Crash

Sorry I’ve been lagging with my blog. I haven’t had time to write anything with all the homework my teachers have been piling on..plus I just don’t have anything to discuss that really strikes a chord. This weekend, however, I decided to watch one of my all time favorite movies Crash.

Now I don’t like it because of the actors or the way it was shot or any thing like that. I enjoyed this movie because of the message it has for everyone. It seems clear to me that many people define racism as a white person showing hatred or intolerance for a black person, or at least that’s how the entertainment world makes it seem. I have seen YouTube videos and Black Entertainment Television (BET) where people, specifically black people, say that racism is always against blacks. Our country has done so much to prove that we are not racist or at least trying not to be. Black people have their own TV station, their own month, and we even have a new black president. So why are people still saying that we are racist?

Yes, I will admit that I believe everyone is a little racist sometimes. We all have our black jokes and white jokes, along with Mexican and Asian jokes as well. I love the movie Crash because it really demonstrates every point-of-view and shows that it isn’t just one group of people that are racist. EVERYONE IS. I don’t believe we can ever really stop racism but we can try. In Crash, a man named Anthony (a black man) made a point: “Listen to it man. N***** this, N***** that. You think white people go around callin' each other ‘honky’ all day, man? ‘Hey, Honky, how's business?’ ‘Going great, cracker, we're diversifying!’” I refuse to understand the concept of black people throwing racial slurs at their own race. It makes absolutely no sense to me. I also don’t understand why they have a black history month when we don’t have a Jewish history month or a white history month, or even an Italian or polish history month, etc. Morgan Freeman on 60 Minutes perfectly conveys what I am trying to get across. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO214IFRW1M (Watch it! It's only 55 seconds of your time)

If every person in this country could stand still for just 113 minutes to watch this movie, they would receive the message it has to offer and see that racism comes in all forms. I, myself, cannot stand that because I am white, I am a “racist who has no idea what African Americans have been though”. I also do not appreciate when black people blame my ancestors for enslaving them. First of all, my ancestors were not in this country during the time of slavery. And when my grandparents actually did come to this country in the early 1900s, they were treated horribly along with many other ethnic groups, such as the Irish. Even if they were not enslaved, they were still treated as though they belonged on the cotton plantations along with the blacks (even though they were Caucasians).

Countries around the world call us a melting pot but are we really a melting pot? How can this be when everyone segregates themselves and puts other races down to feel superior to them? This to me is not what a melting pot should really be. We should all be proud of our heritage but do we really have to rub it in everyone’s faces and try to get everyone to feel bad for their ancestors? No. this has to come to an end. Just stop with the black history month. Stop with the specific TV stations for only a certain race. This is not black history, white history, Jewish history or any other type of history… this is American History. We are Americans.

P.S. If you think this makes me sound racist, believe me I’m not. I am thrilled we have a black president and could not be more overjoyed to see how far America has come (race-wise) even if I don’t agree with all his plans and ideas.

P.P.S. I highly recommend Crash. It is a great movie.