Racismn in American History X
Racism does and will always exist in every part of the world. It's something that has been controlled over the decades but definitely not stopped. American History X is a perfect example of how simple it is for race to turn into hate. The movie specifically focuses on the "white pride" against all other minorities, especially blacks. It starts off with the older brother, Derek, being released from prison after killing two young blacks because of all the hate he had for them. The movie goes on to explain how Derek changed his opinion and attitude about minorities during the time he was in prison. He now tries to explain to his younger brother, Danny, why he felt hatred towards them in the past and why he's changed so much now. The movie covers a lot of truth about the skinheads, KKK, Nazi's, and it really gives you an insight on how a lot of this hate begins in the home. The sociological point of view will analyze how American History X displays some of the common forms of racism. The points covered in this essay will include; modern racism, learning through socialization, sociological theories, hate crimes, bias-motivated crimes. Race is a big issue in every part of this world and most don't know how to approach the subject. A
The Structural-Functionalist says "the belief in the superiority of one group over another provided moral justification for slavery..." (Mooney et al., 196) Derek really believed that his race was superior to all others and; therefore, there was no wrong in having blacks for slaves. The Conflict theorists would say that all the ethnic tension is limiting the growth of our nation. "...The wealthy and the powerful elite fosters negative attitudes toward minorities in order to maintain racial and ethnic tensions among workers." (Mooney et al., 196) As long as Derek and his Nazi group kept promoting all this hatred there would always be tension in that community. Different races would never get along because they would always be in competition. The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective focuses on the labels and meaning that affect racial and ethnic groups. "The white knight is good, and the black knight is evil; angel cake is white and devil's food cake is black." (Mooney et al., 197) Color is only skin deep and nothing more, yet somehow that is how humans are categorized. Like a former racist skinhead who was interviewed, Derek from the movie also ended up changing his beliefs and attitudes about minority. The former skinhead said that he learned his racism by his grandfather and Derek learned it from his own father so what does that say about family values? Parents might not believe it but they have the greatest influence on how their children form opinions and to guide them the wrong way will only hurt them and most likely others in the future. Danny, Derek's brother, was heading down the wrong path because of his brother but soon came to learn that it is very possible to accept minorities and change the way you think about life. It is it easier to change acts that attitudes but it i
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1212
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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