go see CRASH

I just got back from seeing the movie Crash, it was amazing. I saw it with Michael, who had seen it once before by himself and was thoughtfully speechless and angry for days afterward. It was such a great portrayal of a racial dynamics and interactions.

I must admit that I was surprised to note that most of the audience was White. I wondered, if they knew what the movie was about before they paid for their ticket. Or, if during they movie they thought, "well, I didn't know this was about race -- I am so uncomfortable." I must say that the latter situation pleases me more for some reason. I suspect I feel that the people who are least likely to know what the movie was about going in were the ones who most 'deserved' to see it.

Most White people, and some people of color, I talk to about White privilege or racism respond by telling me that these things do not exist in this country anymore. They tell me that everyone is perceived and treated equally nowadays. I am often left . . . unsure how to respond. Baffled. I suppose as it is the common response, I am naive to continually be surprised. Consistently, in my baffled state, I cannot provide my critics with concrete examples, that will undoubtedly PROVE! that racism is still a pervasive entity in today's United States. My best evidence always comes as an afterthought to the conversation when I am ruminating on the conversation on my ride home. I often respond by telling them that I will let them borrow my Privilege, Power, and Diverence book. Indeed, I only have one copy. I will, in future discussions, suggest this movie as a way of gaining a insightful perspective on racial dynamics in the US. If nothing else, it should spark satisfying conversation.

-kway

this entry's word: untoward \uhn-TORD\, adjective:
1. Not favorable or fortunate; adverse.
2. Improper; unseemly.
3. Hard to guide, work with, or control; unruly.