"American History X" and Racism

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer maintains that while 'American History X' tries to be a movie about ultimately overcoming racism, it fails in this task.
The writer looks at the unstated contrast between the white characters and the black characters in the film and discusses that throughout this movie, the various groups interact in ways that reflect confrontation and eventually violence rather than cooperation. The writer also discusses that the implicit message in this film is that whites have made huge sacrifices on issues of civil rights. The writer notes that according to the film, the whites are the ones who have gone through the transformation, so they are now the ones suffering from discrimination.

From the Paper:

"Throughout this movie, the various groups interact in ways that reflect confrontation and eventually violence rather than cooperation. In one of the critical scene, a flashback, three black youths try to break into Derek's car. Alerted by little brother Danny, Derek rushes out to his car and shoots two of the three youths. This is his murder scene, and he clearly enjoys the power of life and death over the black youths."
"This movie tries to be a story about the dangers of white supremacy, but in many ways it is almost literally the opposite of that. It contains many white supremacist messages and a great deal of problematic imagery and material. While the filmmakers may not have intended that it be read in this way, they may have inadvertently perpetuated many of the very stereotypes that they claim to have wanted to challenge. This is often a problem of insidious rather than overt racism."

Sample of Sources Used:

• American History X. Morrissey, J. (Producer), & Kaye, T. (Director). (1998). New Line Cinema, Los Angeles).
• Ansen, David. "The Redemption of a Skinhead." Newsweek. Oct. 26, 1998, 132 (17): 78-79.
• Bennett, K., Johnson, W., & Triplett, R., "The role of the media in integrative shaming: A content analysis." In F. Bailey & D. Hale, eds. Popular Culture, Crime, and Justice (pp. 142-156). Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1998.
• Coltrane, S. & Messineo, M. "The perpetuation of subtle prejudice: Race and gender imagery in 1990s television advertising." Sex Roles. 2000: 42: 363-89.
• Corliss, Richard. "Thug Chic." Time. Nov. 2, 1998, 152 (18): 100.

More papers on "American History X" and Racism:

• Essay # 73380 : "The Transformation of Derek Vinyard in "American History X"
• Film Review # 128173 : "Analysis of "American History X"
• Film Review # 118595 : "Theme of Racism in "American History X"

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