Parallelism of Discrimination Between those of the Counter-culture and Minorities by Chris Hovel
While watching Easy Rider it became very clear that white mainstream America not only discriminates those who are minorities but also those who don't exactly agree with all of your social values and norms. There were a few scenes in this film that really stuck out in my mind. One of them was when Wyatt and Billy are in jail with George. Because George is well known and respected he was offered some tea or coffee to help with his hangover, however when Billy asks for a smoke he is quickly denied. The officer calls Billy an animal and asks if he can be trusted to use fire, implying that Billy is as dumb as a beast just because he dresses, looks and acts differently from the officer. The other scene that really had some racial undertones was when all three Wyatt, Billy and George enter that small cafe in some backwards hick town for some food and drinks. Upon entering those three stuck out like sore thumbs, everyone noticed and became very uneasy towards them. The local sheriff and his friends started making fun of those three and giving very hostile looks. One quote that I remember was that they were talking about how the long hair made them look like women and how being with a colored woman would be way better than ever looking like Billy, Wyatt, or George. After leaving the cafe those three were eventually tracked down and beaten horribly. Those kind of events happened quite a lot to minorities as well. The fear and confusion that people still happens towards those that are different is something that those of the counter-culture and minorities are very parallel. I can only imagine the amount of hate those three would have encountered if one of them was black. I don't think that anyone of them would have been able to travel and go as freely as they did. Easy Rider touches on a lot of good points and ideas about how just because someone is different than you doesn't mean that you have to discriminate or hate them.