Hollywood Keeps Us Racist: The Reel of Racism

Oye, mira.

I've always considered myself a film buff. I’ve watched thousands of films, dissecting them from top to bottom—analyzing everything from cinematography and script structure to costume design and the nuances of performance. For me, cinema isn’t just entertainment; it’s a language, a reflection of society, and a powerful tool that shapes how we see the world. It wasn't until I started my deconstruction journey that I finally got to look at these movies through lens of bias. For over a century, Hollywood has been a dream factory built on a nightmare of racial exploitation. Beneath the glitz and glamour of Tinseltown lies a dark history of racism so deeply ingrained that it has shaped the very foundation of the industry. It’s a history that doesn’t just linger in the past—it continues to shape the films we watch today, the roles actors of color are given, and the stories deemed worthy of telling.

From early silent films that glorified the Ku Klux Klan to modern blockbusters that perpetuate racial stereotypes under the guise of “diversity,” racism has been the invisible hand guiding Hollywood’s lens for over a century.

How did an industry that prides itself on storytelling become a machine that recycles the same racist narratives, decade after decade? How have films that mock, demonize, or erase entire cultures been celebrated, awarded, and canonized as cinematic masterpieces? And perhaps most importantly—why is Hollywood still getting away with it?

This is not just a story about movies. This is a story about power.

Brace yourself—this is Hollywood’s most uncomfortable truth.

Rewriting the Script: Turning Hollywood’s Ugly Past into a Lesson for Our Future

The silver screen has long been a mirror that distorts, a storyteller that lies, a magician that hides reality behind the smoke of spectacle. It has taken history and twisted it, taken people and flattened them, taken pain and made it palatable for the privileged. But what if we flipped the script?

What if we used the very films that shackled minds to break the chains of our own perception?

Hollywood’s past is a classroom disguised as a crime scene—the fingerprints of bias are everywhere, on every reel, in every script, behind every casting decision. For decades, films have told us who we should fear, who we should mock, who we should trust, and—most dangerously—who we should be.

The Psychology of a Poisoned Narrative

Psychologists call it schema theory—the way our minds categorize people, places, and ideas based on the stories we’re repeatedly told. Show a child a villain in a turban, and they will grow up associating brown skin with danger. Show a woman always playing the "sassy Black best friend," and she will learn that her role is to uplift, not to lead. Let a generation of men see Latinos as gangsters, and they will walk past a brown man in a hoodie and clutch their wallet without thinking.

This is not entertainment. This is indoctrination.

Social psychology tells us that repetition is persuasion. That which is seen often becomes truth in the subconscious. And Hollywood has been whispering these racist narratives into our collective minds like bedtime stories—tucking us in with comfortable lies about who belongs where, who deserves what, who should be heard, and who should be silent.

For decades, these films didn’t just depict racism—they taught it, normalized it, justified it. And like water dripping onto stone, these messages carved themselves into our reality.

The Opportunity in the Wreckage

But here’s the thing about old films: they are artifacts of a bygone ignorance, and in them, we find proof of our own evolution.

We cannot change the past, but we can study it, dissect it, expose it, and learn from it. We cannot undo the damage done, but we can make sure these same mistakes don’t walk, dressed in modern clothes, into our future.

This is our moment—a moment where we don’t ban these films or pretend they never happened, but instead hold them up to the light and expose the cracks. A moment where we use these reels of racism to teach the next generation how to recognize, dismantle, and reject the bias they were born into. A moment where we demand better stories, richer characters, and truth that doesn’t come at the cost of someone else’s dignity.

Because Hollywood doesn’t just tell stories—it creates them. And if we have the power to see the poison for what it is, we have the power to stop drinking it.

This is how we reclaim the narrative. This is how we rewrite the script. This is how we evolve. ??

Racist Movies by Decade: A Timeline of Hollywood’s Shame

This is an unfiltered, unapologetic list of films that shaped racist narratives, categorized by decade.

Key Themes:

? Blackface & Minstrelsy – White actors performing in blackface, reinforcing demeaning stereotypes of Black people.

? Glorifying White Supremacy – Films that presented racist ideologies as noble, heroic, or necessary.

