- Information
- AI Chat
Crashintome - Grade: A-
Principles of English Composition II (ENGL 1213)
University of Oklahoma
Preview text
Evaluative Argument The movie, Crash, is viewed publicly acceptable because of how natural and downplayed everything in the movie seems to be. This movie naturalizes racist stereotypes in disguise as a way to inform people of the incorrect stereotypes. It presents the problem that we have today, but with no way of fixing it. The central theme of the film is simple: Everyone is prejudiced - black, white, Asian, Iranian and, we assume, anyone from any other racial or ethnic group (Jensen). Crash is a bad movie because it gives the impression that everyone acts a certain way and there is nothing we can do about it. The author belle hooks writes about prejudices that face the world today. She relates them to certain times in history. She is known to site other books she has written in her own articles. She often uses the term “white supremacist capitalist patriarchy” in her writings. Hooks seems to be very upset about racism in the world, and that is basically what she writes about most. Bell hooks’ article suggests that white men in America see it natural that they are superior to everyone else. She also suggests that everyone else agrees with the white male attitude because the think they are supposed to. The movie Crash also does this in way because it shows the white people in positions of power throughout the movie. It also shows the people of different races in positions of poverty or struggle against another race. For one, the black woman - played by Thandie Newton - is again powerless and must be acted upon by the figure of white male authority (Smith). Hooks uses the term “white supremacist capitalist patriarchy” to state that white males have all the power. It at least suggests that they believe they have all the power.
In the movie the character Matt Dillon plays has an argument with a black woman in a position of power. He says to her that she only got the job because she was a black woman and there were plenty of white men that were more qualified. This shows that hooks was right about this theory of white supremacy being acceptable because this movie is so widely acclaimed. The cop that sexually assaults the woman later is called upon to a crash scene where the woman is in great danger. He then climbs into the burning car to save the woman. She recognizes him as the man who assaulted her and tries to refuse to let him help her. She has no choice but to let him save her. This makes the white man the hero of the movie, causing the audience to forget about how he was racist and a sex offender. The white supremacy theory reigns heavily in this scene. The idea that everyone is racist is suggested by the movie, Crash. There are many different instances in the movie that this brought up as a typical stereotype. An easy place to see it is in the end of the movie with Ryan Philippe’s character. The whole movie he is portrayed as a very good person, who stands up against the other cop who abuses his power in a racist way. In the end, however, Philippe shows a prejudice side but shooting an innocent black man because he thought he was in danger. The white man in the scene was giving the black man a ride to prove to himself he was not racist, but the conversation they have proves that he indeed believes most stereotypes. A good example is how he does not believe the man likes country music just because he is black. This scene shows why it is such a bad idea to stereotype people, because they might just be innocent. It still suggests that the stereotypes exist and may not necessarily be wrong. It leaves us with no solution to avoiding these incidents. The scene also
is yelling in a foreign language. The woman then makes a racist statement about not speaking English in America. The woman in this scene was a victim of stereotypes earlier in the movie with the white cop that Dillon plays. This suggests that even victims of racism cannot help but to be racist themselves. It says that people are a certain way and even though they have seen the other side of racism, there is no changing this. This is very false and makes this movie bad. The whole concept that everyone is prejudice, regardless of races, supports the idea of white supremacy. It downplays the idea that white people are racist. This makes white people feel better about their own views of other races. This gives helps to gives whites they idea of supremacy. Hooks refers to this in her article about Columbus by showing us ways that white men think of themselves as higher than others. Hooks has great examples of downplaying the wrongs of whites in order to keep levels of supremacy in the modern day. She shows how there are accounts of white explorers being savages. Columbus was known to rape the Native American women. This is much less known to Americans than just that he discovered America. Hooks tells why the fact that America celebrates a holiday for Columbus supports white supremacy. Hooks’ article can be related to Crash very easily. The idea that hooks presents of “white supremacist capitalist patriarchy” supports the social acceptance of this movie. It does so by explaining how it has always been taught that white men dominate history. The movie shows how everyone is racist and the white person may be racist, but prevails as the good guy in the end. The other people in the movie that do racist things do not end
up as heroes in the eyes of the audience. The only person is the white cop who saves the black woman. In the movie, everything is tied together in some way. This story is predicated on a series of initial encounters that then rebound on the protagonists in ways that are ironic, co-incidental and deeply contrived (Andrews). A good example would be how the cop has to save the woman he sexually assaulted. Another good example would be how the same cop had to meet with the black woman he offended on the telephone by using a racist remark. The time the movie was release was almost perfect to help people accept the stereotypes it was putting out. Some would say it was, nothing less than a post-9/11 fable of frazzled nerves in America (Bradshaw). People were very suspicious about different races because of the recent terrorist acts that occurred. Americans were willing to believe most anything about races because of 9/11. Social acceptance of this movie can also be blamed on the timing of the release. Crash is a bad movie because it supports the idea of white supremacy, naturalizes racist ideologies, and conditions people to think that there is nothing they can do to prevent racism. Belle hooks’ articles help to show way the public accepts this movie. The racism and prejudices in this movie are very natural and go unnoticed in everyday life. The movie shows to the public that these racist things exist. The flaw is that it suggests there is nothing to do about it.
Annotated Bib
Summary: The authors show how more than just white people are racist. They show how the term white supremacy is wrong to use.
The central theme of the film is simple: Everyone is prejudiced - black, white, Asian, Iranian and, we assume, anyone from any other racial or ethnic group (Jensen).
Andrews, Scott. Review- Crash. filmfocus.co/review.asp?ReviewID=
Summary: This is just a basic review of the movie and the director of the movie. It tells the background of the movie.
This story is predicated on a series of initial encounters that then rebound on the protagonists in ways that are ironic, co-incidental and deeply contrived (Andrews).
Bradshaw, Peter. Crash. film.guardian.co/News_Story/Critic_Review/ Guardian_Film_of_the_week/0,,1547030,00 Summary: This tells how the timing of the movie was bad. It gives basic review of the movie. Nothing less than a post-9/11 fable of frazzled nerves in America (Bradshaw).
Works Cited
Jensen, Robert and Wosnitzer, Robert. Crash and the Self-indulgence of White America. blackcommentator/176/176_think_crash_jensen_wosnitzer.htmlThink Piece.
Smith, Derek. Investigating the Crash Scene. blackcommentator/175/175_crash_scene_smith_guest.html
Overstreet, Jeffery. Crash. christianitytoday/movies/reviews/crash.html
Andrews, Scott. Review- Crash. filmfocus.co/review.asp?ReviewID= Bradshaw, Peter. Crash. film.guardian.co/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_Film_of_the_week/ 0,,1547030,00
Crashintome - Grade: A-
Course: Principles of English Composition II (ENGL 1213)
University: University of Oklahoma
- Discover more from:
