Zone1 Was Clint Eastwood's character in 'Gran Torino' an anti-Asian Racist or not?

[fncceo]

I'm just wondering if I can start actual discussion on Race Relations in the Race Relations Forum instead of the usual nonsense.

 

[MarathonMike]

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Looks like there have been a few reasonable responses, I'll take it.

 

[IM2]

Eastwood was an anti Asian racist at the beginning. But as he got to know his Asian neighbors he changed.

 

[rightwinger]

He did more than take a stand for Thao and his family, he sacrificed his life. To me the message of the movie is that people are complex and that perhaps words and slurs are not nearly as important as one's actions and how one actually treats people. Take the example of Grant Napear whose sportscasting career was destroyed and his good name ruined because he said "All Lives Matter".

Walt knew he was terminally ill and chose to go out in a blaze of glory.
He knew he wouldn’t be around to protect them and needed to fix it once and for all

 

[MarathonMike]

Walt knew he was terminally ill and chose to go out in a blaze of glory.
He knew he wouldn’t be around to protect them and needed to fix it once and for all

That is speculation and an apparent attempt to diminish how Walt changed and what he actually did to protect Thao's family.

 

[LeroyDumonde]

The message of Gran Torino and American History X is that White genocide is going to happen and Whites just need to embrace it because it's the moral position.

 

[MarathonMike]

The message of Gran Torino and American History X is that White genocide is going to happen and Whites just need to embrace it because it's the moral position.

I have no idea what this means, could you elaborate?

 

[LeroyDumonde]

I have no idea what this means, could you elaborate?

I'd elaborate but this is Zone 1.

 

[wamose]

Walt wasn't too cool at first but he was open minded enough to see the good in his Asian neighbors. I think Tao's no quit work ethic along with his toughness, perseverance, conscientiousness and honor finally made Walt see that he was a special person and the bonding just happened after that. I think Walt's last act was basically an affirmation of what his true feelings toward his Asian neighbors had become. Love? Maybe.

 

[Libby von H]

SPOILER ALERT! This contains a summary of the movie along with my personal take..........

I've seen the movie 'Gran Torino' a couple of times and read several reviews of the film. Not surprisingly, all the reviews can't condemn the "blatant anti-Asian Racism" strongly enough. Clearly, Walt Kowalski reflects the Racism of his generation and the general nasty disposition of many White men of the time. I certainly remember my neighborhood full of angry White Fathers who were mean to everyone, not just minorities.

But I think all the reviewers do the film an injustice by not exploring the story and the Walt Kowalski character in more depth. He certainly hurls awful slurs at his innocent Asian neighbors, but to me that is just being authentic to who Kowalski was. The more interesting side of him emerges as he takes the young teenager Thao under his wing and ends up protecting him from a local gang of Asian thugs.

He treats him like a son and later in the film when the gang beats and rapes Thao's sister, Kowalski literally sacrifices his own life to insure the gang is imprisoned and insures Thao's family is safe from them. The best scene imo is at the end of the movie where at the reading of his Will, Walt gives his prize car to Thao and not his own bratty grand daughter.

So what do you think? Was 'Gran Torino' just a vile Racist movie, or was it a fair exploration of the complex topic of Racism and what it means to be a Racist?

NO, in fact the movie shows him to be the opposite. A racist would just knee-jerk say 'If you criticize an Asian you are anti-Asian" yet isn't it racist to even entertain the idea there are no perverts, thugs, misanthropic creeps and --- wait for it --- racists,All among the Asian community., Clint was calling a spade a spade. Any hesitation would have been racist.

 

[JoeMoma]

I believe that the movie showed that there is often a big difference between a person's speech and a person's actions. Some people use racial slurs simply that's the way they talk. Kind of like a person that can't seem to say a complete sentence without putting in an F-bomb. However, a person can be prone to using racial slurs without treating people of other races badly. I believe that Walt would be just as prone to using racial slurs at the end of the movie as he was at the beginning of the movie.

 

[MarathonMike]

I believe that the movie showed that there is often a big difference between a person's speech and a person's actions. Some people use racial slurs simply that's the way they talk. Kind of like a person that can't seem to say a complete sentence without putting in an F-bomb. However, a person can be prone to using racial slurs without treating people of other races badly. I believe that Walt would be just as prone to using racial slurs at the end of the movie as he was at the beginning of the movie.

Good point! I think we are in an environment today where the "feelers are out" sensing for any wrong word or connotation and then BAM! you're done, you're cancelled. It is totally wrong and un-American. I've brought up Grant Napear, a good man and a great sportscaster whose reputation and career was destroyed because he tweeted "All Lives Matter".

 

[Tom Paine 1949]

Is that acceptable in lib culture?
Its my impression that no one ever changes their mind in lib la la land

Your impression is very one-sided and askew — at least it seems that way to me.

Most genuine liberals, I would wager, really liked the film.

Gran Torino is like “All in the Family” was in its time. Or, for that matter, “Last Man Standing.” Those two were comedies, of course … but the language used was often similar to the language used in the excellent drama acted & directed by Clint Eastward. Those comedies were actually written by … Liberals.

 

[JoeMoma]

Good point! I think we are in an environment today where the "feelers are out" sensing for any wrong word or connotation and then BAM! you're done, you're cancelled. It is totally wrong and un-American. I've brought up Grant Napear, a good man and a great sportscaster whose reputation and career was destroyed because he tweeted "All Lives Matter".

There is nothing wrong with saying "All Lives Matter"

 

[MarathonMike]

There is nothing wrong with saying "All Lives Matter"

Grant Napear was forced to resign nearly 4 years ago, he's still not announcing.

 

[Mac-7]

Your impression is very one-sided and askew — at least it seems that way to me.

Most genuine liberals, I would wager, really liked the film.

Gran Torino is like “All in the Family” was in its time. Or, for that matter, “Last Man Standing.” Those two were comedies, of course … but the language used was often similar to the language used in the excellent drama acted & directed by Clint Eastward. Those comedies were actually written by … Liberals.

I wager that very few liberals arrive at their condition after genuine thought

Most are products of the dominate lib culture in our society they were raised in

Conservatives are the ones who successfully overcame that force by not following the crowd