Characters Filled with Hatred in Movie American History X Essay

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American History X is an invigorating movie that takes its viewers on a journey in a well thought and unsuspecting plot. The main character is consumed with hatred for every race excluding white Protestants. When he encounters desocialization/resocialization in a prison, he changes his thoughts and beliefs, and they follow him even after he leaves the prison. Groupthink and deviance are both displayed in this movie thoroughly. While groupthink is accepted in society and portrayed as the norm, deviance is unlawful and disrespectful among the social groups. Race and sexuality play important roles by shaping what’s socially accepted throughout the movie. American History X exposes us to groupthink in an obvious way. The DOC believes that…show more content…
Race is a huge part of the film. It’s introduced from the very beginning of the film, when Danny tells Derek a black guy is breaking into his car. Derek immediately grabs his gun and exits the house in a shooting frenzy with no remorse. When their father gets killed by a black man while trying to put out a fire in a “crack neighborhood” this seems to enforce the difference between the races even more. Not only that, when they’re all at dinner one night and racism is being discussed. The family affects prejudice through modeling (Bergen, 2001). When the father emphasizes how he is racist, he’s teaching his children that it’s okay to be prejudice. This is especially detrimental to Derek and his siblings because they’ll act on this information throughout their entire life. While the presence of ethnic prejudice is problematic in any sector of the community, the probability that it may widespread among school age children is a particular concern (Nesdale, 1999). This period is when children gain social knowledge and attitudes that could follow them into adulthood (Nesdale, 1999). Although some may argue American History X is just for entertainment, I believe it exposes us to many sociological methods. Groupthink and deviance are displayed enticingly, while showing the film watchers their true meanings. Groupthink is portrayed as a means of
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