...Crash: A Disturbing Mirror on Humanity Does everyone hate or dislike a certain type of person? Do people continuously make snap judgments of others based upon their appearance? Do people really believe in stereotypes they hear about other ethnicities? Are individuals naturally afraid of unfamiliar cultures? These questions are explored by Director Paul Haggis in the provocative 2005 film Crash. Set in contemporary Los Angeles, Crash is an explosive exploration of prejudice. The plot of Crash consists of a series of inter-related vignettes about people of assorted ethnicities and socio-economic groups who come into contact with one another—often violently--over a 36-hour period. In the film the interaction of the characters causes viewers to question stereotypes while at the same time acknowledging the grain of truth they contain. Because the vignettes are all related, with characters in one reappearing in another, viewer are able to see various sides of a character: a character shown committing a racist act in one scene is depicted in an act of kindness in another. This structure stresses the interrelationship of human-beings and underscores the complexities of prejudice and racism. The title of the movie Crash is a metaphor for the content. The most obvious meaning of the word crash in contemporary society is an auto collision, and the movie begins and ends with car accidents. But the idea of collision, as it pertains to the film, has a much broader application. This...
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...town in Rosewood, Florida. Rosewood industry was cedar wood and mills, and a railroad station that transported products, communal relations between the towns of Rosewood and Sumner were one of tolerance. The African American community were aware of the inequality that was afforded to them, but also made every effort to build a culture of stability, and building a new cultural identity of freedom within an almost self-sufficient predominately African American community in spite of the power structure of its white neighbors and systematic racism (Dye, 1997). With the accusation of violence against a white women the mob viewed this act a direct threat to their social structure and the legacy. Social hierarchy played a major role in the mobs attitude, the violence was almost immediate, and within six days the accusation caused ominous consequences that affected the whole community of Rosewood and those that played a part in its destruction (Singleton, 1982). Historical Archaeologist Dr. Edward González-Tennant (2016), visited and recorded family members of those who are claim to have witness accounts of the morning of allege attack of Mrs. Taylor, the White women of the neighboring town of Sumner, Florida. Family...
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...depict a crumbling American society. The America Romero focuses onfocused on by Romero is one where consumerism and racism have become very rampant creating inequalities (Gagne, 1987). Romero does not explicitly show the inequalities in the movies but he uses symbols to show the societies levels that perpetuate poverty, often the poor African Americans. In his interview with the NY Times, Romero said that his zombie movies are symbols of revolution, a generation consuming another. This paper will discuss the theme of consumerism/consumption as portrayed in the Romero’s films in reference...
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...Throughout American history, humans have never had a positive and unified way to name and interact with nature. Many prominent thinkers disagree on a definition for nature, different interpretations often lead to destruction masked as “progress” (Marx 14). But not all definitions of nature are so damaging. Ursula Goodenough, a biology professor at Washington University in St. Louis, wrote The Sacred Depths of Nature to create a new religion based in nature. Goodenough’s treatment of “nature” illustrates her unique interpretation of the word. Goodenough understands the word nature to mean life, and life means biology. She uses this appeal to scientific reasoning to inspire humans to care for the world we live in. And while she recognizes that...
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...races were deemed inferior due to traits inherited from ancestors and was believed to be true by many. By modern standards Eugenics can be seen and identified as a phony science. The European trend of thought on this topic remained consistent, and this ideology was later imposed on yet another, the African Americans. Therefore, the African Americans’ humanity was also questioned and denied. Race later became recognized as a social construct used to distinguish cultures from one another. Race has always been a major crisis here in America since the Europeans “discovered” the natives, to the slavery of the African Americans, and the labor abuse of the Asians, and race will continue to be a basis for many humanitarian movements, as well as a tool it as an incentive for voters in the presidential system. African Americans have been victimized by an unfair belief system based on race. The white elephant in the room with African Americans has been, and will be for a long time, slavery. Slavery used race as its justification, believing that colored people were inferior, to be treated as animals, stripping this group of people of all humanity and proving the African...
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...Jalen Taylor Take Home Exam Fall 2011 Marvin Broome 1) Black culture has an interest and unique background that is very questionable. Curiosity about black culture arose during the Harlem Renaissance in the 20s but the Black community became more concerned during the 1960s. The concerns of the black community were the possession, meaning, reappropriation and reconstruction of their culture. It was during this time that many blacks shifted from the ideal of integration towards the resurgence of Black Nationalism. This movement sparked an interest in the Black culture, as well as the role in life and struggle. From here, a strong commitment to revitalize, reconstruct and actually construct Black culture came about. This newfound inspiration to rediscover the black culture led to the unveiling of a few paradigms that were centered on the theme of bits and pieces of the Black culture being lost or forgotten. The Deficiency Paradigm argues that Blacks have no real culture, that slavery destroyed it, and that what passed as Black culture was simply a pathological reaction to Whites, a duplication of them or an expression of lower-class culture rather than a specific Black culture. The Crusian Paradigm argues that although culture must be seen as central, the three factors of culture, politics and economics must be welded together into a dynamic synthesis and social strategy. Both of these paradigms argue that Whites have tried to destroy black culture by forcing their...
