Shields

Devon Shields
Connie S. Douglas
English 112-01
06 June 2016
Stop Racially Profiling
Im not racist I have black friends. Stop race baiting white privilege doesnt exist.
Go back to where youre from. The audience can relate because they have heard these phrases
or a version of them in todays diverse society but the movie Crash brought up racial issues that
were up close and personal. The movie Crash had an objective which was to identify
discrimination, shame those who participate, and evoke change.
In this movie the viewer is able to witness white police officers take out their frustrations
about race in the form of sexual assault on a black women and the murder of an unarmed black
man. They also saw a Middle Eastern man profiled and later went to the extreme to protect his
family. Lastly the film viewer saw black men in an urban environment attempt to justify their
crimes due to affirmative action being ineffective.
The officer who assaulted the upper middle class women in front of her husband in order
to demonstrate dominance and privilege based on occupation and setbacks in his personal life.
Later in the film he was forced to earn her trust back in order to save her life. Through these acts
the viewer is able to see that past actions can be forgiven if the wrong doer is willing to seek
redemption and change behavior.

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The audience is able to see a Middle Eastern man receive harsh treatment from vandals in
his community and then attempt to shoot a man who he assumed sabotage his business success
when in actuality it was the opposite. Instead of almost shooting the man he almost shot the
victims daughter. The viewer is able to learn to that they cannot take actions based on race
because they could have deadly consequences.
Finally in the movie the audience is able to see to black males attempting to get their
piece of the American dream through theft. The men are pessimistic about society and instead of
attempting to change perception they fall in line. One of the men decides to quit and begin to go
on the straight and narrow and makes the determination that not all white police offers are bad
people when one of them offers him a ride home. Unfortunately his life ended by the life fire are
of said police officer because he assumed that the black man was armed and meant him harm.
Crash teaches the viewer that racial profiling is real and is very dangerous and that they
should refrain from participating in these actions. Racial profiling is not a black and white issue.
It is an issue for everyone. Racial profiling is not just an action it is also mindset that should
cease immediately.

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Works Cited
Haggis, Paul & Yari, Bob. 2004. Crash. United States: Lions Gate Films