Crash
Finally watched crash last night. What a movie! It reminded me of a movie that came out about 15 years ago called Grand Canyon, which I actually liked a little bit better. Someone told me I would feel bad about being a white male after watching crash but I thought it's point was that everyone is a racist. I'm doing this message on Cornelius this weekend and Peter coming to the realization that God likes everyone, not just the Jews, so I've been thinking a bit about racism and bias. At the risk of opening a huge can of worms and revealing my tremendous ignorance and insensitivity with regards to this subject, here's what I think: We all want to feel superior to somebody else. It makes us feel good in the absence of a right relationship with God. That goes back to Satan rebelling against God, he wanted to be exalted the way God was. Racism is a vehicle for us to feel superior to another person, but it allows us categorize people and do it in groups. Sandra Bullock's rant in the movie about being angry all the time might be the best reflection of this. She couldn't figure out why she was angry, but it made her feel better to feel superior to all the people she vented on, which manifested itself in racism. I don't know, maybe all this is just a side-effect of a deeper cause.
Feel free to unload on me...
posted by jeff @ 9:43 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
I've not seen the movie, but I agree with your thoughts on any kind of hate. And it always reminds me of the story of the woman caught in adultery. It's a lot easier to look at someone else and find something to dislike than deal with our own problems.
I hadn't seen Crash. So, I decided to watch it before trying to respond. I actually watch Grand Canyon as well.
I see a little semblance in the two movies, but I feel as if they have opposing themes. I completely agree with your assessment that Crash's "point was that everyone is a racist." However, I thought Grand Canyon was pushing that there is a lot of bad stuff in this world, but keep your head up, there is still some good too. Something people needed to hear in the early 90's, when crime was at an all time high.
Crash was borderline disturbing. It could be argued that it was an exaggeration to stimulate a response, but then again maybe that's how the world really is.
Simon, Danny Glover in Grand Canyon, says at one point that he feels like a gnat sitting on a cow that you drive by at 70 mph. There is so much going on in the world that if you sit back and think about it, you may realize how insignificant you really are. Maybe you are right, "we all want to feel superior to somebody else." Maybe we have a hard time accepting our lack of significance. If we look down upon other people or groups of people, at least we are not last in the cool line. Therefore, we are more important than “those” people.
Wow, you watched both. Either you care a lot about the topic or you have too much free time.
The more I've thought about it this week, the harder it's been to discern. One person's def of racism was seeing two qualities in one person and then assuming that anyone else who has one of those characteristics automatically has the other, too. I think that's a good definition, but it doesn't necessarily imply superiority or oppression, maybe just stereotyping. Is there a difference between stereotyping and racism?
so true. as a matter of fact it really helps to be a good looking intelligent white well to do male in this country!
I'll try to draw on Jeff's last question: is sterotyping the same thing as racism?
In the book the Tipping Point the idea is thrown around that often people use segregation of general characteristics in order to be able to proccess the world around them. A certain person might encounter an individual in one scenario where they act really nice (say when they are with their friends), and then encounter them in a scenario with their family where the same person is really mean. The person, however, would generally state to his friends that this individual they encountered is always "nice". We, as people, do this because we tend to favor the ease of remembering just one main thing about a person, and typically (the majority of us) lean towards the favorably memories. Now, if I haven't entirely butchered what Gladwell was saying, I clearly understand that he is correct in saying: sterotyping makes life easier for us to process. It gives us control, and it makes the world "understandable".
Racism is the evil extension of that. sterotyping in and of itself might not be racisim. However, its hard to sterotype without being racist. For example, you might say "I love all people from Cary because they are all intelligent." That's stereotyping, and pottentialy not being sinful (or angry), but often we don't speak or think or sterotype positively. And sterotyping doesn't leave room for error, if we aren't open to altering what we believe. Sterotyping allows us to marignalize our own ignorance. This leads to racism.
Jonah was a racist. He didn't want to believe that the kingdom of God could extend beyond the Jewish people. He expounded that vision or idea by being racist against the Niavites (Sp?).
I deal mostly with ignorance in regards to senior citizens and people from the country. Our culture marginalizes these people because they can't "compete" with technology, innovation, and video games. I don't see value in these segaments of society because I infrequently encounter them, and they aren't my "friends". This is where the story of the good samaritain really pounds home.
Here's the point. Sterotyping helps us exert control, it helps us justify the way we function in society. "Old people are a litte strange so I don't need to talk to them." Then we still realize we may have justified a certain action but we still don't have control, so we try and gain more control..."old people suck...." etc...
Jonah was comfortable with understanding God has a racist. Jonah looked at the way he understood the world and naturally aplied the same biases to God; in this box he could understand God. But God is not man, and he doesn't discriminate.
Ulitmately, my new response to my own "racism", has been to assert a disciplined outgoingness towards people I often forget. In a room of people, do i gravitate towards the people with no friends; when I'm in line do I make an effort to say a few extra words to the cashier...
I oughta close by saying i haven't seen the movie though, or listened to jeff's sermon (if it has already been preached.)
wow, great comment whoever you are. stereotyping is difficult because there is something benign about it. what's wrong with making life simpler? we need to in order to process our reality. but it does lead to people being marginalized and it gets us a step closer to prejudice. great thought about Noah, too. the point of my message was that Peter thought God was a racist who didn't like the gentiles and God turned the tables on him and showed him he was the racist in the story and the Jews had misinterpreted God's choice of them as His nation. He chose them so they could be a channel of blessing to the world, He blesses them so they can be a blessing to those around them. they saw themselves as a resevoir of God's blessing instead, and the story of Cornelius is where the damn breaks and the blessing of the gospel flows to the nations. Jonah is another great example of the Jews missing the point.
In reference to Jonah God says this to him at the end of his story.
"But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?"
"I do," Jonah said. "I am angry enough to die."
But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Ninevah has more than a 120 thousand people..should i not concern myself with this great city.""
Its interesting about the vine because later Jesus comes along and says "I am the vine."
Otherwise saying "I'm what matters"...not your preconcieved notions of what God has set out to do.
Just something to think about, and it sounds like a great sermon! Thanks for the insight!
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