Nia Banks - Crash

I was most uncomfortable with the scene where Officer John Ryan molests Thandie Newton's character Christine. It appalls me that a man put in place to protect our society has the ability to create such a harmful environment. It was also upsetting that Officer Ryan stops them solely because he thought he saw a white women and a black man. I live in an era where interracial relationships are very common but I am not blind to the fact that many take issue with that. Still I put some responsibility towards the couple because they were not abiding by the law and considering they were only a block from their house they could have waited. It's always very heartbreaking when a man is unable to defend his woman's honor. I really couldn't stand the fact that Cameron had to stand there while his wife was being molested.

Loretta Devine’s character Shaniqua Johnson is the character I identify most with because that is my future. Officer Ryan tells her “I can’t look at you without thinking about the 5 or 6 more qualified white men who didn’t get your job.” As an African America woman who’s aspiring to join the business field I too will be competing with white men. I think she did the right thing because Officer Ryan made it seem like she was obligated to help his father because she had to be given a “helping hand” to obtain her job. I’m sure that she worked hard for her job and that she deserved it.

·      Crash handled the race topic well because the movie was not just black and whites.  Crash had Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, Asian, and Persian.

·      Interracial prejudice was shown when Officer John Ryan pulls over Cameron and Christine because he thinks he sees a black man and a white woman.

·      Los Angeles is a very busy area so the lifestyle of its citizen is hectic.

Jacob's Crash Blog Post

1. Crash is a movie that pushes the limits of what we usually see in movies. It brings up lots of problems in society regarding race and stereotypes. Because of this, there are not a lot of scenes that make you feel comfortable. However, the scene that made me the most uncomfortable was when Matt Dillon’s character sexually assaults Thandie Newton’s character after pulling her and her husband over. Obviously, this is a very uncomfortable scene for the audience. The reason it made me feel so uncomfortable was because I did not expect Matt Dillon to take things so far. I knew from the moment they were pulled over that the cop would treat them wrong in some way. It is a white cop pulling over two African-American people in L.A. The chances of things going smoothly are slim to begin with. When he started to run his hands up her legs and under her dress, I was extremely surprised. I did not expect he would do something that wrong to someone. The other thing that surprised me was that it lasted a long time. It was not just a quick search. It was a long, offensive, power-abusing action.

2. I understand how Ryan Phillipe’s character is feeling in the movie. Now, I am not justifying his action of shooting Pete Waters. That was very wrong. But I can follow his train of thought. He starts off his job with a good sense of who he is and the morals he believes in. He knows that what his partner did to Christine Thayer was wrong, even though he assisted him in arresting her husband. Then he finds a way to redeem himself when Cameron Thayer gets pulled over. He stands up for him and risks his reputation, after only having the job for a short amount of time. He helps Cameron get away without getting in trouble. Still, we slowly see the LAPD start to corrupt him. He is becoming unsure of who he is and what is wrong and right to do. Then, when he picks Pete up and he starts to get frustrated with him, stereotypes overcome him which leads him to shoot him. What he did was wrong, but the audience, myself included, can follow his train of thought, unlike other characters like Matt Dillon whose actions make no sense whatsoever. I connect with him because I have also experienced having to make decisions based on what other people are saying and what my morals are.

3. The film handled the topic of race very well. The writer takes an interesting approach to addressing the subject, and chooses to make things very obvious. They do not try to make the theme of race subtle and let the audience figure it out for themselves. This approach to race works very well for the plot of this story. The acting and production design also serves to address race in a tasteful, yet blatant way.

b. There was inter-racial prejudice in the film. The main scene that comes to mind that exemplifies this is when Anthony and Pete, two black characters, walk out of the restaurant. Anthony says that the black waitress at the restaurant would not bring them coffee. Instead, she served all the white customers first. Pete disagrees and says that this waitress could not have been racist towards her own race. Anthony then continues to observe that they are in a predominantly white neighborhood, making them stand out from the crowd.

c. Los Angeles is a very diverse and unique area. There are a wide range of people, ranging from drug dealers to celebrities. There are high rates of poverty in some L.A. areas, making it hard for these citizens to live here. The harsh treatment of the LAPD also plays a part. They have a reputation for violent treatment, which is not a pleasant element to have in a city. L.A. is very diverse which is a good thing. The diversity brings lots of different cultures, restaurants, stores, and businesses to the city, making it all the more interesting. The presence of the media also impacts the area greatly. L.A. is Hollywood which means there are lots of celebrities and paparazzi around. This “celebrity culture” is a large part of the area, and can be good or bad, depending on how you look at it.

