Smash

I'm glad that Crash won Best Picture at the Oscars last night. It's an outstanding movie, with particular relevance to Bermuda. I wrote a brief review last year.

If you haven't already seen it, do yourself a favour and rent a copy tonight.

If you have, watch it again.

Comments

[Cancundreaming on 06.03.06 at 12:37]

I loved this paragraph from the times about Crash's win, it made me laugh..

"But it was Paul Haggis's "Crash," which opened to decidedly mixed reviews but was a sleeper hit last summer, that proved a hometown favorite among the Angelenos who make up the vast majority of academy voters. They no doubt approved of its depiction of blacks, whites, Latinos and Iranians venting at one another, and perhaps, too, of its racial humor in service of a more serious point about intolerance and preconceptions."

[Raptor on 06.03.06 at 13:47]

I saw it twice and think it's great!

[orange on 06.03.06 at 15:18]

While it discuses race relations it really doesn't have a whole lot in common with Bermuda. In the U.S. blacks are unempowered, discriminated against, and basically kept on the bottom rung. Can you really say that about Bermuda? No whiners need answer.

[stuart J Hayward on 06.03.06 at 16:17]

Orange writes:

"While it discuses race relations it really doesn't have a whole lot in common with Bermuda. In the U.S. blacks are unempowered, discriminated against, and basically kept on the bottom rung. Can you really say that about Bermuda? No whiners need answer."

I haven't seen the movie yet so my comments lack that input. I am answering as I don't see myself as a "whiner".

If we look at Bermuda's bottom rung, however elevated it may be, it is overpopulated by blacks — prison population, homeless, drug and teen rehab programs. We may debate the reasons but that doesn't alter the facts. If we look at the upper echelons, they are disproportionately represented by whites — executive/management jobs, bankrolls, business ownership, and so on. Again we may debate reasons but the facts persist. Almost by default, these positions are related to the distribution of power and an institutional discrimination.

The most significant difference between the US and Bermuda is that Bermuda has a majority black population, yet until seven years ago no party representing that majority had held the reins of governance. Given at least 200 years in the numerical majority, we are in very early days of having our hands on a tentacle of political power. We have a long way to go before the power to steer WHAT people think about and HOW they think about it (media representation) is balanced, and even longer before economic power (and its ability to determine media ownership and real political power) is balanced. And that ain't whining!

[tilti on 06.03.06 at 18:19]

Stuart, I certainly don't agree with orange. As you say the bottom wrung of the ladder in Bermuda is filled with. But, and maybe I am being optimistic, I don't think the sexual harrassment between the white officer and the black woman that occurs in the movie would ever happen in Bermuda. I don't see the racial antagonism the movie portrays happening in Bermuda, and I would like to think that that is because of a greater degree of respect between the races here.

[Bill Cook on 06.03.06 at 18:19]

Stuart,

I once did a study of the purchasing power in total dollar value to indicate how purchasing power could bring about change.

I also did a study of what percentage of Bermudians owned the homes they lived in etc.

Then I indicated the stats on those employed by area of employment in order to identify methods of levelling the playing field.

This was done in answer to various posters but none were ever answered with facts and figures.

About 60% of whites owned the homes they lived in and about 52% of blacks but as blacks make up two to one of whites they own more homes obviously, and there may be more luxury homes owned by super wealthy many are not Bermudian so dont figure in the equation.

I think there are more middle class blacks than whites numerically and the middle class is Bermudas largest one.

When recently someone said that we had a shrinking middle class I disputed that as I believe we have a growing underclass that is predominantly black but not exclusively so.

My reason for this was attributed to the overgrowth in too short a period of time of IB etc with many Bermudians not in a position to fill the jobs and the loss of the hospitality business where the semi skilled as it were could always find employment.

In my opinion the ultimate answer to financial parity lies with education and a family structure that would enhance learning skills and foster goal setting with a work ethic, as many Bermudian friends have demostrated.

[stuart J Hayward on 06.03.06 at 20:28]

Bill,
I agree with growth too much too fast as a leading problem. However, if parity depends on education and family we're sunk. Family dysfunction impedes much that education could accomplish, for everyone. The resulting fragmentation — public, established private, new private (home schools) — reinforces disparity.

[stuart J Hayward on 06.03.06 at 20:31]

Tilti,
I've yet to see the film so can't comment on scene-specifics. I agree that we are more respectful and, I would suggest, less hostile.