The Great Debaters

I recently drove past the Cinerama Dome where they were holding the premiere of The Great Debaters. It's about a debate team from a black college in the 1930s taking on Harvard for the national championship.

This sort of film has become a genre in itself--inspirational tales (often based on true stories) of African-Americans who work hard, believe in themselves and overcome great odds to show a doubting world they're as good as, or better than, anyone else.

While I often enjoy this sort of film, I doubt it has much social value beyond the entertainment it affords. (I'm not picking on the genre--I feel this way about almost all fiction.) I think we're at a point where everyone understands African-Americans can do what anyone else can do. The problems are deeper than lack of inspiration.