Sociology
jSpo32
Crash Questions
1. Director Paul Haggis chose to present race relations as a series of connections, or the interlocking pieces of
lives that “crash” into each other. Why do you think he used this approach?
2. The first line of the film comes from Don Cheadle’s character: “It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you
walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always
behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel
something.” There’s a similar line in the Goo Goo Dolls song Iris: “When everything feels like the
movies……Yeah, you bleed just to know you’re alive.” What do you think of this idea that our lives are so empty
of real meaning and connection that even negative contact is better than no contact; that we, therefore, either
overtly or subconsciously create it?
3. The film’s conclusion, many major characters have either found some peace, gotten some new perspective on
life, done the right thing, or at the very least, avoided tragedy. A few others seem stuck in the same routine. Select
any four characters from the following list, project into the future from the end of the movie (say, one or two
years), and tell me how life is different for each of them: A. Ludicris’ character; B. Sandra Bullock’s character; C.
the Persian-American shop owner; D. Matt Dillon’s character (the cop who molests and then saves the African
American woman); E. Cameron, the television producer; F. his wife; G. Don Cheadle’s character; H. the young
Hispanic locksmith; I. the young white cop.
4. Though pain is woven into it, Haggis leaves us with optimism and hope. Why do you think he does this? Is
optimism over race relations in America justified?
5. At least five times in the movie one character says to another, “Look at me.” Is this a coincidence, or is Paul
Haggis using this repetition to make a point? Explain.
6. The character played by Chris Bridges (Ludicris) is obviously intelligent and articulate, but he jacks cars for a
living. Is this a result of his own stupid decisions, racism in America, a combination of the two, or something
completely different? Explain.
7. The last shot of the movie shows it snowing in Los Angeles. What was Haggis trying to say?
8. List some specific ways in which people are stereotyped in the movie.
9. Many students have told me that this is one of the best films they’ve ever seen. Why does it resonate so deeply
for so many young people?
10. Sometimes stereotypes contain grains of truth, which are then magnified and turned into something inaccurate
and ultimately hurtful. Give me one or two examples of this.
I’ll start with one to show you what I mean: There is a stereotype that all Asians are good at math. The grain of
truth is that many are good at math. We could probably check the math grades of the entire Northgate student
body and find that, in fact, the Asian GPA in math courses is higher than the Northgate average. So what is the
problem with such a stereotype? Well, some Asian students are lousy at math, and may end up feeling inadequate
because they don’t live up to the belief. Some kids who have no math aptitude may get pressured by parents to do
something that they simply can’t. Teachers may expect more from their Asian students and grade them more
harshly. On the other hand, teachers may assume that their Asian students are better, and treat them preferentially.
White students may end up feeling jealous and frustrated at not being able to compete scholastically. Asian
students may feel defensive about being labeled “eggheads.”
(None of these actions and/or attitudes are horrible or earth-shattering, but they do send out mini-ripples of
mistrust, intolerance, and prejudice. I wonder if these thousands of ripples create the “crashes” that the film shows
us.)