Social Issues In The Movie Crash

Everyday people watch television or read articles online about different types of social problems happening in our society. Whether it is fighting for gender equality, reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to prevent global warming, or have the right to universal health care. All of these are social issues that affects our society along with social issues against each other, such as racism, wealth, social class, poverty, and the list goes on. However, social class and race tend to be the top two always making headlines whether it is right or wrong that some people have a higher income than others or is there a justification to discriminate people based on their appearance. To some people this is wrong while others feel this is a great way

to classify people everyone is categorized based on their social class and race. To showcase a few examples about the differences in social class and race it is portrayed in mainstream media from the 2005 film Crash.

There are numerous race and social issues from the film that relates to real world terms such as the struggle of poverty, obtaining power and wealth to discrimination.
One of the most debatable social issue distinguishing people from each other is poverty. There are different types of classifications to determine what exactly poverty is from absolute to relative poverty, what the poverty line is or who exactly is below or above the poverty line. According to Anna Leon-Guerrero, author of Social Problems, she states “Hispanics and African Americans are the two races with the highest poverty rate ranging from twenty-five to twenty twenty-seven percent” (2014, p. 44). The high poverty rate will lead to little to no education and as a result lower income among African

Americans and Hispanics. For example, from the film there is a Hispanic locksmith and an African American woman that showcase that they do not live lavish lifestyles, even though they both have access to shelter, food, and clothes, their lives were a reflection of the low social class they are living. The woman was displayed unconscious in her house while her son glanced her house to find a large number of cigarettes and a syringe on her table indicating she was also a drug user, after looking around her house he opens her refrigerator to find expired milk, a forty ounce bottle of alcohol, and little to no food. Whereas the Hispanic locksmith arrives at his small but livable house to his daughter to comfort her to sleep and receives a message through his beeper what appears to indicate he had to go back to work late at night instead of a good night’s sleep. Even though these are only two examples of social class it is significant because the effects of poverty and constant struggles trying to afford to live the next day is crucial for surviving and hopefully move up the social class ladder to escape their woes and earn respect.
Along with poverty, people who are financially stable and have power over people creates problems as well, people in higher social classes have what is known as PWP (Power, Wealth, and Prestige), These group of elite people are in the field of government or business careers controlling how the power and wealth is distributed in their communities. Even though they are portrayed as elite, in the eyes of people in poverty they are seen as the group of people not doing enough or anything to help their situation go from bad to good as a result building resentment towards them because of what they do not have they see the people with PWP have at their disposal. People with power, wealth and prestige tend to create and set laws along with provide employment opportunities that people in poverty have to work for. An example from the film portrays a district attorney who appears to have the characteristics of PWP from being an attorney, to his luxurious car, big house, and employing a house maid to care for his house. However, his actions early in the film showed signs of individual discrimination. “Individual discrimination are actions against individual minority group members… avoiding physical and verbal contact” (2014, p.72). As he was approaching two African American males he quickly crossed the street fearing of what they would do to him and his wife. This is a problem in society because the majority of African Americans specifically African American males are viewed as criminals due to mainstream media causing people from higher social classes to stereotype and come to conclusions based on their bias.
Another form of social problem displayed was ethnocentrism.

“Ethnocentrism is the belief of one’s group, values, and behaviors are better than any other groups” (2014, p. 70). For example, the scene where the two police officers engaging in sexual intercourse and the male who happens to be African American said the following statement “I’m having sex with a white woman I’ll call you later” (Shulman & Haggis, 2005). The fact that he was specific enough to say he was having sex with a white woman to boost his ego or assert his dominance over her and treat her as an object and his own personal prize was exactly how the male’s behavior and values was portrayed over the woman herself. His actions was problematic enough the woman clarified in fact she was of Hispanic race realizing they are both part of the minority class. The practice of ethnocentrism in society would cause chaos because no one will want to help each other rise up the social ladder instead brag and put down those people who do not have an opportunity to better themselves. People will assert themselves towards their own race groups and eventually resent each other to a point where everyone will be on their own and no longer rely on friends and family for support creating a dysfunctional discourse community amongst each other in

society.
Crash was a great representation on how people in different race groups and social class behave a certain way causing problems left and right but we are all part of the same umbrella, everyone in poverty is trying to climb up the social ladder to a point where they can feel like they belong, as Leon-Guerrero states, “Poverty is powerless, lack of representation and freedom” (2014, p.40) While the wealthy have a mentality to make more money and have the power and influence that comes with it, and discrimination along with bragging what race is superior, we tend to say society is not fair and it is messy but we do not realize we are the ones creating the world we live in.