American History X
No one can honestly argue that the world currently exists without racial tensions. While some people still struggle to overcome ongoing racism and stereotypes, many have stepped over racial boundaries and resolved the struggles between them. However, Benjamin DeMott argues in his article "Put on a Happy Face: Masking the Differences Between Blacks and Whites" that Hollywood consistently hides true racial relationships by putting blacks and whites together with "happy faces," thus encouraging society to ignore the reality of racial tensions. This may be true of most Hollywood productions, but in the movie American History X, Hollywood attempts to step away from this cliched portrayal to present the more realistic and harsh relationships that exist between races. Throughout his article, DeMott criticizes the media for "suggesting that the beast of American racism is tamed and harmless" (295). He argues that Hollywood "churns out images of racial harmony," creating a fantasy world which denies the actuality of racial tensions (297). When society conceals racial problems, the situation continues to escalate an
When being interviewed about his father's death, Derek remarks that "every problem in this country is race-related, not just crime. A single friendship with a member of another race changes Derek's mind towards all races in general. A prime example of racial hatred is seen in the opening scene of the movie, which pictures a skinhead racist maliciously murdering two African-Americans attempting to steal his car. While DeMott may describe Hollywood's images of race as "a smiling but monstrous lie," American History X ventures out to depict the hatred that exists within society (304). Although the media is criticized for either presenting stereotypes or unrealistic friendships, this director attempts to include both extremes and still present a realistic view of society. Dannys vicious murder in a racial crime leaves a feeling of despair, failing to suggest whether racism can be overcome. He argues that only when the suffering of all races are accounted for should they be portrayed by Hollywood as equal. It's just not worth it," leaving the audience with some feeling that racism can be overcome. The movie concludes with Danny's voice saying, "hate is baggage. Hollywood presents an unrealistic, friendly atmosphere between races only after years of receiving criticism for stereotyping races and not incorporating them together. Many incidents in American History X demonstrate the division between races while other scenes follow the typical Hollywood scenario by presenting a false friendship between them. However, even with these violent and hateful characters, Hollywood still succeeds in transforming them into non-racists. While the movie revolves around racial hatred and tension, the director incorporates the evolution of a skinhead nazi into a non-biased existence; however, this change follows DeMott's view of Hollywood's typical portrayal. Now that the media seems to be attempting to abolish racism and prejudices, at least by more or less ignoring them, critics such as DeMott argue against this unrealistic scenario.
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Acceptance Essays
