Response Paper #1: Crash

Introduction to Sociology

Motto: Look at me. You embarrass me. You embarrass yourself.1

This is a movie that makes one think about happy-endings. After all, all happy-endings, you name the movie, only prove that the principle on which society is based is Ex malo bonum2. This movie is a handbook on how people could and do use prejudice. Real people use to twist everything so that, in the end, the result serves their own interest. This also applies in this movie. One could either regard it as a surviving technique or a vicious circle. I think it is both, which is at the same time sick and confusing. For instance, what could determine a Chinese woman to accuse a Mexican woman with not being able to drive because she is Mexican? There are many answers and all of them are hard to be left aside. First of all, one could say she just behaves the way everybody does, although racist attitudes are theoretically out of context in the US society. Secondly, she could act out of anger and this anger could be caused by frustration, by racist attitudes that others have towards this woman. In this case, I would like to point out how vicious such an attitude/behavior is. This woman is not only far away from trying to put an end to this phenomenon, but she also helps to perpetuate it. Thirdly, one could say all she wants is to feel she is not the only one who is discriminated. And the best way of doing that is making sure there are other people who face the same problems. In the worlds most heterogeneous society the US more than anywhere else, prejudice and racism are two important issues. Being fueled by frustration, pride and ignorance, among others, these phenomena overspread and become every day harder to track down or be fought against. This movie in particular manages to picture well how complex these phenomena are. It covers the impact that the media has on the population, concerning the War against terrorism, for instance. But it also presents how those affected by this matter 6/21/2010 1 Alexandra Panait

Response Paper #1: Crash

Introduction to Sociology

cope with the issue. Furthermore, it was particularly interesting the way the Muslim woman resists if not even opposes change. Along with the Mexican woman and Sandra Bullock herself, they all seem to live in their own little world. They are as well victims of this issue and most of these women are active players as well, but they cope with the reality in a totally different way. The Muslim woman, along with the Mexican one, is pictured as naive, but constant. They both resist the problems without fighting back. They can be both accused with non-combat but, despite that, in the end, they win. While there is a strong tendency to play along, there are some people who manage to resist it. But they are just exceptions (and exceptional, as well). Therefore, these phenomena are a vicious circle exactly because they are (also) used by those who are discriminated, mostly immigrants, as a surviving technique. Looking at the big picture, one can clearly see these phenomena eternalize themselves.

6/21/2010

Alexandra Panait

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Terrence Howard as Cameron Thayer in Crash (2004, directed by Paul Haggis) lat. for Out of bad comes good.