About:

Maridette Rasing, Jennifer Hernandez, Erika Luna-Contreras

Christine and Cameron Thayer are searched by Officers John Ryan and Tom Hansen





Race/Gender


In these two scenes we see the reactions of Christine and Cameron Thayer, an affluent African American husband and wife, to being pulled over by Caucasian police officers for no apparent reason other than being black. The events that transpire cause Christine to challenge dominant racial and gender based social norms.



Christine Thayer challenges the social norm that abuse against black women is the same for all women. Cameron Thayer accuses his wife of not knowing what it is like to be black in that she was part of the white equestrian team at a presumably white prestigious school. However, Christine stands up for her experience. Audre Lorde states in in her paper “Age, Race, Class, and Sex”:

“…white women face the pitfall of being seduced into joining the oppressor under the pretense of sharing power. This possibility does not exist in the same way for women of Color. The tokenism that is sometimes extended to us is not an invitation to join power; our racial “otherness” is a visible reality that makes that quite clear. For white women there is wider range of pretended choices and rewards for identifying with patriarchal power and its tools (180).”

And so, although Christine may have been friends with white women of the equestrian team, she may have had experiences with them that marginalized her due to the fact that white women although part of the sexual minority, were on the other hand counterpart with the majority, and that is what Cameron fails to recognize.

Christine also challenges the social norm of the abuse against black women. Christine argues against the social norm that “sexual hostility against black women is practiced not only by the white racist society, but implemented within our black communities as well” (Lorde, 181). Her husband unknowingly supports this norm in his blatant lack of inaction at the time of her attack, and subsequently, lack of emotion towards the assault against his wife.

“Black women’s literature is full of the pain of frequent assault, not only by a racist patriarchy, but also by Black men…As Kalamu ya Salaam, a Black male writer points out, “As long as male domination exists, rape will exist. Only women revolting and men made conscious of their responsibility to fight sexism can collectively stop rape. (Lorde, 182).”

Christine sarcastically admits to Cameron that she does have a lot to learn about being black and says she has to learn how to “shuck and jive” and imitates the way he apologized to Officer John for his abuse against her, blaming Cameron for allowing it to happen. Cameron is angered by Christine’s comment and lack of understanding towards his actions. At the end of the scene she says to him, “Finally, a little anger, it’s a bit late but it’s nice to see.”


References:
“Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” by Audre Lorde in Course Reader

Crash (2004 Movie) written by Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco

1 comment:

Gordon Stubbs Locksmith said...

I like this information it helps me to know that it has a high quality products and i gets some great and new idea Thanks for this .