Crash

The movie that we watched in class this week, Crash, was one that dealt strongly with racism and prejudice. We saw a multitude of characters, all of different cultures and backgrounds, and watched in the ways that they interacted with each-other. One of the characters, Officer John Ryan- a white male- showed particularly extreme hatred and prejudice towards minorities, African Americans in particular. We learn as the movie progresses that his deep rooted hatred was caused by hardships in the life of his father- a hardworking janitor who lost everything when his company decided that they needed a greater percent of minority workers, and he was fired. Although John Ryan's father never harbored any resentment for African Americas, it resided with in John for his entire adult life- causing him to be cruel and prejudiced. In my opinion stereotypes and prejudices always come about in such a manner- through misunderstandings. No one is ever born racist or cruel, hatred is a trait that can only be acquired through interactions with our surroundings. Prejudice is something that is grown out of a need for a scapegoat- a need to place blame on anyone but yourself. And once this prejudice has taken root in even one individual, it holds the power to spread to future generations, as racist parents instill racist values on their children. This most likely would have occurred with Officer Ryan- if his views hadn't been so greatly altered through the course of the film. John began the film as a horrible, selfish, and cruel individual, who abused his power in order to terrorize African American citizens. But by the end of the movie, we see his humanity surface. When John was called to the scene of a car accident, where a woman who he had previously assaulted was in a dire situation, he was able to put aside his feelings of contempt and see her as a human being who his actions had greatly scarred. Although he did not have to, he risked his life to pull her out of a burning car, signifying his internal change, and letting go of the hostility he held inside of him for so long.