Personally, I am an outspoken advocate of equality in all matters. I feel that, regardless of a persons culture, background, and/or lineage, they deserve respect simply because they are a human being. Abject criticism has no place in my court. Therefore; watching Crash actually kind of annoyed me because the movie relies on flagrant stereotypes to draw inaccurate conclusions about our perceptions of others. Not all people are racist, nor are all people even judgmental of others. I would agree that most individuals might fall into either category, but there are an awful lot people who are humanists and know that they are unable to judge a person until they've had an adequate amount of time to meet them. I personally feel it is completely unreasonable to make conclusions about people until you've met them and each human being is completely unique from another.
Each human is unique, and, in my opinion, has infinite potential. To me, it seems, that we are only limited by the judgment and interference of others. If human beings were to allow one another to coexist naturally then our civilization would excel. However, I believe that we, in our own fight for dominance, intentionally limit others so that we can outdo them and it is our ignorance that compels us to continue this unhealthy practice. However, I also believe this is learned response and comes from an instinctual urge for dominance over others. It is only through delving within our own psyche do we realize that we constantly make unfair judgments of others. And, through my rant, I hope people begin to realize this and consciously become aware of doing it. When we are aware of this, we can begin to reverse our learned behavior.
Perhaps my tone seems idealistic, but that's because it is. I derive my feelings from truly believeing in the potential of mankind. I understand that I am on my soapbox and diverging from topic, but I would like people to consider what I am saying. By extending stereotypes, even as an allegory for change, we teach people to judge others. The focal point needs to be moved away from stereotyping. Rather, we should teach individuals that everyone is different and come to acceptance with that which is different from what we are used to. Acceptance is the key to harmony. When we become aware of this, that we can eventually appreciate these differences, and learn from them. Our culture can absorb the lessons of other cultures and eventually gain greater understanding of the world in which we exist from seeing it from many different views. We are all human beings, and that in itself is a reason for unity! (Just think of magnitude of what was necessary for our species to flourish)
So, if it is not already apparent, Crash will have absolutely no influence on my future interactions. I will continue to try and become more aware of the true nature of reality and what really is important. Stereotyping has no place in today's culture and I hope for every human being to realize this. What brings us together (cultural unity, familiarity, common beliefs) also tears us apart (ethnocentrism, ignorance of unfamiliar cultures, and dissidence with those who share a belief uncommon to our own). We need to stop applying labels to divergent beliefs, and instead welcome the unknown and try to learn from the multitude of perspectives that exist in our world today. The only thing we can pass on to the future generations when we die is the knowledge we've acquired in this lifetime. Rant complete.
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