulddestroythechanceforstudentsofcolortochoose
thesamehouse.Sammustendureweeksofarguingwiththeadministrationandpetitioningwith
herfellowstudentstoconvinceWinchesterthattheActshouldberepealed.
DearWhitePeople
isacomplexfilmwithmanythemes,oneofwhichisthenegative
environmentfosteredinprestigiousuniversities.Throughrhetoricaltechniquesoffilmsuchas
dialogue,cameraangle,shottypes,costume,set,andmore,Simeinclearlyconveyshisfeelings
onthesubject.

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