A Reflection On The Movie Crash

I can rememeber watching this film with my mom when it first came out. Unfortunately, after this recent viewing I find that much has not changed. I can honestly say it does not affect me like it does for others, sadly I feel that I have become callous within my environment. I am a younger looking Mexican American with a shaved head, somewhat muscular physique who at times wears a size to big clothing, so I fit the classic stereotype of thug to other members of society, especially law enforcement. Police have the mentality, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, then it's a duck and thats how I have been labeled. 

There were two parts of the movie that resonate me with me the most. The first part is when the two African American male characters Anthony and Peter Waters, played by (Christoper Bridges, aka Ludacris & Larenz Tate) were walking the opposite way of Jean Cabot (Sandra Bullock) and her husband, district attorny Rick Cabot (Brendan Fraser) on the same sidewalk, she noticed the two African Americans and then proceeded to wrap her arm around her husbands arm as a saftey net. The second part is when the locksmith Daniel (Michael Pena) was changing the locks, Jean Cabot expressed concern with her husband that the locksmith was an ex con that had a set of keys for himself and or to give to his 'homeboys.' Personally, I have experienced scenarios like this on too many occasions to count. It is not identical to what is potrayed in the film but close. I can recall when I first saw this film, I was already whispering to my mom of what was going to happen next, it is not that I have the gift of forseeing events, it's because of personal experience. At first glance from my external appearence, members of society see me as a threat, not as person who has an education that has recently recieved interest letters from two medical institutions with a civil servant backround but instead labeled as criminal who is an immediate threat to the community.

I can appreciate Paul Haggis's (director of Crash)addressing of prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes by using film as a tool but unfortunately in my opinion it will be a brief memory for many and then discarded. If individuals are reluctant to change, a film like this is a fail. Most of us can remember the plot and characters of the recent fast and furious movie but if you have a film like Crash, it is either not seen or forgotten for majoirty. We are in need of media such as this, espeically now to fight against Donald Trump and his administration racist ideology.

In my opinion, there were several messages that Paul Haggis was sending us with Crash but I sincerely feel that the main message was that everyone is racist in consious or unconsious state as some psychologists are using for some. Our thinking can have a positive or a negative affect to others in someway, if postive it will be tranquil, if it is toxic, then it will be like crash. As a society, we should be tolerant and accepting of others culture, skin complexition, sexual preference, etc. instead of being suspicious and hostile.