CHAPTER!
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INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background of Study
The fact that racism had been abolished is impossible because some people still
reveal racism issue as a hot topic. Even though most of them are more open to another
race, yet, racism is happening. For example, many people have a good relationship and
able to maintain a work as partners with their friends from different races, yet, in other
society they only become friends with the same races.
Five decades ago, people judged someone just from their skin colors or races, in
America on 1962, White American has the higher status level than African American.
According to Datesman (1997, p.25), every lower social class people who is a newborn
and growing will not change their social status to the higher position. White American
could have a good job than African American who works as slaves. They are separated
from The White American. In public facility, for example, in the school bus, White
American could seat in the front while African American are at the back seat. This event
is presented in the entertainment industry which is described in the Hairspray. In the
Hairspray, the racism showed by White American reaction towards African American in
which, African American has different social class with White American, and some
parents forbid their children in having a relationship with African American, because
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they are still thinking that African American have bad behavior, the way of speaking,
acting, and their social life.
Hairspray was released in July, 20 2007. The story of Hairspray is about
dancing competition in USA and the racism as the background theme. Hairspray was
directed by Adam Shankman, he was born in Los Angeles, California, November 27,
1964. He was an American film director, producer, dancer, actor and choreographer. His
first job was as physical comedy choreographer before he return to successful director,
he was directed The Wedding Planner, Bringing Down the House, The Pacifier and
Hairspray (Starpluse, 2010).
Leslie Dixon as the writer of Hairspray is a Hollywood screenwriter. Dixon
wrote screenplays for the films, Outrageous Fortune, Overboard, Mrs. Doubtfire, The
Thomas Crown Affair, Pay It Forward, and Hairspray. She was nominated for a Saturn
Award for her screenplay of Freaky Friday (Hollywood, 2010). As good partnership,
Adam Shankman and Leslie Dixon created the USA society in 1962 as the setting and
the story begin with an overweight teenager's life, the racism between White American
and African American, until the discrimination of African American exist because
racism issue and more criminal act against people of color. This situation was happened
in USA, racial stratification has occurred in employment, housing, education and
government.
Racism is also had been revealed as research topic in another academic study, the
writer has summarized this thesis from two different thesis abstracts with the same topic.
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First, "Public Enemy's Views on Racism as Seen through Their Song Lyric" by Rasti
Setya Anggraini, which has two problems to be analyzed, to find out Public Enemy's
view on racism towards African American and exploring the solutions for racism offered
in Public Enemy's song lyrics using Roland Barthes's theory. The data are taken from
Public Enemy's album, focusing on the album which was produced in 80s and 90s, ten
song lyrics towards the racism, articles, interviews, and quotes. The purpose of this
research is to show that racism still exists in a different and more specific way. The
meaning of Public Enemy's song is to make people realize that racism shouldn't be
exposed too much these days (Anggraini, 2009).
The second thesis is "American Football as a Means to Convey Abolishment of
Racism as Seen in Boaz Yakiri's Remember the Titans" by Nur Nazaruddin. The main
source is taken from "Remember the Titans" movie by Boaz Yakin's film, focusing on
sound of the dialogues, lighting, narration and characterization. This research focuses on
how to exterminate racism between White American and African American through
American football team, and also to understand the American society and its culture.
The Analysis is closer to the sociological, historical, and semiotic element of the movie.
The statement of the problem was divided in two questions, they are: "how does
American football play the role as a catalyst in abolishment of racism between African
American and White American as reflected in Remember the Titans?" and "how does
the social interaction change as a result of abolishment of racism among African
American and White American in American society as reflected in Remember the
Titans?". The writer uses these movies because the football team has a good sociality
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with another race, even though it is African American or White American (Nazaruddin,
2009).
Based on the abstract of two authors about racism, the writer wants to analyze
racism in America emphasis on social psychology, in paper title "An Analysis of
Character's Perception through Racism in Hairspray Related with Social psychology''.
1.2
Problem Formulation
There are three problems to be analyzed, the problem formulations are:
1. How is the Hairspray character's reaction about racism?
2. How is discrimination revealed in the Hairspray?
3. What is the impact of racism to the main character?
1.3
Scope and Limitation
The scope of research is Hairspray directed by Adam Shankman.
The limitation of this analysis is on the Hairspray's character, the main character
and the minor character, to analyze the different perception of racism between two
characters and the analysis of song in Hairspray.
1.4
Goal and Function
The goals of the thesis are to find out the character's reaction about the racism, to
know how that racism is revealed in Hairspray, and to analyze the impact of racism and
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the discrimination to the main character.
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The function is to prove that discrimination is still happening nowadays, also in
the entertainment industry, and clarify the racism issue which has been eliminated and
officially integrated.
1.5
Research Method
In conducting this research, the writer use qualitative method by applying library
research, with the following steps. First, the writer will be watching the movie,
understanding the story about how the discrimination involves in the movie,
comprehending the movie and finding out the problems of the topic. Second, searching
for related books and articles abo.ut the social psychology and racism between African
American and White American and other literary works to get current data, finding the
correct theory for the topic and afterward quotes the theory about social psychology and
racism issue and come up with comparing the theoretical background of the research.
Third, analyze the intrinsic element of literature and analyze Hairspray with related
theories of social psychology, racism, social categorization, and prejudice and
discrimination. Next, the writer concludes the results of the chapter 3. Based on the
analysis, conclusions are clarified to answer the goals of the research. Finally, the writer
summarizes all the analysis from the chapter 1 until chapter 4.
Most of references are about the theory of Psychoanalytic criticism related to
Racism and social psychology. The steps are taken by collecting theories and data from
Binus University Library and online readings.
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