Monday, March 29, 2010
Your Initial Response to “The Laramie Project”
Before we discuss the film, I’d like you to take a moment and reflect on your response to it. As you do so, I’d like you to identify the scene or character that you think is the most significant, or the one that had the most significant impact on you as a viewer. Describe this moment in the film or this character and explain why it impacted you. In your mind, how does it relate to the overall point of the film? Who else (think about audience here) do you think would find this scene important or should pay attention to this character?
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I was very surprised by the film because it was more interesting and more intense than I thought it would be. The part of the movie that affected me the most was the speech given by Matthew Shepard's father at Aaron McKinney's trial. He spoke of mercy and eventually chose to grant Aaron life despite the horrific crime he committed. I think the issue of capital punishment is a difficult one to speak about because there are valid reasons both for it and against it, however Matthew's father chose to be merciful. This was a crucial step in ending the cyclical issue of anger and hate in Laramie. Overall I think this speech is important to the entire film because he chooses to be compassionate in the hardest of circumstances. The world is full of hatred and discrimination, and it will remain that way until everyone can learn to view others with understanding and compassion. This is an important message for all audiences, however especially those who find themselves harboring hatred for those who are different.
ReplyDeleteThe film is so powerful! One of the main points I kept trying to distinguish was how the hate crime happened when Laramie's citizens kept saying "live and let live". I think when diving into a society you never know what your getting into. On the surface one thing could be apparent but under the cover there are so many situations and ideas secluded from original thoughts. In the film I thought the interviews conducted were very significant because they gave insight to what the citizens true feelings were about the situation. One quote I found kind of surprising but relevant to many people of the town was from a woman, maybe a wife of someone on the police force. She said "Everybody's got problems. Hate crimes happen. You hate them you kill them. Move on." She continued to mention how the incident was only a big deal because the person was homosexual. She even proceeded to describe a murder of "our kind", someone who was not homosexual, and that it didn't get any attention. I felt this interview was significant because it put the retrospect thought of many citizens bluntly. Other cast interviewed tip-toed around the issue by saying live and let live, though that was obviously not the case.
ReplyDeleteWatching “the Laramie Project” showed an interesting way to show an issue that is not noticed by most people. They were able to get the perspective of many of the people and their views on the issue. An example of getting these views of the case of Matthew Shepard where I felt was the most empowering was the sense when the men that were not from Laramie and were protesting that Matthew should not be praised for being a “fag,” but then most some of the people of Laramie made costumes to cover the protester in giving the right to Matt calling themselves the “Angle Action.” This sense captured me the most because it was covering the discrimination that some people have but it also shows their opinion as well. This was an important sense because it was showing both sides of what people believed. Both sides showed a great point even if one side did not approach it in a peaceful way. The side against Matt showed that crimes happened all the time and they questioned why does Matt case get so much publicity just because he was gay. And the other side to it was that no one deserved to be beaten just because he is gay and he was not expecting to get so much media. This sense showed me that everyone has their own opinion but both sides are showing the same one point to this case which would be no one should die from hate.
ReplyDeleteI found this movie, to be shocking and thought provoking. It represents the struggle in America for gay rights, and some of the true hate filled crime led by homophobes, even as people began to learn tolerance. It was a true reminder that this kind of hate-filled behavior, can happen anywhere, regardless of the majorities opinions of acceptance.
ReplyDeleteThe second trial, charging Russell Henderson for murder, was reflective of many aspects of this atrocious murder. In giving his confession with the detective, his empathy for the brutality of the murder is apparent. As one of the interviewees said, they did not use drugs, or robbery as an excuse, it was fully a hate crime. Henderson makes this clear in his interview, taking the stance of “he had it coming”. This view was also reflected by many of the townspeople, who claimed Shepard was a flamboyant homosexual, looking for trouble while hitting on straight men in the local bar. This view, that Matthew Shepard deserved to be brutally beaten to death, is certainly one of the most horrifying aspects of this case.
This revealing of the sentiments towards gays in an average, small-town American city, certainly shined light on the fact that this aversion towards gays is rampant all over the country. One of the interesting reactions to Shepard’s murder were the people who refused to believe. They would not accept that anyone raised in their own town could commit an act this evil. Many people, all over feel the same way. Even when people chose to “turn the blind eye“ towards homosexuals, it does not mean there are not discriminatory feelings bubbling under the surface. When people do not deal with them in the correct way, clearly the result can be fatal.
