An analysis of Racism in the 2005 movie Crash
The 2005 movie Crash, directed by Paul Haggis, is filled with innumerable examples of racial stereotyping and the same is apparent in the movie from the very beginning. The movie is a classic example of the prejudices borne by racist people in their minds and their perceptions against people of a different race. This movie of Paul Haggis had won the Oscar and it is essentially a drama about race and its impact on the people of various ethnicities living in Los Angeles. Haggis has a number of people in this movie coming for various ethnic backgrounds. There are African-American men and women, people form Hispanic culture, a family from Persia, as well as numerous Asians in the film. The scenes in the movie essentially switch from one another just because the story line of the initial characters intersects with each and every scene. Anybody viewing the movie for the first time would be easily able to identify the emotionally charged themes of prejudice and racism. This paper attempts to analyze the racial tensions in Haggis’s Crash.
The primary motive of Haggis in his movie Crash is to address some of the root causes of racism and racist stereotyping. There are a few opportunities for cross-cultural interactions in this nation and unless we deliberately seek them, then they just do not happen. Society needs to continue to have conversations about racism and not be so concerned with political accuracy always. If we attempt to interact with other cultures, we might find a lot of similarities. By doing so, probably, a few stereotypes that have apparently stood the test of time might be eradicated and we would be placed in a better position in the society in terms of racial tolerance.
One of the plots in this movie involves a District Attorney who becomes worried that he might lose out on the black votes if he pursues the two black men who stole his vehicle, and if in case he fails to pursue them, he would be considered as a not so serious and liberal prosecutor. “Rick: Fuck! Why do these guys have to be black? I mean, why? No matter how we spin this thing, I’m either gonna lose the black vote or I’m gonna lose the law and order vote!” The District Attorney then develops a plan to do something to gain the appreciations of the Black Community. Spin is basically defined as a way of communicating aimed at influencing a certain group or population toward a position on an issue. This can also be called what it is and that’s manipulation. While it is difficult to characterize Rick’s actions and comments as stereotypical in a traditional sense, because there not as clearly expressed as the other characters in the movie. It can be said his behavior displays that of a majority of politicians that they will use race or ethnicity in any way that will help him politically. The District Attorney’s statements would also suggest that Black people are not capable of separating loyalty to their race from the pursuit of criminals.
Stereotypes can occur anywhere and are not simply restricted to the color of the skin or the neighborhoods. Racial discrimination can transpire through social class as well. This can create division within the same racial group as well. In the movie, Cameron was portrayed as a wealthy, black, television actor and face scrutiny from both sides of the fence. In the film, the actress who plays Christine states that, “Oh? You weren’t afraid that all your good friends at the studio were gonna read about you in the morning and realize he’s actually Black?” Christine was suggesting just because he had a good job and lots of money that still could not change the fact that he was Black after their incident with the LAPD. Another example of similar hatred and prejudice towards Blacks is evident at the beginning of the film when the Persian family tries to purchase a gun. The worker at the gun store made a few deliberate racist comments about the perceptions borne by the customers in their minds. There were a number of such references to the 9/11 mishap and the ghastly attacks on the twin towers as well as the planes that crashed through those towers. It did not matter to the clerk whether the two customers who came to buy the gun were Persians or Arab. A redundant theme was that post the 9/11 catastrophe, all the Middle Eastern people were regarded by the Americans as potential terrorists. It is remarkable that people have the capability to construe bad events and cast their own individual biases on the various ethnic groups to veneer their myriad feelings of anger, frustration, and fury etc. There is also evidence of cultural clash in the movie and this is displayed by the Iranian store owner who deciphers the well-intentioned statements of the locksmith concerning a damaged door, as a ploy to gain more money.
A few citizens in this nation attribute the informal racism of white privilege to the formal racism that has been existent for much of the American history. In other words, the Whites have been afforded opportunities and benefits which the blacks were deprived of. It is quite a common belief that, this disparity is a creation of the political ideology rather than an assessment of the true facts. While privilege is a concept that encourages minorities to believe they cannot possibly succeed in the United States, because Whites have prejudiced advantages and such advantages are believed to always hold-back the non-whites and Blacks. The only way in which minorities can hope to get by in the United States is to rely on the good graces offered by the federal government in order to ensure that non-whites are taken care of properly. Whites should also believe that anything they accomplish in their lifetime is not from just hard work, but due to the color of their skin and their racial ethnicity. If the ideological belief of this theory, there are argument which can still be made against it. While it is true that the Blacks and Hispanics do worse on a plethora of social indicators, it’s not true that Whites certainly outdo them. However, it is actually the Asians, rather than the Whites, who on an average possess higher income levels, superior access to job opportunities and occupations, improved educational and family outcomes.
We as a society have become so fervently convoluted that we have developed a widespread self-centeredness and indifference towards being empathetic and considerate towards others. It is an easy thing to brand an individual as a gang-banger, because it desensitized and degraded them. Impulsive judgments that are typically outcomes of spontaneous spurs are frequently made as we have it all presumed such things. Everybody is lumped into their own groups and we agree with such issues as things are straightforward and unfussy when the whole lot is in a neat and petite package.
Paul Haggis’s movie Crash does indeed demonstrates the racist experiences of a wide range of races as already discussed above; nevertheless, the notion of “whiteness” being depicted during the course of the movie cannot be disregarded. “Whiteness” and the honors and liberties associated with “whiteness” are depicted through the characters of Jean and Ryan who are whites and the rationalizations presented in the movie concerning their racist conducts. By persuading the audience to pardon the racist demeanors of white characters’ due to their individual tussles, allows the denunciation of racism to be dissuaded from the white race. The racist deeds are made impossible to disapprove and condemn due to the rationalizations that have been presented. The movie intensely tries to showcase the white characters in a good light ultimately.
Works Cited
Crash. Dir. Paul Haggis. Perf. Don Cheadle, Matt dilon, Jennifer Esposity, & Micheeal Pena Sandra Bullock. 2005.
Farris, Christine. "Crash Course: Race, Class, and Context." College English 69, 4 (2007): 346.
Schingel, Rebecca. How the Movie Crash Illustrates Race and Ethnic Relations in America - Crashing Through Prejudice. 19 January 2006. 24 June 2014 <http://voices.yahoo.com/how-movie-crash-illustrates-race-ethnic-relations-14701.html>.
The Los Angeles Times. "Maybe Crash's upset at the Oscars shouldn't have been such a surprise?" The Los Angeles Times 16 April 2009.
Villanueva, Victor. "3D Stereotypes: Crash." College English. 69.4 (2007): 49.
