Definition of Critical Thinking

My simple definition of critical thinking is carefully examining all sides of an issue and solutions before picking a side to support. 

This diagram of critical thinking helps summarize my viewpoint on it. Critical thinking is basically a circle with no end where one must be informed and look at all sides of the issue. The idea of testing the theory and thinking of potential alternatives yourself is important instead of simply relying on other people's ideas to help you with your theory with critical thinking. 

My essay was about Proposition 187 which would deny social services to California residents without legal documentation to live there. I discussed how the creators did not use critical thinking because they failed to examine both sides of the issue and did not see how Proposition 187 would cause tensions between white Californians and the immigrant community and even within the immigrant community itself. 

Source from Le Noir Et Blanc

The source I chose from "Le Noir Et Blanc" is a movie review of "L.A. Confidential" by Peter Travers. I chose this source to examine to see how the movie reviewers in 1997 viewed "L.A. Confidential" and compared it to the other movies at the time.

The review immediately started attacking other noir style movies such as "Mulholland Falls" for example and portrayed the noir genre as a difficult genre to write in a successful movie in, mainly because most of the ideas and styles had already been filmed. Then the movie reviewer focuses on how "L.A. Confidential" and how it successfully captures the spirit of Los Angeles during the 1940s and how it shows the underlying problems with the police force of Los Angeles. 

What did I learn about Race and Class? 

I learned from this review how difficult it can be for filmmakers to authentically portray the themes of race and class of Los Angeles in the 1940s. I saw how the filmmakers portrayed the distinct angles and sides of the crime in Los Angeles with the example of one police officer who chased after wife beaters and the other police officers who went out of their way to beat up Mexicans. 

Overall though, the article itself mainly focused on reviewing the movie itself instead of discussing the inherent race and class issues in the movie. While the audience itself was aimed for the Rolling Stone magazine readers who would more likely be interested in reading about movies instead of about race and class issues, I was glad to get a perspective how it compared to other movies in terms of its accuracy in portraying race and class issues. 

How have readings influenced my understanding of the film?

The Fulton book Reluctant Metropolis helped me understand Devil in a Blue Dress by pointing out the themes of segregation in Los Angeles. It described how certain parts of LA were sectioned off for African Americans, Hispanics, Asians and White people. Devil in a Blue Dress describes how Los Angeles is sectioned off with Crenshaw being heavily African American but areas such as Malibu being heavily white and a place African Americans are unwelcomed. For example, Eazy goes to Malibu and is threatened by white boys who may see him as someone who does not belong in Malibu.