Crash is a movie that debut in 2004. This controversial movie displayed racism, ethnic relations, differences in social class and much more in Los Angeles, California on the west coast of North America. The movie showed the connection of people’s lives over a 36 hour time span. The 36 hour time span illustrates tense actions throughout the city and in each character’s life. The movie was approximately an hour and a half and displayed everything and more within that time. It interlocks the life of the white, the blacks, the Asian, the Spanish, the Persian, the rich, the poor and even the cops and criminals. Everyone is both a victim and guilty of racism. People’s impulses have been an issue within this movie. A negative impulse have been instinctive and their positive one could be and have been dangerous. This movie shows that everyone feels prejudice against other cultures, groups or races and somewhat resents them for it. The actions and feelings displayed and touched on throughout the movie are simply just the consequences. The first demonstration displayed in the film of racism or an act of racism came when a wife of an attorney, played by Sandra Bullock assumed that the two men walking towards her were to going to rob her. Though that became the case, she made an assumption based on color or ethnic background. I don’t believe that she should have based on the area that they were all in and the restaurant that they came out of. This displayed subjective reality. Subjective reality is when what you perceive to be true actually does come true. So Sandra Bullock’s character plays that part when she sees the two men as a threat, she grips her purse causing her subjective reality to become true. An LAPD officer, played by Matt Dillon displays an act of racism as well based on pulling over, harassing and assaulting a husband and wife of color, just because he had authority. The same character displayed the same act of racism towards someone whom he tried to receive help for his father from. His father suffers from a Urinary Tract Infection and is in a lot of pain, so he doesn’t get much rest and has become very angry. He mistreated her simply because her name was “Shaniqua Johnson”, giving away the fact that she was African American. I’m not sure where his perceptions of black people came from and the reasoning behind the way he treats people of color, but taking into consideration what he said to the Rookie officer, “You will see once you’ve been around for a couple more years”, I would assume that he treats people of color a certain way based on his experiences as an LAPD officer. In my opinion, I feel it is quite obvious that it these were negative experiences. The act that stuck out the most to me was the Persian father and daughter at the very beginning of the film that was making an attempt to purchase the gun. The store clerk made it very obvious that his intentions were to be rude, based on the assumptions that the pair were Arabs. At multiple times, the store clerk referred to the twin towers and September 11. He blatantly disrespected the pair, their views and their religion, if any, by assuming that they were terrorists. Even when corrected, the man refused to lighten up and continued to be rude. My last but not least act of racism or stereotype once again involves Sandra Bullock’s character. When changing the locks, the repair man is being disrespected quite loudly, by the homeowner. She says with no shame that she wants new lock again in the morning, because the repair man looks to be a gangsta or a gang member, because he has tattoos and looks like he’s been jail. She then states that he’ll be back with his ‘homies’. While watching the movie, even though I’ve watched it before, I had to ask myself “What does someone who’s been to jail look like?” I thought that was so insensitive of her, because not only had he not been to jail, but he was a father who made an honest living and was very protective of his daughter. Protective enough to move her out of a dangerous neighborhood and enough to start over. I have assumed that she was this way with the locksmith, because she was so frightened by the interaction on the street run in with the two black men. Ethnocentrism is something that was acted on throughout this entire movie. Ethnocentrism is to judge another culture based on the belief of your own culture. It is also believing your own culture and race is superior to any other. The detective, played by Don Cheadle is dating or just seeing his Latina partner. When they get into a fight, he proceeds to pick at and make fun at her culture and background by calling her Mexican even though she isn't. He does this simply because she’s Spanish. She quickly corrects him and states where her parents are from, making sure he knows neither are from Mexico. Asian Americans are also made fun of throughout this movie, constantly being called ‘China Man’ even when they were females. Their speech patterns are made fun of as well, for example they used the term "blaking" for the word “braking”. The detective’s Latin partner is one of the characters that doesn’t celebrate or even accept the characteristics of other cultures. She openly made fun of the Asian lady whom she had got into an accident with. This was odd to me because she hated being considered something she wasn’t or being poked at. Officer Ryan makes fun of the name Shaniqua, when told who was speaking to. It was obviously a more common name of African American culture, which he knew. The characters in this film only mocked the cultures by making fun of them, assuming the superiority of their own culture. The characters throughout the movie failed to try to understand one another through ethnocentrism. Crash is a movie that has the ability to better people, to better it’s audience. It has a message, it is very clear. It wasn’t just about the negative, the positive came last but mattered most. The movie was about hurt, cruelty, sadness, happiness and most of all hope. All of the people that were in this film, were so different, but shared the same city and similar fears. They all shared the same hopes and dreams, for equality and happiness. The movie crash teaches you about your patience, not with yourself but with everyone else. The overall message, no matter the gender, the race, or the social class in this movie was everything was about progress.