American History X: What’s Behind Racism?

In 1998, American History X , an American film directed by Tony Kaye and starring Edward Furlong and an unrecognizable Edward Norton, was released. The film is part of the North American society of the time, not very different from the current one; a world in which immigration has changed the silhouette of our cities and has caused some of the most radical ideas, which seemed dormant, to come back with force and to settle in the youngest minds.

American History X begins with a black and white scene as a flashback , a violent scene in which a young neo-Nazi, Derek Vinyard, brutally murders two young African-Americans who were trying to steal his car, all this while their house is sleeping. mother, her two sisters and her little brother watch the scene in amazement.

Moments later we witness the present, this time in color, where the young Daniel Vinyard, Derek’s brother, seems to be following in his brother’s footsteps and presenting an essay on Mein Kampf at his institute . In an attempt to prevent him from ruining his life, Professor Sweeney entrusts him with a peculiar work called “American History X” in which he must reflect on his brother’s actions.

The proposal of American History X is interesting and the plot is well raised, however, it generated somewhat contradictory opinions, some critics called it melodramatic and highlighted the difficulty to empathize with Derek’s character; It is difficult to believe that he is the same person after returning from prison and it is difficult to understand the behavior of his mother and sister. Can forgiveness be that easy?

As spectators, we cannot forget in a few minutes the brutality of the opening scene; Therefore, the feeling is strange and we find it hard to believe that the Derek at the end is the same as the one at the beginning.

Norton’s work to embody Derek is really surprising, we believe his interpretation, but the character may not finish penetrating, perhaps, this is because of the complexity that his redemption poses. It is difficult for us to accept his new situation, his attempt to get away from his dark past and, for this reason, the film generates many moral doubts in the viewer and makes him lose credibility. Despite this, it is interesting to see the background of the ideas of the two main characters, the manipulation suffered by the most vulnerable and to understand, to a certain extent, why this type of hatred is generated in our current societies.

Thus, between past scenes in black and white and present scenes in color, we discover the reasons that led Derek to his imprisonment and subsequent redemption. A vision linked to the transmission of ideas from generation to generation, which makes us think about our own prejudices and their nature.

Immigration and racism

Every day we are more used to walking through the center of a city and meeting people of different origins, religions, cultures, etc. However, and although many of us try to avoid it, there are many prejudices towards different cultures, prejudices that are deeply rooted in our society and even in institutions and that are very difficult to combat.

Each town has its cultural identity and we all like to feel part of something; It is normal to defend our customs, our language and culture, we want “what is ours” to last, so that what our parents and grandparents have transmitted to us does not disappear. For this reason, as soon as we see that that idea that we had of “ours” falters, that it begins to fade, some conflicts may arise and, in the worst case, rescue ideas that can trigger hatred.

American History X places us in a neighborhood of working people, a neighborhood to which, over time, people from very diverse backgrounds have been arriving. Many of these people are condemned to marginalization, something that happens very frequently in our cities. This mass arrival provokes a reaction among the indigenous population, a reaction of rejection and hatred. At the same time, immigrants feel rejection towards the local population due to their marginalized condition, thus, hatred flows to both sides, making relationships and integration impossible.

After the loss of his father, Derek will blame the black and Latino population for his death and for all the problems of society, from here on, he will experience changes in his vision of the world that will lead him to relate to Cameron, a man of middle-aged and neo-Nazi ideology.

Cameron sees in Derek a frustrated young man, a vulnerable young man, but with a lot of potential, because he is intelligent and feels a lot of anger towards all ethnic minorities. Cameron will take advantage of this situation and entrust him with the task of leading his own “army”, a group of young skinheads similar to Derek who will dedicate themselves to taking justice for their own account.

In the same way, we will see a reaction on the part of otherness, on the side of blacks; young people from both groups will form gangs where violence will be fundamental. The interesting thing is that Cameron, the brain of the whole operation, will always stay out of any altercation, without getting his hands dirty, manipulating the young people and organizing parties for them. All this so that they cling tightly to those ideas that he has implanted and that they act violently of their own free will.

American History X: From Executioner to Victim

Danny has idolized Derek even though he is in jail for murder, the group of skinheads he led has grown stronger and stronger and they consider Derek a hero. However, while in his old environment they insist on praising his actions, Derek becomes “black” upon arrival at the prison, he will be abused by other prisoners and will try to find his place with the whites.

Derek joins a group of neo-Nazis in prison, but he realizes that they no longer believe in anything, their ideology is not strong and it is nothing more than a simple facade. At the same time, he will share his work in the laundry with a young African American who tries to make his day in jail a little less harsh. At first Derek will be reluctant to talk to him due to his ideas, but eventually he will open up and become an ally in prison.

Derek becomes the otherness when he arrives in jail, he will feel in his own skin the abuse and violence that he himself had caused to other people only because of his skin color or origin. In this way, and with the help of visits from Professor Sweeney, redemption will come. Obviously, he can’t bring the two people he murdered back to life, but he can make his brother choose another path. When he is released from prison, he must face the harsh reality that he left behind and will try to help his brother so that he does not make the same mistake as him.

We think with inherited ideas that are transmitted generation after generation, we feel emotional ties towards our origin, we do not want our cultural identity to disappear. At the same time, social policies do not favor positive integration either, and conflicts arise in the face of the arrival of new cultures. However, our history, our world, is the result of migratory movements, cultural and linguistic exchanges, etc.

American History X  reveals the truth behind Derek’s ideas, how they were the result of his father’s inheritance and were reinforced with the help of Cameron. Tragic, violent and crude, it presents us with the most radical consequences of a reality that is not unknown.