Was Harry Cooper a racist and/or terrible person?

[JDFP]

My own opinion of Harry Cooper (speaking only of NOTLD '68) is that he was a frightened and scared man who was concerned about his wife and daughter. I'm not saying Harry Cooper should win the "Husband/Father of the Year Award" by a longshot, but I don't see him as a terrible person or someone we should be overly ashamed of for his actions. He should have allowed Ben back into the house, but the man was terrified by fear. He should have been more co-operative with Ben, but he was scared and wanted the best for his family. Likewise, his outburst of: "Well you all can just stay up here!" was not really out of anger but more out of fear. If anything, I feel sympathetic to Harry. He may have been an ass in many ways, but I think he was far from a bad person. However, what I've wondered for some time: Do you think that Cooper was an underlying racist? I use the term underlying because I don't really see any overlying statements on Harry's part that would point to him as being racist in the film. If Ben had been white, do you think that Harry would have been more co-operative with him and that things may have come to a different outcome? I do find it fascinating that in the era the film was made within we saw a black man and a white man struggling for control within a divided house -- one seeking leadership in one sphere and the other seeking leadership within another, and when the two spheres converge it was like potassium mixed with water. This could be a very interesting conversation. j.p.

[octo7]

Cooper was right and Ben was the asshole, it took a lot of viewings over the the years for me to come to that realisation. I don't think he was racist, he was worried about his daughter and the lack of control he had over the situation. However in night 90 he was definitely a racist.

[EvilNed]

Now first off, Ben was written as a white character first, but Duane Jones got the role. However, despite that, I'm sure some changes were made and it doesn't really matter because we're not picking apart the script. We're picking apart the movie, and in the movie Ben is black. As for the question? Yes, I do think he was. And I think Ben knew this. This probably wasn't the first time Ben was exposed to racism, and which is again probably why he, in turn, got so hostile towards Cooper. Cooper didn't like Ben and Ben realized why and in turn didn't like Cooper. I feel kinda like you. Cooper isn't the only crook here, because a lot of situations could've been easily handled by Ben if he'd just ignored Cooper. But the two had a way of provoking each other.

[bassman]

No racism, imo. Just two guys that both want to be in charge. It just so happens that one of them is black.

[krakenslayer]

Was he A racist? No. He seems to almost go out of his way to avoid mentioning race at all. Was there some level of racism in his attitude to Ben? Possibly. A lot of people have a little bit hidden under the surface. It doesn't necessarily make them an evil white supremacist, maybe they just exhibit some outdated stereotypical views, are uneasy around Black guys just because they don't know any, or whatever. It was worse like that in the 60s too. But I don't this he was hateful or anything. I don't really hold with the "Cooper was right" thing, though. Sure, it was ironic that the last hiding place for Ben was the cellar, but if everyone but Ben hadn't lost their balls and messed everything up, then upstairs would have worked out a LOT better - primarily because they would have been able to signal for help long before the posse got close enough to gun everyone down.

[darth los]

If Ben had been white, do you think that Harry would have been more co-operative with him and that things may have come to a different outcome? j.p. No one can really say, we can only take what we know and apply it. That being said there was only one other man in the house, Tom, and there wasn't nearly the amount of static in the relationship between he and Cooper. Furthermore, the dynamic between Ben and Tom (a white and a black man) was just fine, imo. So he could be a racist or he could also just be an asshole, or both. It isn't that clear cut for me in the original but there are certainly some moments in the film where race plays a part, or at the very least hs racial overtones. Anyone think Cooper might have been just a tad distrustful of Ben, a Big Black Man with a gun, the ONLY gun for that matter? I think there's a much better case for Cooper being racist and just an overall asshole in the remake, imo.

[DubiousComforts]

Cooper was right and Ben was the asshole, it took a lot of viewings over the the years for me to come to that realisation. In all those years of viewing, you must have missed the part where Cooper holds a loaded shotgun on Ben, leaving him to fend for himself. That had nothing to do with his family's safety or being scared and everything to do with being a vindictive prick. Cooper wasn't nowhere even close to being "right" simply because a single door held against an onslaught of ghouls.

[octo7]

I thought cooper was right because boarding up the house was a retarded idea, why so many entry holes when you can have just one and reinforce that? I also remember ben started the hostility too, he kept on about "why didnt you come help" over and over beyond the point of necessity and added ot the overall panic of the situation. ben was responsible for the deaths of everyone in that house, including coopers little girl. ---------- Post added at 06:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:35 PM ---------- In all those years of viewing, you must have missed the part where Cooper holds a loaded shotgun on Ben, leaving him to fend for himself. That had nothing to do with his family's safety or being scared and everything to do with being a vindictive prick. Cooper wasn't nowhere even close to being "right" simply because a single door held against an onslaught of ghouls. you mean right after those two kids get blown to smithereens under Ben's leadership? i would have shot him and went to the basement. and no i am not a racist lol

[darth los]

In all those years of viewing, you must have missed the part where Cooper holds a loaded shotgun on Ben, leaving him to fend for himself. That had nothing to do with his family's safety or being scared and everything to do with being a vindictive prick. Cooper wasn't nowhere even close to being "right" simply because a single door held against an onslaught of ghouls. Helen said it best: " That's what's important isn't it? For you to be right and everyone else to be wrong." And that's coming from his wife. Who else would know the character of the man any better?

[octo7]

the same helen who would have still been alive if she just listened to him and not brought current marital tensions to the situation?

[JDFP]

No one can really say, we can only take what we know and apply it. That being said there was only one other man in the house, Tom, and there wasn't nearly the amount of static in the relationship between he and Cooper. Furthermore, the dynamic between Ben and Tom (a white and a black man) was just fine, imo. So he could be a racist or he could also just be an asshole, or both. I don't know that it's really fair to compare the relationship between Cooper and Tom and Cooper and Ben considering Tom and Ben are so different as people. Tom was a kid -- maybe in his early 20s, and when Cooper came along and started "telling" him what he needed to do I'm sure Tom was thrilled to have someone take a leadership position. Tom was not a natural leader. Ben, whether right or wrong, was a natural leader. A better comparison would have been if Tom had been a strong character like Ben and Cooper instead of: "Oh, well Mr. Cooper seemed to think it was a good idea, and I didn't have any better ideas...". j.p.

[darth los]

the same helen who would have still been alive if she just listened to him and not brought current marital tensions to the situation? And you're saying that harry didn't bring any tensions to the situation, marital or otherwise? Should she have just taken him slapping her around and not have said anything? They way the night played out we can not assume anyone would have lived. it's just like in Baseball when they say you can't assume a double play.

[octo7]

In a life or death situation i would rather someone be an asshole as long as they had conviction and a plan, a zombie holocaust isnt exactly the kind of time to make friends and exchange pleasentries with someone, especially if you rightly suspect they have poor leadership qualities such as ben dfid. what it all boils dsown to is that the zombies did not go near the basement door or even notice its existence, cooper was right in his asumption and ben's wrecklessnes killed a child, 3 women and 2 men. also when ben punches barbara, what good did that do?

[ProfessorChaos]

ben was responsible for the deaths of everyone in that house, including coopers little girl. the kid was as good as dead from jump street. can't blame ben for that one.

[octo7]

the kid was as good as dead from jump street. can't blame ben for that one. i guess thats true this thread is fucking awesome!