American History X Essay

American History X is a film that centered on both brothers and how their lives changed when their father died. The story revolved around discrimination and racialism. But close importantly, the movie emphasized the capability of an single to change. The main character, Derek Vinyard, transformed into a racist when his father died in the line of duty by a minority and when he killed two black men who tried to pride him. Before he entered prison, Derek had already a preconceived notion that coloreds were thr occupyen to the parliamentary procedure and that the Whites were the superior bleed.However, inside the penal complex, he found reveal that there is good and bad in every race. So to embarrass his younger brother, Danny, from committing the same mistakes, Derek encouraged him to be open-minded and disregard completely the things that were inculcated to him when they were members of the Neo-Nazi group (IMDb). This movie was able to show three sociological concepts viz. differential association, racism and social variation. Differential association is a skill theory which focused on the processes by which individuals come to commit deplorable acts (Hamlin).In the film, this was shown when Derek joined the neo-Nazi group he started to adapt a to a greater extent delinquent lifestyle like thrashing the local grocery store. Meanwhile, racism is defined as the idea that race sets the difference in the constitution or competency of an individual which results to some race being best than the others (Eckert). This concept was portrayed when Seth and Danny were having a conversation. Seth asked Danny who he detest and Danny replied, I hate anyone that isnt white Protestant. Theyre a slant to the advancement of the white race (Kaye).Lastly would be social inequality which refers to the ways in which socially-defined categories of persons (according to characteristics such as gender, age, class and ethnicity) are differentially positioned with rega rd to access to a variety of social goods like genteelness (Centre for East European Language-Based Area Studies). In the movie, this was represented when two Black guys were trying to steal Dereks truck. This shows how some races are well bump off than the others because they have better jobs, houses and benefits.I think American History X is an eye-opening film about the presence of discrimination, prejudice and hatred in the society due to difference in race. More so, the movie tried to relay the message that delinquency is learned and it can be unlearned if an individual is put in a better environment. When Derek went to prison, he realized that race was not a major issue that separated one individual from another it was more on how a person presented himself/herself to a group. In the end, it would always be every man for himself in this dog eat dog world.Works CitedAmerican History X. 2009. IMDb. 28 May 2009 <http//www.imdb. com/ style/tt0120586/plotsummary> American H istory X. Dir. Tony Kaye. New Line Cinema, 1999. New Dimensions of Social divergence? n. d. Centre for East European Language-Based Area Studies. 28 May 2009 <http//www. ceelbas. ac. uk/ search/socialinequality> Eckert, Susan. What is Racism, Prejudice, Discrimination, Bias, and Xenophobia? 7 December 2007. Suite101. com. 28 May 2009 <http//racism. suite101. com/article. cfm/definition_of_racism_other_terms> Hamlin, John. Differential Association Theory. certify 2006. University of Minnesota Duluth. 28 May 2009 <http//www. d. umn. edu/jhamlin1/sutherland. html>