? Mocking Asian, Black, and Indigenous People – Depicting non-white characters as either violent threats or comic relief.

1900's-1930's:

1. The Birth of a Nation (1915) – The godfather of racist cinema, portraying the KKK as noble heroes who "saved" the South from Black political power. Led to a resurgence of Klan activity in the U.S.
2. The Jazz Singer (1927) – Famous for introducing sound to cinema, but equally infamous for Al Jolson's grotesque blackface performance, reinforcing minstrel stereotypes.
3. Old Kentucky (1919) – A blackface-heavy comedy featuring slapstick performances that portrayed Black people as lazy, ignorant, and buffoonish.
4. Steamboat Willie (1928) – The iconic Mickey Mouse was based on minstrel show caricatures, complete with exaggerated facial features and mannerisms inspired by blackface performances.
5. Trader Horn (1931) – An "adventure" film that depicted African people as wild, subhuman savages, reinforcing colonialist narratives of white superiority.
6. Hearts and Flowers (1919) – A silent comedy that featured multiple instances of blackface, treating it as simple comedic entertainment.
7. Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1927) – A retelling of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel that turned a story meant to expose slavery into a caricature-filled minstrel show.
8. The Call of the Wild (1935) – A racist portrayal of Indigenous people as violent savages who attack the white hero, played by Clark Gable.
9. Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) – Introduced the white savior fantasy, where Tarzan is raised by African wildlife and somehow becomes "superior" to the Indigenous people of Africa.
10. The Jazz Cinderella (1930) – A blackface comedy that ridiculed jazz and Black culture, reducing it to simple entertainment for white audiences.
11. Our Gang / The Little Rascals (1922–1938) – While beloved by many, this series featured Black child actors in subservient, clownish roles, reinforcing harmful stereotypes.
12. The Squaw Man (1914) – One of the first full-length Hollywood films, depicting Native Americans as bloodthirsty and uncivilized.
13. A Day at the Races (1937) – A Marx Brothers film featuring an extended blackface musical sequence, treating Black culture as a joke.
14. Show Boat (1936) – While later remade with more nuance, this version still included Black stereotypes and exaggerated minstrel-like performances.
15. Brewster’s Millions (1914) – A comedy that relied on racist humor and offensive portrayals of Black servants.
16. The Singing Fool (1928) – Another Al Jolson blackface film, reinforcing minstrel show traditions.
17. Judge Priest (1934) – A film that depicted slavery as a lighthearted, pleasant arrangement, with Black characters happily serving their white "masters."
18. The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935) – Featured white actors in blackface performing minstrel-inspired musical numbers.
19. Little Colonel (1935) – Starring Shirley Temple and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, this film featured a Black servant figure whose only role was to entertain and be subservient.
20. Disraeli (1929) – Depicted anti-Semitic stereotypes, reinforcing negative depictions of Jewish characters in early Hollywood.
21. Wee Willie Winkie (1937) – Featured white actors playing South Asians in brownface, treating Indian culture as exotic and inferior.
22. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) – Portrayed Black characters as unintelligent and submissive, particularly the character of Jim.
23. Cimarron (1931) – The first Western to win Best Picture, but included horrible depictions of Native Americans as "dirty savages" who attack innocent white settlers.
24. The Blackbird (1926) – A crime drama where Lon Chaney plays a dual role, including a grotesque blackface performance as an “underworld figure.”
25. The House That Shadows Built (1931) – A Paramount film compilation that included old minstrel performances, celebrating Hollywood’s blackface history as entertainment.
26. Massacre (1934) – While it attempted to critique mistreatment of Native Americans, it still reinforced many racist clichés about Indigenous people being either helpless victims or violent aggressors.
27. Hallelujah! (1929) – One of the first all-Black musical films, but made by a white director who exploited Black spirituality, exaggerating stereotypes about emotional, primitive religious practices.
28. Tell It to the Marines (1926) – Depicted Asian characters as weak, deceitful, and inferior to the white protagonists.
29. Legong: Dance of the Virgins (1935) – Marketed as an “ethnographic” film but fetishized and sexualized Balinese women for white audiences.
30. Eskimo (1933) – Claimed to be a “documentary-style” film but reduced Indigenous Alaskan people to simple caricatures and exaggerated their customs for entertainment value.

