Out of class essay #3

Kaung Myat Tun

Out of Class essay 3

Brian Lewis

Stereotype and Prejudgment

              
                              
                California is rich in diversity of people as its natural resources. The wealth of the resource is one big reason which brings different people around the world and creates multicultural in many parts of the state. Multicultural of California brings different unique ideas and human resource, but as well racial friction, stereotyping, segregation and sometimes-even violence. The movie "Crash", "American Son", "Integrated City", "What is Multiculturalism" and "Culture Clash in America" give me the overall meaning of multicultural of California in different perspectives (first, second and third person) from different races and different social status. Especially how people react in certain saturation despite of their social background. All movie, non-fiction and fictional readings blow my mind and give the awareness of misconception, stereotype and prejudice and teach me do and don't of living in a multicultural society.
              
                People tend to stereotype and by race (color), their behavior (class), where they come from (culture or country) or what they believe (religion). A stereotype is a form of prejudiced images that people prejudge a particular characteristic without adequate information of the person. It is not a simple prediction, but in a negative way. The truth is, people are changing and reacting mostly depend on their past experiences and there is no exact formula or theory to define and prejudge people just based on their appearance. Yet, misconception, Stereotype and prejudice are the common behaviors that we encounter in our daily lives when we deal with people.

                California is not an easy place to live in; require dealing with many different groups of people and their behavior. There are people behave like gangster and speak slang words, but somehow that might offend to another group of people; but they conceive, as their behavior is nothing wrong. "Culture Clash in Americca", Author, Sam Woodhouse describes how people misconceive their actions even they do not intend to harsh on others. He emphasizes the importance of supporting the misconception in everyday speaking which supports in our essays. He tells us, "wassup niggah"(53). Author might want to say, calling niggah is normal to some groups of people and they do not think that is wrong to say. I recalled my childhood time when I read "Culture Clash in Americca". I honestly did not know what niggah actually means and I used that word "nigga" to say hello to my friends until I reached to the United States. I simply understood "nigga" means nothing more than people of Negro. In my country, Myanmar, and Singapore, most teenagers do not know what "nigga" actually means. I am pretty sure that most people just simply referring to a person, but not necessarily to be black and without any insulting. We feel like "wassup niggah" shows closer friendship than "wassup man". Perhaps we were just trying to act cool, but now I know that is not cool at all. Emphasizing the grandness of the misconception in our essays, author tells us, "There are a lot of things here I am not used to. Freedom. Especially Freedom"(50). Many people misconceive freedom as, "we can do whatever we like to do" without considering for other and the consequences which might disturb others' freedom. Above three examples, I mentioned is which insult to another group by a group of people's misconception. Many people encounter as everyday saturation and that effect the harmony of the multicultural of the state.

                Prejudging could be the consequences of misunderstanding and stereotyping, which could be seen, in our daily lives. Highly possible to mislead from the truth if people make it without proper information. "American Son" by "Brian Ascalon Roley" demonstrates how stereotypes are barriers to communication and to American immigrants’ pursuit of the American dream. One of the main characters, Tomas, he seems to me like a good man, but he was prejudged and treated as a gangster because of his gangster tattoos on his muscles. The author tells about Tomas by explaining his character, as "Tomas is the son who helps pay the mortgage by selling attack dogs to rich people and celebrities. He is the son who keeps our mother up late with worry" (1). Even, he promised to smack his girlfriend or wife if she mistreated his mother. Although he is a half white and Filipino, he is pictured and stereotyped as a Mexican due to his behavior, clothing and shaved head. Later on Gabe, his brother, takes away his brother oldsmobile due to his torment over his own ethnicity. He was described as low personality and shamed for his mother's dark skin and Asian eyes. He was questioned by two Mexicans. Without knowing anything about Gabe, young Mexican boy accused him as a car thief, although he is. And, he also assumes Gabe as a Mexican again. This is always happening in my life as well. I can feel exactly how Gabe might frustrate at that moment. I was assumed as a Chinese due to my small eyes and my pale skin. So, many people talk to me in Mandarin and Cantonese without knowing me in the first time. Perhaps, it is because of the prejudgment based on my skin and eyes. This is not a few times or once a while saturation to fade away from my memory. I even can't count how many times I have been treated as different person. How many people have been in the similar saturation because of their look?  How would you feel If you were assumed as different person and treated according to what people prejudge in your multicultural society?

