The events of the Crown Heights conflict revealed what it is like when tensions rooted in deeply held stereotypes come to fruition. The two groups in discussion are two highly stereotyped and persecuted people groups – Jews and Blacks. As a result, the events of Crown Heights were not solely due to the car accidents; there were preexisting tensions already at work. As a result, groups acted out in ways not directly proportional to the events which further perpetuated the gap and misunderstandings between the groups. In her performance piece, Anna Deveare Smith attempts to portray the perceptions of the diverse people involved in order to reveal how stereotypes impacted the events that occurred in Crown Heights and how society might prevent …show more content…
After the events in Nazi Germany, there is a history for the Jews that is deeply painful and a part of their heritage. The people group as a whole has long been persecuted, stigmatized, and marginalized. In her portrayal of the Lubavitches, Smith often calls upon the idea of ignorance. In her portrayal of the anonymous preschool teacher, she points out both the ignorance of the woman and the Black boy. The preschool teacher makes automatic assumptions of the little black boy in that “he couldn’t possibly be Jewish”. The boy, in turn, has no knowledge of the Jewish Sabbath laws and does not understand why she could not turn off her own radio. This seems to show that the Jewish find their religion or culture to be superior and exclusive to those of a certain race. It is clear that the two have had little to no previous interactions with the other group, and the ignorance on both sides causes each to have a negative perception of the other. Again with Rivkah Siegal, Smith emphasizes the ignorance of outsiders to understand the Jewish culture and traditions of wearing a wig. This lack of understanding leads to ostracizing which is not conducive to building relationships. Rather, it only builds tension between the groups that could explode in any given …show more content…
The community lacked social or institutional support to promote contact. Contact should not be attributed to proximity alone. It takes intentional relationship building and getting to know the other and their struggles; in fact, the two groups, rather than view their history as in competition for attention or sympathy, ought to share in their struggles in order to affirm and encourage the other. As it stands, the two groups fail to address the real problem of dichotomization within their community and any means of contact were not sufficient for development. The participants ought to view each other as equal members, no group having the upper hand. But all this means nothing if the community is not committed to reconciliation founded in intentionality, sincerity, sacrifice, and empowerment. While humans have a tendency to be self-centered and self-serving, they are created in the image of God and have potential to have relationships that serve the community and others; reconciliation is a