Stefanie Csiszer
Challenge and Change
Mr. Nichols
April 17th, 2012
Crash
~Character Analysis~
The movie Crash by Paul Haggis tells the story of a group of individuals whose lives are
intertwined as they face struggles in relation to race. This film looks at the complexities of racial
tolerance in contemporary society (Haggis, 2005), therefore; from a social scientists approach I
will be taking an in depth look at the character Jean Cabot played by actress Sandra Bullock.
Jean is a wealthy white woman and has a very privileged life although; she lacks the ability to
connect with individuals. As she’s faces a struggle of acceptance and tolerance towards other
races, she comes to realize that her friends have no time or concern for her (“IMDb,” 2005).
Jean has a very hard time interacting with the “help” as she fails to see them as real people,
until she comes to the realization that they are the only ones there to lend support to her.
Throughout this analysis on Jean Cabot, I will be looking at the forces that reinforce her
negative views towards other races which include her stereotyping and prejudice towards
others, her unearned privileges, and her role as a member of the in-group, all of which has
affected her paradigm.
It is believed that understanding prejudice is something to do with one’s perception,
which is incoming information that is shaped and changed by personal background and
experiences of individuals. People use their background and experiences in life to shape how
they view others. If someone views a certain group in society negatively, it is considered a
negative stereotype. If one has strong negative feelings towards another group it is considered
to be prejudice (Bain, pg. 290). Jean, with the influence of her in-group, shows prejudice and
uses stereotypes against different races based on their physical characteristics like, skin colour,
facial features and hair texture. Although people like Jean make these show discrimination
towards different racial groups, scientists have not found significant genetic difference between
people that can justify division and stereotyping between races (Bain, pg. 297). The most
significant scene where Jean stereotypes, is when she sees that there is a tattooed, Latino man
who is changing the locks of her house. She says to her husband, “Yes the guy in there with the
shaved head, the pants around his ass and prison tattoos. You don’t think he’s not going to sell
our key to one of his gang banger friends?” (Crash, 2004). Jean took one look at the young man
and chose not to see past his tattoos and the colour of his skin. She instantly thought that he
must be a part of a gang, meanwhile he is a loving father and husband just trying to make a
living. Just moments after this Jean expresses her prejudice towards an out-group of black men
saying to her husband, “I just had a gun pointed to my face and it was my fault because I knew
it was going to happen. But if a white person sees two black men walking towards her and she
turns and walks in the other direction, she’s a raciest right?” (crash, 2004). In this scene Jean
feels as if she is superior to these black men, not only that but she makes note that white
women in general have the right to feel fear towards black men without being called racist.
Jean is expressing prejudice because she has negative feelings towards racial outgroups, expressing how she fears them. Unfortunately, her prejudice and fear was only
reinforced when the actions of the two black men proved. This experience provided her with
evidence to support her bias towards other races. Jean isn’t faced with the discrimination that
people like these two black men are forced to deal with on a daily basis. Her privileges as a
white entity give her the power and safety to be a part of the dominant race, which is rarely
discriminated upon. Although the two black men perceived Jean’s actions as prejudice, they
only proved her right by their actions of stealing their car at gunpoint. This experience is stored
in her paradigm affecting how she continues to perceive minority racial groups. When Jean is
later confronted by a Latino man fixing her locks, her paradigm is triggered and she instantly
sees him as a threat from the out-group.
While observing Jean, it is clear that she’s is struggling with her place in society, looking
at her struggles through a theory by Peggy Mclntosh called the “White Knapsack,” her
behaviour towards others can be explained. The White Knapsack theory is a social force that
helps to explain Jean’s current paradigm. It is believed that within this White Knapsack are
certain unearned privileges that are based on one’s skin colour. Peggy states that, “whites are
taught to think of their lives as morally normative and ideal, so that when we work to benefit
others, this is seen as work that will allow “them” to be more like “us””(McIntosh, 2006).
Whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege. As a wealthy white woman of
European decent, Jean has lived a life unaware of these privileges that she and other white
people have been given in life. As the dominant culture these are aspects that we are born
with. This is prevalent in Jeans life as she has a greater advantage in life that allows her to
succeed, but she fails to recognize that while she has these unearned privileges she cannot hold
others of a different race to such high standards. In the movie Jean mentioned while talking
with her friend, “I am angry at Rick, at Maria, at the drycleaners who destroyed another blouse,
at the gardener who keeps overwatering the lawn. I realized that it has nothing to do with the
car being stolen. I wake up mad every morning and I don’t know why” (Crash, 2004). This quote
from Jean expresses how her privileges in life have sheltered her from having to take the
responsibility of these tasks. As a result she is constantly finding herself upset at the people
who are going out of their way do to these chores for her. Jean feels as if her expectations for
those who work for her are just, although she privilege in life to never experience these chores
for herself. It is important that Jean becomes aware of these unearned privileges so she can
stop being so angry and disappointed at those who have to go through life without the
privileges that Jean is faced with.
Jean Cabot’s behaviour is complex, and another way of uncovering the underlying
causes of her behaviour is by using Allport’s theory of In/Out-groups. This is another social force
that provides direct reinforcement about Jean’s paradigm. Jean does not know anything
different from her ways in life, because of the people she associates herself with. She is unable
to ever recognize her White Knapsack of unearned privileges because she associates herself
with an “in-group” of people who are faced with the same privileges in life as her. An in-group is
a certain group of friends who you develop strong loyalties with. Usually one will adopt the group’s
norms that include attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours (Bain, pg. 299). As a result Jean has been surround
be people who reinforce her beliefs and attitude towards those of a different race. Jean and her friends
treat others of a different race as the “out-group” which are people who are seen as a direct threat and
members of the in-group and therefore, will direct their frustration and hostilities towards the outgroup (Bain, pg. 300). Jean’s Hispanic housekeeper, Maria, has experienced this hostility from Jean when
she doesn’t do something to Jean’s standards. In one scene Jeans yells at Maria saying, “One morning I
would actually like to wake up and see these dishes in the cabinets” (Crash, 2004). Jean thinks that
because of her race and status, that it is Maria job to pick up after her and do as she says. Jean treats
her housekeeper in a demeaning way, as if she is less than Jean and these thoughts are once again
reinforced by her friends who believe in the same treatment of different races being below the
hierarchy of the white race. Jean’s world which consists of her White Knapsack of privileges and
reinforcement from her in-group have become her paradigm, as well as the rules and conditions which
allow her to interoperate her white race as superior to others.
Towards the end of the movie Jean is faced with a paradigm shift that affects her
perception towards other races and allows her to start to understand her unearned privileges in
life. Jean suffers a frightening fall that leaves her injured and hopeless. Jean soon realizes that
the people she considers to be friends and loved ones aren’t there to help her. Even one of
Jean’s good friends for over 10 years chose to finish her message instead of coming to help her
friend. Maria, Jeans housekeeper is the only one who is there to help her and it is at this
moment that Jean comes to the realization that Maria is the only person listening and there for
her. When Jean comes to this realization you can instantly understand her paradigm shift as she
says to Maria, “you’re the best friend I’ve got” (Crash, 2004). Jean’s white privileges, in-group,
and perception of racial out-groups have prevented her from seeing the true friendship that
Maria has given her. While Jean thinks she has friends in her life, her only true friend is the one
she has shown discrimination towards. This event causes Jean to change her perception of
Maria and re-evaluate her actions towards those of a different race. Her friends within her ingroup, who share the same privileges, beliefs and values as her, have proven to not be friends
at all. These factors have created a barrier from seeing the truth about the people in Jean’s life
like Maria, who has been judged on the colour of her skin instead of the person she truly is.
People like Jean spend so much of their time striving for a sense of belonging that as a result
they lose sight of their true behaviours and beliefs in society. As we can see with Jean, her Ingroup has cause her to become unaware of this illusion she has been trapped in. Leaving her to
believe that she is surrounded by true friends and her actions towards others of a different race
is justified. It isn’t until Jean’s world comes crashing down before her eyes, that she can finally
realize these social factors that have prevented her from treating others fairly and deprived her
of meaningful relationships in life.
Bibliography:
Bain, Colin, Jill Colyer, Dennis DesRivieres, and Sean Dolan. Transitions In Society; The Challenge
of Change . 1st. Oxford, New York : Oxford University Press, 2002. 299, 296, 290. Print.
"Crash." IMDb. N.p., 2005. Web. 15 Apr 2012. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375679/>.
Haggis, Paul. "Film Info." Crash Film. Lions Gate Entertainment, 2005. Web. 15 Apr 2012.
<http://www.crashfilm.com/>.
McIntosh, Peggy. White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Wellesley: Wellesley
College Center for Research on Women, 2006. Print.