This movie was filled with a multitude of powerful and significant scenes that would reach anyone’s heart, however, the scene that had the biggest impact on me was the one in which there was the recalling and playing of the interview with Aaron McKinney. This was the confession that held the details that everyone wanted and needed to know. The manner and attitude of Aaron McKinney is what really startled me the most. His whole demeanor seemed that he didn’t really care. Only to enhance this was that when the detective asked questions about Matthew Shepherd, Aaron would refer to Matthew as “that gay dude,” “the queer,” and “the fag.” After the horrible crime and its effects on the whole community and even the world, the emotions involved and evoked from everyone who heard the story, and to have the one who committed such a heinous act refer to Matthew in vulgar and demeaning slang without any empathy, it was just mind-blowing. In addition to Aaron’s attitude and words, it seemed as if he was trying to excuse his horrible acts by putting the blame on Matthew. Aaron was the one who planned to try and “teach Matthew a lesson” and he was the one who could have controlled his actions or even helped him in the 18 hours that he left Matter there to die alone. There was absolutely no excuse to treat anyone in that way, no matter what you feel about them.
ReplyDeleteI feel that this scene really relates to the fact that people need to realize and take action on hate crimes. Hate crimes do happen and it is inexcusable. People have no right or reason to treat anyone in such awful and demeaning behavior. This movie shows that action needs to be taken and by evoking such strong emotions out of the audience, the power is there to take that action.
Before I had attended our first Writ class last week, I did not know anything about Laramie or what happened to Matthew Shepard in 1998. When I heard about it for the first time last week, I was initially not surprised to hear about something like this happening in the West. I found this sad for residents of Laramie because what happened to Matthew Shepard only proves "the redneck" stereotype. I think Reggie Fluty, the deputy sheriff, played a vital role in the film. She was the one who had to cut Matthew Shepard down from the fence, and later found out that Matthew had been diagnosed with HIV. The movie reveals the nobility of Reggie and the means of her profession. The fact that she exposed herself to Matthew in general shows the care and compassion Reggie had for Laramie. This gives me more respect for people of authority- that they are truly committed to their job and do not take advantage of their position. Reggie’s role is important in the film because it displays the risks people take for each other in desperate situations. The movie conveyed a lot of love in Laramie, instead of hate and love is what humanity must do in order to truly live. I was disgusted by the protest led by the homophobe Fred Phelps that took place the day of Matthew Shepard’s funeral. I could not help but feel such extreme hate towards those protestors. I do not understand their ignorance and their hate-people like that make me question my belief in God. I enjoyed the end of the film when one of the townspeople expressed that the last thing Matthew saw as he was passing away were the “sparkling lights of Laramie.” Through all of his pain and suffering, it made me feel happy that he died with some peace. He died looking at pure beauty, and that is very important to me.
ReplyDeleteAfter our in-class viewing of "The Laramie Project," the routine walk to my car was a bit lackadaisical. Going on with my normal Monday schedule seemed arbitrary after watching a film which required an enormous of reflection. In the short time I had, I kept thinking about the Catholic priests' plodding question, "Do you know how hate crimes like Matthew Shepard's start?" When he answered his rhetorical question by identifying "tiny seeds" as the root of discrimination, it made me want to be more aware of my own possibly unhealthy seeds of discrimination. Not many of us are going to do what McKinney and Henderson did, but I think the movie went to great lengths to raise its audiences' awareness of absolutely any kind of discrimination to a more acute level.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I wish everyone could pay attention to discrimination on a small-scale, I'm skeptical. There seem to be two very influential factors as to who this could actually impact:
1.) Generation Gaps - from my limited experience, I would have to pull teeth to get my grandparents' generation to question their views on discrimination.
2.) It does seem that smaller, rural areas tend to have a more difficult time accepting the gay and lesbian community. But, it doesn't stop there. What about discrimination of all the following: racial, religious, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, and political affiliation?
It's not fair to pick on smaller, rural areas like Laramie when every individual has their own biases, many that they are not even aware of. I think some success could be had in trying to persuade my generation, and the generations before and after to examine discrimination on a small-scale level.
My emotions when watching Laramie Project ranged from discomfort and shock to legitimate sadness for Matthew Shepard and his family and friends. The crime itself was one thing on its own; it was one of the most appalling things I had ever heard about, and to be exposed to people’s opinions about it for almost two hours was a lot to handle. The most upsetting part of the film was when Fred Phelps came to Matthew’s funeral and held the demonstration with some of the most hateful words. I cannot believe that there can be that much hate built up inside a person that they would disrespect someone’s funeral that badly, especially someone that had been murdered. It was heart-breaking and infuriating all at the same time. Additionally, seeing and hearing Matthew Shepard’s father speak at the hearing was very emotional for me too and made me super upset about this tragedy.
