https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384 by Alexis Goldin en-us 2019-12-02 16:27:32 UTC 2025-12-28 19:35:59 UTC hello@padlet.com alexisgoldalexis https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/418562517 In the movie, the character of Lieutenant Dan, is the epitome of masculinity. He’s shirtless, he’s pumping his fists, and he’s got an American Flag waving behind him. He is constantly cursing and threatening others to assert his dominance. Even though he relies on a  wheelchair to get around, he positions himself so that he’s taller than anybody around him. He is reckless and irresponsible, but yet is perceived tough and scruffy, like a real man should. According to the reading Examining Media Contestation of Masculinity and Head Trauma in the National Football League, “Hegemonic masculinity [is] describes as a social process in which one form of institutionalized masculinity is culturally exalted above all others”(Anderson & Kian 8). This is clearly portrayed in the movie because actions like patriotism and violence are idolized and are the base for how institutionalized masculinity is recognized in our culture. ]]> 2019-12-02 16:31:37 UTC https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/418562517 alexisgoldalexis https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/418575449 In this scene Lieutenant Dan feels inferior to Gump. He attacks him with Gump's success's and hates the idea that another man has "beat" him in ranking and medals. ]]> 2019-12-02 16:49:35 UTC https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/418575449 alexisgoldalexis https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/418580476 (Toxic Masculinity)]]> 2019-12-02 16:56:31 UTC https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/418580476 alexisgoldalexis https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/419796011 In the movie women are perceived as sexual objects. Jenny is seen as a girl who sleeps around with her hundreds of boyfriends and suffers the consequence by catching an STD, which leads to her death. Jenny even gets kicked out of school for posing in nudes for a magazine, once again made for male pleasure. Similar to Jenny, Gump’s mom is seen as a slut as well. As seen in the GIF and meme, the idea that a woman is only after money and not truly love is prominent in the movie. His mom ends up sleeping with his principal in order for Gump to attend the school he needed. This is played off of the stereotype that women exist to satisfy male pleasures and fulfill their needs. In a lecture, done in class, we discussed the idea that an “ideal” woman is submissive and soft. She is a sexual object in the eyes of the man, thus being considered inferior. This movie deeply played on the stereotypes of how women are seen by men, and their roles in society. ]]> 2019-12-04 17:42:56 UTC https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/419796011 alexisgoldalexis https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/419796391 2019-12-04 17:43:25 UTC https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/419796391 alexisgoldalexis https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/419796495 2019-12-04 17:43:34 UTC https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/419796495 alexisgoldalexis https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/419797511 The entire movie involves some aspect of racism. For example, in the scene at the University of Alabama, Forrest witness hate speech toward an Black man, behind his back. Forrest doesn't really understand racism, so he assumes the guy is talking about raccoons and says that they should just chase them away with a broom. As shown in the gif and the short clip from the movie, the black panther group formed to fight against discrimination against Black people. In the Vietnam war, the Black soldiers would be sent to the front line to die for a country that hates them. In the reading “The Souls of Black Folks” by DuBois talks about how “a Negro simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and and American, without being cursed or spat upon by his fellows” (4). The ignorance in the movie shows that Negros are not welcome to be a part of society, but rather are there to serve. ]]> 2019-12-04 17:44:53 UTC https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/419797511 alexisgoldalexis https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/419797543 2019-12-04 17:44:55 UTC https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/419797543 alexisgoldalexis https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/419797604 Gump enters a Black Panther Party]]> 2019-12-04 17:45:00 UTC https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/419797604 alexisgoldalexis https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/421211974 Even if someone does attain success, many times failure follows and the person returns to square one, just like Gump. ]]> 2019-12-07 20:03:58 UTC https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/421211974 alexisgoldalexis https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/421211989 This GIF shows Bubba talking about his dreams of opening a Shrimp Restaurant, which unfortunately never come true for him. ]]> 2019-12-07 20:04:05 UTC