‘We’re the only two black faces surrounded by a sea of over-caffeinated white people, patrolled by the trigger happy LAPD. So, you tell me, why aren't we scared?’[1]
What is the basis of stereotypes looking in particular at US society, stereotypes and texts, with particular reference to Crash.

For decades, ethnic minorities have suffered at the hands of the white majority in the United States. The media has added to their plight by perpetuating negative stereotypes, as a result of stereotyping, black people in many people’s minds are associated with crime or drugs. The fear of ethnic minorities that is created by the media only reinforces the white hegemonic hold that ruling classes may have over the population in the States which only adds to the moral panics that currently exist in out society. For example the rise in crimes that may have been committed by blacks, or the fear of the ‘other’ which is generated from the media and creates an ‘us and them’ situation where whites may feel a sense of superiority over ethnic minorities.
‘Here we have a country that is still emerging from a deeply racist history, a society in which white people have treated (and continue to treat) black people with contempt, suspicion and a profoundly ignorant sense of superiority’[2]. Although the era of segregation in America is over, the American media still perpetuates segregationist ideologies. Events such as 9/11 only entrench these ideologies and make people more ready to blame crimes such as murder and theft on the black population.
Crash overturns the idea that black people are something to be feared, suggesting that it is black people who should be afraid of white people in American society – partly because they may be outnumbered. This is used in Crash as the majority of the Los Angeles inhabitants appear to be white.
Over recent years black people have made fewer appearances on television, though this may be due to a number of reasons as it can also be down to damaged stereotypes as
However, black people are making fewer appearances on television – which in recent years has become dominated by ‘white actors’. For example, successful minority based shows such as The Cosby Show and Fresh Prince of Bel Air which are prime examples of shows that were popular with all audiences, showing the contrast in different lifestyles between families.
The Cosby Show focused on the everyday adventures of an upper-middle-class black family The Huxtables. Though the series revived a television genre (comedy), it also sparked controversy about race and class in America as the family were given a mix of qualities that creators thought would challenge common black stereotypes. ‘These qualities included: a strong father figure; a strong nuclear family; parents who were professionals; multiracial friends; and low-key racial pride.’[3] Although this may have been disapproved by the white community as they are shown to be wealthy, the family is portrayed without ‘any demeaning stereotypes’[4]as they were not associated with images of black people in popular culture. As the Huxtables ultimately sustain the idea that ‘anyone can make it’ – referring to the American Dream ‘a myth that sustains a conservative political ideology’[5]
Similarly Fresh Prince of Bel Air also features a wealthy black family; both parents are professionals but can be seen as ‘ascribed stereotypes that have historically been the domain of wealthy white characters’[6]. Like The Cosby Show the show does feature characters from different minorities and also the show helps audiences to understand the issues that blacks may face in reality.
These sitcoms’ portrayal of black issues no longer air, having been replaced by sitcoms such as Friends which reinforce the ‘all American lifestyle’, but it reinforces the same ideas into the audience – that whites are dominant figures over minorities which is one of the reasons why Friends is so compelling to the white American public. Notice how none of the characters are involved in mixed -race relationships and the group of friends are rarely seen interacting with ethnic minorities. What is being shown in Friends does not depict reality - New York is an ethnically diverse city – where some neighbourhoods are particularly dominated by blacks.
Gaye Tuchman (1978) talks of the “symbolic annihilation” of women by the media. What we appear to be witnessing in American Television today is the symbolic annihilation of ethnic minorities.
In Crash Anthony and Peter are black youths who are feared because they seem to match the stereotype of black males involved in criminal and drug activities. Just the colour of their skin prompts people to make misjudgements, like Officer Hansen who assumes that Peter is drawing a gun and mistakenly shoots him. The irony of the situation is that Peter and Officer Hansen are portrayed as those characters least suspected of racism and stereotypes. By using stereotypes in the narrative, the director, Paul Haggis tries to convey characters emotions and prejudice by placing them in different situations and how they are treated.
Bigotry and prejudice form themes in the film, and can be associated with the film’s characters. A person can be considered a bigot if they are ‘intolerant of opinions, lifestyles, or identities differing from his or her own’[7]. In addition to being prejudiced Officer Ryan is also considered to be a bigot, as he treats blacks as second class citizens hence reinforcing white supremacy. Whereas Rick Cabot (district attorney) is not depicted as a bigot as he tries to prove to his supporters that he is racially sensitive, as his key voters are Hispanics and African Americans; therefore his racial viewpoint is ambiguous.
Prejudice is judging another person or social group beforehand usually in a negative or stereotypical way. This may involve the targeting of minorities who do not conform to norms or expectations.
As mentioned before the district attorney’s wife is prejudiced as she makes assumptions regarding the Mexican locksmith beforehand.
Another prejudiced character is Officer Ryan because of his views towards black people, after stopping a black couple in their SUV, he asks them to step out of the car even though he has made the necessary security checks; however the couple do not argue back as he is white and they are black, which re enforces the dominance whites have over blacks.
