the “old movies” conversation keeps popping up. there’s no way to resolve it. ultimately, people will watch what they want. but, don’t avoid old movies bc you’re afraid they’ll all be racist and sexist because that’s simply ahistorical and inaccurate.

it suggests that all old movies are made by white men, which ignores the fact that movies have been made all over the world by people of every race and gender. and even in America, for example, Black people have been making movies since the silent era.

racism and sexism aren’t exclusive to old things, just like they’re not exclusive to the South, or a certain country or portion of the world. they are baked into the fabric of our lives. we can’t just set it aside and say “it’s over there” or “it’s in the past.”

a thing I love to do with old movies is watch them while considering their historical context—what was going on at that time? how does the movie respond to it? you actually learn about how racism and sexism have been shaped in our culture. the movies tell us where we’ve been.