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Crash: Intergroup Theory In A

CRASH: INTERGROUP THEORY

CRASH: INTERGROUP THEORY IN A
MUTLI-CULTURAL HIERARCHICAL SYSTEM

Introduction

A central feature of virtually all intergroup analysis is the persistently problematic relationships between individual people and collective social process. Paul Haggis’ 2005 film, Crash sets in motion a series of events that expose the sense of isolation our society experiences even as we collide with people from different cultures on a daily basis. Several stories interweave during two days in Los Angeles involving a collection of inter-related characters, a police detective with a drugged addicted mother and a thieving younger brother, two car thieves who are constantly theorizing on society and race, the Caucasian district attorney and his irritated and pampered wife, a bigoted veteran Caucasian police officer who disgusts his more idealistic younger partner, a successful Hollywood director and his wife who must deal with the racist police force, among others. Crash is a movie that brings out bigotry and racial stereotypes within the context of intergroup relations and examines the degree of inter-connection or embeddedness we experience throughout our lives. Most of the characters depicted in the film are racially prejudiced in some way and become involved in conflicts which force them to examine their own prejudices. Through these characters' interactions, the film seeks to depict and examine not only racial tension, but also the physical and emotional isolation between people in general.
The movie is set in Los Angeles, a modern multi-cultural metropolis that is seen as a microcosm of our current society. The story begins when several people are involved in a multi-car accident in the desert hills outside of Los Angeles. From that point, we are taken back to the day before the crash, seeing the lives of several characters, and the problems each encounters during that day. Many of the characters transition between roles in a...