The hegemonic model is when dominant groups in society (the ruling class), maintain their dominance by passing down ideas and cultural influences to subordinate groups, as it emphasizes ‘the importance of culture and ideology’[8]. In recent years ‘television and cinema have become central to popular culture, and many of the clearly racist images of past television and cinema that are now fading from western screens can be explained in relation to colonialism and white supremacy’.[9]
The hegemonic model can also be linked to the hypodermic needle model, where passive audiences are ‘injected’ with ideologies, who will accept what is being said to be right. An ideology being ‘injected’ into audiences is that blacks are a problem, and many people, Americans in particular will believe this even though it may not necessarily be true. But the ruling class want the audience to think this as it fits with their cultural ideologies.
This can also be associated with Althusser, who identified ideological state apparatuses alongside repressive state apparatuses to maintain bourgeois (ruling class) ideologies. These ideologies include the legal and political system and cultural and communications system. By having these ideologies audiences will presume that these are correct. I.e. in Crash the district attorney reinforces the importance of the legal and political system, as he worries about the impact the car jacking has on his career.
In 21st century society, there may have been positive developments for ethnic minorities but the ‘white hegemonic hold over the television and film industries’[10] appears to have created racial representations which are more accepted in a liberalist society.
‘Race and racist imagery has been a constant theme pervading and persuading the film narrative’[11], producers and directors are still relying on racial stereotypes when bringing race issues to the screen, but the ideas still support white dominance as these racial stereotypes that they have incorporated are of white people living in a racist society.
A film genre that emerged in the early 1970s was Blaxploitation where ‘exploitative films were targeted primarily at urban black audiences’[12], and were the first to feature black actors as the protagonists – in addition they were the first films to feature funk and soul music. This was part of the changing attitude towards black culture and the genre also highlighted inner city poverty.
Shaft (1971) directed by Gordon Parks was one of the first Blaxploitation films that went mainstream in America and more likely to have begun the genre. It was the’ first time a black actor was seen as a James Bond-like figure fighting inner-city oppression’[13].
Do the right Thing (1989) directed by Spike Lee, is another Blaxploitation film which focused on black urban life whilst still addressing inner city poverty. In this film the protagonist is Mookie (Spike Lee).
Blaxploitation is seen as an important movement as it was the first time that blacks were given the main roles in films, and Crash can be seen as a modern development of this genre as like the historical texts listed above there are five black characters in lead roles, all portrayed differently in situations where they may have been the subject of stereotyping or prejudice. But the film does draw attention to the attitude towards black culture; the black couple are portrayed as wealthy, whereas the black youths steal cars for their boss to make a living. Crash proves that ‘Hollywood cinema now struggles to define the meanings of such terms as diversity and multiculturalism.’[14] .The different minorities do not have respect for one another as Anthony believes that society is unfairly biased against blacks and is constantly paranoid about racism whilst Peter humorously mocks him.
Like Crash, the events in Do the Right Thing (1989) build up to a crescendo which results in serious consequences. Though the majority of the cast are black the only white characters are the pizza parlour owner and his two sons.
‘Fight the power, break free’[15] is part of a song which is played through out the film, this can be seen as a reoccurring motif as the line refers to breaking free from ‘white supremacy’ so that black people are free, as like most films during this period this film did feature white stereotypical cops who despise the black community. Another comparison to Crash be the use of inter -connecting storylines or story arcs - characters intersect indirectly and subtly. Events in one story arc affect other story lines or characters, numerous situations will involve the same or different characters and will result in a consequence, where one of the characters is murdered by the cops who were meant to be controlling the riot. Love and Hate is a theme that forms part of the film, as most characters have a love hate relationship. I.e. the Spanish group despise Radio Raheem partly because of their different tastes in music; the policemen think that the black community are a waste and in one scene the policeman is mouthing an insult even though the black men are sitting on the sidewalk minding their own business. Mookie (Spike Lee) has a loving relationship with his girlfriend, but is despised by his boss’ son as his brother trusts Mookie more.
Truth and Justice are other themes that develop throughout the film. The truth is something that is encouraged by one of older characters ‘Mayer’ who says that we should always ‘do the right thing’. All of Radio Raheem’s friends want justice after his is killed; most partially blame Sal after he smashed his stereo.Buggin’ out also wants justice after realising that all the people on Sal’s wall of fame are all famous white people, and no black people considering that the pizzeria is situated in a black community and the majority of customers are black.
This theme is also evident in Crash as the black cop seeks the truth and justice for his dead brother. Another character seeking truth is Anthony who seeks a better understanding as to why blacks are treated in an inferior way to whites.
