Help!?

This is a very rough draft. It is already over the word count, and I wish I could add a closing and maybe organize it a lot better. I’m considering putting gender first because I circle back to class. Just read it. You’ll see what I mean. Please offer any suggestions that you can concerning organization, flow, and whatever else, and if you’ve seen the movie then if you have any other examples that would be better than the ones I have then please let me know! Thank you. (:

Class and Gender Representations in “Crash”

“Crash” is a film centered around racism in Los Angeles. It follows the interactions between very different people. Although the film is known for its narration of conflicting cultures, it also revolves around the representations of different social classes and the male and female genders and their bodies. Class is a very interesting concept that is addressed in “Crash” because it is so closely intertwined with racial representations. With Los Angeles as the setting, it is very easy to see that race is a strong determinant in social class because so many different races are represented in this city and in this film. The examples from this film show that class is still a very big issue even though people are working to combat it. Sandra Bullock’s character, Jean, is a white woman who is paranoid about people of different races. She admits that she was scared of two men walking on the street at night simply because they were black. Then she accuses a Latino man changing the locks in her home of being a gang member and selling her keys to his friends. Jean is very judgmental of others because she associates their social and economic class with the color of skin she sees when she looks at them. Jennifer Esposito’s character, Ria, is also very conscious of her class. As a Latina, there are moments in the film in which she is looked down upon, but her career as a detective assures her of herself. In the opening scene of the film, a policeman calls her “ma’am” but she condescendingly corrects him that her title is “detective.” Ria uses her career to try to challenge the stereotypes she faces because of her race even though she is respected in many other ways. Ludacris’ character, Anthony, is very open about race and class. He talks with his friend about how white people look down on black people. He recognizes the condescending attitudes of white people, and he is even surprised to find a black man in a very nice vehicle that he is attempting to steal. Anthony accepts the stereotypes of black people being lower class and even pegs people of his own race as lower class simply because that’s all he knows. He knows something is wrong, but he is used to it, so he doesn’t try to change it. Women’s bodies and the representation of women are very visible in “Crash” as well. One common characteristic among all of the successful females in the film is their beauty. Ria, Jean, and Christine (Thandie Newton) are the females in the film who are doing well financially. All are played by beautiful actors. Furthermore, Dorri (Bahar Soomekh) is a Persian whose parents are immigrant store owners. While they are not upper class, Dorri, a beautiful girl, works in the medical field. All the successful females are also young and attractive. The females who are not as successful are older and not as beautiful. This just shows that society associates beauty with youth and wealth. Although “Crash” addresses many negative judgments, it fails to combat this one. Men’s bodies and the representation of men are also addressed in this film. The two young policemen, Tommy and John, are played by Ryan Phillippe and Matt Dillon. Both are regarded as handsome actors. This represents the power associated with the male physique, as they are both physically fit as well. This may have been done to show the power of the Los Angeles Police Department, but really it just feeds the stereotype of physically attractive males receiving power. John uses his power to molest Christine on the sidewalk in front of her husband, Cameron (Terrence Howard) and Tommy. Cameron, a black man, does not speak up, and Christine must deal with it. This particular example not only shows the power of men over women, but it also explains class. Cameron is a wealthy television producer, but John, a police officer, has power over him. John judges Cameron and Christine because they are black. Their wealth does not matter to him because their skin color determines their class in his eyes.

(via whatmakesyoubeautiful)

(:

I’m going to sleep. Maybe these pictures will be good hints for just how incredible my night was. I’ll update in writing when I finally get a little bit of energy.

Just know that it’s been the greatest day and that I love my life so much and am so blessed even when things to wrong. The good always outweighs the bad.

<3

Sad?

The problem starter.

Fall 2009 Finals, Part 3

ENG 101- Done.

FMS 100- I am currently working on the paper that is due tomorrow at 5 p.m. I’ll post it today so hopefully some people can help me with it to make sure it’s perfect so I can keep a solid A in the class.

GCU 141- Done! I am so relieved. Studying for this final was torture. I’m really glad that I did study so much, though, because it really made an impact on how I did. I think I’ll have an A- in the class or a B+ at worst. I’m not super worried now that I can’t do anything to affect it. I’m just so happy to cross this off my to-do list.

FMS 200- The final will be emailed to me sometime before Saturday morning, and then I can focus on this.

WST 100- This is still on hold until after I am done with both of my film classes. I don’t even care about it at all right now until I make sure I turn in perfect exams for my film classes.

LIA 194- Done.

Indescribable.

Happy?

Before it all began.

“The sky is so pretty.”

“It will only keep getting prettier.”