    

Blog Entry by Isabel A

Blog Entry Questions

1.     The scene from CRASH that was the most uncomfortable was when Christine was molested by the cop. Having to watch her be treated that way was very uncomfortable and depressing. Specifically the fact that there seemed there was nothing she could do made it worse.

2.     A character in the film I recognized, though I don't directly identify with was Christine Thayer. I know that woman are frequently taken advantage of. Christine's situation in the movie was very painful and though I know that she verbally abused her husband I can identify with her need to feel protected that he did not provide.  

3.     A. The film did a very good job of dealing with the topic of race directly. The director never shies away from the topic, and has portrays many different stereotypes. Additionally, many characters address each other’s race’s in a derogatory manner. Overall I think that this film did a good job of dealing with race, though they did make sure to only include extreme ends of every spectrum, making it slightly less realistic.

B. Yes, there was inter-racial prejudice portrayed by multiple characters in the film. One such character was Anthony. He assumes that African Americans will not drive in luxury cars or be in wealthy neighborhoods. This inter-racial prejudice is evident when he pulls a gun on Cameron, yet is immediately taken back when he sees his face.

C. Los Angeles is the second largest city in the United States, its size coupled with proximity to various industries makes incredibly diverse in its people, income groups and lifestyles. While there are really wealthy people in LA, there are also people in extreme poverty. This class difference must create a lot of tension between the different groups. This likely contributes to the high crime rates in LA, and perpetuates a city where people a few miles apart have differences of millions of dollars in their income.

  -My partner wasn't here to take a picture, i can post one after the break-

Crash Blog Sabrina & Katie

 

Walt and Cece's Crash Blog Post

1. The scene that made us the most uncomfortable was with Graham Waters dealing with the loss of his brother on top of his mother blaming it on him.  It was aggravating to hear her claim that Pete had left her groceries, and that Graham was responsible for not finding his brother. It was like the loss of a mother and a brother. Graham Waters was the only one you could call truly successful because of his position in the LAPD. In Water’s mind, he couldn’t continue to look after his mother and brother. They had made their choices and it was time for him to focus on his life and his career.

2. I (Walt) feel most like Officer John Ryan played by Matt Dillon. Ryan has gone through a lot of stress dealing with the health of his father. I can relate to that because my father went through a lot of health issues ranging from the heart to his brain. Just like Ryan, I often felt angry at the world. I felt cheated because I felt like my dad’s life was being taken away for no reason just like Ryan’s and no one would do anything to help him. I think the feelings that Ryan has are natural but it’s not okay to make racist remarks to others to make it seem better.

I (Cece) relate the most to Ria. Ria has a very distinct part in the film with Graham Walters. She talks about respect in her family, and respecting an adult figure. I was raised in that type of environment. That has transferred into my respect for teachers as well. I have often run into conflict with fellow peers on this topic when they choose to blame the teacher for a grade and not themselves. Some have even criticized my family, and I have responded in a similar way like Ria.

3. We think that the topic of race was explained very well in the movie. It wasn’t underachieving to the point where it wasn’t believable but it didn’t go overboard to the point where we thought it was complete insanity. Much of what was said and what happened was all very true. Many of the racist slurs have happened and continue to happen all across the world. The stereotypes that were in the film are stereotypes that we affiliate with different races, sex, and skin color as well. They were all true.

3b. One example of inter-racial prejudice occurs during the conversation that Anthony and Pete have. Anthony claims that the black waitress at the restaurant they ate at wouldn’t bring them coffee. Pete doesn’t agree but Anthony makes some good observations. He notices that they are the only black people in the whitest area and that they should be afraid, not the white people. He also notices differences between how they walk and talk compared to how white people walk and talk. They just really stood out of the crowd.

