Analyzing Cultural Intelligence and Stereotypes in the Film Crash

This discussion post analyzes the film "Crash," addressing the question of whether the movie reinforces or challenges racial and cultural stereotypes. The author references specific scenes, such as the carjacking incident and the scene involving the overturned vehicle, to support their analysis. The post also examines how improved cultural intelligence and cross-cultural communication could have altered the outcomes of certain situations within the film. The author highlights the complexities of the characters and the impact of accidents on the narrative, ultimately arguing that the film offers a provocative exploration of real-life racial elements. The references include works by Easton & Hewson (2014) and Elliott (2017).

Running head: INTRODUCTION TO WORLD CULTURE
INTRODUCTION TO WORLD CULTURE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1INTRODUCTION TO WORLD CULTURE
Crash is an American film that was created by Paul Haggis. The film was inspired from a
real-life carjacked incident that Haggis faced in the year of 1991. The key element of the film is
racism that is shown with a impartial approach instead of categorizing the characters into victims
or offenders. The characters those who are shown as victims of racism are presented in different
contexts and situations. By remarking the actions, the characters are shown to represent
ignorance instead of malice. The cultural stereotypes show that there are significant analyses of
terror in white supremacist control (Elliott, 2017). In compared to cultural media, Crash explains
the interlocking examples of white, black, Latinos, Koreans, Iranians with the profession of cops
and criminals and the categorization of rich and the poor with all the factors defined thought e
medium of racism. The characters rise above their guilt and though negative impulses are
instinctive, their positive impulses are uncertain, which creates a tension within the characters. It
can be said that the characters are of free will and they have a rich background, not economically
but development wise. Most of the incidents in the film happen due to accidents which makes it
unpredictable.
One scene that would highlight cross cultural communication and cultural intelligence is
the scene where the two carjackers runs over an individual, though the accident is not shown
however the audience gets to hear the impact and the groaning of the victim. This is followed by
the conversation of the two carjackers of what they should do with the body. There is a long
moment of hesitation where they cannot decide whether they should leave him on the road or
drop him off at the hospital. Though they are criminals, they have a part humane conversation
regarding the wellbeing of the man (Easton & Hewson, 2014). Another scene is when an
overturned vehicle gets engulfed in fire while people were still inside the car. The audience sees
a woman who is stuck inside with blood dripping from her forehead. What makes this scene

2INTRODUCTION TO WORLD CULTURE
significant with cross-cultural communication is that the audience sees one of the characters
fighting one of the carjackers while the other while aims a gun at him. Both of the scenes are
merged into one sequence that highlights violence in regards to cross culture. However, these
racial settings Crash is a riveting experience and a provocative film that brings forth the real life
racial elements into the screen.

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REFERENCES
Easton, L., & Hewson, K. (2014). The Case of Canadian Students Viewing Paul Haggis’s
Crash. Parallel Encounters: Culture at the Canada-US Border, 91.
Elliott, M. (2017). Reflecting the Man: Gendering Race in Paul Haggis’s Crash. Canadian
Journal of Film Studies, 26(2), 117-133.