MovieChat Forums > The Sandlot (1993) Discussion > Was the black kid being a part of the te...

Was the black kid being a part of the team unrealistic?

posted 8 years ago by WorstCaseOntario
23 replies | jump to latest

This movie is set in 1962 in LA county, and racial tensions were still very high at that time and in that area. I can imagine several ignorant, hot-headed white kids (like some in the group are) being racist, or the parents of the kids not wanting their kids hanging out with a black kid. Also, it was possibly unrealistic during that time that Kenny would be allowed in a public pool.

I know by 1962 there were several great black baseball players like Willie Mays and Hank Aaron that the kids were probably fans of, so those kids very well could've gotten comfortable with black people by then. Also, Kenny was a great pitcher so the kids were probably very happy to have him on their team. But it's still something to think about.

[–] Shibez (888) 5 years ago

I have often thought the same thing about the black character in the film. Why? Because of the history of race relations in our country...I am 34 (was a kid when this movie came out) didn't grow up in the 60s...I think it's a normal question to ask.

Also I think is if this took place in the south I think for sure we wouldn't see the black character..not playing with white kids certainly not allowed in the pool. I don't know about California and it's segregation history though.

[–] Fonz (634) 5 years ago

Kids usually don’t care about other kids race or skin colors. Of course it would come down to the parents if they did or not. Since Benny and DeNunez seem like nice kids they probably didn’t care. Just because it was the 60’s doesn’t mean all whites were racist towards people of color.

[–] GordonGartrelle (1267) 4 years ago

I agree, its the parents.
You can always find photos of what it was like to grow up in this decade and when they show kids it's always a mixed group.

And remember those are your friends, and yes they are true friends but because of neighborhood.
So when you open the door to go outside you are going door to door picking up your friends.

Sandlot 2 was even more realistic because of the girls.
Before it all gets weird, everyone plays together.

[–] alv790 (87) 4 years ago

Contrary to the impression you might get if you watch modern TV shows or movies, not every white person in the 60s was a member of the KKK, and not everything was about race.

[–] HelpMeRhonda (1157) 4 years ago

Contrary to popular belief not every family was racist against black kids back then.

[–] Matildawormwood (1545) 4 years ago

Racial segregation was most common in the south (Georgia, Lousisnana, etc). LA county isn't a part of the south.

[–] Noufa (383) 3 years ago

1962 Los Angeles was not formally segregated. It actually had a larger black population than today. That population has been moving back to the south & settling in suburbs. So even as contemporary LA urbanizes, black people are less prominent.

But that's beside the point. Your question was more about the kids. And kids don't perceive race in the same way as adults. This is about the age when kids start testing boundaries. That does mean using salty language, including racial slurs. It also means defying your parents when they try to control your friend group.

[–] Jsully9 (377) 2 years ago

Mabye these kids had great parents that taught them not to see skin color, even if it's all you see.

[–] EleazarHisSon (670) 2 days ago

It is highly likely that at least some of the children had parents who in real life objected to them socialising with black people. Many white parents in California/L.A. who were middle class (and the children seem to be from the fact that the main character has a stepfather who seems to be some kind of academic) put their children in private schools following busing. Pasadena still has to this day (or at least 20 years ago) the highest level of private schools in the country.

White flight was more pronounced in Pasadena than in most other cities and towns across the United States, observers have suggested, because of the indignation residents felt at being labeled the first non-Southern district ordered by a federal court to desegregate.
Bibbiani said that, like many affluent communities, Pasadena had a large number of children in private schools.
This affluence, Hopkins added, made it easy for white families to leave the district.
"People here could afford the private schools," Hopkins said. "When you talk about a place like Mississippi, a white family may not have much more money than a black family."

https://web.archive.org/web/20070616180135/http://www.penfamilies.org/www/pen/Files/LA%20Daily%20Journal%20Article%20on%20Pasadena%20School%20Reform.doc

That said, not all whites are racist against blacks as has already been stated in the thread. Maybe it was just the kids who stayed in the public schools who didn't have racist parents who were represented in the film. Maybe DeNunez was just reasonably intelligent and from a family that looked after itself so that he was not seen as a problem.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

It takes place in LA, not the segregated south.

[–] R_Kane (15828) 2 years ago

Racial prejudice and racial segregation are 2 separate concepts. We can easily have racial prejudice without racial segregation. You might want to look up what the word “segregation” means, if that’s not asking too much, which, in an internet conversation, it probably is.