Taking an Interpretive Perspective to Intercultural Communication (Bryan Colbert)

When I first watched the movie crash I loved it. It was action packed, had great actors and an interesting story...what's not to like?? But when I watched it a second time I realized what the movie was actually portraying. This movie hit some of the most polarizing cultural patterns in our societies history; racism, womanizing and religion.

Racism was the cultural pattern that stood out most in the movie. It wasn't the fact that there was racist acts in the movie but the way they were depicted that made the racism stand out. One of the first scenes of the movie is shown below...

Crash (1/9) Movie CLIP - Car Jacking (2004) HD

"Anthony: Look around! You couldn't find a whiter, safer or better lit part of this city. But this white woman sees two black guys, who look like UCLA students, strolling down the sidewalk and her reaction is blind fear. I mean, look at us! Are we dressed like gang-bangers? Huh? No. Do we look threatening? No. Fact, if anybody should be scared around here, it's us: We're the only two black faces surrounded by a sea of over-caffeinated white people, patrolled by the triggerhappy LAPD. So you tell me, why aren't we scared?
Peter: Because we have guns?Anthony: You could be right."    

This scene really got to me, because although Anthony was making a valid point, but his words became invalid because of his actions. He claimed to have received bad service because he was black and the waitress assumed blacks didn't tip, but instead of proving her wrong and tipping her, Anthony did exactly what she thought he would. The same thing happened when he noticed the white woman holding her husband close when she saw him. Yes she was wrong to assume that because they were black that they had ill-intentions, but they actually did. Anthony's words were said to defend and uplift black people, but his actions created the opposite effect.

Another sign of racism cultural pattern in this movie is when the racist cop pulled over the interracial couple.

Crash (3/9) Movie CLIP - Pat Down by the Police (2004) HD

This scene was possibly the most powerful one in the movie. Not only did the cop disrespect the man because he was black, but made him watch as he fondled his wife. Who knows how many types a horrid act like this happens in every day life, but I'm almost certain it happens more than we would expect. This is also a clear sign of womanizing. The cop took advantage of her not only because he was a cop that could do whatever he wanted but he saw the woman as weak and helpless. 

Religion also plays a role in this movie. Although its a small role anything dealing with religion is powerful. Below shows a scene in the movie that shows the power religion can have over a persons mindset and emotions. 

Crash - Best scene in the movie [copyright Lions Gate Films]

When the girl is shot but nothing happens to her, the once infuriated Persian shop owner, began to cry. Not because he felt bad about what he did, but because he believed that the girl was an angel sent to give him a message. The man went from angry enough to kill somebody to emotional all because of religion. I can't think of a better depiction of this particular cultural pattern.