After watching the film, McFarland portrayed several themes centered on engaging the public in communal action and uplifting each other to make each person’s life as best as possible. The protagonist, Jim (Coach), had a past having worked at reputable institutions, but because of his volatile rage, his entire household relocated to McFarland (Renner, n.d.). McFarland is a tiny immigrant community with an agricultural and picker-based history. Before Jim discovered his knack for running, Jim and his household were unimpressed with McFarland, where they had relocated (Renner, n.d.). The primary purpose of this essay will be to compare and contrast Jim White’s character with the readings of the readings on human capital to determine what actions by the characters portrayed engaged citizenship.
By integrating himself into his neighborhood and trying to improve it, its members, and himself, Jim demonstrated the qualities of an active citizen. Becoming a contributing member of society and helping those around you are essential to becoming an engaged citizen (Renner, n.d.). Involved citizens are typically seen as autonomous, forceful people who care about other people’s concerns (Armitage, 2007). Jim frequently appeared in the film as a civically active person. Whenever I reflect on engaged citizenship, two sequences from the film that instantly spring to mind are when Jim performs manual tasks alongside the Diez brothers to comprehend their behavior and the necessity for labor (Renner, n.d.). The other scenario that arises for me involves the time the neighborhood cheers on the competitors as they compete and accompanies their bus toward the ultimate competition. Since it is a noble gesture that strengthens a relationship of awareness of the diversity in customs and livelihood within the neighborhood, Jim aiding other fellow residents is an example of engaged citizenship (De Weger et al., 2018).
Overcoming adversity together was also extensively portrayed in the film, which, compared to the readings on human capital, is in consensus with being an engaged citizen (Armitage, 2007). Many community members face significant difficulties, with some preventing them from partaking in the competition. However, through hard work and consistent resilience, Coach White is able to collaborate with them and surpass the challenges. The readings showcase the need to make sacrifices to serve the greater good, which is shown when a Coach takes action to help his players’ families, even with physical work, to get them time for attending training (Armitage, 2007). Mr. White is also known for his empowerment when he advises his students to commit to education and believe in themselves even before the races, which keeps their spirits high and is a core component of engaged citizenship (De Weger et al., 2018).
The readings also discuss the need to understand the culture of people in the community and respect it to effectively become a contributing member of the said community (Armitage, 2007). Similarly, Coach White and his family show efforts of cultural integration where they learn about the Latino culture and partake in their cultures to foster a sense of unity and understand what matters most to the community (Renner, n.d.). Understanding and integrating with the community allowed him to dispose of the racial stereotypes about safety in the community and experience the complete bliss of coexisting with others (De Weger et al., 2018).
I can envision myself in a similar role since the movie showcases that one does not need to do extraordinary things to impact the lives of others positively but by being an engaged citizen and being kind and respectful to others. I have also witnessed a person who, after completing high school, continued to make visits there, offering help to the disadvantaged students and even using his scriptwriting prowess to create plays that were performed by the school in drama festivals. His commitment to helping students sprung interest in many of the students who completed their studies afterward to provide help to the community and were often seen making trips to orphanages and making donations.
References
Armitage, D. (2007). The Declaration of Independence: A global history. Harvard University Press.
De Weger, E., Van Vooren, N., Luijkx, K. G., Baan, C. A., & Drewes, H. W. (2018). Achieving successful community engagement: a rapid realist review. BMC health services research, 18(1), 1-18.
Renner, B. D. (n.d.). Everything You Need to Know About McFarland, USA Movie (2015): Dec. 18, 2015 – added the US VOD release date of June 2, 2015 – Movie Insider. Movie Insider. https://www.movieinsider.com/m8890/mcfarland
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