ANALYSIS OF THE DOCUMENTARY "ON THE RECORD" (Coursework Sample)

Analyzing the Documentary "On the Record" through the lens of Intersectionality, Misogynoir, and Toxic Masculinity
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Analysis of the Documentary “On the Record”
Minority races all over the world encounter various challenges. In the U.S., the black woman is no exception as she is from a minority race. Over the years, various human rights activists and scholars have tried to fight for the rights of these minority groups to ensure their rights are respected. In this context, the world encounters Kimberlé Crenshaw, a scholar who first mentioned intersectionality in the documentary “On the Record.” In America, the word pieces together the minority, namely, the Blacks, against the whites. The present paper will seek to analyze the knowledge presented in the media through the lens of the readings on intersectionality and the bell book resources covered in the course.
Crenshaw's point of view revolves around the idea that social identities such as race or gender play critical roles in the oppression and discrimination of an individual. While this is the case, many conservatives differ with her. Coaston (2019) illustrated that social identities stand out as expressions of the special treatment accorded to the minority black women. The conservatives view the ideology as a "conspiracy theory of victimization" that promotes selfish behavior (HBO Max, 2020).
In the documentary, when Jenny Lumet recollects about her ordeal with Russell Simmons, Simmons responds in a statement saying, "it is now clear to me that her feelings of fear and intimidation are real.’ It brings out the cultural concept of masculinity which, according to Anyangwe (2015), tends to glorify dominance. Throughout the narration in the documentary, Simmons pans out as a very dominant person. Hence, this behavior portrays itself when other women in the documentary also recollect about their ordeals (HBO Max, 2020). It highlights the toxic masculinity in society.
Masculine events in society give rise to intersectionality wars, where racism and sexism meet. It can therefore lead to misogynoir, as Anyangwe (2015) demonstrates. It explains why most of the victims are not willing to come forward. True to this notion, in the documentary, Drew Dixon defends her choice to remain silent for more than two decades despite the anguish she went through, saying, "I didn't want to let the culture down" (HBO Max, 2020). A closer look at the culture she is referring to reveals a minority group faced with high levels of misogynoir. What is even more disturbing is the revelation that she did encounter more sexual advances from the new employer despite changing her employer.
Black women who challenge the status quo and fail to apologize are judged unfairly. In line with Anyangwe's (2015) and Coaston's (2019) thoughts, black women are not viewed as the ideal people to voice the oppression. The stereotype at play here is the view of black people as animalistic. Hence, they cannot be controlled and are responsible for the "angry strong black woman." Hence, the woman of color is viewed as one who feels no pain and cannot be offended (HBO Max, 2020). Therefore, the black woman cannot overcome the ill-treatment she encounters, be it at the workplace, social gatherings, or even social media.
Such a stereotype reveals itself in the documentary since all the women featured have been silent for quite a long time before coming forward with the accusat