CRASH

1. Matt Dillon's character exhibits blatent racism throughout the movie. He treats those of different ethnicities as lower people that don't deserve the same kind of treatment that he does. He is very rude to Shanequa Johnson regarding his father's medical care, and although it seems that his intent is to get his father's help, he uses race as leverage almost to try and persuade her for help. Obviously his previous remarks about race were offensive and ultimately resulted in no help at all. This is similar to Sandra Bullock's character when dealing with the locksmith. She assumes his incompetence as well as a gang affiliation that continues to put her and her husband at risk of future attacks. Neither Matt Dillon nor Sandra Bullock are subtle or quiet in expressing their feelings, and they both feel they are justified in their attitudes towards people of different races. Ironically, both characters have to give into what life hand's them and trust in others; Matt Dillon with the woman from the car, and Sandra Bullock with Maria her housekeeper. In the way he uses race to get what he wants, Dillon is similar to the DA's assitant that speaks with Don Cheadle. He expresses how taking the position that they offer him would look good for the DA because it would show their understanding of the different people of the community, when that isn't their objective at all. They barder with the safety of Cheadle's brother so that he has no choice but to give into their unfair strategies. The way Dillon hostily treats Terrence Howard's character and his wife is extreme, and contrasted with the way Tommy treats Terrence Howard later shows what some may see as a lapse in character. Tommy feigns more judgement and racism in order to rescue Howard from his own self-destruction. That danger itself was instigated by Dillon and his unjustified attack in which he stripped the dignity from the couple and assaulted them. Dillon's racism, while uncharacterstic of the norm, is unfortunately sometimes all to apparent in the world today.
2. Don Cheadle's partner stereotypes the woman that she gets into an accident with because she is Asian, which according to the generalization makes her a bad driver and thus at fault in the accident. Whether or not she is at fault, being labeled and stereotyped only further infuriates the woman and puts her on the defensive. When Terrence Howard speaks with the other executives at the TV station about the young black actor's character. The others are irritated that he changed the lines he was given to have proper grammar; because of this they say he doesn't "sound black". This enforces a stereotype that black people are less educated therefore unable to speak what would be seen as proper English. This judgement sparks a new awareness of the racism surrounding Howard. He is somewhat annoyed that he is forced to speak with the actor to appease the concerns of the other men.
3. When Terrence Howard says to Ludacris that "You embarrass me; you embarrass yourself." he is stressing that his actions are what enforce the stereotypes and provoke the racism that he is trying to overcome. Howard is trying to make Ludacris realize that in pushing the law and living his lifestyle, he isn't solving any of the problems that he is constantly talking about. Ludacris is already very aware of the racism and disparities around him based on race, because of this he is influenced by this statement to change his ways. Maybe not permenantly, but at least regarding the next situation he approaches. I think he understood that maybe fighting and fighting will only aggrivate the conflict, not solve it.
4. I think that a lack of knowledge or a lack of awareness results in association with the entire race rather than learning about the specific individual. People who are intolerant and impatient are far less likely to push through the stereotypes and mental blocks that are put up which complicate their interactions with people of different races. When Matt Dillon talks to Shanequa in her office, he tries to gain her sympathy by telling her of his father's compassion towards "her people". In his attempt to dissolve her personal anger towards him, he shows his ignorance towards her. She denies help to him at all. The individual, in this case Shanequa, would only be further offended and angered. Not that they don't want to be associated with others whom they have race in common, but they would rather be seen as who they are first. I would rather someone treat me as Hayley before treating me as a white person. Society accepts these generalizations, which leads to further misunderstanding and lack of knowledge, which then enforces the tensions and racism that causes the conflict we see far too often.
5. I do not believe racism is something unavoidable in our genes. There is no DNA that forces someone into a sense of superiority over others. I believe that society does little to prevent the stereotypical messages to be implanted that instigate an unintentional racism. I don't think that media or people in general are trying to influence the younger generations to be racist, but it has become a nearly immovable part of society that is more often overlooked then addressed. I don't think it is a natural occurence to be racist, but it is common enough even in subtleties to seem as so.
6. As addressed in the previous question, society passes on the stereotypes through media and learned behaviors from family and friends. Race is learned by association, which is what enforces the generalizations. While maybe associating black people with Africa may not be seen as racist because that is part of the ethnicity, some children learn to associate black people with crime and fear, something to be avoided. Without ever stopping to learn about each other, a blockade has been made that will ulitmately oppose full tolerance and trust in one another. Media, as in Howard's situation in question 2, portrays people of different races in different ways that create personas that fall into the associations people make. Because that actor was forced to dumb down his speech in order to "sound black", they are then enforcing the stereotype that black people are dumber and cannot speak proper English when in reality that is not true. Because we are oblivious as a society to the impact these messages have on us, we do little if nothing to prevent them.
7. I think it is possible to end racism through education. Over a long period of time, which an undertaking like this would obviously take, if we as a society could learn from one another, we could make a difference. By showing how the radical racism is wrong, and becoming aware of the false messages and generalizations, we can stop them from being repeated. Extensive understanding of each other will lead to tolerance and equality, because as a society we will finally realize that there is no superiority or inferiority because we are all here as humans and have to live the same life, so we might as well work together.