                 Prejudging on different colored people is base on individual's previous experiences especially when they deal with different kind of races. Misunderstanding, Stereotyping and prejudging based on people's race can be found in California's multicultural society and that is shown throughout the movie called "Crash" by director "Paul Haggis". His movie gives a great meaning of what it feels like to be in multicultural California. It is about racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, California. "Crash" is the movie that would inspire you and give you the awareness about the racial problem that is happening everyday saturation in the world not only in California. It is rooted to misunderstanding, stereotyping and prejudging. Changes of people's behaviors despite of color or social status are shown throughout the movie. Farhad (Shaun Toub) a Persian shop owner, and his daughter, Dorri (Bahar Soomekh) happening to be arguing a revolver in front of store owner as her father, Farhad has no idea about the revolver. The shopkeeper was being annoy about his appearance (recent 9/11 Attack) and orders an infuriated Farhad outside. This is happened due to stereotyping on Ferhad, based on the storeowner's anger and prejudge Farhad as a Arab. Rick Cabot (Brendan Fraser), the Caucasian district attorney who uses race as a political card and his Caucasian wife, who, having recently been carjacked by two black men, believes that her stereotypical views of non-whites is justified and cannot be considered stereotyping. She also accused Hispanic locksmith (Daniel Ruiz) as bad guy who apparently has tattoos and he was judged by his appearances. She assumed that he would take the copies of the keys and give it to his gangs; however he gave all keys of her before he left. This highlights people’s usual way of seeing others and makes decisions based on their previous experiences. But it doesn't always true as she later realized that her helper, Maria (Mexican) is her only real friend when she slipped from the stairs. An African-American Hollywood director named Cameron Thayer (Terrence Howard) and his wife Christine (Thandie Newton) got their car pulled out by white police officer Ryan (Matt Dillon) who was previously mistreated recently by African-American woman although his family helped their people previously. Officer Ryan ordered Cameron to step out to check to be clearer but Christine accused the officer for his mistreatment is because of their skin color. So, Officer Ryan committed sexually touching to mouthy Christine. Cameron also think they were mistreated by police because of their race. So he over reacted when he was stopped by the police another time. The story is about the consequence of misunderstanding leads both officer Ryan, Mr. & Mrs. Cameron to stereotype on other people. The movie shows the common problems, which can experience for everyone in their daily life and teaches how people prejudging is integrated among us.

                People have stereotype perspectives no matter how similarities or diversities they came from. In the movie "Crash", Paul Haggis alerts his audiences by showing his characters about stereotype séances are related to prejudge. Graham Waters who feels too shameful to let others find out his family and was afraid he could might lose his detective job because of his family background when his superior officer stereotyped by his race. Farhad, who feels he isn't getting satisfaction from American society when his store is robbed time and time again. Before his last store has been destroyed he requested Daniel (a locksmith who just wants to keep his family, especially his adolescent daughter, safe in a seemingly unsafe world) to fix his lock, but he was told to fix the door. However, the locksmith recommended him to change the door, he prejudges Daniel might be a liar simply because of who is Hispanic. He stereotype this Hispanic is making money by asking him to fix his door. The director Cameron who got the gun pointing at him by Attorny and Peter (black carjackers) angrily fought back at them because he has been called as nigger. He believes he has been stereotyped again. Shortly, the cops came and stopped them. Cameron who was indeed very mad at the racist cops so he stereotypes all cops is racist. Then, he acts toughly at the cops who are chasing after him. That moment was very thrilled because he could get shot at any point if he did not calm down his anger, but with the help from Tom who recognized him in the other night. Peter was lost in the street while receiving help from Tom who apparently driving pass by Tom. As Tom studying Peter looks and their conversation, Tom senses that Peter was a lair of what he told about himself. Although he was presented to audience as a fair and not racist policeman along the movie, he might stereotype what danger might Peter will bring to him. As the conversation goes, Peter burst out laughing when he saw the little statue that Tom has in his car because he has the same one. However, Tom misunderstood and stereotype that Peter was laughing at him because perhaps he was going to do something dangerous to him. As Peter was trying to prove the reason that he was laughing. Tom shot him before he could take out the little statue out of his pocket. In fact, Tom wrongly stereotyped on black and probably thought it was a gun that Peter was going to take out due to Peter's suspicious actions he had earlier. Tom seems not a racist or stereotype but later he killed because he racist and stereotype. Officer Ryan used to be racist but he helped Christine by risking his life. Moreover, Attorny used to be stereotyped but he changed. It shows people are changing and not wise to stereotype people just base on how do they look or what they did previously. Stereotyping behaviors are common towards different races and we can easily experience especially in multicultural California.

                Therefore, being a stereotype and prejudge has unpredictable violence at any time. However, real time and long experience is what changes peoples' perspectives. I suggest we just need to be more cautious before going to stereotype others just because of their races and color skin tones. Just because we had faced our scariest moment doesn't mean we will face it in the same way again. We stereotype and prejudge others based on our experiences, but experiences never ends there. There may be a bad one, but you never know the good one will come. It's not typically wrong to stereotype or prejudging we are being aware of our safety. However, it really hurts others sometime the way we are differently treated them. The best part of the film is, each character plays both positive and negative actions as they learned the consequences about being stereotyped and prejudging others. It takes time to get the real knowledge and be positive minded with others who are different from us.
                In the conclusion, misconception and stereotyping prejudging are very common behaviors in Multicultural California. That is the beginning of all racial frictions. People are the hardest creation for us to predict. Even a good guy can't be always act and do responsible actions. I learned that idea in the movie Crash. As well as a bad guy will not always does bad and there is always a brighter side for a bad guy too. Perhaps we behave too shallow and missed their darker sides or brighter sides and we stereotyped and generalized them as 'the good or the bad'. Although we all might have the similar underlying values in our subconscious about races, if we all kind enough to make lesser stereotyping and prejudging on each other races, our multicultural society would be more harmonious and beautiful than one can ever imagine.