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...Introduction Some would argue that racism does not exist today, this is not an attempt to prove anything of the contrary, instead this is an attempt to understand racism and where it comes from. Although racism lives within the hearts and minds of some people it is much more cleverly disguised, some may not even notice it right in front of their face. For some, it may be a fact that they have not experienced racism, however for others, racism has a great impact on daily life. . Due to the complexity of the human mind, I believe that it would be impossible to find one single cause of racism. This is merely an attempt to discover some contributing factors to racism and why so many people tend to accept racism either consciously or sub consciously. Finally, from an objective perspective, this research will explain how racism develops through various ideas and why. Within these pages we will explore the possible causes of racism such as ethnocentrism, or the idea that one ethnic group is more superior to another. Xenophobia, fear and dislike of people from other countries or cultures is another contributing factor to racism. National pride can be a source of unity but also an excuse to discriminate against others, by holding the belief that your nation is better than other nations. We will explore some theories related to racism such as the idea that sexual repression is to blame for violence. Also exploring the theory of energetic fields as a possible explanation...
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...perfection of civility.” (Franklin, 2) Labeled as “savages”, the lives of Native Americans are distinct from those of the Whites. As a result, with the differences in manners and lives, frequent racism and patronization of the Native Americans by the whites are frequent. In The Crying Indian- Classic PSA, draws awareness to the audience about the danger of contamination along with the deteriorating relationship between the Native Americans and the outside people due to racism. Along with the works of William Cullen Bryant and James...
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...based on the soul of a person; | |we are more comfortable making judgements based on skin colour.” | Prejudice, courage and unity… TEXT COMPARISON Are we always champions of tolerance, courage and receptiveness to others? By the very definition of humanity, we must be. Humanity: benevolence, understanding and kindness towards other people. It is, arguably, our very human nature to feel compassion, courage, understanding, unity and empathy towards our fellow man. Unfortunately, prejudice and judgement also cling to the human condition like tumorous stains – traits which society still finds hard to surmount. Despite the efforts of governments, groups and individuals, humankind still finds it difficult to trust based on the soul of a person; we are more comfortable making judgements based on skin colour. Nelle Harper Lee through her 1960 novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ and Boaz Yakin through his 2000 film, ‘Remember the Titans,’ are text composers who tackle the ill-defined paradigms of ‘prejudice, courage and unity’ by painting a picture of the confronting face of racism. Prejudice, courage and unity are notions that are dealt with differently by both composers and, through their use of structural and linguistic features, each composer presents this concept in a manner which connects (or weakens a connection)...
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...“Cry about the simple hell people give other people without even thinking” (Lee 269). In this statement, Dolphus Raymond speaks to the children and attempts at opening their minds to the reality of hatred and discrimination at the base of humanity. Throughout Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, it becomes quite evident that growing up in a world full of hatred looks much different through eyes that have not seen prejudice. Through these innocent perspectives, the reader looks through a window to see the very raw core of human nature. Because of this purity, that Jem and Scout see Tom as a mockingbird. Tom represents a mockingbird in a few, yet significant, ways. First of all he ignites the children to sing their own song of youthful innocence; he is a minority and considered “crippled” in the eyes of many characters in the novel. Finally, Tom goes out of his way to be a hard-working and helpful man, even though his graciousness is not reciprocated. All of the way through the trial of Tom Robinson, many injustices become clear to both Scout and Jem. The unfair and biased treatment of Robinson leads to...
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...Racism and Hurricane Katrina Matt DePalma Geography 1000 Assignment 1 October 4, 2013 Under the presidency of George W. Bush, Hurricane Katrina was deemed as a national, political, and racial disaster. From preparations of the hurricane, rescue efforts provided, and money funded for the storm, Hurricane Katrina represented a nationwide failure and the casualties and emotional scars it left on the people of New Orleans is evidence. Monday, August 29, 2005 will forever live on as a day of infamy in New Orleans, a day where not only poor planning was obvious but racial inequalities also became even more apparent to the people. In the aftermath of its destruction, Katrina showed the world just how racist New Orleans was, and how corrupt and slowly the government acted towards saving lives. Unfortunately, New Orleans the the United States government left the black, poverty stricken population for dead, exposing a city still full of racism for had they not been, more lives could have been rescued. For starters, Ray Nagin, mayor of New Orleans during the storm had issued a mandatory evacuation of the city in preparation of the storm (Trouble the Water). This is a seemingly righteous and smart political move on Nagin’s part except that he also provided no transportation for those without cars or money. As a mayor, Nagin had to know that not every single person in his city could afford the luxury of travel for evacuation of Katrina. Nagin left 100,000 people, most of...
