Nonverbal Communication In The Movie Crash

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The six determinates of culture include: religion, political philosophy, economic philosophy, education, language, and social structure. In the movie, Crash, Christine Thayer (played by actress Thandie Newton) plays the wife of a successful television director who is also Buddhist. Being a beautiful, light skinned, black woman whose black husband is well off puts her in a specific social structure that is of higher class than the average black woman living in Los Angeles. Throughout the movie we learn that Christine is privileged in the sense that she has always known the finer things in life. She has always lived a wealthy lifestyle and this resulted in her being strong willed and independent. From the way that she carries herself we can see that she is educated, well spoken, and takes pride in who she is. She is a very confident woman and not ashamed of the fact that she is a black woman; she doesn’t let others judgments bother her.
Crash focuses on Christine’s battle with racial discrimination. In the beginning scenes, Christine was assaulted and harassed by an officer after her husband is pulled over while driving. It is noted that the officer that assaulted Christine was known for being disrespectful towards African-American women. Economic philosophy refers to ethical issues in society based on welfare and …show more content…

Her use of nonverbal communication allows the viewer to learn a lot about her as a person. Appearance is the first thing that is noticed by others in nonverbal communication. Her appearance very noticeable in the film. She is a very classy woman and holds her head high. Her sense of style shows that she is wealthy, educated and of a higher class. She is also noticeably attractive by others. In the scene where her husband was pulled over by the police, she was wearing a revealing dress which is one reason why the officer decided to take advantage of