Discrimination In The Movie Crash

Throughout history, we have seen decades of racism and discrimination due to race. The films Crash directed by Paul Haggis, Schindler’s List directed by Steven Spielberg, American History X directed by Tony Kaye and Gran Torino directed by Clint Eastwood, all display racism throughout the film. The sub connections between the screen plays are racial assumption, violence between male characters and how the characters change their viewpoints over the course of the film.

In the film Crash, we see many racial assumptions, especially between Jean and Daniel. When Jean is getting her house locks changed because she had previously had her car stolen, she makes it clear that she wants the locks redone because it is a Mexican man (Daniel), covered …show more content…
Walt Kowalski is a deeply racist man against anyone who is not white or have weak masculinity. He is also an ex Korean war veteran. When a Korean family moves in next door, he is very unhappy. “How many swamp rats can you get in one room” was the first racist comment that we hear between Walt and the Koreans. Thao (the Korean boy from next door) is pressured by the gang to try and steal Walt’s car – Gran Torino, but Walt ends up pulling out a gun on the gang, making them leave out of fear. This is the first sign of violence in the movie and continues throughout the movie. Another use of violence in male characters, is when Thao is beaten up by the same gang. Walt finds out and goes over to the house where he beats up the main gang leader. “All right, here's the deal: you stay away from Thao, understand? You tell your friends to stay away from Thao. And if they don't listen, tell 'em you don't wanna see them anymore. That's it. Got it? I'll take that as a yes, cuz if I have to come back here, it's gonna get f***in' ugly!” This shows that Walt is not afraid to be violent if it is for a good cause? And although he is incredibly racist towards the Koreans, he still ends up helping them out because of the friendship they …show more content…
Before Derek goes to prison for killing two black people who were trying to steal his car, Derek was a white supremist and Neo Nazi- believing that black and white should have different rights and being white was superior. Derek was influenced by his father at a young age because he was murdered by a pair of black drug dealers. “Because my father was murdered doing his job! Putting out a fire in f***ing Nigger neighborhood. He shouldn't be giving a s**t about. He got shot by a f***ing drug dealer who probably still collects a welfare check!” During his 3 years in prison for murder, Derek gets paired up with Lamont (a black man doing 6 years for robbery) on laundry duty. Initially, Derek is very skeptical about this, and only makes small talk, but as they begin to bond over basketball, they begin to form a ‘friendship.’ After Derek is raped in jail by the pro white group, Lamont protects Derek from the group, which makes Derek realise that maybe all black people aren’t bad. When Derek is released from jail, he quits his neo-Nazi group, takes down all his white supremist posters e.g. swastika and began to try and live an equal life, realising that he can’t blame black people for everything that is

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