My Favorite

My Favorite

My favorite movie of all-time is “Forrest Gump.” To me, this movie means that when a person puts their mind to complete a goal, nothing can stop them. The movie is based on a fictional character by the name of Forrest Gump. From the time Forrest was born, he was stereotyped as being stupid, because he had a disability. He was diagnosed with having a crooked spine and a very low IQ, wearing large, metal braces on his legs starting as a young child.  This may imply, or stereotype, that all persons with a physical disability are stupid or may also have a mental disability.   Forrest had a life changing moment on his first day of school, riding the bus; on that day, he would meet his best friend Jenny. Jenny was from a poor family and constantly abused by her father. From the very first time meeting one another, they immediately became best friends. One day, while Forrest was walking home from school with Jenny, some local bullies started throwing rocks at him, calling him names. When Forrest started running from bullies, he ran so hard is his leg braces busted off, and from that day forward he ran everywhere, surprising his family and the community by doing something they thought personally impossible for Forrest.

Against all odds Forrest received a scholarship at the University of Alabama, after the head football coach seen how fast he could run, ending the stereotype of being physically disabled. After graduation, he went on to serve in Vietnam, earning a Purple Heart, and saving his platoon from being killed, after being shot in the buttocks. He soon discovered he had a talent for playing ping pong, while recovering from his gunshot wound, and eventually won a gold medal in the Olympics for it. Forrest eventually ends up in Louisiana starting a shrimp boat company called Bubba Gump Shrimp, named after his friend that was killed in Vietnam. The company would soon be the only shrimp boat on the southern coast after all of the other shrimp boats were destroyed by a hurricane, making Bubba Gump Shrimp Company the only boat left to catch shrimp. The storm being unfortunate for others turned Forrest into a multimillionaire. Forrest Gump’s list of great accomplishments, misfortunes, and life struggles, all the while overcoming the stereotype of other people thinking he is stupid, are endless in this movie.

The movie is a reminder that a person can overcome any obstacles in life with hard work, a positive attitude, and the willingness to keep moving forward; even when life is beating you down. The reason for this movie being my favorite, is when I think about the struggles I am going through in my life, it reminds me to keep moving forward, no matter what obstacles are in my way!

The stereotyping of Forrest Gump is explicitly expressed, from the time he was a small child, people constantly told him he was stupid.  This type of negativity was fully expressed by the people around him and nothing was ever held back. The forces that contributed to the emergence of this stereotype include, Forrest suffering from a physical disability as a small child in combination with having a low IQ, which contribute to the stereotype that people with a disability are “stupid.”

Society is constantly being stereotyped by marketing ads, whether it is through clothing, beauty supplies, or sporting goods. People are stereotyped by what type of clothing they wear, especially with youth.  If kids are not wearing what is considered “in style,” they are viewed as not being cool. This type of stereotyping influences people to buy name brand clothing in order to fit in to what they think is the “cool crowd,” marketing techniques by using good looking people, with lots of friends around, makes people think they too can be viewed this way by wearing certain types of clothing.

References

Forrest Gump. Dir. Robert Zemeckis. By Eric Roth. Perf. Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field, and Mykelti Williamson. Paramount Pictures, 1994. DVD.