across their chests bandolier style, they forge ahead as though bracing themselves
against being tackled.” (p. 165-166) He describes the situation that of him being the
victim of racism. He sets an example that a black man walking through the streets of
New York, dressed in baggy clothing, probably isn’t the best sight to see late at night.
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In the movie “Crash” we start the movie with Anthony, acted by Chris “Ludacris”
Bridges, exiting a restaurant and walking down a white dominated community with
his friend Peter, acted by Larenz Tate. We then see Anthony complaining about the
service they received inside the restaurant and how the white people were given
prioritized more than they were. As they continue walking, we see the white couple,
Jean and Rick Cabot, played by Sandra Bullock and Brenden Fraser, walking towards
them appearing to be leaving. As Jean immediately sees Anthony and Peter she
grasps onto Rick’s arm putting Anthony and Peter under the impression that she
was scared to see them. Obviously this was the case, knowing that they were
dressed like thugs. She immediately stereotyped them as threats and protected
herself.
Staples continues with his stereotyping issue as he explains a situation he
experienced when he was in Chicago. “When I worked as a journalist in Chicago, one
day, rushing into the office of a magazine I was writing for with a deadline story in
hand, I was mistaken for a burglar. The office manager called security… I had no way
of proving who I was. I could only move briskly toward the company of someone
who knew me. (167) Here we see prejudice upon Staples due to his skin color. Even
at his own work place he was distinguished as a threat. This is probably due to how
he presented himself. In “Crash” we find Jean and Rick Cabot back at their home
arguing about their theft situation. Due to Jean’s paranoia they ended up changing
the locks on their doors to ensure protection. The man changing their locks, Daniel,
played by Michael Pena, was portrayed as a Thuggish Hispanic man. Jean didn’t
disagree with this portrayal. She became upset and asked if they can change the
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locks in the morning because she was afraid Daniel would sell them to his “homies”
endangering their entire house. She practically stereotyped Daniel as a threat
because of his appearance.
To add onto the stereotype, Staples shares a story on how a black male
journalist, was mistaken as murderer. “I never fared as badly as another black male
journalist… He went to nearby Waukegan, Illinois, a couple of summers ago to work
on a story about a murderer who was born there. Mistaking the reporter for the
killer, police hauled him from his car at gunpoint.” (167) In “Crash” we see a
situation pretty similar to this one. In the beginning of the movie, we find Anthony
and Peter stealing Jean and Rick’s black Lincoln Navigator. A warrant for their arrest
was put out but they were nowhere to be found. Due to this, the local police officers
were forced to do random checks to any car they believe could be the stolen vehicle.
We then see officer John Ryan, played by Matt Dillon driving around city at night
with his partner Tommy (Ryan Phillippe ). They spot a black Navigator being driven
by Cameron Thayer (Terrence Howard) and his wife (Christine Thayer) and suspect
that it could possibly be the vehicle of the thiefs. Approaching the window, officer
John notices that the owners of the car were black. He asked them to step out of the
vehicle then searched their bodies. Being a black couple in a vehicle with a history of
being stolen makes the jobs of the police a lot easier due to stereotypes. Cameron
was pretty cooperative and listened to what the cops were telling him to do and
saved him and his wife from getting into trouble.
Ultimately, Staples remained strong through all the stereotypes he had to put
up with. He focuses on changing the way he dresses and presents himself to the
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people in order for them to look at him more respectfully. He finally ends saying,
“Virtually everybody seems to sense that a mugger wouldn’t be warbling bright,
sunny selections from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. It is my equivalent of the cowbell that
hikers wear when they know they are in bear country. “ Cofer experienced parts of
his life that were very inappropriate and unnecessary. Due to this, it leads him to act
like a white person. Him acting like a white person thus causes him to fit into his
community a lot better.
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Works Cited
Crash. Haggis, Paul. Film. Lions Gate Films. 2004.
Stapless, Brent. “Black Men and Public Space” Between Worlds: A Reader , Rhetoric
and Handbook. ED. Susan Bachmann and Melinda Barth. 7th ed. New York:
Longman, 2010. 172-176. Print
