Freedom Writers: An Ethical Approach

When watching the PBS documentary, Freedom Writers, it is evident that, through this harrowing moment in time, true heroes emerged. There is an interesting dynamic at play, however, that arises when looking at this film between motives of differing individuals; while these people that participated in this revolutionary movement are inspiring to all and deserve praise for their actions, it is important to recognize differing examples of the purpose behind each ethical action that arose. By looking at this film within the different contexts of utilitarianism, egoism, duty ethics, and virtue ethics, viewers are able to comprehend this exponentially influential movement on a grander scale.

To begin with, it is easy to intentionally see the strands of utilitarianism that are weaved throughout this documentary. In one of the first few scenes of this movie, a speaker reads an old journal entry from a member of the Freedom Riders that states: “human dignity is the most important thing in my life” (Freedom Riders). This embodies the very concept of utilitarianism because it showcases that this speaker is looking out for all peoples’ best interests. There was no mention of how the speaker felt a singular, personal reason for attending these protests; it was simply a thing that humanity, all people, needed. Don A. Habibi, a utilitarian critic of human rights, aligns the concept that our country was built on- “unalienable rights” as the basis for these movements. His thoughts parallel with the previous speaker in that he believes that unalienable rights (such as human dignity) should be defended by all for the good of all (Habibi 8). Both these speakers comprehend and hold true to the concept that every action we undergo should be in the pursuit of happiness for many.

A second concept that arises when watching this film is that of egoism. While this may break down the “all for one, and one for all” notion that the previous theory embodies, egoism was noticeable throughout this documentary. This is evident when a speaker stated how he “always [had] to have someone meet you there [your destination], ‘cause you didn’t know what you expect” (Freedom Riders). This makes sense within the scheme of the Freedom Riders main idea: to create a safer environment within transportation. When this speaker discussed the fear he had at traveling singularly to rekindle with family, there was an obvious motive for his participation in the protest- not having to worry about who he may encounter when reaching the destination.

Next, Diane Nash (a prominent member of not only the Freedom Riders movement but the Civil Rights Movement in general) clearly embodied the premise of duty ethics within the documentary. She stood up within her group to step up where others had left off; instead of bowing down to the violence that she encountered, she fueled the idea to keep the movement going despite the consequences (Freedom Riders). Because of this, it is recognized that she was making the conscious decision to focus on the “rightness” of her actions- not the concerns that would arise from them. This is seen, when researching Nash, by her arrest due to her participation in a peaceful protest during April 1960 (Wynn 109). It is evident that Nash’s focus was primarily on the justice within her actions during this time; she did not focus on the end result of being taken to jail. She was embodying justice, and that was “legal” in Nash’s mind. After witnessing so much horror and violence from one encounter with the Freedom Riders, she chose to focus on continuing the movement because of its moral value; the potential result of danger and more violence was of no worry.

Following this, it is hard to narrow down what specific examples the film expresses relating to virtue ethics simply because the entire concept of the Freedom Riders was built on ignoring the de facto segregation at play within the transport systems. While there had been some progress on the desegregation of buses during that time, it was still strictly enforced especially in the Deep South. However, the Freedom Riders understood that the morality of their actions was above the racism that had been established into law- their motives for this were focused primarily on what was right, not what was written.

Overall, it is important to recognize that the movement that the Freedom Riders initiated was superior to the time period. Their actions were heroic and inspirational to many- within this, there were motivations that transcended beyond the typical surface-level explanation. Utilitarianism, egoism, duty ethics, and virtue ethics were all combined together within each person’s motivations, and this is what made the movement so successful.

Works Cited

Freedom Riders. Dir. Stanley Nelson. Firelight Media, 2010. DVD.

Habibi, Don A. "Human Rights And Politicized Human Rights: A Utilitarian Critique." Journal Of Human Rights 6.1 (2007): 3-35. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.

Wynn, Linda T. "Nash, Diane (1938-)." Freedom Facts & Firsts: 400 Years Of The African American Civil Rights Experience (2009): 108. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.