What an amazing movie. I love Matt Dillon and Sandra Bullock. Matt Dillon shows a lot of racism throughout the whole movie. These 2 characters are alot alike in the racism way. One event that Matt Dillon showed racism was when he pulled over Cameron and his wife. Matt pulled them over for no reason and frisked Cameron's wife. Cameron refused to say anything to Matt because he is a white cop and he knew that his word would over rule his. I feel thats how our society still portrays that. Sandra Bullock shows her racism after her and her husband are car jacked by Ludacris and his friend. Sandra tells her husband that she wants her door locks changed again after the mexican was done with the door because she didnt trust him. Matt shows another form of his racism trying to get medical help for his father, and asks to get help from a white person and blames the fact that he cant get insured because the lady was black.
There are many scenes where people are negatively stereotyped. One particular scene i thought was very important was when the arabian guy and his daughter go to buy a gun to help protect his store and the guy wouldnt sell him a gun because he couldnt speak perfect english. Also when Terrence speaks with the other executives about the actor's character. They were upset with this because they think he doesn't "sound black". This makes Terrance feel degraded because its like them saying black people can't speak proper english.
In our society, everyone is racist in their own way, but there is always a certain extent. I think that the extent you are depends on who you have grown up around and the environment you have lived in. If you live in the south then your most likely to have a little more because of your surroundings and others beliefs. When Terrance tells Ludacris "you embarass me, you embarass yourself" he is saying to Ludacris that they are the same color, and when a race has a certain reputation like the black people do in this movie, it follows them around anywhere they go. I think Ludacris took this seriously because after that he let go captive chinese people and gave them money to eat on. That is how it works in the real world too, most of the comments and beliefs on other races are from events that society sees from that certain race. Most people will think that black people are "bad" people, that every single one sells drugs, or has killed someone, or someone that they need to keep a close eye on because they cant trust them.
Stereotypes come from all over the world. For example the white woman who worked with the black man who cared for his mother. They had gotten into an accident and she had blamed the woman being asian for her incompetence to drive. The sterotype is something very usual for our society to witness, I havent met a person who doesn't scream at the person in front of them on the road and blame there being "foreign" on why they cant drive.
I personally think its natural for us to be racist. But only to a certain extent, I think that the KKK is way out of line. Everyone believes that they are 1 upping someone ahead of them. People want to feel that confidence and feel like they are the best. Degrading other people and there races make it easier for people to make themselves look better. I dont believe that it is in our genes, its all mental. And it is influenced upon us from who we are around constantly.
I feel that race is learned through our technology and the media. I feel that people are more racist when they are around different races alot, because then you get a feel for what there culture is about and how they interact with people. Rather than someone never being around other races they would have a different outlook on it. I believe that the media puts more out there, everyone has a new outlook everyday, even if its thinking verizon is better than at&t because you finally got service in your 4th hour. It only takes 1 thing to influence 100 people.
I dont think its possible to end racism now, even with having a colored president. Racism is everywhere and i dont think our nation will ever be able to get rid of it. Blacks have went alot of years having equal rights and they still dont get half the respect that they desereve. For as long as we have electricity people will be reading/watching something on youtube, TV, iphone, books etc about a race, and another sterotype will be invented.
