Below is a recent letter to L.A. Times columnist Steve Lopez (who wrote about Crash in mid-March) expressing my own opinion regarding the movie. There is a striking level of agreement between the major points of the ZNet article and those of my own letter.
One thing that did not occur to me, but that did occur to the authors of the article, is that the movie is white supremacist. I had evaluated it as a diversion from the more fundamental issue of institutional racism, but not as white supremacist itself. On that point the article's analysis is deeper and more correct than was my own. Because in a society in which whites dominate, anything that creates a systematic diversion from the institutions through which that domination is propagated promotes the status quo, and hence defends and supports white supremacy. The character of racism today is no longer that of the old South. Rather, it is one of redlining, job discrimination, hypocritical immigration laws, de facto segregation through economics and housing discrimination, separate and unequal education, police repression, selective law enforcement and massive imprisonment. This more quiet, careful and systematic repression doesn't look, sound or smell like Bull Connor, but it is *the* main way in which racism exists and is propagated today. Anything that takes the heat off the institutions and tries to convince us that the real problem is a bunch of racist individuals venting their spleen is indeed giving aid and comfort to that system, and so is indeed supporting white supremacy. Remember how the "Don't Be a Litterbug" campaign was created by the Ad Council, which in turn was led by the Public Relations director of Union Carbide? I'm not suggesting that Crash was a deliberate effort of that kind, but the pattern of focusing blame upon individual vice and away from the institutions that are the main cause of the problem is the same, deliberate or not. As for the "left" lacking credibility, it depends upon which left you are talking about. If you mean the immigrant-led movement that brought a million people onto the streets of Los Angeles last Saturday, then I would have to disagree. Carl ------ From: Carl Gunther <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Crash Ignores Institutional Racism Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2006 11:33:29 -0800 The fallacy of Crash is its underlying premise that racism is motivated primarily by individual bias, and expressed primarily through personal encounters. As you have pointed out, many people in Los Angeles get along quite well at an individual level. But both the film, and your present discussion of it, seem to have reduced the debate over racism to the question of whether Angelenos, as individuals, are able to tolerate one another in their everyday encounters. A real examination of the question of racism would take us into California's overcrowded prisons and jails, in which people of color are overwhelmingly over-represented, and into corporate America, in which African-Americans in particular are overwhelmingly under- represented. It would take us into South Central's school system, with its paucity of resources and abundance of non-white children, and into Beverly Hills High, with its abundance of resources and paucity of children of color. It would examine how class and race as categories have come to be so strongly related in America, and how disease rates and life expectancies are correlated with the color of a person's skin. It would look at the concentration of toxic industries in communities of color, such as Wilmington, CA, with its enormous collection of oil refineries, and the resulting death and disease that has proliferated in those communities. It would examine politicians who build their careers on crypto-racist attacks upon Mexican and Central American immigrants, and the diabolical businesses that support them in order to maintain a state of terror among their own laborers, who they know will continue to cross the border, whatever the risk to their lives. As you say, you have dealt with issues such as these in previous columns. But that perspective is almost entirely missing in your discussion of this film. You may think that your complaints about Crash are defending Los Angeles from an unjustified attack, but by accepting its false premise of racism as a purely personal expression, you are creating a diversionary debate that can only delay Los Angeles in understanding and addressing its disastrous, and completely self-evident, institutional racism. Carl Gunther Organization: http://officeoftheamericas.org To: activism <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Copies to: Ed Pearl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, LAAMN <[email protected]>, peacecenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Actionla <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: Blase Bonpane <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date