Race and Discrimination in "Crash"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how the movie "Crash" (2004) provides a complex look at race, class, and gender relationships among a group of people who appear to be in different social positions yet are intertwined with one another. The paper explains that, although the movie does not provide any explicit solutions to eradicating systemic stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination, through the progression of the movie and a series of tragic events, the characters start to confront some of their own beliefs about people who are different from themselves. Thus, the film is able to confront issues of prejudice by relating them on a human level.

From the Paper:

"Peter Waters and Anthony discuss at the start of the film some of the oppressions, particularly political and cultural oppressions, that black people face. Anthony points out that the white woman (Jean Cabot) is afraid of them simply because they are black, and that she should not be scared; in fact, as a result of their experiences, Anthony believes he should be scared because of white people's overreactions and the harsh treatment by the police. The characters also discuss how they are treated poorly in restaurants, using demeaning words in reference to their race, are feared, and are treated as gangsters. These examples listed are highlighted as truths for these characters, and they show that there are some inherent political and cultural oppression."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Blumenfeld, W. J., & Raymond, D. (1988). Prejudice and discrimination. In M. Adams, W.J. Blumenfeld, R. Castaneda, H.W. Hackman, M.L. Peters, & X. Zuniga (Eds.), Readings for diversity and social justice (127-129). New York: Routledge.
• Edgington, A. (1998). Moving beyond white guilt. In M. Adams, W.J. Blumenfeld, R. Castaneda, H.W. Hackman, M.L. Peters, & X. Zuniga (Eds.), Readings for diversity and social justice (127-129). New York: Routledge.
• Haggis, P. (Director). (2004). Crash [Motion picture]. United States of America: Lions Gate Entertainment.
• Harro, B. (1997). The cycle of socialization. In M. Adams, W.J. Blumenfeld, R. Castaneda, H.W. Hackman, M.L. Peters, & X. Zuniga (Eds.), Readings for diversity and social justice (15-21). New York: Routledge.
• Pincus, F.L. (1996). Discrimination comes in many forms: Individual, institutional, and structural. In M. Adams, W.J. Blumenfeld, R. Castaneda, H.W. Hackman, M.L. Peters, & X. Zuniga (Eds.), Readings for diversity and social justice (31-35). New York: Routledge.

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