ReplyDeleteA part of the movie that was interesting for me was the people that actually took responsibility for their town’s actions, and owned up to the fact that this incident actually happened in their little town, with their own citizens. They seemed like the most real people in the movie. It was upsetting to hear all of the people who were “so disappointed” and yet they further went on to say how they don’t approve of Matthew’s choices and then go on to say how they in fact don’t support homosexuality and in many cases don’t like homosexual individuals. It was annoying for me to hear them say that they are a peaceful town where everyone is friends, “live and let live”, and then for them to talk some trash right behind it, holding their noses up to the unfamiliar, and continuing to subtly spread the hate that overwhelmed this whole film.
The most influential character to me personally in the film was the female cop who untied Matthew Shephard from the fence. I believe that her character is the most important in the film because she is a heterosexual cop who has a husband and a mother and shows great compassion towards Matthew Shephard. I believe that her entire story beginning with freeing Matthew Shephard from the fence to being in danger of getting HIV from Matthew because of her open cuts on her hand and failing to wear gloves while untying Matthew, encompasses the message behind the film. She shows an immense amount of compassion towards Matthew and for a while the audience believes that she is going to die from AIDS even though all she was doing was trying to help. At the end of the film the audience finds out that she is actually negative for HIV and that she is going to live on. This story of compassion goes along with a phrase that is repeated numerous times throughout the film is that people believe that the crime defines the community even though only two people were involved in the hate crime. “People were in disbelief that someone from their own town was involved with the hate crime and not just someone from out of town. This offends the community immensely.”
ReplyDeleteThe part that I found most significant was the part where Matthew Shepards’ father spoke in front of the court about the death penalty for Aaron McKinney. I thought that this was one of the most interesting and important points because it shows how much mercy the Shepards’ were willing to give while the murderers showed no remorse. I think that it is amazing when the father said that he would show mercy while McKinney never did for his own son. I feel like any other person or most other people would like this part of the movie. Also, I feel like most religious people as well as parents would feel the same way as well. I believe that this scene goes with the quotation, “live and let live”. I think that it is connected because one should live and be understood not live and let it all go. You should not have to hide or fear who you are but you should live and be understood or should at least be accepted. It disgusts me that people will not allow other peoples choices. This reminds me of when the revered spoke about a lifestyle and how he hoped Matthew Shepard evaluated his lifestyle before he died. It hurts me to believe that people can believe that someone could deserve that sort of death or even punishment. Overall the point of the film amazes me and I was shocked on how horrible the whole situation was.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching The Laramie Project, I felt sympathy towards not only Matthew Shepard, but also those affected by his death. I felt sympathy towards his best friends, the police officer, the biker, the bartender and especially his family. The teacher interviewed explained that the actors did as best they could to convey the emotions involved in an incident like this. However, she said , there is no way of ever understanding the grief caused by the hatred of these two boys. The men who beat Matthew Shepard were found guilty. And, when decided which punishment would suit them best, Matthew’s father gave a speech. I was most impacted by this single moment. Matthew’s father told those in the courthouse, how his son came into his life prematurely, and left it prematurely. He explained how proud he was to be Matthew’s father. And he described that his son did not die alone. And he confessed that he would love nothing more than to see the guilty die. However, he granted those guilty of taking his son the opportunity to live. He glared at the boys and demanded they think of Matthew every time they wake up. That they are thankful for being alive. The father essentially wanted the boys to live and to be reminded that they could have stopped the death of his son, that they could have saved him within the 18 hours he lay on the Laramie soil, unconscious. Although I am not a parent, I can only imagine the kind of pain Mr. Shepard endured. I felt an emotional connection to Matthew’s father when he presented his idea of punishment to the courthouse. I believe that other audience members who would also share this emotional connection with me to this scene, would be parents. The doctor, who attempted to save Matthew’s life, who proclaimed his death on October 12th at 12:53, confessed that he too felt extreme sympathy towards the Shepards, because he initially thought of his family and his four daughters. This scene essentially relates to one of the main points of the film, being the immense grief caused by this incident. Each member of Laramie was effected by Matthew Shepard’s death. The film does a nice job conveying this overall grief. And the scene of Mr. Shepard’s speech highlighted the huge impact of the consequences of such hared.
