Paul Haggis' film Crash (2004), demonstrates how people can adopt a dominant and subordinate role at the same time, this is illustrated through the character Jean Cabot. When people look at Jean they see a rich white woman. As a result of the way a person appears, their actions are scrutinized due to social construction. Jean is white, so people assume she leads a charmed life. Although Jean's racial identity and class allow her to be a member of the dominant group, her gender does not have as much power as white males; Jean builds her life around the racial identity she is assigned and participates in the social construction that plagues American communities. Racial identity is often described as the color of a person's skin and the race associated with that color. Jean Cabot's racial identity places her above people of color and as a member of the dominant group. He allows this identity that Los Angeles society has created to define who he is and how he should live his life. Jean's husband has a well-paying job and is very present in the media, so it is assumed that she will not work and become a stay-at-home mom. It is not taken into account that she works because a maid takes care of her house and child, so she is not needed throughout the day. As a member of the dominant group, dominants are expected to maintain a sense of normalcy (Miller 112), Jean encourages people's views of her by being superficial and often self-centered. When she talks to her friends on the phone after her car is stolen, her main concern is that she has been raped by people beneath her. The main characteristics of being dominant come from being White, however it is... .. middle of paper ...... and unfair; however the actions of the people surrounding an individual often influence the individual's actions. The person must possess a strong sense of self, otherwise they will inevitably fall into the categories in which their community places them. Works CitedCrash. Director Paolo Haggis. Perf. Sandra Bullock. Lions Gate, 2004. DVD.Miller, Jean Baker. “Domination and subordination”. Race, class, and gender in the United States. Ed. Paolo Rothenberg. New York, NY: Worth Publishers, 2010. 108-114. Print.Omi, Michael and Howard Winant. "Racial formations". Race, class, and gender in the United States. Ed. Paolo Rothenberg. New York, NY: Worth Publishers, 2010. 13-22. Print.Buck, Pem Davidson. “Constructing Race, Creating White Privilege.” Race, class, and gender in the United States. Ed. Paolo Rothenberg. New York, NY: Worth Publishers, 2010. 32-37. Press.