3c. Living in Los Angles affects the lifestyles of the characters in the way that LA is a very dynamic and diverse city. Everyone things about LA as the home of the movie stars, the athletes, and the comedians. That’s true, but there’s also the other side of the coin. There’s a lot of poverty in LA. Characters like Pete and Anthony often struggle to survive in LA. They haven’t made it far in the education system so they struggle to stay afloat. Cameron Thayer on the other hand is very successful and smart. He’s a successful movie director only because he made himself that way, but he still sees discrepancies in society because he is a successful black male. Overall, the diversity of LA really affects how successful people become, specifically those of color.

Rachel Farris and Domonya Brown

Rachel

1. The most uncomfortable scene in the movie Crash for me was the scene where officer John Ryan pulled over black couple Christine and Cameron Thayer. This scene made me feel angry and uncomfortable. Officer John Ryan did have the right to stop and investigate Mrs and Mr. Thayer,but he didn’t have the right to verbally assault Christine or her husband. The scene shocked me because her husband could’ve done something but he knew the smartest thing was to not do anything. They were in a hard situation.

2. I feel more familiar with the character Christine Thayer. I can relate to Christine because my actions were similar towards her with her husband. Based on her dislikes and anger she emotional used words to damage her husband. I was in a relationship when I think I took it too far by emotionally using words as an outlet. I could’ve just left him but I didn’t. Black women are stereotyped as being angry and stubborn. I was following my stereotype and I didn't want to follow that anymore.

Domonya

1. The scene that made me most uncomfortable was when the police officer was sexually harassing Christine Thayer in front of her husband. He wasn’t even to pull them over but he did and he was using his title as a police officer over them.

2. I feel more familiar with Daniel. He was judged and discriminated against based on his racial background and the stereotypes put on his race. Daniel was really a hard working man and a great father. I am a nice guy but trouble seems to follow me because of the color of my skin. Stereotypes are used to identity people nowadays.

Rachel & Domonya

3. a. I think the film handled race in a realistic way. The film brought up stereotypical thoughts people have and how people are not equally respected based on their skin. Based on someones upbringings and ethnical backgrounds, people are given equal opportunities. The way the film handled race was right on. The film was very realistic on how we face racism, discrimination, and stereotypes today, even younger generations.

b. They were injustice inter-racial acts. Police officer John Ryan pulled over Mrs. and Mr. Thayer because the thought they were an interracial couple.They stereotyped and made assumptions relating inter-racial injustice during the civil rights movement.

c. I feel like Los Angeles is filled with discrimination just as other urban cities. Certain areas are sought out to be categorized as a safe neighborhood or unsafe neighborhood. People are affected by their atmosphere. Being that Los Angeles is a very popular city in the United States, many citizens try to live there and these citizens can be criminals, rich, poor, or even people just trying to be famous. Crime is bound to happen in the city of Los Angeles.

James and Tifarah Crash Questions.

CRASH Questions

1.The scene of Don Cheadle’s brother in the car with Hensen was one of the uncomfortable moments in the film.It was very awakward setting with the car jacker brother and a cop, as well as the total awkward feeling of the conversation.

2. We picked Tom Hensan as the person we can relate to because he was the only one who wasn’t racist, and among the rest he was a very cool headed character.

3.I personally thought the movie was an amazing piece of cinema. From the first scene it gripped me and made me feel so many emotions. The most powerful emotion i felt was anger during the scene of Hansen molesting Christine during the stop. But also compassion for the mexican father (could not remember his name sorry) because it made my heart flutter with warmth. So i’ve said my piece on this my partner has her thoughts on this. what tifarah personally thought about Crash was that it touched on on things other then racism. But it also showed the daily struggles between those in poverty and those in wealth. It brings out the gap between the poor and the wealthy in society.

A.We felt it did an amazing job of dealing with the fact of racism. Because it didn’t just focus on the racism of white people but also had african american racist that were racist towards other african americans. and even had sandra bullock as a latina who thought asians were horrible drivers.

B.The biggest inter-racial prejudice part was Ryan stopped Terrance and his wife because he thought he saw a white girl blowing a black man. This was much of the inter-racial prejudice in the film but was the biggest statement in it.

C.We believe it all leads to a day when the “minorities” will have had enough and rise up against the police and “white power structure” of the city for themselves.