Higher learning is one of America’s proudest traditions. Going off to college turns boys into men, and girls into women. This is largely because of the experiences that one has in the first year. But what really happens in that first year? Cultures collide, friendships are made and broken; some people feel lost, some angry. American society is reflected in our universities. In the film Higher Learning, the main characters are all very different people from very different places. There are many American ideals that are depicted in this film, and many of them are problems in our society. Freshman year turns out to be more life experience than academic.

Malik is a cocky track star on a scholarship. He had everything handed to him in high school, and finds out very quickly things will be different at Columbus University. Kristen is a girl from a rich neighborhood with not-so-rich parents. Remy is a shy teen from Idaho, and chances are he has never dealt with people of other races. Fudge is a super senior, a black man that knows just about everything you can about college and he does not like what he sees. He becomes a mentor for many of the younger black students. Then we have Professor Phipps, a very wise man who challenges his students to learn for knowledge instead of grades. All these paths cross at some point in the film.

One idea that Americans hold tells us that money is the most important object in life. How much can you really do without money? “You’re either selling crack-rock or have a wicked jump shot,” to quote the Notorious BIG, Christopher Wallace. Kristen and Malik both encounter money problems on their first day of classes. That is a reality of college today. Many teens will never have the opportunity to receive a higher education simply because they lack the funds. Some schools have become so expensive that people continue to pay off debts years after they graduate. Should education be available for anyone willing to learn, or should it come with a price tag?

Another problem with society today is the pressure to conform to others. Grade schools have become conformist factories. Children are taught how to think in unison, not how to think for themselves. Americans equate difference with danger; danger to what they perceive as normal. Professor Phipps, however, encourages independent thinking. He wants his students to see the world as they choose; to look through their own eyes instead of their parent’s. Figures of authority especially discourage this way of thinking. It is much easier to control a conformist than a radical. One radical thinker, like Fudge, can create many more of his or her kind. Through his knowledge he has the power to point out faults in the system, to see where things went wrong and why they are getting worse. When Malik asks Fudge for his Frederick Douglas book, Malik sees no reason to read it except for his class. Malik asks, “Why else would I read it?” Fudge responds by telling him, “You should read it for the knowledge.” This is one of the reasons he was steadily harassed by police officers. Not because he was black, but because he was intelligent and black. He challenged authority and that can cause huge problems. Should we encourage conformity or challenge it?

There is a problem today in society that I will refer to as centralization. People tend to stay with their own kind. Fudge summed this up at one point in the movie. He classified people by their racial groups; “ Disneyland”, “ Chinatown” and the “Black Hole”, but other centralized groups can be found. People classify themselves and others by their race, sexuality, heritage and religion. When these classifications are made, people find others with the same interests. It is this close-minded attitude that leads to so many other problems in society. Americans are hesitant to leave their comfort zone. When people avoid confrontations, tension mounts throughout society. It is time for people to speak their mind, to stop being scared of what others think, and to cross whatever barriers they encounter. Should we continue to live in a society where problems are just ignored and forgotten, or should we confront and change them?

It is time to unlearn what has been forced into your mind. We cannot afford to ignore the faults in the system any longer. Higher Learning points out these problems, and wipes the American flag all over them. Many of these issues may not have been apparent while watching the movie, but when character’s emotions, reactions and words are analyzed it becomes clear. This film is a depiction of everything wrong with our country, it challenges what people see and feel everyday. Professor Phipps quoted Frederick Douglas saying, “Without struggle there can be no progress.” We have struggled for years, but where is the progress?