1940s–1950s: War Propaganda & Exoticism

Key Themes:

? Yellowface & Brownface – White actors playing Asian, Middle Eastern, and Indigenous roles, often with exaggerated accents and offensive makeup. ? The Loyal Servant Trope – Black characters reduced to simple, cheerful helpers with no depth or agency. ? Colonial & White Savior Narratives – Stories where white protagonists "rescue" non-white cultures from themselves. ? War Propaganda – Films that demonized Asian and Middle Eastern people, reinforcing racist views during and after World War II.

Notorious Racist Films: A Comprehensive List

1. Song of the South (1946)

• Why it’s racist: Disney’s most infamous film, featuring Uncle Remus, a cheerful ex-slave who loves plantation life, as if slavery was just a minor inconvenience. The film’s romanticized view of the antebellum South is so offensive that Disney refuses to release it today.

2. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

• Why it’s racist: Mickey Rooney’s portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi is one of the most grotesque and offensive yellowface performances in Hollywood history. The exaggerated buck teeth, squinted eyes, and thick accent make his role a cruel parody of Japanese people.

3. The King and I (1956)

• Why it’s racist: A classic white savior story, where a British woman (Deborah Kerr) “civilizes” Thailand, teaching the King and his subjects how to be more Western.

4. Gunga Din (1939)

• Why it’s racist: Features brownface performances and a deeply racist portrayal of Indians as either clueless or bloodthirsty savages.

5. The Quiet Man (1952)

• Why it’s racist: Features an offensive portrayal of Irish culture as wild, drunken, and in need of white American “guidance”.

6. Charlie Chan Film Series (1931–1949)

• Why it’s racist: White actors (Warner Oland, Sidney Toler, Roland Winters) played the Chinese detective Charlie Chan in yellowface, speaking in broken English and reinforcing racist stereotypes.

7. The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956)

• Why it’s racist: Marlon Brando plays a Japanese man in yellowface, turning a cultural comedy into an offensive spectacle.

8. Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

• Why it’s racist: The film exoticizes every non-Western culture, treating them as bizarre curiosities for white characters to laugh at.

9. Tarzan and the Slave Girl (1950)

• Why it’s racist: Continues the racist Tarzan trope, where a white man is more “capable” of surviving in Africa than actual African people.

10. My Son John (1952)

• Why it’s racist: A McCarthy-era film that stokes Cold War fears by portraying all Asian and Russian characters as Communist villains.

11. The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

• Why it’s racist: Middle Eastern characters played by white actors in brownface, reinforcing stereotypes about Arabs as thieves and tricksters.

12. The Desert Song (1943, 1953)

• Why it’s racist: More brownface performances, with white actors playing Arabs and portraying them as violent, uncivilized brutes.

13. Fort Apache (1948)

• Why it’s racist: Part of Hollywood’s long tradition of depicting Native Americans as either noble but doomed or violent and untrustworthy.

14. The Searchers (1956)

• Why it’s racist: John Wayne plays a white man on a mission to “rescue” his niece from “savage” Native Americans, reinforcing harmful frontier myths.

15. The Crimson Kimono (1959)

• Why it’s racist: While progressive for its time, the film still portrays its Japanese-American characters through a white gaze.

16. The Seven Year Itch (1955)

• Why it’s racist: Features a "funny" blackface scene, played off as lighthearted comedy.

17. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1949)

• Why it’s racist: Features stereotypical portrayals of Black characters as ignorant and lazy.

18. The Shanghai Gesture (1941)

• Why it’s racist: The lead Chinese character is played by a white actress in yellowface, with exaggerated makeup and broken English.

19. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

• Why it’s racist: A patriotic film that glorifies minstrel shows and blackface performances.

20. The Mask of Fu Manchu (1940)

• Why it’s racist: Boris Karloff plays an evil Chinese mastermind in yellowface, with exaggerated slanted eyes and a sinister accent.

21. Bataan (1943)

• Why it’s racist: Demonizes Japanese soldiers during WWII, reinforcing racial animosity and war propaganda.

22. Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)

• Why it’s racist: Another anti-Japanese war film, where all Japanese characters are shown as cruel and inhuman.