The Persian shop owner seeks justice after the locks are not fixed in his shop, but he takes irresponsible actions and attempts to shoot the Mexican locksmith.
‘Violence as a way of achieving racial injustice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all.’[16]
The quote emphasizes that injustice can be impractical and it can result in disastrous consequences such as death (which happened in both texts).
Character roles enable the audience to understand a specific character’s purpose and their affect on others. Do the Right Thing highlights the struggle that black Americans face on a daily basis and also ‘trivializes any understanding of contemporary black political struggle’[17] as this would have been a period of time where there would have been ongoing movements for civil rights.
In Crash the villain would be Officer John Ryan as he molested a black woman during a routine stop, but he can later be seen as a hero as he saves her from a car crash. The helper would be Officer Tom Hansen as he helps to stop a confrontation that may have resulted in a death.
In Do the Right thing, Sal the pizza parlour owner would be the villain as he is cause of the riot that resulted in the destruction of his shop, whereas Mookie would be the hero as he tries to stop confrontations between friends and fellow employees.
The use of binary oppositions help to structure a story, black and white is used in both texts; another opposition that is used in both films is victim and aggressor which are similar to good vs. evil.
Shaft (1971) is an action film and is part of the Blaxploitation genre. The narrative consists of Shaft travelling to Harlem to rescue a black mobster’s daughter. Money is regarded as an important issue (partly because they live in a capitalist society) as Shaft demands a high price for his detective work in addition to bribing potential witnesses with cash, along with Ben who is apart of a political party and has agreed to help get the mobsters daughter back – but also demands money to help release political prisoners.
In the film, Shaft comes across as man who is on a 'one man mission' – which is an element of film noir (detective role). When talking to the captain of the local police Shaft tells him that he is always 'concerned about minority folks' - this highlights that the captain may not want to be directly involved with minority folks and would want Shaft to deal with them – this may have been the viewpoint of many white cops at the time, as most would not want to deal with situations involving blacks but still remain dominant. During the 1970s political groups such as the Black Nationalists and the Panthers existed, therefore there would frequently be political unrest particularly in areas such as Harlem, where the majority of the population is black. The Black Nationalist’s emphasised the need for the ‘cultural, political and economical separation from white society’[18], but the Black Panthers were a progressive political organization that had a reputation for violence. The element of politics is a direct comparison to Crash, as both recognise the importance this would have on society. In Crash there only seems to be one political party whose only interest at this point is winning the vote of minorities but in Shaft there are two political organisations that have opposite viewpoints.
Harlem mob vs. Mafia is another opposition that is used as it can be described as hood against hood, both the Harlem mob and the Mafia where established crime organisations during this period. Almost like competition, as the mafia wanted in on the drug trade which Bumpy Jonas was controlling.
By using stereotypes, it is easier for the audience to understand the purpose of different characters but then we can also be accused of manipulating, using stereotypes as a way of invoking a characteristic which may not be an accurate representation.
‘Our contemporary society has recently been overcome by the moral panic and the public and media reaction to them...and folk devils will be created’[19],
Moral panic refers to stories which are published in the media and make the majority of the public panic. This relates to Post 9/11 LA, where moral panics have been created involving certain minorities. For example when some Americans switch on the news, and the reporter is reporting on another incident which many assume that a black person would be involved. This view is created by the moral panics that are within our society. In relation to the way in which our society is presently structured, the problem will continue to generate if solutions are condemned.
Gunnar Myrdal (economist) looked at modern democracy and the Negro problem. ‘There is no doubt that the overwhelming majority of white Americans desire that there be as few Negroes as possible in America’[20]. This is a statement that still remains true till today. There is still a certain amount of the American population who despise the black community and are not in favour of black progress. So when blacks do make progress in society it seems that the hegemonic ideology has pushed it back down.
However the book did have a positive outlook on the future of race relations.
This concept links to the District Attorney who is more worried about his political career (Modern Democracy) as he is car jacked by two black males, though he does not come across as racist, he does try to resolve this 'issue' with his aides.
In conclusion stereotypes still remain common in today’s society, most commonly used to ‘label’ a group even though they may have no real basis in reality. Politics and media culture still influence audiences (and will continue to do so) with ideologies that have been manipulated to fit out capitalist society but the representation of blacks has changed very little. Most are still being referred to a stereotype, as many film producers assume that this stereotype counts for the vast population of ethnic minorities but this also leads to the influencing of white attitudes towards ethnic minorities which is encouraged by the mass media. Also the ruling classes in society that seek more power, indoctrinating audiences with their ideologies which reinforces hegemonic ideas. But will society’s perception of the black community change or will it be the same as it has been for many decades.

