The Film American History X A Neo Nazi Essay - 1490 Words

In the film American History X a neo-Nazi named Derek struggles with what he believes and how it impacts his family. Throughout the film Derek is swayed into beliefs due to various events that can be interpreted in various ways. From the death of his father, the social injustices examined within the media, and even his father’s own beliefs pressed onto him, Derek develops a discriminatory attitude leading him to go so far as becoming a neo-Nazi. His beliefs can actually be explained by social psychological concepts such as Fundamental Attribution Error, social influence, and Attribution Theory. These concepts provide valuable insight to understand Derek’s point of view. In a very early scene it is shown that Derek’s father was killed by an African-American man. Derek is being interviewed by a reporter on television and he is obviously distraught. The reporter asks Derek about the situation but the video begins to escalate from there. Derek states that his father was a hard-working individual within the field of construction and begins to preach about social injustices towards Caucasian, protestant families by minorities and incoming immigrants. This confuses the reporter as Derek is now focused on the acts of minorities and other races than the situation regarding his father’s death. Fundamental Attribution Error is a term used to describe an attitude or belief of someone viewing a situation or being affected by a situation (Gilovich, Keltner, Chen, and Nisbett, 2013). ThisShow MoreRelatedFilm Review of American History X1110 Words   |  5 PagesThe film American History X is rated by the users of IMDB.com (Internet Movie DataBase) a s one of the 50 best films ever made. It is a crime/drama, a very violent film; not for the faint-hearted. American History X was released in 1998, and it is directed by Tony Kaye. Casting: -Edward Norton (Derek Vinyard) -Edward Furlong (Daniel Vinyard) -Avery Brooks (Dr. Bob Sweeney) -Stacy Keach (Cameron Alexander) -Beverly DAngelo (Doris Vinyard) -Jennifer Lien (Davina Vinyard) Read MoreAmerican History X : Tony Kaye Essay1651 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican History X (Tony Kaye. 1998), is an example of a Hollywood film that boldly embodies Bernardi’s argument; â€Å"US cinema has consistently constructed whiteness, the representation and narrative form of Eurocentrism, as the norm by which all ‘Others’ fail by comparison† (Bernardi page5). The plotline centres on the main character; a former neo-Nazi skinhead named Derek Vinyard, and his attempt to stop his younger brother- Danny Vinyard from getting involved in the white supremacy gangs of LosRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie American History X 858 Words   |  4 Pagesothers on the meanings and assumptions associated primarily with physical appearances. Often racism is a matter of learning–whether at the very personal/familial level, or the institutional level. The film,American History X, tells the story of two brothers who are both involved with a Neo-Nazi gang in Venice Beach. The movie starts with the older brother Derrick getting out of jail for the murder of two black gang members. At the same time his brother is getting out of jail, the younger brotherRead MoreRacism in American History X951 Words   |  4 PagesAmerican History X is clearly a film dealing with racism. The interesting thing about this film is the way in which the subject is treated. First of all, it is obvious that, though racism is always a difficult subject to deal with, American History X presents it without any reservations or dumming down. Second, the films figurehead for racism, Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton), is not an unintelligent redneck racist as films often portray them, but is in fact well-spoken, charismatic and intelligentRead MoreEssay on Racism in American History X936 Words   |  4 Pages American History X is clearly a film dealing with racism. The interesting thing about this film is the way in which the subject is treated. First of all, it is obvious that, though racism is always a difficult subject to deal with, American History X presents it without any reservations or dumming down. Second, the films figurehead for raci sm, Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton), is not an unintelligent redneck racist as films often portray them, but is in fact well-spoken, charismatic and intelligentRead MoreStereotypes, Conformity, And Discrimination1742 Words   |  7 PagesPrejudices and Discrimination in American History X Abstract Stereotyping, prejudice, conformity, and discrimination are well portrayed in the movie American History X. The negative attitude held by Derek towards to black people is greatly influenced and learned from his father who was a racist. Derek also transfers these prejudice attitudes towards his younger brother Danny as he grows up seeing the racism practiced in his family and his brother. Although these attitudes are based on propagandaRead MoreThe Five Theories Of Deviance1001 Words   |  5 PagesIn the 1998 film American History X, Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for brutally murdering two black men who were breaking into his truck. Through his Brother Danny’s narration of a paper he is writing, it is learned that Derek was the leader of a large Neo-Nazi group known as D.O.C., or Disciples of Christ, that committed many acts of racial crime throughout Los Angeles. During his time in prison Derek decides that hate is a waste of time after being vio lently raped byRead MoreAmerican History X By Tony Kaye And Written By David Mckenna1439 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican History X Almost one week before I started to take this class, I watched â€Å"American History X† for the first time. When I learned we are going to do this project, this movie was on my mind and I did not surprise at all when I saw it in our movie list. Since the beginning of the semester, everything related to multiculturalism in this movie is becoming clearer to me. Multiculturalism is a huge issue, especially the country like the US which has many different races. One of the first thingsRead More American History X Essay examples1430 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican History X American History X is clearly a film dealing with the social topic of racism. The interesting thing about this film is the way in which the subject is presented. First of all, it is obvious that, though racism is always a difficult subject to deal with, American History X presents it without any reservations or dummying down. Second, the films figurehead for racism, Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton), is not an unintelligent redneck racist as films often portray them, but is inRead MoreAmerican History X By Tony Kaye1130 Words   |  5 PagesAmerican History X American History X, directed by Tony Kaye, is one of the most controversial, critically-acclaimed movies of the twentieth century. The film is about a man named Derek who serves three-years in prison for murdering two African-American gang members who broke into his truck. Derek’s younger brother, Danny, tells the story of how Derek became this hateful, racist person through various flashback throughout the story. Danny and Derek’s father was killed by an African-American while