Originally released in 2004, the film Crash did not qualify for the following year's Academy Awards; however it was considered for the most prestigious award within the film industry, an Oscar. While Paul Haggis created the film on an attempt to minimize racial prejudice, the film revealed how the world can be extremely judgmental based on the ethnicity of a person, although discrimination has been a problem for all of the United States. Racial discrimination and stereotypes were a huge impact on the personalization of each character. .
Prejudice becomes threatening when it reaches its most extreme form, known as bigotry. Acting on ones hatred can lead to a behavior known as "hate crime". This behavior is displayed in the scene were a Muslim man inside a firearm store attempted to purchase a gun. The owner is a Caucasian male that presents a negative attitude towards the customer because of his Muslim background. This feeling prompts the owner to produce a negative attitude based on the assimilation and stereotypes within the Muslim race. The owner immediately associated the customer with the Al Qaeda terrorist group, which was responsible for suicidal bombers that have killed thousands of Americans. This negative attitude and violence observed in this particular scene, is an example of prejudice, known as a negative feeling and predisposition of behavior towards a group or any member belonging to that group. It is an issue that although it has always existed in humanity, it would be thought to have dissipated in the twenty- first century. Considering that society has become better informed and educated to understand that one group's actions should not be applied to stereotype the whole race.
Additionally, a stereotype, in one of the major themes of Crash, dominates all the sub-stories that are somehow connected to each other. Moreover, as the stories go on and events develop, it becomes possible to see how characters start to have changes in their perspective and attitude towards each other; either in a positive or negative manner.
