dope, jeff chang and sylvia chan share their thoughts on "crash" over at alternet.

a snippet:

"JC: For Haggis, the “crash" is the metaphor that holds everything together. He seems to believe race is only discussed when we collide with each other, and friction starts. It’s a very interesting concept that resonates post-riots, post 9/11. But there's very little character development in the movie, and even less insight into race.

SC: The entire notion that racism can be instigated by “crashes” and collisions is steeped in a certain perspective: if I don’t crash into you, I’ll never get to know you, because you don’t live in my neighborhood, and I don’t have any friends that are not of my race or class.

The whole idea that you don’t have to think about race until you “crash” into it is not what most people have the luxury of doing. And that is what white privilege is. White privilege is not having to think about race. Which is why I think many people have the reaction they do of coming out of the movie and bawling, thinking they’ve learned something."

for real!

(spoilers!!

what was up with matt dillon's character? he molests thandie newton and then later on saves her from a fiery car crash? is this supposed to be some sort of redemption for the racist/rapist cop? why does a black woman need to be saved, need to be the tool that allows the white cop to question, rediscover himself? what the fuuuuuug is this?!)


oh, and kiwi also posted an insightful article, "white privilege shapes the us," on his blog.

"Here's what white privilege sounds like: I am sitting in my University of Texas office, talking to a very bright and very conservative white student about affirmative action in college admissions, which he opposes and I support.

The student says he wants a level playing field with no unearned advantages for anyone. I ask him whether he thinks that in the United States being white has advantages. Have either of us, I ask, ever benefited from being white in a world run mostly by white people? Yes, he concedes, there is something real and tangible we could call white privilege. So, if we live in a world of white privilege—unearned white privilege--how does that affect your notion of a level playing field? I ask. He paused for a moment and said, "That really doesn't matter."

That statement, I suggested to him, reveals the ultimate white privilege: the privilege to acknowledge and you have unearned privilege but ignore what it means."



still gotta watch "rize." and "tropical malady." soon, soon, soon.