Treuer speaks of this method of saving his people's language by founding a school, Lac Courte Oreilles, which operates in total immersion in the Ojibwe language. In this way, teachers can preserve culture and even improve and enrich children's lives by keeping them in touch with their cultural background and guiding them into the 21st century with teachings and knowledge all performed in their native language. This method allows the Ojibwe culture to survive and not encourage its extinction if the members of the tribe were to somehow completely assimilate into American culture. Throughout the film, group separatism is used in a different way that allows viewers to see how this method could prove lethal to even a culture or ethnic group. The character Anthony, played by Ludacris, constantly tries to separate black culture from white culture by talking to his friend about white society's injustices on black society. He states: “That waitress assessed us in two seconds. We're black and black people don't tip. So he wouldn't waste his time. Now someone like that? There's nothing you can do to change his mind." (Crash) This thought process allows Anthony to remain focused and isolated in his ethnic culture, however, being based on cognitive distortion and stereotypes, keeps him isolated from others and impedes his ability to grow beyond such separatism and prejudice. This is where group separatism doesn't work. The film and the essay, however, highlighted two models of ethnic relations that are worth talking about
tags