intercultural communication occurs when individuals or groups from different cultures communicate. The transactional process of listening and responding to people from a different cultural background can be challenging. In this paper I am going to address the movie Crash and analyze the intercultural barriers and diversity issues presented in the movie.
The movie Crash was written and directed by Paul Haggis and originally debuted in 2004. The movie then went on to win three Oscars: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing of 2005 at the 78th Academy Awards. The idea behind the film is that we meet several different characters in several different walks of life, and as their stories play out, we see how they affect each other, and how their perceptions of the other characters affect their actions and attitudes.
A wide range of cultures are presented throughout the film. There is a Persian shopkeeper named Farhad, a Mexican-American locksmith named Daniel Ruiz, an African-American television director named Cameron Thayer; his African-American wife named Christine Thayer, and a white cop named John Ryan. Most of them are shown to have prejudices against other cultures, while at the same time feeling like victims of prejudice.
While the entire movie consists of intercultural barriers, there are two scenes in particularthat stands out in my mind. For example the Persian shopkeeper, Farhad, and his daughter Dorriventure out to buy a gun to protect Farhad’s store; the only thing he and his family have. Oncethey arrive at the gun shop, Frahad starts talking to the owner’s daughter in his native Persianabout purchasing a gun. The owner becomes frustrated with Farhad’s cultural language andmakes stereotypical assumptions that Farhad is an Arab and a terrorist. Irritated with the gunshop owner’s attitude,Intercultural Barriers 3Dorri jumps into the conversation and makes cryptic comments about bullets. The ownereventually makes the decision to sell Dorri the gun, rather than her father.
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The arts, more than other features of culture, provide avenues for the expression of imagination and personal vision. They offer a range of emotional and intellectual pleasures to consumers of art and are an important way in which a culture represents itself. There has long been a Western tradition distinguishing those arts that appeal to the multitude, such as popular music, from those—such as ...
In the next scene, Daniel Ruiz replaces a woman’s locks at her home; the next day the womaninsist the locks be changed again because she fears that Daniel kept an extra copy of her newhouse key. Daniel faces discrimination from this woman and society because he looks likea gangbanger, when he is actually a devoted family man.
Each of these scenes from the film contains the intercultural barriers of stereotyping andprejudice. The gun shop owner and the woman who changed the locks in her home judgedFarhad and Daniel based on their physical appearance. The gun shop owner immediatelyassumed that Farhad was a terrorist because of the color of his skin. His error in judgmentresulted in conflict that could have otherwise been avoided. The woman who changed her locksassumed Daniel was a criminal who would potentially break into her home because hisappearance was not as “high class” as she would have liked. Her ignorance results in coming outof pocket for another locksmith expense. Despite the negative encounters these characters faced,there are ways to prevent the situation.
There are intercultural communication strategies that would, if applied by the characters, allow for better communication. Although identifying the causes of misunderstanding is a good initial step to becoming intercultural competent, most people need help with specific strategies to help them overcome these barriers. The first step is to seek information about someone’s culture and learn about the culture’s world view. The second step is to ask questions and listen which will reduce uncertainty by asking for clarification and listening to the answer. The third step is to develop a third culture and create a common ground amongst each other.
The Essay on Intercultural Communication Australian Women
Multiculturalism is one of the many factors which makes Australia unique, contributing to our rich history and character. About 27% of Australians have at least one parent born overseas, 23% themselves were born overseas, and 16% speak a language other than English at home. The Chinese, Greek, Italian, Arabic, Vietnamese, plus many other cultures have contributed to ethnicity of Australian society ...
Intercultural Barriers 4In addition, improving intercultural competence develops motivation to accept others. There are three strategies that help improve acceptance and appreciation of those who differ from us: Tolerate ambiguity, take time and except uncertainty; develop mindfulness, be conscious of cultural differences, rather than ignoring the differences; and avoid negative judgments of others, resist thinking that your own culture has all the answers. Developing skills to adapt to others will also improve intercultural competence. An individual can become flexible and learn to “go with the flow”, become other-oriented and put themselves in the other person’s mental and emotional midst; listen and respond appropriately, and adapt personal communication to others by adjusting their behavior to other to accommodate differences and expectations.
As I mentioned before, the characters in the film could have easily avoided their situations had they of applied the intercultural communication strategies to enhance their abilities to relate to people and accept others as the way they are. In Farhad’s situation, the gun shop owner could have listened calmly while Farhad talked in his native Persian. Then he could have asked questions for clarification on Farhad’s specific needs and listened respectfully to the answer. Once the owner realized Farhad was seeking protection for his family and store, he probably would have been able to establish common ground with him. In Daniel’s situation, the woman should have asked him questions about his business and established rapport with him. Once the woman listened to Daniel speak about his business and family, she would have understood that he was a family oriented man who was trying to raise his daughter the best he could.
In a perfect world there would be no intercultural barriers. Everyone would respect everyone no matter what color, religion, culture, gender, size, or shape the person is. But in reality, the world, and even a single person, will never be one hundred percent perfect. The film CrashIntercultural Barriers 5is a real eye opener to the stereotypes and prejudice society deals with on a day-to-day basis. The characters reeked of racial and prejudice demeanor. The hate and ignorance with intercultural barriers could easily decrease if people would take the steps to understanding and relating with others. In conclusion, we can never fully understand a person whom comes from a different background than we do. All we can do is educate ourselves and our loved ones as much as possible about the world and its surroundings. We need to treat everyone with the respect he or she deserves because whether we realize it or not, all of us do have just one thing in common; we are human-beings.
The Essay on Intercultural Barriers In Film
I selected the movie Crash to discuss the intercultural barriers in film for my paper. First of all, it is one my favorite movies so it was an easy decision. Crash is set in Los Angeles, California. The city is a melting pot of cultures; an ideal setting to highlight the racial and social tensions within the large cast of characters. The cast intersects in and out of each other’s lives throughout ...
Intercultural Barriers 6References:1.Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others, Fifth Edition, by Steven A. Beebe, Susan J. Beebe, and Mark V. Redmond. Published by Allyn & Bacon. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
