American History X

American History X is a terrifying movie to watch. Terrifying for is visuals of murder, familial relations, race relations, and hatred. Terrifying at how persuasive Edward Norton, as Derek Vinyard, is in his white supremacist speeches, rants, and actions; not because they are so extreme, which they are, but because as the viewer, you begin to understand where he is coming from. Terrifying in how this film speaks to some of the conditions of our country. No one can trust anyone, and those you do trust may turn on you or not be what they seem.

However, American History X is also a movie that must be seen. It shows the tension on both sides of the black/white racial conflict. It speaks to how, while the US has worked so hard to right this situation, the situation still remains. It shows how we as white Americans cannot fully comprehend the struggles minorities face in America. One of the things the film best succeeds in displaying is how these ideas and motives are born from the people who have influence in your life. Derek was taught to hate blacks through his father, and he then passed that same hatred onto his brother. It was only after Derek murdered two black men and was sent to prison that he began to see the flaws in the white supremacists. While they spoke of not dealing with people of other races, within the prison, those same people were the ones they made deals with. Additionally, Derek is befriended by a young black man who shows him through simple words and actions that hatred only begets hatred. This same point is driven home through one of Derek's former (black) teachers who keeps up with him in prison, challenging him to rethink his focus. One of the key questions this teacher poses to Derek is "Has anything you've done made your life better?"

This is a movie that is extremely hard to look at, listen to, and take in at times. But it is a movie that reminds of the hatred in this world and, more importantly, how people can change, and redemption can happen.