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...their beauty and uniqueness, but in turn, can be destroyed with a simple gust of wind. Strong social problems like racism and rape are among the causes of the destruction of the absence of evil, innocence. Myop is a girl who plays the protagonist role in the story The Flowers. This story was written by Alice Walker. This story is a vivid example of the consequences of racism and how it can affect the life of an innocent girl. In addition to racism, rape is another compelling reason that destroys innocence and leaves marked the history of any person subject to this abuse (White). The story "The Answer Is No" by Naguib Mahfouz tells how a rape victim can be marked forever. Children are the first victims when we speak of racism and rape because they lack the means to defend themselves. They are easy prey for people without a soul with any clear sense of decency and humanity (Crosson-Tower). Racism has become the flagship of empires and nations, to justify their anger against those who are different. The changes we have recently experienced worldwide, this new era of globalization has meant that entire towns revive feelings of nationalism, unfortunately the wrong way. Because of its ambitious leaders with power, these feelings of nationalism have been driven by anger, hatred, intolerance and violence (Dain). The Flowers story is about a girl who is a victim of racism indirectly. Myop is a happy girl, who likes all children, lived without worries and who was happy playing with the...
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...for a new route to Asian, his movements in the Caribbean and amongst its natives in his search for gold, and the eradication of tens and hundreds of thousands of natives. He writes about Columbus’ delivery of vast amounts of slaves to the Spanish monarchy, with slaves being sent to Europe or forced to labor in New World mines and plantations. Zinn further recount the historical writings of Bartolomé de las Casas, who commented on native culture, as well as chronicling and questioning the necessity of the harsh, brutal conditions that the conquering Spanish subjected the natives to. Zinn then claims that the easy casualness with which contemporary historians ignore or disregard historical atrocities as necessary for the advancement of humanity does a disservice...
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...Arguable the most controversial subject in human history is what truly defines the human species. Through the growth and evolution of the species, humans have displayed destructive behaviours within society that differentiates this genus from all others. Practiced by the unique act of genocide, humans have embraced a love for brutality against opposing social groups and the annihilation of fellow man. The institutions within the species’ society encompass unsurpassable expectations that have resulted in the self-destruction of millions. Humans have collectively destroyed the Earth’s natural resources through over use and depletion, making it impossible for the environment to remain sustainable; therefore, characterizing humans as the uniquely destructive species that they have come to exist as today. Genocide is a form of destruction unique to the human species that has been repeated throughout history as the yearning for power and the love of cruelty surpasses human controversies. “Genocide is often waged by one group against another and not the other way around. It is this unprovoked brutality that stems from human nature that is truly frightening” (Dimijan, 2010). This brutality was noticeably witnessed in World War II Germany during the Holocaust when Nazi leader Adolf Hitler exterminated more than 6 million Jewish men, women and children. The Nazis, who came to power in January 1933, believed that Germans were "racially superior" and that the Jews, deemed "inferior,"...
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...Millions of names are still missing of parents and children; nothing can remove this darkness from one of the most tragic events to ever happen in history, the Holocaust. There is a classic German legend about a man named Faust. He was a highly successful scholar but was dissatisfied with his life. His legend has created stories of his success in art and music, but the legendary of this man doesn’t end there. According to the legend, Faust sold his soul to the devil in exchange for vast earthly rewards. Millions of innocent Jews were killed by this so called legend, driven by a force of madness and evil of his own ancestors. In his own sick twisted mind he saw an opportunity to solve the problem once and for all by killing off the Jews. It is said that the Holocaust was based upon vague, trivial, or even inaccurate representations. With so much controversy and doubt on the Holocaust did or did it not really happen, everyone has their own point-of-view. Ironically for the people of Germany this legend had an all too real comparison to true events on its history. According to stories from survivors the voices of the dead can still be heard crying out for help. There are many authors who wrote books with great detail on the Holocaust, giving their perspective point of view on this tragic event. During the Holocaust it is said that over six million Jews suffered countless amounts of obscenity throughout the history of time. In the book Histories of the Holocaust by Dan Stone...
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