I’m Black and Paranoid
An L.A. native’s view of Crash
The contemplative thug played by rapper Ludacris deals with what I will call racial paranoia. As a black person, I know that I am quite often paranoid about whether someone is racist or not. I wonder if the woman following me around a store is following me because I’m black. Is that person staring at me because I’m black? Did this restaurant seat me in the back corner by the kitchen because I’m black? I’m so paranoid that I don’t know how many times I’ve jokingly used the phrase: It’s ‘cause I’m black, isn’t it?
In Los Angeles, we’re always in a hurry and always so busy. If we just took the time out to walk around, feel out our surroundings, and come into contact with people from different cultures, we would see the grayness in people. If Crash tries to preach anything, it is that nothing and no one is black and white. From the crooked cop to the criminal thug, we all have complicated reasons for the things we say, do and believe. I realize the chances of people in Los Angeles actually taking the time out to learn about other people and cultures are slim to none, just like the chance of it snowing in L.A. as it does at the end of Crash. It seems impossible, but it could happen.
Joy Mitchell is a sophomore at the University of Southern California.
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