Stereotypes are preconceived notions about a specific group of people that justify various treatments of those people. The movie Crash, written and co-directed by Paul Haggis shows an in depth look at the deep racial divide that is flowing through the United States. The name of the movie gives in interesting general theme for the entire movie. With so many depicted interactions between various ethnic groups, races, and people of different social statuses, all these moving parts come together over a thirty-six-hour time period as plot lines intertwine (or crash together). Following the story of one couple in the movie, Rick Cabot, a district attorney for the city of Los Angeles, and his wife Jean, there is clear role of how both stereotyping and physical geography intensify the disconnect between different classes and ethnic groups. The first scene that Mr. and Mrs. Cabot are introduced is when they are both walking around a well-lit part of the city. Two African American men, Antony and Peter, begin to walk towards the couple. Noticing the two men approaching, Jean quickly grabs on to her husband’s arm. Anthony immediately notices this slight expression of fear and points it out to Peter. Peter promptly …show more content…
Jean does not take her husband into a more secluded part of the house, nor does she talk in a quiet voice when making her remarks about Daniel. Her expression of both fear and anger towards a member of an oppressed community is something that does not bother her even slightly. Judging by the look of the house, their neighborhood is most likely a predominantly white area. The couple has feasibly never felt any sort insecurity in their home. This newfound anxiety sets a block between the differences in the white, wealthy couple, and the lower to middle class Hispanic worker. Jean effectively already has her mind made up about Daniel’s character without even understanding anything about