23. Show Boat (1951)

• Why it’s racist: While a remake, it still portrayed Black characters as cheerful, subservient entertainers.

24. The Little Colonel (1949)

• Why it’s racist: Shirley Temple and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson perform a segregated dance number, reinforcing the idea that Black entertainers were only meant to perform for white audiences.

25. The Iron Mistress (1952)

• Why it’s racist: Features Latino and Indigenous characters as criminals or sidekicks to the white lead.

26. The Big Heat (1953)

• Why it’s racist: The film includes racial slurs and violent depictions of Black characters, treating them as disposable.

27. The Big Fisherman (1959)

• Why it’s racist: Middle Eastern characters are all played by white actors in brownface, making the film uncomfortable to watch today.

28. The Big Parade (1952)

• Why it’s racist: A pro-war propaganda film that dehumanizes Asian and Middle Eastern people.

29. The Alamo (1955)

• Why it’s racist: Mexicans are all depicted as lazy, violent, and incompetent, while John Wayne plays the heroic white leader.

30. The African Queen (1951)

• Why it’s racist: The film uses Africa as nothing more than a backdrop for a white love story, with all Black characters reduced to silent, submissive extras.1960s–1970s: Blaxploitation & White Saviors

Expanded List of Racist Films from the 1960s–1970s: Blaxploitation, White Saviors & Colonial Myths

Key Themes:

? Blaxploitation – Films that sensationalized crime, drugs, and pimp culture in Black communities, reinforcing harmful stereotypes while pretending to "empower" Black audiences. ? White Savior Narratives – Stories where white protagonists are the heroes in Black, Asian, or Indigenous struggles, reinforcing white superiority. ? Native Americans as Villains or Noble Savages – Indigenous characters were either violent obstacles to be eliminated or "wise mystics" to be pitied, never full-fledged people. ? War & Colonial Propaganda – Vietnam War and post-colonial films painted Asians, Arabs, and Indigenous people as either primitive threats or helpless victims.

Notorious Racist Films: A Comprehensive List

1. The Green Berets (1968)

• Why it’s racist: This John Wayne-led war film turns the Vietnam War into a pro-American propaganda piece, portraying Vietnamese people as either helpless victims or ruthless savages.

2. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

• Why it’s racist: A classic "good white man vs. evil Indigenous people" Western, where Native Americans are either violent killers or wise, passive sidekicks to the white hero.

3. Mandingo (1975)

• Why it’s racist: Portrays Black men as hypersexualized and violent, preying on white women, while depicting slavery as a backdrop for a grotesque soap opera rather than a historical atrocity.

4. Shaft (1971)

• Why it’s racist: While seen as a Black empowerment film, it helped cement the stereotype of the "cool Black criminal", making crime, pimping, and violence seem like a natural part of Black identity.

5. Super Fly (1972)

• Why it’s racist: A drug dealer is the hero of this film, reinforcing the idea that Black success only comes through crime.

6. Coonskin (1975)

• Why it’s racist: A Ralph Bakshi animated film that is a fever dream of racist caricatures, using minstrel imagery to create a "satirical" look at Black America that instead feels like a glorified KKK wet dream.

7. The Legend of Nigger Charley (1972)

• Why it’s racist: The title alone is offensive, but the film also plays into Black stereotypes of violent revenge fantasies rather than historical accuracy.

8. Billy Jack (1971)

• Why it’s racist: A white savior movie, where a white man becomes the protector of Native Americans while they remain passive and helpless.

9. The Trial of Billy Jack (1974)

• Why it’s racist: Another white savior tale, where a white man fights for Indigenous rights, while Indigenous people themselves are powerless victims.

10. A Man Called Horse (1970)

• Why it’s racist: A white man "becomes" Native American and outshines actual Indigenous characters, feeding into colonialist fantasies.

11. Tusk (1980)

• Why it’s racist: Depicts Indian people as either mystical shamans or corrupt politicians, reinforcing racist colonial tropes.

12. The Godfather (1972) & The Godfather Part II (1974)

• Why they’re racist: These films helped create the modern stereotype of Italian Americans as only gangsters, which Hollywood still pushes today.

