Crash is a film that was made in 2004. The film deals with the issues of race and ethnicity and how it affects social structure within society. The characters in the movie each have their own racial prejudices about certain groups of people in society.
The movie is about different individuals in Los Angeles who all seem to have some type of prejudice against some ethnicity for whatever reason. Whether it's the old gun store owner in the beginning of the film or Officer John Ryan later on in the movie. Each person feels that there is a strong enough difference between themselves and others for them to have prejudices against someone else. Johnson discusses difference in his book Privilege, Power, and Difference in the chapter entitled "Privilege, Oppression, and Difference". He discusses that although differences are creations of people, society as a whole makes those prejudices become real.
Officer Ryan is one such person in the movie who displays a lot of racial tendencies, especially towards blacks. He feels that there is enough difference between himself and those of black ethnicity for him to show prejudice. In one scene, he pulls over a black couple, Cameron and Chrsitine Thayer, for a traffic violation. He, however, shows no professionalism and sexually harasses Christine during the traffic stop simply because she is black. Johnson tlaks about in his book that the differences people perceive between one another are simply not true because children don't show these notions to avoid what is different. Johnson claims that children enjoy new experiences that are different. He also explains that differences are only fabrications of the human mind, and are not real or natural. Officer Ryan later in the movie has to save Christine from a burning car. He overcomes his prejudice in order to do so. After saving her, he is left questioning his beliefs about black people.
Johnson also explains that although differences are fictitious, the social construct that supports them are real. The story of Officer Hansen in the movie shows this best. Hansen is often disgusted by Ryan's racial tendencies and shows no prejudice towards another group himself. However, he picks up a black man, Peter, late one night. Peter reaches in his pocketfor a figurine that is the same one Hansen has on his dashboard. Hansen mistakens Peter for reaching fora gun, and ends up shooting Peter himself. This action stemmed from Hansen's susceptibility to the social construct that Johnson says is very real. Although he was not racist himself, Hansen perceived Peter to be reaching for a gun because he was black. This notion came from the social construct that is very real in society about other groups of people and sterotyping them. Johnson says that the social construct cannot be ignored because it is real, even though differences between people are false.
I didn't like Crash itself as a film. But in relation to what we've been discussing in class, it is very interesting in that aspect. I thought it resembled what Johnson was talking about in his book alot about differences being fake, but the social construct being quite real. The film did a good job in portraying that aspect with the story of Hansen. I felt it was one of the stronger storyline in the film.
image citation:
Crash. IMDB. Online. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375679/ (July 01 2007).
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