Crash
My tastes are so eclectic, I rarely see a film and say “everyone should see this” because I understand what I enjoy may not be for everyone. But the film “Crash” starring an ensemble cast so diverse as Sandra Bullock and Thandy Newman to Don Cheadle and Ryan Phillipe, that was released earlier in the year just came out on DVD and yes, I think everyone should see this. I missed this in the theatre, even though I had heard what I great film this was, because I was worried that it might be one of those deep dark films you want to stick you head in an oven afterwards but I was both pleasantly surprised by it’s tone as well as thought provoked. On the surface, the film is about ethnicities and sub-culture relations. I do not use the term “race” because there is only one: The Human Race, we are all the same. We all eat, breathe, strive, hope, love, hurt and bleed. But in reality the film is about choices, what people chose to see and do. One person sees a latino with a shaved head and tattoos and sees a criminal, another sees a Persian family and assumes they are potential terrorists, the Persian sees a caucasian and assumes that are trying to cheat him, yet in desperate moments when all the crap is stripped away each person sees another human being. The only bad guy in this film is assumption and preconceived bias (and in some cases outright bigotry).
But the film does raise some interesting questions about Americans and how we all get along in this melting pot. In the end we are all Americans, but to deny that there are no sub-cultures in this country is just plain silly, not to mention damaging because we then assume that everyone that does not act as we do is deviant in some form, that what they are doing is “wrong” to some degree. Looking at the world through a historical lens, I tend to see people with multiple layers. I look in the mirror and I see me, I see a woman, I see an American and I see the Irish ancestors my family came from (and if you look at my sister you will see the English, my elder brother the Norman French and my eldest brother the Norse *chuckle*). I can look at the White Anglo Saxon Protestant culture of the U.S. and say “Yes, we are materialistic” and understand that that aspect of our subculture stems from the Calvanist settlers because Calvanism viewed material success as sign of God’s favor. Doesn’t make it right, doesn’t make it wrong, it’s just understanding the root of it. Ambition for material success can be the driving force that brings a person and/or family up from the poorer classes and grant opportunities to following generations, but if it runs unchecked it is a destructive thing sacrificing human emotional well being for things.
Is it wrong to see other subcultures in the U.S.? The current PC environment says “Yes it is.”. But if we do not, aren’t we simply separating ourselves further from one another? If we do not go and see or experience another way of being an American, whether through the African American community or the Latino American Communities or the Asian American communities, are we not missing out on understanding one another more fully? We was having a discussion in the lunchroom at work around the 4th of July one time and I mentioned how when I visited the Statue of Liberty, it was one of the most stirring patriotic moments of my life. Then one of my co-workers said, “Well, my people had a different experience of coming to this country.” And she was right; instead of immigrant ships, her family had been packed aboard slave ships. Her ancestral or cultural experience had been different from my own and so her families view of the United States and what it meant to be American is slightly different than my own. It’s not better, and the root cause aside it’s not worse, it’s just slightly different. Is being different so bad? Does she have to conform to my view and experience of being American to be acceptable?
I’m not saying that being of one sub-culture or another excuses one from being a law abiding, contributing member of society (the usual far-right accusations of the left), only that are differences and that much of what we consider America culture comes from the interaction of those differences. The music, the food, the art, they all were products what we consider subcultures within the U.S. and their dynamic interplay. If we do not see them, allow them to be, appreciate them, are we not ignoring essential parts of American history? Are we not losing an essential piece of what America is? “American” is not just the White Anglo Saxon Protestant culture, in truth it never was. Various Native American cultures have had influence, Africans have been here in North America almost as long as the Europeans have and Maryland, if you remember, was a Catholic colony. While we were fighting for independence, Germans were coming here in large droves and in the 19th century everyone was complaining about the Irish that were flooding into this country on the East coast and the Chinese coming in on the West coast. I have friends and coworkers of African, Chinese, Philippine, Guatemalan, Mexican, Russian, Jewish decent among others. We have all contributed to making this country what it is. We all built this country together. Should I ignore those Americans that are not from European decent and pretend they are no different than I, that their cultural experiences are the same? I want to talk to all these people, to ask where their families came from and their experiences, how that fits into American history and it’s cultures and how it influences their experience of being American, but I feel like I am not allowed to.
