I wasn’t raised to be a Racist, at least not the brand of Overt Racist that finds himself committing hate crimes, attending secret meetings, or reading propaganda supporting the Overt Racist agenda. It could be argued that my background was geared toward the creation of a Subtle Racist – the brand that speaks with political correctness in public, while privately harboring stereotypes as more truth than fiction. Yet whatever my environment intended, I wound up as Enlightened White Man. This brand acknowledges the sins of the past, the sins of the Overt Racist, and the sins of the Subtle Racist. He publicly denounces these sins and stands shoulder to shoulder with the Other in a fight for justice and equality. No doubt, you know all of these brands.

Crash is a film about race and racism. Elements of other themes can be found - broken relationships, reconciliation, and the human longing for love and acceptance are all there – but these serve the master cause of exposing racism in all of its many brands. In this film, there are no heroes and there is no protagonist for whom to cheer. Every character whether Caucasian, African-American, Asian, or Hispanic is to one degree or another a Racist. Each harbors stereotypes deep within him/herself that cause pain and destruction through a series of relationships and interactions. Each is the victim of racism, and each is the perpetrator of the same. And this is Haggis’ America – a melting pot that never quite reached the boiling point and instead wound up a soupy, racist mess.

This is a film that stays with me. It is there when I am approached by young black men on the streets. It is there when I hire cheap Mexican laborers to fix my house. It is there when Asian immigrants bus my table at the restaurant. It is there to remind me that every time I shape my interactions with another person based on the color of their skin that I am a Racist. It is there to remind me when I prejudge a person by outward appearance that I am part of the problem and not the solution.

As a follower of Jesus, that is precisely the opposite of what I am called to be. The essence of living in the Kingdom of the Heavens (as Jesus called his Way of Life) is to be a part of the solution. And despite my whimpering defense that I am an Enlightened White Man, I know better. Jesus talked about “One” and “Unity” and “We.” I talk about “They” and “Those People.” And I pray for the coming day when I can no longer say, “I am a Racist.”

Steven Nicholson earns a comfortable living writing reviews for Cinneklesia. He hopes that when people Google “Steven Nicholson + Racist”, they will read the whole review before jumping to conclusions.