Reflecting on Pop Culture

On Friday Night I took some time off to watch Crash. The movie takes every-day situations and examines how the race card seems to bring out the worst in even the most enlightened. The film then juxtaposes these scenes with depictions of the same characters acting out of character, as if to demonstrate that at some point we cease to see color and join the human race. What was most interesting to me, though, was the cast. Ludacris, a well known figure in rap music, played a car jacker content on musing the racial stereotypes that permeate society. Its also interesting that Ludacris is responsible for music that frequently employ these stereotypes as the central theme.

From casting to plot, the movie demonstrates a disturbing problem in society. We can't see past color lines. Anyone who watches a major network newscast can see that plain as day. Even in the worst situations it seems as though we are locked into this anachronistic view of social stratification along lines of color. When are we going to realize that the we are all just human, regardless of color? Unfortunately, it will take more than a conscious effort, we need to change the way we see race roles in our culture. As free as we may be, as free as we may be we can't escape the illogical barriers set by misinformed conceptions of the state of the world. Maybe we need to fix our perspective first, then our problems, and once we all reach equal footing, the lines will disappear.