Com200 Miscommunication In The Film Crash

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Miscommunication in the Film Crash Todd Mizera Professor Ioannis Papazafiropoulos COM 200 July 18, 2011 Miscommunication in the Film Crash In the 2004 film Crash (Haggis), several conflicts are explored between people living in a racially charged city. While the conflicts occur at many levels between many people throughout the film, the most frustrating to watch as the viewer is the conflict between Daniel Ruiz, the locksmith, and Farhad, the shop owner. The conflict escalates as communication between the two breaks down over a language barrier. Eventually, we see the conflict increase to the point that one man feels his only recourse is armed retaliation against the other. The conflict begins as Daniel responds to a locksmith call at Farhad’s shop. Daniel replaces a broken lock on the shop’s back door, but tries to explain to Farhad that the door itself is the problem, not the lock. Farhad’s English is not fluent, and he doesn’t understand Daniel initially, but decides after deciphering Daniel’s warning about the lock that Daniel is trying to cheat him. The conflict becomes a heated argument as Farhad refuses to pay for a door not fixed while Daniel explains that he only fixes locks, not doors. The ultimate result being the unfixed lock leaves the shop exposed to thieves who ransack the place leaving Farhad without an income source for his family. farhad decides the only justice is to gun down Ruiz for the loss Farhad believes he caused by not fixing the door. In examining how the conflict might have been resolved, it’s important to look at the communication styles of each participant. When we first see Daniel earlier in the film, he is being verbally disrespected by a rich and racist client who believes he is untrustworthy, and possibly a gang member. As this scene unfolds, we see Daniel finishing the locksmithing job quietly. Researcher Kathy Sole

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