Why did CRASH win the big prize and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN NOT?
Well, maybe because in LA, the cops don't regularly break the boredom
of a long shift by pulling cowboys over and humiliating them.

The difference between civil rights and civil liberties
is that civil rights protect WHO YOU ARE.

Civil Liberties protect WHAT YOU DO (like free speech, free association, use of one's own body, etc.)

I know that gay is BOTH what you are and what you do.

But when thuggish violent morons are on the prowl,
a WHITE gay male can pretend
NOT TO BE the kind of target that they're looking for.

People of color can't.

The message of intolerance is broader and more complex in CRASH.

And the idea that a man can be BOTH a stupid thug and a selfless hero
IS a new theme for Hollywood.