What a great movie. I just watched it again for the third time a few weeks ago.
I'm going to list some random things I thought were interesting/ important in the film that may help you with the theme of your paper. I'm numbering them just to keep the diferent issues a bit seperate so they are easier to read.
1. Set in Los Angeles, California and gives us a glimpse at the complex racial make up of the city, and how race affects the entire dynamic of it all. The movie is intense and fast paced, taking place within a short 36 hour window.
2. The main characters: A White DA and his insecure wife, a Mexican locksmith, a Persian family, a pair of Black car thieves, a rookie cop and his racist partner, a Korean couple, a Black police detective and his Hispanic partner, who also have a complicated personal relationship- each of these people are affected by a bizarre chain of events that revolve around race. The plot of the movie focuses around these characters and how racial and ethnic prejudice and discrimination shape their lives and the lives of broader society.
3. Racial issues are seen within every scene of Crash. Race as a social construction is illustrated when Detective Waters is bribed by the DAs office into faking the investigation of a shoot out between two officers, one White and one Black. Because it looks better for the DA, Waters agrees to withhold evidence. This is a social construction because due to racial relations, a decision was made in favor of making the DA look better, meaning that it was done to meet the political needs of the society, however arbitrary they are.
4. Racial and ethnic stratification is how society is separated into different layers, each holding a piece of societys resources. Certain groups hold the majority of the resources, while other share smaller, unequal portions. The upper strata is clearly illustrated by the DA and his wife, Jean. They drive a luxury car, live in a fancy home; they have a housekeeper and assistants. The DA also has power in the community and the means, both financially and politically to turn things to his favor, like the shooting investigation headed by Detective Waters. The lowest strata is also defined, both by Detective Waterss poor, drug addicted mother and the Oriental slaves.
5. Prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination are all glaringly pictured in Crash. Prejudice, an arbitrary belief toward an ethnic group, is clearly illustrated when Jean believes that the Mexican locksmith will have her home robbed. Stereotyping is when one has a certain picture in their heads about someone due to their race or ethnicity. An example of stereotyping is when Jean feels unsafe around the two Black men, who ultimately do steal her car. Discrimination is when you deny someones rights due to their race or ethnicity. This happened when the Persian man, Lucien, was denied the right to buy a gun after the clerk associated him with terrorists because of his Middle Eastern descent.
6. Individual discrimination is when a person or a group intentionally discriminates against a certain race or ethnicity. When the store owned by the Persian couple was ransacked and racial slurs painted on the walls, it was individual discrimination. Institutional discrimination is when discrimination happens because it is a legal and social norm. The fact that the Mexican locksmith and his family live in an unsafe part of the city is a result of institutional discrimination. It is not one persons fault that poor minorities are often forced to remain in crime ridden, inner city areas, but an indirect institutional or cultural racism. The way that cities evolved, with better jobs and housing moving out of inner cities, the inner cities were left to flounder. Although many of the people left behind want a better life, they dont have the means to attain it, like transportation and affordable housing.
7. When different racial and ethnic groups interact with each other and become more culturally alike, it is called assimilation. Cultural assimilation, or the adoption of the dominant ethnic groups cultural traits, can be seen in the fact that all of the minority groups speak English. Also, the young Persian woman does not wear a scarf; instead she forgoes that head covering and fits in more visibly with American culture. Structural assimilation is when different ethnic groups interact socially. The two detectives, one Black and one Hispanic, are involved romantically. The Hispanic detective, Ria, is a result of marital assimilation, because as she explains to her boyfriend, she is descended from two very distinct groups.
8. Racial and ethnic prejudice comes directly from ethnocentrism, and the feeling that ones own group is superior to other groups. This feeling allowed groups to exploit others and feel justified in doing so. In the time since dominant groups were established, racism has been firmly planted in the minds of people as a norm. In current times, in order for our society to function, there must be people on all levels of the hierarchy. Due to past discrimination, many minorities have been forced to exist on the lowest strata, with little opportunity to climb upward.
9. The solution is to overcome the prejudices that are so firmly ingrained in our society. Stop passing down negative stereotypes from one generation to the next. Find viable solutions to the issues keeping minority groups from having the same opportunities as the more dominant groups. Stop subscribing to media that reinforces stereotypes and prejudices. There isnt one thing that will bring about the end of racism, but an accumulation of many, many little things.
10. In my opinion, this movie does and excellent job of illustrating the conditions of racial and ethnic groups in this country, and the relationships between the groups. Race is a huge factor in everyones day to day life. Whether you are a Black man watching a woman clutch her purse more tightly as you walk by, or a White person who does not believe herself to apply stereotypes, yet gets nervous when a person with Middle Eastern features gets on the same plane as her, race and ethnicity is always there, and always a factor. Crash brings attention to even the most subtle racial issues. Just the tagline itself,
You think you know who you are. You have no idea. is very telling. Most people would not consider themselves to be racists, yet they support a society that exploits certain races without complaint.
Good luck on the paper!
