Understanding Intercultural Value: ‘Green Book’ Movie Exploration

INTRODUCTION

Why people are dividing and discriminating other with their colour skin or
language used? It is still being an issue in our society until these days. For instance, this
issue can easily found at many movies and one of them is ‘Green Book’ movie which is
directed by Peter Farrely. Green Book is a based on true story movie in 1962 that
depicts a magnificent friendship of two men with different culture and race. They were
interracial good company and it became long lasting friendship until they died.
Meanwhile, America in 1962 was still adopted white supremacy which white people
were more superior than black. The existence of this movie is trying to portray
intercultural misunderstanding in our society and how our society should do to prevent
this misunderstanding happen again in future.

ANALYSIS

Green Book is a movie tells about Frank Anthony Vallelonga or commonly

called as Tony Lip; Italian-American men that has white skin. His friend, Dr. Donald
Shirley as a Negro or his popular stage name is Doctor Don Shirley that has black skin
or coloured skin. The story begins with Tony Lip which clever and tricky became
jobless. Afterwards, one day Tony was recommended by some people in recording
agency of Don Shirley to be a driver for his tour in the Deep South of America which
overshadow several countries such as Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, etc.

Tony went to Don Shirley’s luxury residence to get an interview. Then, Don
Shirley interested with Tony because of his sincere and ability of clean up the obstacles
like what he heard by people’s story of him. The day after the interview, Tony has
gotten a call by Don that he was accepted and Don asked confirmation to Tony’s wife,
Dolores, to approve Tony as his driver for eight weeks’ tour straight until Christmas
came. Then, the journey of their magnificent friendship began with full of life lesson of
each other lives and share each perspective.

They can be a good company because of their ability in handling the hatred and
try to understand each other life’s perspective through communication. At first, Tony as
white people is extremely dislike black people. It reflects on his responding towards his
father in law while seeing black people repairing water pipes in his house.

Example:

Father in law : “Tony, don’t be sleeping when my daughter is here alone with *these
sacks of coal.

Tony : “I didn’t know who they (negro) were going to send.”

*These sacks of coal is the imagery of Negro or black people. Through this
conversation, the father in law and Tony as essentialist, see black people as a trash. The
essentialist see culture (can be race, language, etc) as a static concept of a culture that is
not movable. Also, the essentialist point of view of Negro is a representation of
dirtiness, disgusting, and an inferior people, then it becomes national culture (Holliday,
1999).

Thereafter, Tony is stuck in a situation that reverses him in the same position as
black people. Tony became Don Shirley’s driver which must follow the ‘green book’;
negro motorist travel book used for black people to stay, eat and some procedures to
avoid the problems in some areas in America when travelling. Tony must put aside his
hatred of coloured people because Don Shirley, a black people is now his boss. Through
the intensive communication between them in their tour journey, Tony and Don slowly
try to understand each other perspective and share their concern. Also, Don here as an
educated black people attempt to reconstruct essentialist through his dignity, his
educated dictions, and his manner. Don provide education to Tony in how to behave
with VIP class, being an honest and romantic person and being a person who can
communicate well with educated words. According to McConachy and Liddicoat
(2016) about meta-pragmatic awareness; when language and communication as a
feature of pragmatic that part of intercultural competence , this friendship is using this
theory to shape both essentialist view of culture into non-essentialist; a dynamic and
moveable concept. Tony regularly becomes not judgmental towards black people
because through Don, he assumes that he is good person and genius. He also
understands why Don keep smiling when white people discriminate him because Don
think that they both are same human being and must be equally treated. So as Tony,
Don gradually understand that not all white people are humiliating him. The existence
of Tony besides him can make him see the world better. Tony and Don use meta-
pragmatic awareness as a mediation to shape understanding of pragmatics in each
language and acts, how and what the difference of each language also the consequence
in intercultural communication (McConachy and Liddicoat, 2016, p. 17).

Example:

- "He's (Don Shirley) like a genius, I think,” – Tony’s first letter to Dolores.
- Don : “You never win with violence, Tony. You only win when you maintain
your dignity. Dignity always prevails.”
- Don : “Yes, I live in a castle, Tony! Alone. And rich white people pay me to
play piano for them because it makes them feel cultured. But as soon as I step
off that stage, I go right back to being just another nigger. Because that is their
true culture. And I suffer that slight alone, because I'm not accepted by my own
people 'cause I'm not like them, either. So, if I'm not black enough and if I'm not
white enough.”
- Tony : “I didn't know it bothered you. You should have told me. All you gotta
do is say the word, Doc.”

CONCLUSION

Tony and Don can be a representation of a successful intercultural competence

which gradually also can change people’s perspective in seeing other culture. By using
meta-pragmatics awareness and both understanding of non-essentialist view, they could
make an interracial good company. This movie also wants to reflects how rude society
in America and these two men make the two cultures fuse and it was so beautiful to see.
Thus, intercultural communication and competence can prevent the misunderstanding in
each other and make harmony in difference.

REFERENCES

Dervin, F., & Gross, Z. (2016). Intercultural Competence in Education (First; F. Dervin
& Z. Gross, eds.). https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58733-6

Holliday, A. (1999). Culture as constraint or resource: essentialist versus non-

essentialist views Adrian Holliday Canterbury Christ Church University College.
 (18), 38–40.

In the name of Allah, I frankly write this assignment without copying or

plagiarizing other works.