In the film Remember the Titans, how was social class discrimination explored, and how does this change our way of thinking?

When one thinks of social class, we usually tier it as lower, middle, and upper economic status, with variations in between, but there are identifiable markers that let the audience know in which category each character belongs. For example, Sunshine would most likely be considered upper middle class due to the fact that his father was an officer in the military, thereby affording him many opportunities that others might not have. However, in this particular movie, socioeconomics is not particularly highlighted as a significant plot point; rather, racial discrimination is the star of the show. Over and over again, throughout the movie, we see how most of the characters overcome their preconceived notions about race to achieve a common goal, but socioeconomic status rarely played into the subtext of what this film attempted to teach us. Rather, it showed the audience that when we come together as a community, regardless of our racial or ethnic backgrounds, great things can be accomplished.

Social class is not determined in the film by economic status as much as it is determined by race. We can see some class differences between Bertier and some of the other players; Bertier is upper-middle class. His family and friends, especially his mother and girlfriend, do not condone his fraternizing with the African American players throughout most of the film. Despite his social standing, he loses friends, including his fellow player and best friend Ray, by befriending the African American players. Sunshine, while upper-middle class as well, is already considered socially deviant, not only because of his acceptance of the African American players, but also because of his long hair and kissing of another male player. Louie Lastik also fits in easily with his fellow teammates, but his social standing is not as high as Bertier's.
African Americans in the movie are consistently treated as inferior to white people. Despite the fact that Coach Boone is able to afford a nice home in a good neighborhood, he faces discrimination because of his race. His entire team also faces a lack of community support, because much of the community doesn't support the mixing of races on the team. In this movie, social classes appear to be determined by race first and economic level second. Bertier is established in an upper-middle class social group and has much more trouble getting his family and friends to accept his friendships with his black teammates. Sunshine, despite his deviant behavior, is accepted because of his social class. Finally, Lastik has a much easier time fitting in with most of his teammates, because he is not established in a clearly defined social class.