13. The Deer Hunter (1978)

• Why it’s racist: Vietnamese people are portrayed as sadistic monsters who force American POWs to play Russian roulette, a completely fabricated lie that dehumanized Asian people during the war.

14. Apocalypse Now (1979)

• Why it’s racist: An exoticized, violent portrayal of Vietnam, where Asians are faceless, nameless obstacles in an American’s existential crisis.

15. The Longest Yard (1974)

• Why it’s racist: Depicts Black prisoners as either comic relief or violent thugs, reinforcing stereotypes of Black men as criminals.

16. The Klansman (1974)

• Why it’s racist: Tries to be about racial tensions but ends up justifying white fear and paranoia about Black men "taking" white women.

17. Drum (1976)

• Why it’s racist: A spiritual sequel to Mandingo, continuing the racist sexualization of Black men and white women.

18. Black Mama, White Mama (1973)

• Why it’s racist: A sexploitation film that turns Black and white women into oversexualized objects, adding blaxploitation stereotypes to the mix.

19. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

• Why it’s racist: Plays into the “hillbilly horror” trope, where poor Southern white people are depicted as inbred cannibals, which feeds into real-world classist and racist fears.

20. King Kong (1976)

• Why it’s racist: The 1976 remake still contains the deeply racist origins of King Kong, which has always been an allegory for Black men "stealing" white women.

21. The Enforcer (1976)

• Why it’s racist: A Dirty Harry film that reinforces fear of Black revolutionaries, depicting them as violent radicals who must be put down by white law enforcement.

22. Death Wish (1974)

• Why it’s racist: Classic "white vigilante kills scary Black criminals" propaganda, which inspired countless racist crime films afterward.

23. Death Wish II (1982)

• Why it’s racist: Even more egregious than the first, this film turns Black and Latino criminals into monsters with no humanity.

The Toy (1982)

Why it's racist: A white boy "buys" a Black man as a plaything.

24. The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976)

• Why it’s racist: A baseball film that turns Black athletes into comedic buffoons rather than giving them real stories.

25. 48 Hrs. (1982)

• Why it’s racist: Nick Nolte constantly degrades and verbally abuses Eddie Murphy, reinforcing the idea that white men are dominant over Black men, even in buddy cop movies.1980s: Casual Racism Goes Mainstream

25. Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)

• Why it’s racist: A white actor, Joel Grey, plays a Korean martial arts master in yellowface. The character, Chiun, is a stereotype-laden portrayal that exaggerates Asian wisdom tropes while playing into the "mystical martial artist" cliché.

26. The Cannonball Run (1981)

• Why it’s racist: The movie features Jackie Chan in one of his first American roles but stereotypes his character as a silent, kung fu-fighting Asian man. It plays on the idea that Asians are inherently skilled in martial arts and socially awkward.

27. Soul Man (1986)

• Why it’s racist: This movie deserves another mention for how deeply offensive it is. The entire premise revolves around a white man darkening his skin (blackface) to exploit affirmative action. The film reduces the lived struggles of Black Americans to a comedic inconvenience for a privileged white man.

28. Howard the Duck (1986)

• Why it’s racist: Includes Black pimps and gangsters portrayed as aggressive caricatures, reinforcing harmful racial tropes. The film also features racially coded animalistic behavior in non-white characters.

29. Johnny Be Good (1988)

• Why it’s racist: Features Black athletes as academically incompetent, reinforcing racist tropes about Black people being good for entertainment but not intellectual pursuits.

30. The Last Dragon (1985)

• Why it’s racist: While a fun cult classic, the film relies on stereotypical portrayals of Asian characters, with mystical, fortune-cookie wisdom. The film plays into the "Black man adopts martial arts to fight Asian masters" trope.

31. Police Academy Series (1984–1989)

• Why it’s racist: The movies rely on racial and ethnic stereotypes for humor, including:Latino characters portrayed as criminalsBlack men as scary, hyper-masculine figures or comedic sidekicksAsian characters depicted with exaggerated accents and cluelessness

32. Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

• Why it’s racist: Reinforces Cold War xenophobia by portraying Vietnamese people as cruel and deceitful, while the white protagonist, John Rambo, is the only moral force.

