Racism in the Movie Crash Essay Example

Racism in the Movie Crash Essay Racism and prejudice have surrounded everyone worldwide for centuries and have been transmitted from generation to generation. Different skin color, different cultures, and beliefs is all something that causes racial discrimination. Many movies deal with this issue, and one of them is Crash, produced by Paul Haggis in 2004. The movie gives many examples of how prejudice and racism affects everyone and it also represents different ethnicities and the stereotypes we associate with each group. The first glimpse of racism and prejudice the viewer gets from the movie is from Officer Ryan who is played by Matt Dillon. Ryan is a middle-aged police officer in Los Angeles, California. Ryan is considered among the film’s most prejudiced characters, but he is also the one who develops the most throughout the whole story, from being a bigoted racist to a helpful person. In the beginning of the story, Officer Ryan constantly stereotypes black people and acts disrespectful. For example, when he talks to a woman named Shaniqua, an insurance representative who cannot help Ryan’s father who has issues with his bladder. First Ryan insults her on the phone, assuming she is African American based on her name and then he suggested that she is the main reason for his father’s health problems. Second, he insults her in person, telling her that she only got her job because of affirmative action policies. Everyone in this movie deals with personal issues. John’s main issue is his father, who suffers from prostate cancer. His father’s HMO plan will not cover treatment for his illness and this angers John a lot. John’s anger develops into prejudice toward minorities. We will write a custom essay sample on Racism in the Movie Crash specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Racism in the Movie Crash specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Racism in the Movie Crash specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Ryan also sexual assault a black woman named Christine Thayer, in front of her husband Cameron, who were stopped on the road based on their skin color. These scenes of Officer Ryan being racist towards other skin colored human beings show how power can misrepresent the perception of