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Mississippi Burning

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1. What is the movie about?

Mississippi Burning is movie that’s based on true incidents. It is about the segregation and racism in the Southern States and a great example of KKKs racist actions. In 1964 two FBI agents have been sent down to the southern states to investigate the disappearing of three civil rights activists, which were last seen in a small town in Mississippi. As the two agents have different backgrounds they tend to handle things dissimilar. The younger agents name is Alan Ward, and he does everything by the book. He’s much tensed about his job, and takes everything serious. He’s also officially the leader of the operation. The older agent is Rupert Anderson, and he’s much more relaxed in general. As he’s raised in a small village in Mississippi he understands the culture in a way Alan wouldn’t. A lot of black peoples churches gets burned down, and several murders are committed, all signed by the KKKs burning cross. It gets a larger twist of drama when the older agent, Rupert, gets a sensual relationship with the sheriff’s deputy’s wife. When they find the car which the missing activists were driving, and get brutally assaulted, Alan calls in for backup, lots of it. It starts looking really bad for the agents, but when things start getting personal for Rupert then the tides turn. One by one they either trick or use severe methods against the worst KKK members. Once one has spoken, then the remaining bastards eventually get caught. The movie ends with a slideshow of the sentences the KKK members got.
2. Who do you think are the heroes of the movie - and why?
In my eyes it is Anderson who is the hero. Because that he does what it takes to find proves that can help them on this case, Anderson is even breaking the law, and he makes a sensual relationship with the sheriffs’ wife. He’s doing that so he can get information out of her, but after telling Anderson the information, she got beaten (The wife). The sheriff was the man, who beat his wife; Anderson is now taking this case personally and gets forced by the sheriff. So he’s taking one of the criminals “out for a little ride” and gets more information out of him. But Anderson does what it takes, breaking the law, and taking the case personal. That is what opens my eyes for that he’s the real hero.

3. Explain what you think is meant by Ward's comment to Anderson: "Some things are worth dying for" and the reply, "Some things are worth killing for"

“Some things are worth dying for”: Wards thinking that, the boys who died, did that whole America opened their eyes and thought, racism is bad, that it's worth dying for.
“Some things are worth killing for” Andersons quote is for the peoples in Mississippi and its meaning that the folks in Mississippi is thinking that they will kill for not having black in their city, and proving that the “whites” religion is the only one.
4. If asked, Anderson would probably say that the end justifies the means. What are the things that he, Ward or other FBI men do that could be said to be wrong in themselves but which are done for good reasons.

One of them could be where Anderson is creating a sensual relationship to the sheriffs wife, its wrong but it’s done for good reasons, and I think that he knows that se would get some punches and stuffs, but he need to do that so they can finish this crime scene.
5. What is your response to this particular philosophy; do you think that the end can justify the means?

Yes it is okay, because if you’re a cop you need to do everything to finish your case and then get prestige. But if you don’t use the “dirty tricks” then where will be times when you fail, and then can’t finish you’re cases then people will look at you like a bad cop.
6. Ward says of the mayor who hangs himself, "Anyone's guilty who watches this happen and pretend it isn't" Is he only talking about the mayor? Explain.

No absolutely not, he’s talking about the whole situation, who has grown bigger and bigger. Because of the FBI agents. The whole situation is that the whole state Mississippi is afraid of telling something that could help the agents. Cause if they do that they can end totally beaten up or end in the graveyard. So he isn’t talking about the mayor only but the whole case about the 3 missing boys, who now are dead.
7. How do you feel about prejudice, segregation, racism, hate crimes?

I don’t like it; I think it’s wrong and ridiculous. There isn’t reason to hate, because of the skin color. It’s evil and stupid. I simply can’t describe it with words but I just don’t like it its wrong and I have experiences in my life where I’ve been discriminated just because of that I’m from Serbia.

8. Can you relate the events in the film to present day examples of discrimination, racism and hate crimes?

Well I had tried several times, where I’ve been called a stupid hairy Serbian, but I can’t deny that I haven’t come with racist comments, and for the mostly it’s just for fun. But sometimes it isn’t fun any longer and can be hate afterwards.

9. What do you think about the film and the issues presented by it? Does it have any relevance to your life? Compared to Denmark for instance?

Well there was the Muhammad war, Denmark against Muslims all over the world. It was a law in Denmark who actually confirmed that it wasn’t racism, but I think that Kurt Westergaard knows that it wasn’t the best idea, and there could be a little racism over it.

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