How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Crash.
Quote #1
ANTHONY: You expect me to pay for that kind of service?
Anthony criticizes the waitress for treating him as if Black people don't tip, but then he doesn't tip. The not tipping ends up becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. How true is this of other racial stereotypes?
Quote #2
ANTHONY: You couldn't find a whiter, safer or better lit part of this city. But this white woman sees two Black guys who look like UCLA students strolling down the sidewalk and her reaction is blind fear. I mean, look at us, dawg! Are we dressed like gang-bangers? Huh? No. Do we look threatening? No. Fact, if anybody should be scared around here, it's us. We're the only two Black faces surrounded by a sea of over-caffeinated white people, patrolled by the trigger-happy LAPD. So you tell me, why aren't we scared?
All the characters in this movie talk a lot, which doesn't give other characters an opportunity to question them. So we'll question them. Do you agree with Anthony? If he and Peter weren't armed, would they be afraid of being where they are? What difference would that make?
Quote #3
RICK: Why did these guys have to be Black? I mean, why? No matter how we spin this, I'm either gonna lose the Black vote or I'm gonna lose the law-and-order vote. […] What we need is a picture of me pinning a medal on a Black man.
Rick thinks about race on a superficial level: it's a political headache, as well as a political tool. Is it a bad thing if his intentions are superficial if the outcome is good? To what extent is his attitude still racist?