‘The Blind Side’ Debate Ignites Again as Critics Call out Problematic Aspects

A common trend on Twitter is for people to highlight a specific film and debate whether or not it is trash. There have been several examples in the past, but one of the most recent features Sandra Bullock. People began debating The Blind Side, the film about former NFL offensive tackle Michael Oher. The movie released to mixed reviews in 2009 but grossed more than $255 million in the United States. Years later, it became the focus of a discussion about racism.

The debate started with someone tweeting about movies that made them sad. They posted some screenshots from the film, prompting a response from another Twitter user that said The Blind Side was “really racist.” Some people responded by disagreeing and saying that the film is a true story. Others weighed in and proclaimed that The Blind Side is all about “white saviors.” The comments continued as more people got involved.

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“this movie is really racist as f— and it was one of my favorite movies before i found out [crying emoji] major turning point in my re-education,” one person commented on Twitter. This statement prompted a wild discussion between critics and supporters of the film.

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“my favorite white savior movie idc i cry like a baby and i love it,” one person on Twitter commented. Others echoed this sentiment and said that they don’t like “white savior movies” at all, but they have a strong appreciation for The Blind Side.

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“I cried fat tears in my youth just to realize how messed up it is at it’s core. Especially that end scene where they tell about a kid that was shot in his neighborhood with the implication is that it could have been him if the benevolent white people hadn’t saved him,” another person tweeted.

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There were some people on social media wondering how The Blind Side  was racist. These questions prompted concern from multiple people, who listed their reasons. “The whole story was ‘redone’. They made him just a poor, dumb, black kid who could learn how to play football. Not only that, but it took a white woman to save him, making her a ‘savior’, the typical Hollywood agenda. When in reality, he wasn’t dumb, did know how to play football,” one person tweeted.

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“Always hated this movie. The whole plot is based around how ‘great’ of a mom Sandra bullocks character is for taking him in. Rather than it being about him triumphing over his hardship. Patting herself on the back all move. So cringy,” another Twitter user commented. Some people responded by agreeing with the statement while others said that the tweet changed their opinion of The Blind Side.

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“The problem is this was supposed to be based on a true story then they decided to not give the Black kid any lines or POV plus exaggerated his situation like have to teach him football like he wasn’t already good,” another Twitter user commented. “They made him completely helpless until the white ppl 2 the rescue.”

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“I seen this movie one time and never watched it again not cuz it was racist it’s because I’m a Ravens fan and he let us down so many games. his QB protection was a—, he couldn’t block somebody if they was mentioning him on Twitter,” one person commented.