American History X
A film like American History X, on its own, is not powerful enough to perpetuate racism. Those who go into the film with racism in their hearts or a history of racist activity may identify with the ideas and behaviors of the racist characters in the film but, ultimately, it is a film, a story, not meant to incite or illicit behaviors. That is the danger in film, and music, literature, etc. you can only control the product, not the reactions or actions of the audience after consuming the product. Similarly, Boyz ‘N the Hood was not meant to propagate black urban crime or negative attitudes and language towards women, but I am sure there were some that walked away from the film thinking that the characters’ bad behavior was “cool,” even though it was meant as an example of the negative aspects and a “what not to do” learning experience. American History X surely had similar consequences. Some people are just incapable of “getting it” – understanding the true message, because they can only see with their limited vision, and will only choose to believe that their way (racism) is right and that this film serves as proof.
This film intentionally or unintentionally does not reveal the insidious ways in which racism creeps into popular culture. Racism exists – fact. Sexism exists. All forms of discrimination exist today – whether or not we witness these acts on a daily basis – they are there. People have histories rooted in bigotry, families perpetuate certain ideals. These forces are much more powerful than a film. We cannot blame a movie for a critical and unresolved dilemma in our nation. Rather than pointing a finger at the entertainment industry, we should focus our attention on raising education levels and breaking the vicious cycles and influences of racism.
I agree with Beck in that sure, maybe the villainous character is attractive, but only in the sense that “The Joker” from Batman or “Tony Montana” from Scarface is attractive. It’s not that we “like” these characters, but they serve an attractive purpose in the film. We are attracted to these dark characters because of their unattractive ways – but in no way does that mean we try to emulate them. In a movie we may root for the “bad guy” or find him more interesting, but I can guarantee, in reality those of us free from the ignorant history of racism and with any sense of morality are rooting for the good guys – because we are the good guys.