preview

Examples Of Stereotypes In The Movie Crash

Decent Essays

Crash
The movie Crash accurately portrayed many forms of racism such as the scene when the two officers pull over the African American couple. The officer had no reason to pull them over and search them just as many people get pulled over due to their color and wrongfully searched without probable cause. Koppelman (2014) says "racist behavior occurs when someone acts upon his or her racial prejudices by saying or doing something degrading or harmful toward a person or group"(p. 184). Implicit racism is indirect whereas explicit racism is direct messages reinforcing white superiority (Koppelman, 2014). One example of explicit racism shown in the movie Crash was when the shop owner verbally lashed out on the locksmith and his race. He was basically …show more content…

Koppelman (2014) says " the problem with positive stereotypes is that they cause us to have specific expectations for individuals and groups even though we have little or no evidence for these assumptions" (p. 10). There were many stereotypes in Crash such as the shop owner getting called a terrorist for being foreign when he tried to purchase a gun. He is also stereotyped again when who ever broke into his shop wrote nine eleven on the wall signifying that he was a terrorist. The man was not a terrorist he was just wanting to buy a gun for his own protection, and he was accused of the opposite. He was trying to ensure the safety of his shop because that is everything he has. The woman stereotypes two black men while walking down the street, and holds her purse close. The men ended up robbing her and taking her purse and car. She also stereotypes the locksmith after that, and does not trust him with replacing the locks on her home. She thought he was a gang banger even though he was a hard worker just trying to earn a living to take care of his family. Positive and negative stereotypes are reinforced through confirmation bias which is accepting information that reinforces ones beliefs while ignoring the contradicting information on those beliefs (Koppelman, 2014). Many people may have the stereotype that police officers do more harm than help, and Crash may have confirmed that. Police Officers are supposed to uphold the law and protect people, not degrade it and make people fear them. Some people could have the stereotype that rich families have maids even if they do not have children. Many people may also have a reinforced stereotype that many foreigners are terrorists or dangerous. " Confirmation bias not only causes people to look for evidence that reinforces their views, it also causes them to interpret

Get Access