Crash (Haggis, 2004) follows the lives of several different Los Angeles citizens, as they weave together to tell stories of race, class and privilege. Each story reflects how our identities help and hinder us, and even how the prejudices we hold connect to a larger story. Among the players are the state District Attorney, and his wife, an affluent white couple justifying their bigotry; two black carjackers reflecting on race; a black detective caring for his mother and brother, while also dealing with a tough decision regarding a white police officer shooting a black police officer; a Latino man trying to protect his family, while also dealing with stereotypes that prevent him from being treated fairly; a racist white cop and his young partner, who hates him for the way he missuses his power; a well-to-do black couple who are racially profiled by said officers; and a Persian store keeper who feels he is getting slighted by the American system and white…show more content… What is coincidental here is that he has the same concerns as Jean, but he lacks the privileges that she has. What is unfortunate about Jean’s fear that her home is not safe is that it shows her to be blind to her privileges- white privilege and class privilege. She can afford to change locks on her home as she wants, she lives in a safe neighborhood, and she does not have to fear that her family will be racially profiled in any way. Daniel and Jean have similar fears, but they cannot protect their families in the same way. Jean likely would not be able to see it this way. As Peggy McIntosh explains it, “…whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege…White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, compass, emergency gear, and blank checks”
