OAKLEY TAPOLA AmericanHistoryX
I think what bothers me most about American History X is it complete lack of finesse in terms of being an effective commentary on the state of American race relations. As we discussed in class its shocking content raises issues with whether or not the film actually stands as a conductor of constructive conversation. Obviously since the film is able to generate some discussion, whether we can really determine if its productive or not in terms of the message its trying to relay, its worth considering even if its just to help reveal the misconstruing power of the American media. The part of the film that’s most effective for me, and probably the most successful in the eyes of most viewers, is Derek's journey to understanding through going to prison. This is mostly because the plot is compelling in a way that doesn’t occur throughout the rest of the film. It is more poignant and meaningful and realistic than any of the over the top occurrence that appear throughout the rest of the film. While an extreme sect of society is focused on in the movie I mostly find that it is lacking in any sort of critical analysis. The extremeness of the situations in which they are portrayed in untypical. While the violence and hatred being acted upon or vocalized isn’t necessary untrue it manages to become a caricature of itself and perpetuates idea about where hatred is cultivated, how it festers and how it is projected into the world. A lot of hate is entirely harbored through conventional practices and this film treats racial relations as though hate and fear exist due to these extreme sorts of sources. It’s also so rudimentary in its final message that it’s a little offensive. It manages to reel you into a plot in which you ultimately fear for and have compassion for all characters involved but finally in the end leaves with a rotten taste in our mouth. “Hate transcends all� is definitely a valuable message but in dealing with such a complicated issue that is so specific to American communities it seems this film can only be strictly based on projecting a vision of society that is going to be shocking on exploitative in order to promote ticket sales, not inform. Boo-urns.