sent: Thu, 30 Mar 2006 13:28:04 -0800 Subject: Re: [LAAMN] Is "Crash" is a white-supremacist movie? Uh, no. [ Double-click this line for list subscription options ] I agree, Ed. And this is not the first time I have found his material way off base. Thanks for this and for all of your great missives, Blase activism wrote: > Am I the only one having trouble buying what this guy is selling? > > "Crash" has a flawed analysis of racism? Maybe. It minimizes white > racism? Could be. But, white supremacist???? That is going overboard > rhetorically. > > How do you get from saying that non-whites are sometimes bigoted, to > being a white supremacist? You may disagree with both positions, or > think they're wrong, or bad, but the two positions are not > identical. A professor of all people ought to know that. > > I bet Don Cheadle and the other fine actors in this movie would be > surprised to find they acted in a white-supremacist movie. I bet > Oprah Winfrey would be shocked to learn she endorsed white > supremacism. > > A white supremacist is a guy in suspenders, boots and Nazi regalia. > Or, you could stretch a point and say that a white supremacist is > someone who redlines poor neighborhoods, fights affirmative action, > abolishes bilingual education and editorializes against Black > History Month. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the > moviemakers did anything like that. > > I think Jensen is just miffed that they didn't make the movie the > way he would have liked it made. > > No wonder nobody takes the Left seriously anymore. Thanks a lot, > Professor Jensen. > > >>ZNet Commentary >>Crash March 24, 2006 >>By Robert Jensen and Robert Wosnitzer >> >>"Crash" is a white-supremacist movie. >> >>The Oscar-winning best picture -- widely heralded, especially by >>white liberals, for advancing an honest discussion of race in the >>United States -- is, in fact, a setback in the crucial project of >>forcing white America to come to terms the reality of race and >>racism, white supremacy and white privilege. >> >>The central theme of the film is simple: Everyone is prejudiced -- >>black, white, Asian, Iranian and, we assume, anyone from any other >>racial or ethnic group. We all carry around racial/ethnic baggage >>that's packed with unfair stereotypes, long-stewing grievances, raw >>anger, and crazy fears. Even when we think we have made progress, we >>find ourselves caught in frustratingly complex racial webs from >>which we can't seem to get untangled. >> >>For most people -- including the two of us -- that's painfully true; >>such untangling is a life's work in which we can make progress but >>never feel finished. But that can obscure a more fundamental and >>important point: This state of affairs is the product of the actions >>of us white people. In the modern world, white elites invented race >>and racism to protect their power, and white people in general have >>accepted the privileges they get from the system and helped maintain >>it. The problem doesn't spring from the individual prejudices that >>exist in various ways in all groups but from white supremacy, which >>is expressed not only by individuals but in systemic and >>institutional ways. There's little hint of such understanding in the >>film, which makes it especially dangerous in a white-dominant >>society in which white people are eager to avoid confronting our >>privilege. >> >>So, "Crash" is white supremacist because it minimizes the reality of >>white supremacy. Its faux humanism and simplistic message of >>tolerance directs attention away from a white-supremacist system and >>undermines white accountability for the maintenance of that system. >>We have no way of knowing whether this is the conscious intention of >>writer/director Paul Haggis, but it's emerges as the film's dominant >>message. >> >>While viewing "Crash" may make some people, especially white people, >>uncomfortable during and immediately after viewing, the film seems >>designed, at a deeper level, to make white people feel better. As >>the film asks us to confront personal prejudices, it allows us white >>folk to evade our collective responsibility for white supremacy. In >>"Crash," emotion trumps analysis, and psychology is more important >>than politics. The result: White people are off the hook. >> >>The first step in putting white people back on the hook is pressing >>the case that the United States in 2006 is a white-supremacist >>society. Even with the elimination of formal apartheid and the >>lessening of the worst of the overt racism of the past, the term is >>still appropriate, in ideological and material terms. >> >>The United States was founded, of course, on an ideology of the >>inherent superiority of white Europeans over non-whites that was >>used to justify the holocausts against indigenous people and >>Africans, which created the nation and propelled the U.S. economy >>into the industrial world. That