American history X is a movie designed to scare us. It speaks to the extremes of human emotions. It reminded me of Jhallys advertising apocalypse essay. Jhally made the point that advertising created the illusion that we needed something to be complete or to make our lives easier. Danny and Derek’s father was shot by a black man during their childhood. So because of this Danny and Derek developed a fear against black people. In order to fill the void of insecurity towards a race they embraced the ideas of white supremacy. Just like goods they are advertised to us we only buy them when we perceive we need it. The only price that Danny and Derek had to pay was time to realize the mistake they had made in choosing to accept the idea of white supremacy.
Jhally’s essay I believe made the point to question why we need to buy these things. If Danny and Derek had used the same logic, to question things, perhaps they would have rethought their actions in joining the white supremacy. This speaks to the need of people to think about their actions, and to always question why things happen. American history x also shows how volatile such organizations that use the ideas of white supremacy are so troublesome. In the scene where Derek is raped out of his interaction with a black man, is just one of many examples of how dangerous it is to harbor such intense hate. “Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time.” This quote exemplifies the major message of the movie. That harboring hate does not help anyone, And that hate can make your life mirror the events of the movie.
Douglas Domingo
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