https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/421211989 alexisgoldalexis https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/421211999 The idea of meritocracy was played out a few times in the movie. When Gump was in the army, he met a guy named Bubba who dreamed of opening a shrimp restaurant, as seen in the GIF. He always talked about shrimp. Unfortunately he died in the battle field, but Gump was determined to work hard enough to open a successful business. The movie showed that he was successful, because his boat was the only boat survived the hurricane. This is an example of meritocracy, because meritocracy is a system in which if a person works hard, he or she will be rewarded with either monetary or class success. In the lecture, we learned about how many Americans believe in this phenomenon. The example of playing the lottery and going from nothing to tons of money, is popular in our culture. This idea gives hope to lower classes, but is very unlikely to occur. ]]> 2019-12-07 20:04:10 UTC https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/421211999 alexisgoldalexis https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/421213513 He grew up in a boarding house in Alabama with his mother. Forrest has a below-average IQ. To get him accepted into a public school, Forrest’s mother agreed to sleep with the principal in exchange for Forrest's admission. Forrest meets Jenny on the first day of school on the bus. They become best friends. Jenny is beautiful and a good friend to Forrest, but suffers sexual abuse from her father. As time passes, Forrest and Jenny remain good friends. After graduation, he joins the army and meets a friend at boot camp, Bubba, a young black man whose one dream is to start a shrimping business. In Vietnam, Forrest and Bubba are put under the command of Lieutenant Dan, an army officer who has had an ancestor die in every American war. He is very patriotic and does not show weakness. Forrest troop gets attacked and Bubba is killed. Forrest goes back and gets all his soldiers, which wins him a medal of honor. He even saves Lieutenant Dan, even though Dan was intent on dying in battle, like his ancestors. Back in Washington, after receiving a medal of honor, Forrest is pulled into an anti-war demonstration where he runs into Jenny, who has become a hippie radical. She is also in an abusive relationship, which Forrest tries to protect her from, but with no success. Later on, he buys a shrimping boat, keeping his promise to Bubba. He names the boat Jenny, but has little success with it. Dan keeps his promise to Forrest and he joins him in his shrimping business. When Hurricane Carmen destroys all the boats except for the "Jenny," Forrest becomes a successful shrimper. Immediately after his success comes, Forrest discovers his mother is dying of cancer, and he returns home to her. Dan invests Forrest’s part of the money into Apple Computers, making him rich. One day, Jenny visits Forrest and stays with him for a while. When Forrest proposes to her, she declines, but they end up having sex that night. The next day, Jenny leaves Forrest. Confused, Forrest starts running around the country without stopping, except to sleep and eat. His persistent running turns him into a celebrity, and he even catches Jenny's attention. When Forrest goes to see Jenny, she introduces him to her son, Forrest. Jenny tells Forrest that the boy is his and that she is sick with an unknown virus. The three move to Greenbow and Jenny and Forrest get married. Forrest lives happily with Jenny and Forrest Jr., but Jenny eventually dies. ]]> 2019-12-07 20:18:40 UTC https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/421213513 alexisgoldalexis https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/421374105 Gump says this quote after finding out that he was an investor in Apple and was very rich. He gave most of it away, which is very uncommon.]]> 2019-12-08 21:20:44 UTC https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/421374105 alexisgoldalexis https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/421374121 2019-12-08 21:20:50 UTC https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/421374121 alexisgoldalexis https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/421374138 Wealth often times equivalates one’s socioeconomic status and quality of life in the world. Having a lot of money provides people with greater financial comfort and security in times of crisis such as illness, disability, or the loss of a job. This can easily be seen in the Youtube video attached in the Padlet. Bubba’s mother who received “his share”, according to Gump, never had to work another day as a service worker. She now had service workers and was able to relax. These circumstances are very uncommon in today’s society. According to the New York Times, the richest 1 percent in the United States now own more wealth than the bottom 90 percent. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, so the wealth gap is growing. This movie played on such stereotypes, but rather showed a more progressive side. Some billionaires donate some millions to charities but that won’t stop the gap from growing. ]]> 2019-12-08 21:20:53 UTC https://padlet.com/alexisgoldalexis/4dlwurh5q384/wish/421374138