"Crash" Film Analysis In Social Psychology

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Crash: Analyzing Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination Darc Mac EG351 Social Psychology 04/30/2011 CRASH: PREJUDICE AND GROUP ANTAGONISM Abstract Crash (Haggis, 2004) puts forth the message that we are all prejudiced in some way no matter how broadminded we like to think we are; that anyone of any ethnic group can be racist by some degree or other. The movie examines the complexities of the racial and social interactions of a group of Los Angeles citizens across diverse ethnic and socio-economic lines spanning a thirty-six hour period of time. The reoccurring theme is that these people figuratively (and sometimes literally) crash into one another in order to connect with other human beings. Crash: Analyzing Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination First, let me correct a definition: the term "race" has been misused in order to divide diverse peoples. In my view, and according to my university education, if you are able to read these words, you have higher cognitive function than any other animal and likely possess two opposable thumbs and are capable of making and using complex tools. Those are the key defining characteristics of the human race. Because all humans, regardless of ethnic group share common genetic DNA, we are able to interbreed, thus we are of the same species, which is the more correct synonym of race. What people really mean by "racism" is more correctly defined as ethnocentrism. The literal definition of ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own ethnic group is superior to others. Ethnic diversity in the human race is different enough, do we also need to manufacture further divisions by trying to be different species as well? For the sake of common colloquialism, I'll use the term "race" and its cognates where applicable, but I do so under objection to the term. Movie Analysis: The movie Crash at first depicts

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