ReplyDeleteSadly, there are not very many things these days that surprise me, but after watching "The Laramie Project", I can honestly say that I was shocked. I'm generally not a very emotional person, however I have very strong beliefs about human equality and this film was very moving for me. It was filmed as if they were conducting real interviews and talking to the people who were really involved, and that was effective in that it seemed real and remarkably captured the emotions of the town of Laramie as a whole. I found it interesting that the focus of the film was based on everyone's interactions rather than Matthew himself, but I think it was very important to see the town coming together and falling apart all at once.
ReplyDeleteThe most significant moment in the film for me was when Stephen Belber, the farmer, and one of the film makers were walking through a field, and Stephen says, "'Live and let live' is, at best, a load of crap. It basically boils down to: 'If I don't tell you I'm a fag, you won't beat the crap out of me'. What kind of solution is that?"
I found this to be extremely poignant in that it is so true; having grown up in an extremely conservative community, I know exactly how hurtful the "don't ask, don't tell" policy can be. A close friend of mine recently joined the Marines, and he was explaining to me that if there is a gay man in his platoon, he will never know. The men cannot come out if they're gay, which I find to be absurd and offensive. Why should gays, or any minority group for that matter, have to be hush-hush about who they are? To me, being "who you are" means that you can do so openly, proudly, and frankly however you choose. No one should have to feel the pain of keeping themselves a secret.
"The Laramie Project" made it seem as though Matthew was a fairly shy individual who knew his boundaries. After hearing the bartender's account of what had happened the night Matthew was killed, there seemed to be no possible way that Matthew could have offended the boys who hurt him. Matthew had to deal with the fact that he was "different" for his whole life, and he was punished for something that, in my opinion, he didn't even do. In his society, the "live and let live" philosophy kept Matthew from truly being himself, and that is one of the most saddening things I've ever seen. This film, although quite intense and a little overwhelming, brought so many thoughts to my mind that would've likely never had, and for that I greatly appreciate it.
Personally, I thought the movie was powerful and moving; it was a little more staged and theatrical than I had expected it to be, but those elements made it all the more impacting. Although there were a lot of emotional moments throughout, the one that made me feel the strongest was one of the interviews with a Laramie resident. The subject, a blonde woman, She wasn’t explicit in her interview, far from it; in fact, she seemed to be legitimately struggling with acknowledging the fact that Matthew Shepard was gay. Her obvious discomfort and bigotry towards homosexuals, to the point where she couldn’t even say the word, made me feel very uncomfortable and almost angry. Basically, I just didn’t want to think that there could be people who are so intolerant and hateful as to dismiss this crime because of a human issue like homosexuality. I disliked how she thought that the killing was being treated the way it was only because Matthew was gay. Even so, the fact that I was experiencing such strong negative emotions just because of this one woman’s opinion was distressing to me, but I strongly believe that Matthew’s murder should not be belittled or rationalized by his sexual orientation. Her quote, “Everyone has problems” made me upset and frustrated. I was wondering how many other people in the town shared her views, but were maybe to afraid to voice them; after all, Aaron and Russ probably learned their hate from somewhere. I thought it was important to show the sort of fear and intolerance that caused this whole awful incident in the first place.
ReplyDeleteLooking back on the movie it was very informative but at the same time, very moving. I had envisioned this movie quite differently in the sense that I thought the real people of Laramie would be filmed. Since there were recordings, I thought that the recordings were filmed and the real people of Laramie would be seen and their thoughts shared on the hate crime. Although their thoughts were shared, they were conveyed by actors instead of the actual residents of Laramie. This added to the dramatic effect of the documentary created by the Tectonic Theatre Company. This film had lots of emotion and was driven by the curiosity of this small town. There were many interviews but none more significant than the wife of the highway patrolman, Sherry Johnson. Initially she was genuine in her response to the crime saying, "No one should die like that," she moves on to say that it was not such a "big deal" as the media made it out to be. She also cited her husband's co-workers death as just as important and hardly anything was mentioned. The lasting image of I leave of Sherry Johnson is when the interviewer asks her, "Don't you think Matthew's story is bigger?" She responds with, "Murder is murder." This leads me to think that Sherry Johnson did not really care about Matthew Shepard such as many people in the movie. It is to say that my initial response is that some residents did not actually care about Matthew Shepard.
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