Racism and Essentialization Movie Crash

The movie, Crash, a drama written and directed by Paul Haggis,

demonstrates the lives of various individuals from divergent socio-economic classes
in Los Angeles. The characters represent the multicultural population of this city and
how diversity instead of fostering respect, tolerance, and acceptance among Los
Angelinos, leads to racists views of the other.
Racism in general terms consists of behavior, words or practices which
disadvantage people because of their color, culture, or ethnic origin. That is to say, to
be discriminated against means to be treated less favorably than others. Race
discrimination is less favorable treatment on the grounds of color, race, nationality or
ethnic or national origin.

Essentialist views of the Latin American Immigrant and

Discrimination in the U.S.
The negative feelings against Latin immigrants in the US are connected by the way
immigration is affecting the American culture. The Latin community has grown very
rapidly and many Americans feel that their own way of life is being threatened by
what foreigners are imposing. The social construct of Latinos as threats to the
American culture, to national security, and as the cause of criminal activity has many
manifestations: it depicts the Latino as a foreigner, a criminal, an illegal and it
characterizes him/her as one who comes to the US to cause social chaos by
refusing to follow the countrys laws. These depictions and characterizations result in
fear,

prejudice,

and

discrimination

against

the

Latino.

(Perpetuating

the

Marginalization of Latinos: A Collateral Consequence of the Incorporation of

Immigration Law into the Criminal Justice System Yolanda Vazquez UNIVERSITY
OF PENNSYLVANIA)
One of the first instances of stereotyping of Latinos is when the African American
detective refers to his Latin co-worker as Mexican ignoring the fact that neither her,
nor her parents are Mexicans; her mother is from El Salvador and her father from
Puerto Rico. This shows how many Americans tend to make over generalizations
about Latin people assuming that if they speak Spanish and share certain physical
traits they are Mexicans, as if Latin America was composed by Mexico and not by
other countries with people from different ethnic and national backgrounds.

Another example of anti- Latino sentiment is made clear when Sandra

Bullocks character, a white woman from the upper class, thinks that the Latin
locksmith working at her house is part of a gang; her idea is clearly based on
stereotypes about Latino immigrants: Some people believe they are all criminals
trying to take advantage of US citizens. She openly complains to her husband that
she wants the lock changed again the following day, she says I would like the locks
changed again in the morning. And you might mention that we'd appreciate it if next
time they didn't send a gang member (..) Yes. The guy with the shaved head, the
pants around his ass, the prison tattoo (..) he is gonna sell our key to one of his
gangbanger friends the moment he is out our door
Racialism of African Americans
In the movie, discrimination against African Americans is also present. As Stan Chu
Ilo says, What is happening to black men in the United States is a continuation of
the racial violence of the past going back to the time of slavery. The only difference
is that in the past, our ancestors knew that they were victims of a destructive racial
system and fought to break the yoke of slavery, racism and segregation () In the
eyes of many white police officers, being black and male in America makes you a
potential criminal, a suspect, a trouble-maker, and a dangerous person. Being a
black male means that white police officers should "fear" you and "protect"
themselves and society from you in a most violent manner.
We could identify this attitude in Tom, the young white officer character. At the
beginning of the movie, we understood that he actually hates racist behaviors, as he
tries to be reassigned and get away from his racist partner. He even protects and
defends an African American man who gets surrounded by policemen in an alley. As
the story unfolds, he is portrayed as a wise, young man who defends justice and
treats people as equals, regardless of their sex or race. However, when he picks up
an African American man who is hitchhiking at midnight, our perception changed
radically. While they are having a conversation, the hitchhiker reaches out for his
pocket to show him a Saint Christopher voodoo charm, the police officer wrongly
assumes that he is going to unfold a gun, thus he shoots him on self-defense to later
realize that he had good intentions. This scene represents the idea that even though

Americans are trying to overcome their paranoia about black people being violent or
criminals, they are still on a process because these assumptions are deeply rooted
in American society from slavery times. The police officer protects himself and
society by killing a potential black criminal.
Racism against white people / Caucasians
Anthony, an African American man, constantly complains about the people
who reinforce racial stereotypes but he stereotypes people as well. He believes that
white people are always trying to oppress black people. However, believing in this is
also perpetuating a stereotype. There are many examples of Anthonys fear of white
people: He won't get on the bus because, "white people put big ass windows on
them to embarrass the people of color forced to ride it!" He won't tip waitresses
because they "think black people don't tip!" He doesn't even listen to pop or rap
music, made popular by the black populace, because "it's an instrument of the white
man to keep black people down." Even though Anthonys character hates the
stereotype of black people being gangsters, he steals cars from white people and
thinks he is doing a service to his black community. He also has morals against
robbing from a black man but not white. Stealing from a black man is wrong because
they have so much to deal with already
Islamophobia:
Islamophobia might be defined as prejudice against or hatred of Islam and Muslims,
and therefore fear or dislike of all or most Muslims. Misconceptions about the Muslim
population are based on the belief that:
Islam is monolithic and cannot adapt to new realities
Islam does not share common values with other major faiths
Islam as a religion is inferior to the West. It is archaic, barbaric, and
irrational.
Islam is a religion of violence and supports terrorism.
Islam is a violent political ideology.
Such misconceptions perceive Islamic believers as a threat, through the
maintenance and extension of existing disparities in economic, political, social and
cultural relations, while rationalizing the necessity to deploy violence as a tool to
achieve "civilizational rehab" of the target communities.

Example:
The movie Crash exemplifies islamophobia not only from non-Islamic peoples
but also within the Islamic community. Farhad, a shopkeeper, believes that since he
is Persian he is immediately being persecuted against and cheated at. At the
beginning of the movie we see him trying to buy a gun; in this scene the owner of the
gun store says Yo, Osama! Plan a jihad on your own time, What do you want? This
attitude is a clear example of an essentialist representation of Muslims; by
mentioning Osama he is implying that all Muslims are potential terrorists. The man
also mocks Farhads accent, and refuses to sell him a gun even though Farhad says
he is an American citizen and holds the same rights as he does. After the 9/11
events Farhad thinks that anyone who is Middle Eastern isn't welcomed in America.
He is constantly on the defensive fearing being cheated at because of his origin and
remaining suspicious of strangers. For instance, when a locksmith working at
Farhads store tells him that even though he changed the lock, the door needs to be
replaced because it is broken, Farhad assumes that he is trying to take advantage
on him. He says, "You cheat me right? You have friend that fix door? His distrust of
the locksmith is based on the misconception that people deceive him because he is
an immigrant and Islamic. Farhad does not get the door replaced which ultimately
leads to his shop being destroyed and he loses everything.
Conclusion:
Crash gives many examples of how racism and prejudice affect society, but at the
same time suggests that everyone has to deal with their own racism and prejudice,
no matter what background they come from. What is interesting and made us reflect
upon our own reactions and thoughts about the Other is the fact that characters
who were victims of racism held racist ideas as well. Each character in the movie
Crash had misconceptions about other groups of people that prevented them from
seeing the person who was truly standing in front of them for who they actually were
aside from their religion, ethnic group, skin color or beliefs.