American History X

This movie begs to the viewer to think about the views of black and white. With the issues raised in this movie, one must write it down to get the full effect of all that is going on in this movie. One of the ideas in this movie is to show that a person, who can see both sides of an issue, can make better decisions based on that knowledge. That is the key to well rounded idea.

What can be learned from American History X? In a conflict there are at least two points of view. If you don't know both sides how do you know you are right? To know both sides makes you better prepared to argue your case or to make a decent decision. Along those same lines you must do the research. Taking someone else's opinion is not the same as doing the research your self.

The leading cause for Derek becoming a white supremacist was the fact that he was raised that way. His father was racist, and he instilled his beliefs in Derek and the rest of his family. This is an important foundation for the way he acted throughout the movie. When Derek's father was killed in a black neighborhood fighting a fire, the words he had for the reporters were his father's words. When Derek and "friends" attacked the grocery store, where two of his "friends" had lost their jobs, his father's words flowed again. Derek learned to be a white supremacist from his father.

With the loss of his father, Danny turned to Derek as the father figure. Danny thought his brother was a hero. As the story goes he followed in Derek's footsteps; the only difference was that Danny was still thinking. This is evident in the fact that he questioned the white supremacy cause. Are all black people bad? Is Sweeney a bad guy? Danny wasn't blinded by anger and this proves that racism can be unlearned.

In jail Derek learns a lot about his life and the world around him. While he joins with people of the same beliefs, he finds that they aren't that different. When he saw a member of the gang buy drugs from a Hispanic man and sell it to white guy, it goes against his beliefs. He used to preach that blacks kill their own kind, and a member of his own gang was doing the same thing. The other thing that happens he made a new acquaintance, a black man, he learned that people are just people no matter the color. This is reinforced when his gang attacked him and the blacks left him alone. He learned that he was a nigger in prison.

The major change in Derek came when Sweeney

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