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Running head: Carefully Taught Racism

Carefully Taught Racism in Crash

Elizabeth Cuttle

Wake Forest University

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Carefully Taught Racism
Carefully Taught Racism in Crash

The film Crash follows the lives of several individuals from diverse backgrounds, and

their racism toward each other is exposed throughout the different storylines. The harsh

stereotypes of ethnic and racial backgrounds – including African Americans, Asian Americans,

Hispanics, and Middle Easterners – are blatantly upheld throughout the film. It is critical for

counselors to hold a keen awareness of negative cultural stereotyping and take steps to “unlearn”

certain implicit biases they may be holding onto.

The racism and stereotypes displayed throughout Crash are shocking and heartbreakingly

cruel. The most surprising aspect about the film involves the blatant disregard the characters held

for other cultures and how they shamelessly acted on their racism. One shocking example of

negative cultural stereotyping was when the white woman, Jean, expressed concern of the

Hispanic locksmith selling their house keys to gang members. Moreover, at another point in the

film, the Officer Ryan and Officer Tom pulled over a wealthy black couple in pursuit of a stolen

SUV, even though they knew they were not the suspects. Officer Ryan unnecessarily harassed

the man and sexually assaulted the woman. Officer Tom simply stood by and allowed it to

happen, even though he was uncomfortable with the situation.

The characters in Crash can be examined through Mandy Patinkin’s song, “Carefully

Taught.” Clearly, the characters were taught these biases and stereotypes at an early age, causing

them to be intolerant of different cultures. For example, the white woman, Jean, was carefully

taught to fear black men, and this was evident when she clutched her husband tighter as they

passed by two black men on the sidewalk. In light of the locksmith incident, Jean was also

carefully taught that Hispanics cannot be trusted and are usually gang members. Moreover,

Officer Tom provides examples of his carefully taught racism. When he gave the black man a
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Carefully Taught Racism
ride in his off-duty car, the Tom shot and killed him because he wrongfully thought the black

man was reaching for a gun. This shows that Tom had learned that black men are dangerous, and

when they are reaching for something, they are usually reaching for a gun.

Several instances of unlearning racial stereotypes took place over the course of Crash. By

the end of the film, Jean had discovered her admiration for her Hispanic maid. Although this

does not forgive her previous actions and implicit bias, it is a step in the right direction.

Moreover, Officer Ryan unlearned some of his racism by the end of the film. When the black

woman he sexually assaulted was in a car accident, Officer Ryan risked his own life to save her.

They had a moment of cosmic connection while he was trying to get her out of the car, destined

to burst into flames. Again, this heroic act does not excuse his racist actions, but at this moment

in the film he saw her and valued her for who she was.

Crash and “Carefully Taught” can be easily related to multicultural counseling. Ratts,

Singh, Nassar, Butler, & McCullough (2016) described oppression as “dehumanizing

interpersonal interactions with others that occur over time” (p. 32). The ethnic minorities in

Crash were all victims and perpetuators of cultural oppression. It is crucial to recognize the

oppression and microaggressions experienced by minorities because of the enormous impacts it

can have on their health. According to Ratts et al. (2016), “Whether intentional or unintentional,

oppression has a devastating influence on the mental health of historically marginalized

individuals and communities” (p. 32). Counselors must take steps to educate themselves on

historic and present oppression of minority cultures in America. Moreover, in order to attain

cultural competence, counselors need to develop both self-awareness of their own implicit

biases, as well as develop an awareness of other cultures and their experiences (Gladding, 2018).
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Overall, the negative stereotyping of cultures is a significant issue of the past, present,

and future of society. These are behaviors that are learned – or “carefully taught” – from a young

age, and sometimes individuals are not aware of their implicit biases. The movie Crash uncovers

blatant stereotyping and racism targeted at several different ethnic and racial groups, and as the

movie unfolds, some of the characters begin to “unlearn” some of their biases. From a

counseling perspective, it is critical to understand the generational oppression and racism

experienced by ethnic minorities and the negative impact it has on mental health over a lifespan.
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References

Gladding, S.T. (2018). Counseling: A comprehensive profession. Pearson Education.

Ratts, M. J., Singh, A. A., Nassar, M. S., Butler, S. K., & McCullough, J. R. (2016).

Multicultural and social justice counseling competencies: Guidelines for the counseling

profession. Journal of Multicultural Counseling & Development, 44(1), 28–48.

https://doi-org.go.libproxy.wakehealth.edu/10.1002/jmcd.12035