In Backbench 18 (Final Issue) | Media & Culture
Crash
More than a movie review
By Keith Jacobs
I liked this film. I was always going to. It’s one of those well put together American movies that looks inwards at US society while simultaneously keeping you entertained with a good story.
What really appealed to me was that racism was portrayed not so much as a consistent expression of intolerance or hatred (think American History X, Romper Stomper), but rather as something we all have inside us. This innate prejudice can be triggered by a particular event, whereas in another context we may appear to be perfectly accepting.
I also tuned straight into Crash after spending two months in Perth where anti-aboriginal sentiment was very much on the surface. The general feeling (among the white crowd I associated with) was that they are violent troublemakers. Even during a hair cut my female hairdresser decided to give them a serve. I think it’s due to the slightly higher number of aboriginals in a smaller city. That is, I don’t think West Australians are any more racist than we are on the East Coast. It’s just that in cities the size of Melbourne or Sydney the probability of encounters (both positive and negative) is reduced so that the topic is less relevant.
In Crash racism is everywhere, pervading everyday routine and arising in moments of intensity. It’s displayed by police, housewives, shop owners and professionals. LA plays like a multicultural city seething with tension and fear. It actually made me question my long held desire to spend a few years in the States.
The overriding message of the film, and the reason why I think it is so successful, is in its ability to show us that racism is not simply a state of mind, but a momentary expression of fear or prejudice. For example, Matt Dillon’s character, probably the most overtly racist in the film, behaves shockingly in one scene, only to do the right thing in another.
Some will criticise this for being too ‘feel good’, but I think it is more accurate than depicting characters whose racism is consistently expressed. I am sure the majority of Australians can point to moments in their lives where they have reacted negatively based on prejudice, but can also point to racially diverse friends, colleagues and experiences.
I offer myself as an example. I like to think of myself as a racially accepting, if not welcoming person. I have lived overseas, studied languages, had friendships and intimate relationships with people of different cultures.
However, I also know where my prejudices lie and I know that my reaction depends on the context of the moment. I also admit, reluctantly, that I find myself entertaining more stereotypes with age.
I love Chinese culture. I lived in China for over a year, wanted to stay on indefinitely and come from a family every much engaged with China. However, I think mainlanders are often rude and dogmatically patriotic.
I also think that our universities are selling degrees to overseas students, many of whom come from Asia, and turning a blind eye to inadequate English skills and participation levels.
Ethnic violence in Sydney’s western suburbs worries me. I know that the parties involved are often young males who are uncertain about their place in Australia for reasons not of their own making. I also know that for every Lebanese kid yelling out a WRX window, there are 10,000 hard working, beautiful Australian citizens of Lebanese descent. But that’s not at the forefront of my mind when I go out on a Saturday night and have to avoid their stares.
My contact with Aboriginals has been overwhelmingly positive. During uni I tutored as part of the Indigenous Law program. They were all great people who I became friends with, whom I am still friends with. Nevertheless, I associate our indigenous people with alcohol, poor health, sport and violence.
I’m not proud as I write these things and it makes me wonder how much mainstream media has affected me. But I think acknowledging these thoughts at least gives me a chance to contradict them, and to understand (and hopefully help) my reactions to future situations.
One thing I have long believed and something that comes through in the film is that racist behaviour is more often than not based on fear or resentment, or to be even broader – something negative. For example, some common stereotype based reactions can be described as follows:
I don’t like overseas students driving Mercs and BMWs to uni because I am jealous.
I wouldn’t visit a predominantly Lebanese suburb because I am scared.
I think female Asian drivers are bad because I’m frustrated when I encounter one.
I think Jews are tight with money because I resent their ability with it.
I think Caucasians are better than Asians so that I can feel superior (ie. I have inferiority issues)
I’m not saying there isn’t truth behind stereotypes, I just think it’s important to realise that most of what’s going on is inside the person who carries them.
There is a telling moment in the film when Sandra Bullock screams ‘If a white woman sees two black guys, feels scared, and crosses the road she’s a racist, but tonight I felt scared and did nothing – and I ended up with a gun pointed in my face?’
This leaves us with the question of how to deal with our prejudices? We can’t all walk around telling ourselves it's my problem, not theirs… it’s my problem, not theirs’ but we can’t embrace it for risk of becoming like LA.
Live happy, confident, experienced littered lives and continually self-examine. That’s what I’m planning to do.
|
This article is Copyright © 2005 by Keith Jacobs. |
|
|
