The movie Crash attacks stereotypes that are often seen in both past and present societies. Each character lives and tells a different story, but they all share the same thought that prejudice is prevalent in all ethnic groups. The underlying theme of the film is that each character, regardless of race or ethnicity, holds certain beliefs related to internalized stereotypes, even if they themselves are not entirely aware that they have certain misconceptions. The characters' assumptions prevent them from realizing who is before them and their true identity. This theme digs deep into each person because it illustrates how we all come to conclusions based on race/ethnicity. In the many ethical dilemmas present in the film Crash, social inequality is present and there is also sympathy for these characters because the film sometimes portrays them as victims, but in reality they are the perpetrators and vice versa. The Discourse on Inequality written by Rousseau will defend how social inequality affects that situation, while Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments will dramatize the fact that each character has their own ethical decisions they make in a situation and rationalize that there is more than what we perceive. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Perhaps the most dramatic and controversial ethical dilemma involves a racist police officer. Officer Ryan and his partner, Officer Hanson, pull over a vehicle because it matches the description of a stolen vehicle. Both police officers discover that this vehicle does not match the description of the stolen vehicle because the license plates do not match. Officer Ryan stops the couple because he suspects sexual activity occurred while the couple was driving the car. Officer Ryan approaches the vehicle and asks for the driver's license and registration, a movie producer's license. Cameron wonders why and Officer Ryan immediately asks him to step out of the vehicle. As this happens, Cameron's wife, Christine, gets out of the car wondering why the officers are doing this. Officer Ryan then tells the couple that they need to stand against the car so he can search them. Officer Ryan forcefully pushes Christine against the car and places his hands in Christine's crotch in front of her husband, Cameron, and Officer Hanson. Officer Ryan believes his position and police discretion give him the right to belittle any non-Caucasian individual. 'The first man who fenced off a piece of land... You are lost if you forget that the fruits belong to everyone and the land to no man' (Rousseau 23). This quote highlights that the development of institutionalized inequality has its roots in past institutional structures in which the powerful play tricks on the weak. Additionally, Officer Ryan takes advantage of Christine because his veteran experience gives him a safety net so he won't get fired, and justifies his racist behavior. This creates a huge conflict for Officer Hanson, who is an inexperienced rookie trying to discover his place in the department along with his morals and values in the world, because he saw Officer Ryan harass Christine and knows that this will witnessed is morally wrong, however. Officer Ryan has been on the task force for 17 years and reporting this incident could cause Hanson to lose his job. As an officer it is his duty to protect the people, but as an officer he must get his partners back. Also, Agent Ryan has a very sick father with terrible insurance. Officer Ryan learns that his father's insurance will not reassign him to see a new doctor. This different perspective of Agent Ryan that you sympathize withhim. Smith quotes: “The correctness of our moral sentiments is never so apt to be corrupted, as when the indulgent and partial spectator is at hand, while the indifferent and impartial one is at a great distance.” This quote explains the relationship between the our conscience and society. Smith states that if you only experience the perspectives of people you know, the perspectives will be biased against you and you will not be able to discern how to act morally. This is seen in how Agent Ryan reacts to the nightmarish situation of his father not finding a new doctor. Agent Ryan requests to see a new doctor for his father, but the request is denied. Officer Ryan then belittles the insurance agency representative and expresses his belief that her job should be replaced by a white man because she is an African-American woman. Officer Ryan's decision to place blame on someone who is of a different race than himself shows that he lacks the ability to make ethical decisions. Not to mention, it makes it difficult for people to trust him and only makes his father's situation worse in getting the assistance he needs. Likewise, police officers like Officer Ryan negatively impact people because they lack trust and cooperation with the police force. Later in the film, this becomes evident when Christine's car catches fire during an accident. Officer Ryan arrives on the scene and willingly climbs into the car to help Christine escape. Unfortunately, Christine was traumatized by her previous interaction with Agent Ryan and screamed for someone else to help her. Christine would rather stay in the burning car than accept someone else's help rather than be saved by Agent Ryan. Too surprisingly, Officer Ryan showed an inexplicable amount of formality and was actually trying to save her life. He gained her trust by staying in the burning car and convincing her to save her life, which ultimately allowed him to save her. Christine's initial decision to resist Agent Ryan's help dramatizes the sympathy you express for her. She was so scarred by her previous interaction that her decision to stay in the car represented an ethically moral choice. Equally important, it should be noted that Agent Ryan expressed a completely different side of himself and proves that there is more than one perspective to everything. On the other hand, Officer Hansen found himself right where he left off with the minorities. Shortly thereafter, Officer Hansen ended up grabbing a young African American man on the side of the road. They exchanged a couple of words and despite the fact that he was uncomfortable at first, the young African American was more than optimistic and eager to get back on the elevator on the opposite side of the slope. Things got interesting when the officer explained why the young man was even on the opposite side of the slope and why he was so cheerful. He wasn't referring to the officer, he was essentially just grateful and believing in God like the officer did, but the individual was threatening and taunting him. As the African-American man reached into his pocket to pull out the official-coordinated statue of St. Christopher, Officer Hansen shot him because he feared his life and was unaware of what the young African-American man he would have pulled out. pocket, leaving him to die on the side of the road. Officer Hansen was praised by many when he stood up and fought for Camron, but ultimately killed an African American. Officer Hanson's first perception is that he wants to find his identity as a police officer while maintaining his morals and making ethical decisions. However, it appears that Officer Hanson possessed the same qualities,.
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