ideology also has justified legal >>and extralegal exploitation of every non-white immigrant group. >> >>Today, polite white folks renounce such claims of superiority. But >>scratch below that surface politeness and the multicultural rhetoric >>of most white people, and one finds that the assumptions about the >>superiority of the art, music, culture, politics, and philosophy >>rooted in white Europe are still very much alive. No poll can >>document these kinds of covert opinions, but one hears it in the >>angry and defensive reaction of white America when non-white people >>dare to point out that whites have unearned privilege. Watch the >>resistance from white America when any serious attempt is made to >>modify school or college curricula to reflect knowledge from other >>areas and peoples. The ideology of white supremacy is all around. >> >>That ideology also helps white Americans ignore and/or rationalize >>the racialized disparities in the distribution of resources. Studies >>continue to demonstrate how, on average, whites are more likely than >>members of racial/ethnic minorities to be on top on measures of >>wealth and well-being. Looking specifically at the gap between white >>and black America, on some measures black Americans have fallen >>further behind white Americans during the so-called post-civil >>rights era. For example, the typical black family had 60 percent as >>much income as a white family in 1968, but only 58 percent as much >>in 2002. On those measures where there has been progress, closing >>the gap between black and white is decades, or centuries, away. >> >>What does this white supremacy mean in day-to-day life? One recent >>study found that in the United States, a black applicant with no >>criminal record is less likely to receive a callback from a >>potential employer than a white applicant with a felony conviction. >>In other words, being black is more of a liability in finding a job >>than being a convicted criminal. Into this new century, such >>discrimination has remained constant. >> >>That's white supremacy. Many people, of all races, feel and express >>prejudice, but white supremacy is built into the attitudes, >>practices and institutions of the dominant white society. It's not >>the product simply of individual failure but is woven into society, >>and the material consequences of it are dramatic. >> >>It seems that the people who made "Crash" either don't understand >>that, don't care, or both. The character in the film who comes >>closest to articulating a systemic analysis of white supremacy is >>Anthony, the carjacker played by the rapper Ludacris. But putting >>the critique in the mouth of such a morally unattractive character >>undermines any argument he makes, and his analysis is presented as >>pseudo-revolutionary blather to be brushed aside as we follow the >>filmmakers on the real subject of the film -- the psychology of the >>prejudice that infects us all. >> >>That the characters in "Crash" -- white and non-white alike -- are >>complex and have a variety of flaws is not the problem; we don't >>want films populated by one-dimensional caricatures, simplistically >>drawn to make a political point. Those kinds of political films >>rarely help us understand our personal or political struggles. But >>this film's characters are drawn in ways that are ultimately >>reactionary. >> >>Although the film follows a number of story lines, its politics are >>most clearly revealed in the interaction that two black women have >>with an openly racist white Los Angeles police officer played by >>Matt Dillon. During a bogus traffic stop, Dillon's Officer Ryan >>sexually violates Christine, the upper-middle-class black woman >>played by Thandie Newton. But when fate later puts Ryan at the scene >>of an accident where Christine's life is in danger, he risks his own >>life to save her, even when she at first reacts hysterically and >>rejects his help. The white male is redeemed by his heroism. The >>black woman, reduced to incoherence by the trauma of the accident, >>can only be silently grateful for his transcendence. >> >>Even more important to the film's message is Ryan's verbal abuse of >>Shaniqua, a black case manager at an insurance company (played by >>Loretta Devine). She bears Ryan's racism with dignity as he dumps >>his frustration with the insurance company's rules about care of his >>father onto her, in the form of an angry and ignorant rant against >>affirmative action. She is empathetic with Ryan's struggle but >>unwilling to accept his abuse, appearing to be one of the few >>reasonable characters in the film. But not for long. >> >>In a key moment at the end of the film, Shaniqua is rear-ended at a >>traffic light and emerges from her car angry at the Asian driver who >>has hit her. "Don't talk to me unless you speak American," she >>shouts at the driver. As the camera pulls back, we are left to >>imagine the language she uses in venting