12 Angry Men Race Quotes

How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from 12 Angry Men.

Quote #7

JUROR #10: Listen to me. They're no good. There's not a one of 'em who's any good.

When he sees that no one agrees with his views on people of color, Juror #10 changes his mind about his earlier claim that some of them are okay. He goes right back to his original point, which is that no people of color are okay. And we can pretty safely assume that he feels this way about almost any race that isn't Caucasian.

Quote #8

JUROR #4: It's no secret that slums are breeding grounds for criminals.

Juror #4 may or may not be racist, but he definitely thinks that slums are bad places that tend to breed criminals. In this sense, he's more prejudiced against people from low social classes than he is against certain races. Yet it's also pretty clear that it's not only white people living in these neighborhoods.

Quote #9

JUROR #8: How come you believe the woman? She's one of "them" too, isn't she?

In a clever moment, Juror #8 uses Juror #10's racism against him. After all, #10 thinks that they should all believe the testimony of a non-white witness. But he also thinks that they should consider the defendant guilty because he's a person of color and can't be trusted. But if people of color can't be trusted, why does he want to believe the witness? Maybe the guy just wants to see someone go to the electric chair.