In light of the horrific tragedy that took place in Tucson last week and in light of the brilliant and poignant speech delivered by President Obama at the memorial service for the victims, a call for civility in our national debate has gained momentum. We have reached a point in America where if someone disagrees with us on ANYTHING, that is a CRIME that is punishable by DEATH. Why is that? How did we get here? Of course, the answer to those questions would depend on who you ask. We have such passionate discourse because we are ALL guilty of having a passion for being unwilling to understand people and experiences that are different from ours. If we can indeed tone down the passion of misunderstanding, we'll be off to a good beginning.
Which leads me to one of my favorite movies of all time, "Crash". This brilliantly casted, written, directed and acted motion picture exposes the root causes of what ails the United States of America. "Crash" won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2006. The story is set in Los Angeles and it basically is a story of how we ALL have moments of bigotry against those who are not only different than we are but how we are equally bigoted against those who look like us. "Crash" dives into the usual racial and cultural stereotypes in a raw fashion. However, the movie gives us all a chance to see how our bigotry and ignorance affects the lives of the targets of such actions.
In our country today, we have a climate where we simply don't feel it is worth the time investment to understand those who are different than we are. Seemingly there is this perverse need in all of us to occasionally denigrate and dehumanize those who are different. It makes us feel good. However, we don't spend enough time looking at and understanding the byproduct of our bigotry ... the pain that it causes the object of our mean spirited actions; how our bigotry affects THEIR lives and how they in turn resort to their own bigotry. It is the beginning of a vicious cycle that seemingly has no end. How does it end? Who takes the first step to end it? Simple answer: the person in the mirror.
For a compelling reason why we all should work diligently to change our ways, check out the movie. Otherwise, we'll continue to "Crash" into each other.
Check out this "Crash" trailer
Shalom!
Craig Riggins
You can follow me on Twitter at: @TheProdigal517
Facebook: Craig Riggins
Email: theprodigalreturns517@gmail.com
Which leads me to one of my favorite movies of all time, "Crash". This brilliantly casted, written, directed and acted motion picture exposes the root causes of what ails the United States of America. "Crash" won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2006. The story is set in Los Angeles and it basically is a story of how we ALL have moments of bigotry against those who are not only different than we are but how we are equally bigoted against those who look like us. "Crash" dives into the usual racial and cultural stereotypes in a raw fashion. However, the movie gives us all a chance to see how our bigotry and ignorance affects the lives of the targets of such actions.
In our country today, we have a climate where we simply don't feel it is worth the time investment to understand those who are different than we are. Seemingly there is this perverse need in all of us to occasionally denigrate and dehumanize those who are different. It makes us feel good. However, we don't spend enough time looking at and understanding the byproduct of our bigotry ... the pain that it causes the object of our mean spirited actions; how our bigotry affects THEIR lives and how they in turn resort to their own bigotry. It is the beginning of a vicious cycle that seemingly has no end. How does it end? Who takes the first step to end it? Simple answer: the person in the mirror.
For a compelling reason why we all should work diligently to change our ways, check out the movie. Otherwise, we'll continue to "Crash" into each other.
Check out this "Crash" trailer
Shalom!
Craig Riggins
You can follow me on Twitter at: @TheProdigal517
Facebook: Craig Riggins
Email: theprodigalreturns517@gmail.com
I love this article. I agree that it starts with the man in the mirrow. There are soooo many things that I am against when it comes to our system of things. Does it make me want to strike out? Absolutely not! However, I do believe our "so-called" freedom of speech so highly and readily referred to can, at the same time, have so many negative consequences on so many levels.
ReplyDeleteThe "Man in the Mirror" symbol is spot on, and the President's Tucson speech was exactly what we needed to bring adults to attention. I have many favorite lines from his Tuscon speech but this line really moved me to no end. "We must make sure that our Country lives up to our Children’s expectations". How profound! It's not about us. It's about those we bring into this world, about setting an example for them. It's about us being better.
ReplyDelete