The world is filled with hate crimes, racism, and bigotry among various ethnicities. The movie Crash portrays instances of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. Stereotypes involve simplified views or notions about a race or a group of individuals. Prejudice entails holding preconceived judgments, irrational suspicion, or hatred towards a specific group, race, or religion. Discrimination involves displaying bias and engaging in hateful actions against a particular group of people.
The film Crash examines the impact of race, gender, religion, and class on the stereotypes and assumptions people hold about each other. It particularly focuses on the multicultural nature of America and highlights how racial intolerance and prejudice affect all of the United States. Within the movie Crash, there are instances that demonstrate the presence of stereotyping. One such stereotype is the belief that African Americans driving luxury vehicles are involved in drug dealing or engage in illegal activities for financial reasons.
The movie Crash presents various stereotypes, including the notion that black individuals do not leave tips at restaurants or other establishments. Additionally, it depicts Hispanics as deceitful solely based on their physical appearance and reinforces the belief that white police officers are corrupt when interacting with minorities. These stereotypes are prevalent assumptions about these ethnic groups in our everyday lives. An explicit scene in the film features a Muslim man attempting to buy a pistol from a gun store but facing discrimination from the white store owner who refuses to sell him the firearm.
The owner of the establishment holds prejudice against a customer because of his Muslim background, wrongly assuming he is connected to the Al Qaeda terrorist organization. This reveals an irrational suspicion and hatred towards Muslims. Moreover, the owner’s assumption that the customer is Arab (instead of Persian) highlights stereotyping. Additionally, Officer John Ryan exhibits racism towards individuals who are not white and possesses a belief in superiority over African Americans.
While driving, Ryan pulls over an African American man and a Buddhist woman. He proceeds to interrogate and ask both individuals to step out of the car. The man is frisked first, followed by the woman. However, during the search of the woman, Ryan invades her privacy by inappropriately touching her beneath her skirt. Moreover, he compels her husband to witness this violation. This occurrence illustrates discriminatory conduct rooted in both race and gender. It is also noteworthy that the original motive for pulling them over seemed unrelated to any issues regarding their driving.
He singled them out solely based on race, religion, and gender. Prevalent in today’s society are stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. The movie “Crash” delves into America’s perception of race, gender, and social class. Even though often overlooked, racial discrimination is still a significant challenge in the 21st century—an inevitable phenomenon. Some individuals hold the belief of superiority over others and make judgments solely on initial impressions. This inherent human behavior of judging others based on superficial traits persists indefinitely.