33. The Flamingo Kid (1984)

• Why it’s racist: Plays into Jewish stereotypes, with Jewish characters portrayed as greedy, conniving, and self-serving. The film reinforces common antisemitic tropes.

34. Sixteen Candles (1984) – Long Duk Dong, the most offensive Asian caricature in film history.24. The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

• Why it’s racist: This horror film exoticizes Haitian Vodou and portrays Black spirituality as dangerous and otherworldly, feeding into long-standing racist fears of Black magic.

35. The Delta Force (1986)

• Why it’s racist: The movie depicts Arabs as mindless terrorists, reinforcing Islamophobic and xenophobic fears during the Reagan era.

36. The Secret of My Success (1987)

• Why it’s racist: Features Black and Latino characters as mere background figures while all business and intellectual power is given to white characters. The film supports the myth of the self-made white man without acknowledging systemic barriers to success for non-white people.

37. Porky’s (1981)

• Why it’s racist: The film features a racist portrayal of Native Americans, including offensive "Indian" war cries and drunkenness. It also features anti-Semitic stereotypes.

38. The Mighty Quinn (1989)

• Why it’s racist: Denzel Washington plays a Jamaican police officer in a crime film that makes Black Caribbean culture seem wild, corrupt, and dangerous. The movie relies on outdated Rastafarian stereotypes.

39. Action Jackson (1988)

• Why it’s racist: The film plays into Blaxploitation tropes, portraying the Black protagonist as a hyper-masculine, brute-force hero with limited intelligence. It also includes sexist and misogynistic depictions of Black women.

40. Heartbreak Ridge (1986)

• Why it’s racist: The film reinforces Cold War militarism and anti-Latino stereotypes, portraying Latinos as lawless criminals while glorifying white military intervention.

41. Short Circuit 2 (1988)

Fisher Stevens plays an Indian character in brownface.

Racist Films from the 1990s: The Era of "Disguised Diversity"

Key Themes:

? Tokenism – Films added a single Black, Asian, or Latino character just for optics, but they were rarely given depth, backstories, or power.

? The Magical Negro Trope – Black characters existed solely to serve, guide, or sacrifice themselves for the white lead.

? Villainizing Arabs & Muslims – Hollywood ramped up anti-Middle Eastern stereotypes, making Arabs and Muslims the default villains in action films.

? Whitewashing & Historical Erasure – Hollywood rewrote history to soften the reality of colonization, racism, and white supremacy.

Notorious Racist Films: A Comprehensive List

1. Aladdin (1992)

• Why it’s racist: The opening lyrics literally describe Arab culture as “barbaric” (“Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face”). The film portrays Arab people as either thieves, sexualized dancers, or violent, sword-wielding rulers.

2. The Green Mile (1999)

• Why it’s racist: A textbook example of the "Magical Negro" trope—Michael Clarke Duncan's character has no goals, no desires, no agency outside of healing and guiding the white protagonist.

3. Dances with Wolves (1990)

• Why it’s racist: A white man “becomes” Native American and outshines the actual Indigenous people, reinforcing the white savior myth.

4. Pocahontas (1995)

• Why it’s racist: This Disney film completely erases the true horrors of colonization, turning it into a romanticized love story rather than a story about rape, forced assimilation, and genocide.

5. The Prince of Egypt (1998)

• Why it’s racist: A Bible story set in Egypt where every main character is voiced by white actors, yet all the villains have thick Middle Eastern accents.

6. The Mummy (1999)

• Why it’s racist: Egyptians are reduced to either villains or mystical helpers, while a white archaeologist plunders their history and saves the day.

7. Notting Hill (1999)

• Why it’s racist: Set in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in London, yet the cast is almost entirely white except for one token Black character with no real story arc.

8. The Matrix (1999)

• Why it’s racist: Morpheus is the ultimate "Magical Negro"—his entire existence revolves around mentoring Neo (a white man) to become "The One".

9. Independence Day (1996)

• Why it’s racist: Will Smith’s character is the token Black hero, but his role is largely comic relief, reinforcing stereotypes of Black men as wise-cracking sidekicks rather than serious leaders.

10. The Siege (1998)

• Why it’s racist: This film villainizes Arabs and Muslims, portraying them as terrorists plotting to destroy the U.S..

