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French ‘Color-Blind’ Approach

The diversity of racial and ethnic issues makes modern society flexible and innovative in the approaches to the members of the community who belong to different categories. These categories are determined by different features approved on the juridical level. The term ‘race’ belongs to the list of features that are considered to be essential for the equal treatment of all members of society. Therefore, many modern countries follow the tendency of fighting against racial and ethnic discrimination. Nevertheless, not all countries accept and use the term on the legislative level. France is considered to be the state that does not accept the term ‘race’ to introduce its anti-racial policies. The avoidance of the term is connected with the government’s willingness to make the process of the immigrants’ integration easier (Bleich, 2004, p. 162). Due to its approach France is called a ‘color-blind’ state. Nevertheless, the necessity and effectiveness of such an approach are questionable because it is rather difficult for people to ignore skin color and belonging to a certain culture. Consequently, the avoidance of the term ‘race’ does not save society from racial and ethnic problems and difficulties.

 

The movie The Intouchables directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano in 2011 depicts the biographic story of a paralyzed aristocratic billionaire. Aristocrat Phillippe hires a young man Driss to be his caregiver. The catching moment of the film that draws the viewers’ interest is the scene of Driss’s casual interview at their house of Phillippe. Driss has no intention to get the job but his sense of humor and quick mind provide him with a working place. A young man has rather a doubtful past as he has been just released from prison. Besides, he does not have a job and he is not going to get one. He aims to get the unemployment benefit. Therefore, the lifestyle of the character is difficult to call exemplary. Phillipe is the polar opposite of Driss. He is a well-behaved man with sophisticated taste. Phillippe prefers to lead a calm life without any surprises. Driss brings new and fresh emotions and impressions to Phillippe and makes him feel alive.

Speaking about the way the race difference is represented in the movie, it is worth noting that there is no word about skin color. The difference lies in education, upbringing, social class, and art tastes. An example of the difference between the two main characters is depicted in the scene when Phillippe meets his friend. The friend worries about the young man Phillippe has hired as a caregiver because of his criminal past. The social status of Driss seems to be unacceptable to Phillippe’s friend. Here, social difference and status in the community play a more essential role than belonging to a certain race or ethnic group. Erich Bleich in his article “Anti-Racism without Races” conveys the idea of the French government not emphasizing the racial or ethnical belonging of a person to make all the members of the society equal (Bleich, 2004). Nevertheless, Bleich mentions that despite France’s attempts to ignore skin color and the term ‘race’, society usually estimates a person according to visual characteristics, first of all. In this case, skin color plays an important role as some social stereotypes have been formed for decades.

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The sound and editing effects used in the movie influence the general idea to picture the class difference between Phillippe and Driss. Speaking about the editing, a good example lies in the usage of the shot reverse shot. The scene at the art gallery pictures the difference in the main character's emotions and impression drawn by a picture. Another example of the shot reverse shot usage is Phillippe and his friend’s estimation of Driss’s paintings. In this case, despite the equal social status of both men, the impressions from the paintings differ because only Phillippe knows their real author, who is his caregiver. Therefore, this technique of editing helps to emphasize the necessary and topical moments in the movie.

As for the sound element of the movie, it should be mentioned that the social difference between the two main characters is depicted with the help of music preferred by the two men. Besides, to escape the mentioning of racial differences, soundtracks that are considered to be worldwide famous and belong to the international musical heritage have been chosen. Phillippe prefers classical music while Driss listens to internationally recognized blues singers. Consequently, the directors of the movie have chosen the kinds of music and certain singers that do not identify the racial or ethnic belonging of the main characters.

Although the attempts of the film creators to escape the depiction of racial differences between the main characters may seem successful, some moments make the viewers pay attention to the skin color and ethnical belonging of the protagonists. One of the moments is the scene when Driss tells Phillippe the story about his origin and relations within his family. The mentioning of Driss’s motherland draws the spectators’ attention to the skin color as Africans are all black-skinned. Besides, ignoring of racial or ethnic belonging of a person does not solve the problems that may be faced by the representatives of a certain race or ethnic community. Bleich states in his article that a country that recognizes the existence of various races and ethnical groups may reinforce the racial division within the community. Meanwhile, the country that states the absence of racial belonging can make the members of the society equal and escape problems connected with different movements for rights. In other words, if there is no difference between treatment and approach to the black-skinned and white-skinned citizens, many problems concerning inequality vanish. However, despite the advantages of the race-blind policy, there is a risk to lose cultural diversity within society. The representatives of different cultures may feel deprived and unappreciated.

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To sum up, racial and ethnic diversity is a crucial issue in modern society. There is a necessity in the modern world to treat all the members of the community equally. Some countries use approaches and policies according to the demands of different racial and ethnic groups within the society to provide equal treatment and rights for each member. France’s policy is directed to ignore the term ‘race’ and is based on an approach that does not regard racial or ethnic differences within society. This kind of approach is called ‘race-blind’. Erich Bleich in his article “Anti-Racism without Races” reveals the idea of the French policy, which does not emphasize the racial or ethnical belonging of a person to make all the members of the society equal. The movie The Intouchables by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano is a great example of diversity within society without mentioning racial or ethnic differences literally. There are many examples in the movie that prove that it is possible to ignore skin color. Nevertheless, Bleich is skeptical about the effectiveness and necessity of such an approach. The issue is that people are difficult to enforce and think of complete equality for all the members of society. There are always some details that can make people remember racial or ethnic diversity.

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