[1] ‘Crash’ (2004)
[2] O’Sullivan and Jewkes, (1999) ‘The Media Studies reader’ pg. 92
[3] http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/C/htmlC/cosbyshowt/cosbyshowt.htm
[4] O’Sullivan and Jewkes, (1999) ‘The Media Studies reader’ pg. 92
[5] O’Sullivan and Jewkes, (1999)’The Media Studies reader’ pg.94
[6] http://flowtv.org/?p=63

[7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigot
[8] http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-gram.htm#hege
[9] http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-rol6.htm
[10] http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-rol6.htm
[11] Ross, Karen (1996) ‘ Black and white media: black images in popular film and television’
[12] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaxploitation

[13] http://www.bfi.org.uk/education/teaching/disability/further/challenge.html
[14] K Denzin, Norman (2002) ‘Reading Race: Hollywood and the cinema of racial violence’ pg.2
[15] ‘Do the Right thing’ (1989)

[16] Martin Luther King, Jr.

[17] Guerrero, Ed (1993) ‘The African American image in film: Framing Blackness’ pg.149

[18] http://www.theblacknationalist.com/

[19] Stanley Cohen(2002): Folk Devils and moral panics: The creation of Mod’s and Rocker’s
[20] Gunnar Myrdal)- An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy (1944) pg.167