As this film points out, it is assumption that is the evil, we should not look at an individual woman who is caucasian and assume she is materially oriented, we should not look at an individual woman of asian decent and assume she is submissive or look at an individual woman of latino decent and assume she is brash, just as we can not look at individuals of other ethnicities and assume they are gang bangers and/or criminals. Hell, our FedEx guy was covered head to toe in Asian full sleeve tattoos, but he was of Hawaiian decent and was focused on finding love and becoming a real estate baron in Las Vegas. You can’t make assumptions based on appearances. But can’t we acknowledge the cultural differences that have come together to make us Americans, that make this such in interesting, colorful and dynamic country to live in? If we were all the same, wouldn’t this such a boring place?
Now, having said all that…
Best of luck tomorrow to Dale, Elliott and Mark at Dover tomorrow!
But the film does raise some interesting questions about Americans and how we all get along in this melting pot. In the end we are all Americans, but to deny that there are no sub-cultures in this country is just plain silly, not to mention damaging because we then assume that everyone that does not act as we do is deviant in some form, that what they are doing is “wrong” to some degree. Looking at the world through a historical lens, I tend to see people with multiple layers. I look in the mirror and I see me, I see a woman, I see an American and I see the Irish ancestors my family came from (and if you look at my sister you will see the English, my elder brother the Norman French and my eldest brother the Norse *chuckle*). I can look at the White Anglo Saxon Protestant culture of the U.S. and say “Yes, we are materialistic” and understand that that aspect of our subculture stems from the Calvanist settlers because Calvanism viewed material success as sign of God’s favor. Doesn’t make it right, doesn’t make it wrong, it’s just understanding the root of it. Ambition for material success can be the driving force that brings a person and/or family up from the poorer classes and grant opportunities to following generations, but if it runs unchecked it is a destructive thing sacrificing human emotional well being for things.
Is it wrong to see other subcultures in the U.S.? The current PC environment says “Yes it is.”. But if we do not, aren’t we simply separating ourselves further from one another? If we do not go and see or experience another way of being an American, whether through the African American community or the Latino American Communities or the Asian American communities, are we not missing out on understanding one another more fully? We was having a discussion in the lunchroom at work around the 4th of July one time and I mentioned how when I visited the Statue of Liberty, it was one of the most stirring patriotic moments of my life. Then one of my co-workers said, “Well, my people had a different experience of coming to this country.” And she was right; instead of immigrant ships, her family had been packed aboard slave ships. Her ancestral or cultural experience had been different from my own and so her families view of the United States and what it meant to be American is slightly different than my own. It’s not better, and the root cause aside it’s not worse, it’s just slightly different. Is being different so bad? Does she have to conform to my view and experience of being American to be acceptable?
I’m not saying that being of one sub-culture or another excuses one from being a law abiding, contributing member of society (the usual far-right accusations of the left), only that are differences and that much of what we consider America culture comes from the interaction of those differences. The music, the food, the art, they all were products what we consider subcultures within the U.S. and their dynamic interplay. If we do not see them, allow them to be, appreciate them, are we not ignoring essential parts of American history? Are we not losing an essential piece of what America is? “American” is not just the White Anglo Saxon Protestant culture, in truth it never was. Various Native American cultures have had influence, Africans have been here in North America almost as long as the Europeans have and Maryland, if you remember, was a Catholic colony. While we were fighting for independence, Germans were coming here in large droves and in the 19th century everyone was complaining about the Irish that were flooding into this country on the East coast and the Chinese coming in on the West coast. I have friends and coworkers of African, Chinese, Philippine, Guatemalan, Mexican, Russian, Jewish decent among others. We have all contributed to making this country what it is. We all built this country together. Should I ignore those Americans that are not from European decent and pretend they are no different than I, that their cultural experiences are the same? I want to talk to all these people, to ask where their families came from and their experiences, how that fits into American history and it’s cultures and how it influences their experience of being American, but I feel like I am not allowed to.
As this film points out, it is assumption that is the evil, we should not look at an individual woman who is caucasian and assume she is materially oriented, we should not look at an individual woman of asian decent and assume she is submissive or look at an individual woman of latino decent and assume she is brash, just as we can not look at individuals of other ethnicities and assume they are gang bangers and/or criminals. Hell, our FedEx guy was covered head to toe in Asian full sleeve tattoos, but he was of Hawaiian decent and was focused on finding love and becoming a real estate baron in Las Vegas. You can’t make assumptions based on appearances. But can’t we acknowledge the cultural differences that have come together to make us Americans, that make this such in interesting, colorful and dynamic country to live in? If we were all the same, wouldn’t this such a boring place?
Now, having said all that…
Best of luck tomorrow to Dale, Elliott and Mark at Dover tomorrow!
posted by KiplingKat | 1:36 AM
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