American History X focuses on one very central issue, race. Throughout the film there is a battle between the stereotypes and racial attitudes. Hate crimes are cast throughout and there is a constant tension between the skinheads and blacks. It takes a tragic rape in a prison for Derek to realize that race doesn’t matter in a place like prison, and that his displaced hate has put him on the wrong track. Where the hate came from to me was very powerful and what of the most important parts of the film.
The scene is set with Derek’s family at the table. Everything is going well until the mention of Derek’s English teacher that happens to be black. This causes the father to go on a tangent. He makes a reference to the ill affects of affirmative action. Derek’s father believes that minorities (blacks) are getting jobs when they are not as qualified as other white workers, and in this specific case fireman. Shortly after Derek’s father was killed in an accident, which is what ultimately lead Derek onto his path of hate. The controversy of affirmative action was one that we discussed in the beginning of the semester ion Brodkin’s article, and one that had a great affect on the life of Derek.
Omar Mir
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