Thomas King Crash

In contemporary society, individuals can notice the division of society through forms of discrimination. One factor that is a prominent divider is racism. Racism, as defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority”. Society faces constant repercussions of racial incidents, making racism an ambiguous term of what constitutes as racism. Ultimately, racism is formed through social, economic, and moral concepts. In Paul Haggis’ film, Crash, the plot of the film is set in Los Angeles, where there are many problems between different cultures that they “crash” into each other. Another example is Thomas King’s short story

In “Borders”, King portrays the pitfall of hasty conclusions when a mother and son is stopped at the American-Canadian border and the mother is asked what her citizenship is. The mother respectfully argues that she is neither American nor Canadian, but a Blackfoot. The Blackfoot mother seeks justice by having the Blackfoot nation's land to be recognized. This leads Inspector Pratt to state, “If you don’t tell us your citizenship, you will have to go back where you came from” (King). Understandably, Pratt is following the procedure of his job; however, Pratt’s ignorance of the Blackfoot nation depicts how easy it can be for an individual to make a hasty conclusion. If Pratt understood the history behind the Blackfoot nation, it would allow him to be more considerate and patient with the woman. In contrast, Pratt committed the pitfall by making a premature judgment and having media get involved. This can relate to our current media, and the crisis and division regarding Syrian Refugees and Muslims. Many citizens are fearful of the potential motives Syrians could impose and the potential increase of ISIS spreading within our borders. This has led to a growing animosity towards American Muslims and Syrian refugees. People tend to make hasty conclusions about Muslims and their propensity to be radical or violent. In reality, it is researched by PewResearch Center that “people in countries with large Muslim populations are just as concerned as Western nations about the threat of Islamic extremism, and have become increasingly concerned in recent years” (Lipka). People misconstrue other races with hasty conclusions, believing if others are making or saying hasty remarks, that it’s acceptable. The notion that people should go be sent back where they came from is rooted back into the depths of American history. Even in contemporary news, matters of a Muslim ban shows the