her prejudice. >> >>In stark contrast to Ryan and his racism is his police partner at >>the beginning of the film, Hanson (played by Ryan Phillippe). >>Younger and idealistic, Hanson tries to get Ryan to back off from >>the encounter with Christine and then reports Ryan's racist behavior >>to his black lieutenant, Dixon (played by Keith David). Dixon >>doesn't want the hassles of initiating a disciplinary action and >>Hanson is left to cope on his own, but he continues to try to do the >>right thing throughout the movie. Though he's the white character >>most committed to racial justice, at the end of the film Hanson's >>fear overcomes judgment in a tense moment, and he shoots and kills a >>black man. It's certainly true that well-intentioned white people >>can harbor such fears rooted in racist training. But in the world >>"Crash" creates, Hanson's deeper awareness of the nature of racism >>and attempts to combat it are irrelevant, while Ryan somehow >>magically overcomes his racism. >> >>Let us be clear: "Crash" is not a racist movie, in the sense of >>crudely using overtly racist stereotypes. It certainly doesn't >>present the white characters as uniformly good; most are clueless or >>corrupt. Two of the non-white characters (a Latino locksmith and an >>Iranian doctor) are the most virtuous in the film. The characters >>and plot lines are complex and often intriguing. But "Crash" remains >>a white-supremacist movie because of what it refuses to bring into >>the discussion. >> >>At this point in our critique, defenders of the film have suggested >>to us that we expect too much, that movies tend to deal with issues >>at this personalized level and we can't expect more. This is >>evasion. For example, whatever one thinks of its politics, another >>recent film, "Syriana," presents a complex institutional analysis of >>U.S. foreign policy in an engaging fashion. It's possible to produce >>a film that is politically sophisticated and commercially viable. >>Haggis is clearly talented, and there's no reason to think he >>couldn't have deepened the analysis in creative ways. >> >>"Crash" fans also have offered this defense to us: In a culture that >>seems terrified of any open discussion of race, isn't some attempt >>at an honest treatment of the complexity of the issue better than >>nothing? That's a classic argument from false alternatives. Are we >>stuck with a choice between silence or bad analysis? Beyond that, in >>this case the answer may well be no. If "Crash" and similar efforts >>that personalize and psychologize the issue of race keep white >>America from an honest engagement with the structure and >>consequences of white supremacy, the ultimate effect may be >>reactionary. In that case, "nothing" may be better. >> >>The problem of "Crash" can be summed up through one phrase from the >>studio's promotional material, which asserts that the film "boldly >>reminds us of the importance of tolerance." >> >>That's exactly the problem. On the surface, the film appears to be >>bold, speaking of race with the kind of raw emotion that is rare in >>this culture. But that emotion turns out, in the end, to be >>manipulative and diversionary. The problem is that the film can't >>move beyond the concept of tolerance, and tolerance is not the >>solution to America's race problem. White people can -- and often do >>-- learn to tolerate difference without ever disturbing the >>systemic, institutional nature of racism. >> >>The core problem is not intolerance but white supremacy -- and the >>way in which, day in and day out, white people accept white >>supremacy and the unearned privileges it brings. >> >>"Crash" paints a multi-colored picture of race, and in a >>multi-racial society recognizing that diversity is important. Let's >>just not forget that the color of racism is white. >> >>Robert Jensen is a journalism professor at the University of Texas >>at Austin and the author of The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting >>Race, Racism and White Privilege. He can be reached at >>[EMAIL PROTECTED] Robert Wosnitzer is associate producer of >>the forthcoming documentary on pornography "The Price of Pleasure." >>He can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> > > > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------- Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------- Digest: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------- Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------- Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------- > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > -- Blase Bonpane, Ph.D. Office of the Americas http://officeoftheamericas.org 8124 West Third Street Suite 202 FAX 323/852-0655 Los Angeles, California 90048 Tel 323/852-9808 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Digest: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Yahoo! 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