Five Concepts of Movie "Crash"

I chose the following five concepts to discussion in relationship to the movie “Crash”. They are as follows: Race Identity, Ethnic Identity, Culture Involves Perception and Values, Class Identity, Gender Identity and Stereotyping.

Race identity can be defined as a population that can be distinguished by genetic physical characteristics. Who defines where a person fits racial? Is it defined by the geographical location of the person or by the ethnic and cultural background of the person? For many people, it is simply defined by the color of one’s skin.

Ethnic Identity can be defined as a population who identify with each other through a common heritage and language. I feel that Ethnic Identity is the concept that is the most misunderstood. There are many assumptions that if you are Asian or Middle Eastern for example, you must all be the same. When in reality, the Japanese are culturally very different than the Chinese or the Koreans. The same can be said for those of Middle Eastern descent. People who are from Syria are different than those from Turkey or Israel.

Culture is a learned trait. The culture that we grow up in influences on perceptions of the world and the way we deal with situations. Our participation in certain cultural groups can be voluntary or involuntary. We have involuntary participation in certain cultural groups for example, gender and sexual orientation. We belong to voluntary cultural groups based upon our personal interests, for example being a Mountaineer.

Class Identity is a significant influence in our society. Class distinguishes groups of people based upon their economic status. A person’s economic class can influence their behavior within society and how society perceives them. Class identity can be determined by heritage, occupation and income.

Gender identity is how a person self-identifies. It is not easy to define as it not necessarily biological. We are physically assigned a gender identity by...