Officials from the Center for Race Relations held a town hall meeting Monday night to facilitate open discussion of controversial racial issues the movie Crash provoked among Duke students.
Crash, which was screened last weekend in Griffith Film Theater by Freewater Presentations, proved to be a flash point for discussion among students concerned with issues of discrimination in their own lives as well as in the movie.
Last night's meeting, which was organized by the Dialogues On Race Relations, a branch of the Center for Race Relations, provided a safe space for people to discuss problems they had with the movie, said DORR co-director Charisse Williams, a senior. She said the forum also produced productive, honest dialogue about racial prejudice and power issues.
The discussion among the approximately 50 students at the meeting also focused on how subconscious prejudices, like those in the film, impact the lives of Duke students today. The racially mixed group of students present generally agreed that racism remains ingrained in American society, though it no longer manifests itself in as obviously violent or prohibitive ways as it did in the past.
One of the most upsetting things for many students was their peers' reaction to the film's racially-charged jokes.
"I saw the movie at home, and then I saw it at Griffith, and I was really shocked at how many people were laughing," sophomore Cameron Erickson said. "It kind of disturbed me because there was such a big laugh after a racial slur, and that wasn't necessarily funny in a broader context."
Much like Erickson, fellow sophomore Ashley Southerland attended the forum looking to understand the reasoning behind people's responses to the most offensive elements of Crash.
"There were things I understood just because I'm black, but I wanted to see if other people saw things the same way," Southerland said.
The discussion shifted between specific aspects of the film and students' personal experiences with discrimination.
"When I was in middle school and moved to the U.S., people were amazed that I did well in school," recalled Freewater Chair Alex Oliveira, a senior who hails from Brazil. "I remember the teachers being really amazed that I was doing better than my white classmates. It got to me that I was always the exception. What's not the exception is to think that minorities actually have the ability to speak as they please."
Those gathered agreed that Oliveira's recollections were an example of how some people hold on to racist beliefs without even realizing it.
Students also concluded that Crash stood out as a film with no obvious heroes. "I was trying to think of a character who was pure and didn't make any big mistakes and I couldn't," Erickson said. "Every character is flawed and you come out hating and sympathizing with them all at the same time."
In particular, the character of Officer Hanson, played by Ryan Phillippe had a special significance for those present because of his evolution from an idealistic hero to a victim of America's inherently flawed and racially biased legal system.
"I think his character shows how dangerous it is to speak out and try to act as an agent for change," said junior Dan Baum.
Oliveira also focused on the problem of starting out with idealistic intentions but becoming overwhelmed by outside forces. She noted that Cameron, a movie producer played by Terrence Howard, exemplified this.
"He may have started with the position of 'I'm going to milk the system' but after a while the system becomes your life," she said. "My parents always had the attitude that you wait until you've made it to the top, you wait until you get into a certain position, and then change the situation."
Still, Oliveira and the other students rounded out the discussion expressing a hope for change. Americans need to take a stand against racism in their country, she said. She suggested going to movies that address racial issues, talking to President Richard Brodhead and calling media outlets that broadcast offensive material.
"We can't fix everything, but there's a lot that can be done to make it better," Baum said.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.