American History X
No one can honestly argue that the world currently exists without racial tensions. While some people still struggle to overcome ongoing racism and stereotypes, many have stepped over racial boundaries and resolved the struggles between them. However, Benjamin DeMott argues in his article "Put on a Happy Face: Masking the Differences Between Blacks and Whites" that Hollywood consistently hides true racial relationships by putting blacks and whites together with "happy faces," thus encouraging society to ignore the reality of racial tensions. This may be true of most Hollywood productions, but in the movie American History X, Hollywood attempts to step away from this cliched portrayal to present the more realistic and harsh relationships that exist between races. Throughout his article, DeMott criticizes the media for "suggesting that the beast of American racism is tamed and harmless" (295). He argues that Hollywood "churns out images of racial harmony," creating a fantasy world which denies the actuality of racial tensions (297). When society conceals racial problems, the situation continues to escalate an
Hollywood presents an unrealistic, friendly atmosphere between races only after years of receiving criticism for stereotyping races and not incorporating them together. Now that the media seems to be attempting to abolish racism and prejudices, at least by more or less ignoring them, critics such as DeMott argue against this unrealistic scenario. When being criticized for both extremes, can Hollywood find and maintain an agreeable midpoint? One can argue that American History X comes close to achieving such a balanced structure. While the movie revolves around racial hatred and tension, the director incorporates the evolution of a skinhead nazi into a non-biased existence; however, this change follows DeMott's view of Hollywood's typical portrayal. A single friendship with a member of another race changes Derek's mind towards all races in general. Still, the final scene leaves the viewer with tormented feelings. Dannys vicious murder in a racial crime leaves a feeling of despair, failing to suggest whether racism can be overcome. Many incidents in American History X demonstrate the division between
Some common words found in the essay are:
American History, History Hollywood, Whites Hollywood, , Supreme Court, american history, Benjamin DeMott, racial tensions, blacks whites, racial harmony, article demott, final scene, racial hatred, racial relationships, racism overcome, scene movie,
Approximate Word count = 756
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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