11. True Lies (1994)

• Why it’s racist: Arabs are depicted as cartoonish, mindless terrorists, reinforcing anti-Muslim paranoia that ramped up in the '90s.

12. Falling Down (1993)

• Why it’s racist: This film is a white male rage fantasy where Michael Douglas' character violently lashes out at Latino, Black, and Asian people—reinforcing racist stereotypes about people of color being responsible for white men’s struggles.

13. The Bodyguard (1992)

• Why it’s racist: Whitney Houston is hypersexualized, while Kevin Costner is the strong, protective white man—reinforcing white savior dynamics.

14. Forrest Gump (1994)

• Why it’s racist: The Black characters are either loyal servants (Bubba) or political radicals who are portrayed as dangerous. Bubba is killed off so Forrest can profit off his shrimp business.

15. A Time to Kill (1996)

• Why it’s racist: A Black girl’s trauma is used to fuel a white man’s redemption story. The film centers a white lawyer instead of the Black family experiencing injustice.

16. The Fifth Element (1997)

• Why it’s racist: Chris Tucker plays a flamboyant, emasculated Black character, serving only as comedic relief. The only Black characters are exaggerated sidekicks.

17. Air Force One (1997)

• Why it’s racist: Features Middle Eastern villains as terrorists, reinforcing the anti-Arab stereotypes Hollywood created in the '90s.

18. The Lion King (1994)

• Why it’s racist: Scar’s hyena henchmen speak in exaggerated "urban" slang, which many critics have pointed out reflects racial coding.

19. The Mask of Zorro (1998)

• Why it’s racist: Antonio Banderas plays a Mexican character, but the movie whitewashes much of its historical accuracy. Meanwhile, Catherine Zeta-Jones, a Welsh actress, plays a Latina woman.

20. Any Given Sunday (1999)

• Why it’s racist: Black football players are portrayed as impulsive, arrogant, and in need of a white coach to set them straight.

21. The Waterboy (1998)

• Why it’s racist: The only Black character is the "dumb jock" stereotype, serving as comic relief.

22. Con Air (1997)

• Why it’s racist: The only Black character is a convicted criminal, reinforcing the stereotype that Black men are inherently criminals.

23. The Truman Show (1998)

• Why it’s racist: Set in a fictionalized version of America that is completely white, ignoring the reality of racial diversity.

24. Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)

• Why it’s racist: Token Black and Latino characters serve only as sidekicks to the white protagonist, playing into racial clichés.

25. Armageddon (1998)

• Why it’s racist: The Black characters serve as comic relief, while the white men save the world.

Racist Films from 2000–2025: Hollywood’s New Era of "Polite" Racism

2000–2025: Racism in Disguise

Key Themes:

? "Woke-washing" – Films pretend to tackle racism or include diversity, but they still center whiteness and fail to challenge systemic racism. ? Whitewashed casting – White actors playing Asian, Middle Eastern, or Indigenous roles, erasing authentic representation. ? Latino & Black stereotypes in crime films – Hollywood still relies on outdated tropes of Black and Latino men as criminals, gangsters, or comedic relief.

Notorious Racist Films: A Comprehensive List

1. Crash (2004)

• Why it’s racist: Marketed as a "deep" movie about racism, but actually reinforces racial stereotypes—Black men are criminals, Latinos are gang members, and Middle Eastern people are terrorists.

2. The Last Samurai (2003)

• Why it’s racist: Tom Cruise, a white man, becomes Japan’s greatest samurai, outshining the actual Japanese warriors in their own culture.

3. The Blind Side (2009)

• Why it’s racist: The ultimate white savior film, where a wealthy white woman "rescues" a Black athlete, who is portrayed as a helpless, naive child rather than a talented, independent person.

4. Million Dollar Baby (2004)

• Why it’s racist: Features a Latina woman as a "feisty" but ignorant character, reinforcing old-school Hispanic stereotypes.

5. Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

• Why it’s racist: Chinese actresses were cast as Japanese geishas, continuing Hollywood’s disrespect for Asian cultural differences.

6. 21 (2008)

• Why it’s racist: Based on the true story of an MIT blackjack team—who were Asian in real life—but recast as mostly white actors.

