American History X-Melissa Colbert
The film American History X dives into a world of extreme racism, hate and violence. Throughout the movie, we see the main character Danny deal with the racism that has been instilled in him ever since he was a boy. With the help of his brother Derek, who was once an influential member of a group of racist skinheads, Danny finally looses his hatred towards other races. The majority of the film is somewhat anti-racist in tone, revealing the devastation racism can bring to a family and a community; however, when Danny is shot by an African American student in the final minutes of the movie, it leaves audiences to believe that acceptance and peace between races is almost impossible if only one group attempts to change. This lead to one major critique of the film that white people are depicted as the only ones who can make change and stereotypes black people as violent. Another critique of the film is that it portrays racists as violent skinheads and does not take into account that racism can be found in not so obvious ways as well. I would agree that American History X is an extreme in its accounts of racism; however, the scene where Derek and Danny’s father, who is a well respected fireman, talks to Derek about his racist views shows that not all racists are extremists.