7. Argo (2012)

• Why it’s racist: Iranians are portrayed as dangerous extremists, while a white man (Ben Affleck) is the American hero.

8. Lone Survivor (2013)

• Why it’s racist: A hyper-patriotic war movie that dehumanizes Middle Eastern people, portraying all Afghans as either terrorists or helpless peasants.

9. Gran Torino (2008)

• Why it’s racist: A white man "redeems" himself by saving an Asian family, yet the film is filled with slurs and racial stereotypes.

10. Towelhead (2007)

• Why it’s racist: A deeply problematic portrayal of Middle Eastern and Muslim identity, using racial slurs even in the title.

11. The Green Inferno (2013)

• Why it’s racist: White college kids travel to the Amazon, where Indigenous people are depicted as cannibalistic savages.

12. The Great Wall (2016)

• Why it’s racist: A white man (Matt Damon) is the savior of ancient China, continuing the "white hero in Asia" trope.

13. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

• Why it’s racist: Jake Gyllenhaal plays a Persian hero, despite being a white actor with no Middle Eastern background.

14. Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)

• Why it’s racist: Cast white actors as Egyptians, while actual African and Middle Eastern actors were given slave roles.

15. The Lone Ranger (2013)

• Why it’s racist: Johnny Depp plays a Native American character (Tonto) in brownface, feeding into Hollywood’s long history of Indigenous erasure.

2010s–Present: Hollywood Still Hasn’t Learned

Key Themes:

? Race-swapped token characters without real diversity – Swapping a white role with a person of color, but not giving them actual depth or control in the story. ? "Woke" racism – Films use diversity as a marketing tool, while still reinforcing racial hierarchies. ? Exoticizing or mocking non-Western cultures – Turning cultures into "exotic" set pieces for white characters to explore.

Notorious Racist Films: A Comprehensive List

16. The Help (2011)

• Why it’s racist: A white woman tells the story of racism, while Black women (who lived the reality) are reduced to background figures.

17. Aloha (2015)

• Why it’s racist: Emma Stone was cast as a half-Asian character, erasing actual Asian talent.

18. Ghost in the Shell (2017)

• Why it’s racist: Scarlett Johansson played a Japanese character, continuing Hollywood’s history of whitewashing Asian roles.

19. Green Book (2018)

• Why it’s racist: Marketed as a racial reconciliation film, but centers a white man in a Black man’s struggle, reducing Mahershala Ali’s character to a sidekick.

20. La La Land (2016)

• Why it’s racist: A white man (Ryan Gosling) teaches Black people about jazz, erasing its actual African-American roots.

21. The Upside (2019)

• Why it’s racist: A Black man (Kevin Hart) is reduced to a helper for a wealthy white disabled man, playing into old servant-master narratives.

22. No Time to Die (2021)

• Why it’s racist: The film hyped up Lashana Lynch as the "new James Bond", only to sideline her and keep the focus on Daniel Craig.

23. The Tomorrow War (2021)

• Why it’s racist: Features stereotypical Middle Eastern villains, continuing Hollywood’s Islamophobic trend.

24. The Eternals (2021)

• Why it’s racist: A diverse cast used purely as a marketing tool, but the story still centers around a white male character (Richard Madden's Ikaris).

25. The Batman (2022)

• Why it’s racist: Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman is given racialized dialogue, and the film makes a point to associate Black characters with crime.

Even as America claims to move forward, it remains shackled to the same oppressive ideologies, refusing to dismantle the foundations of white supremacy that define its institutions—Hollywood included. The film industry, like the nation that birthed it, does not seek justice; it seeks optics. Diversity is not embraced as truth, but as currency—a convenient marketing gimmick that allows white supremacy to persist unchecked, disguised as progress.

So what happens next? Will the next generation of filmmakers finally reckon with the raw, unfiltered reality of race and power—or will they continue to repurpose oppression into sanitized, sellable narratives that pacify rather than liberate?

America, not just Hollywood, must decide: Will it finally acknowledge the truth of systemic racism, or will it keep rewriting the script to make itself look innocent? Because as long as the lie of white supremacy remains unchallenged, the story will always be the same.