Disaster Planning
Context of the movie 'American History X'
American culture is arguably less racist than it was 80 years ago. It is certainly less racist that it was 150 years ago. At least most people would like to think so. America currently has its first black president, something that was inconceivable even at the time of the passing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Jim Crow Laws are no longer a part if of the legal framework of the nation. We no longer have officially segregated schools, but it can be argued that schools are still segregated culturally. The movie American History X it makes the rhetorical argument that even though America would like to believe that it has shed its racist skin, in fact racism is still a very real part of the American fabric.
In his 1998 film American History X, director Tony Kaye, makes the rhetorical statement that we are not as advanced in our fight against racism as many Americans would like to believe. The film tells the story of a former neo- Nazi skinhead who tries desperately to convince his brother not to go down the same violent and destructive path that he once did. The film is a graphic and realistic portrayal of the violence and racism that defines the neo-Nazi skinhead movement.
It is clear from the dramatic, yet factual material presented in the film that Kaye had a purpose beyond entertainment. He paints the neo-Nazi movement as the modern day KKK. He does not do this directly, but it is difficult...
Kaye chose is material purposefully throughout the film, making a statement with each and every scene. Kaye shows crowds of neo-Nazis terrorizing a major U.S. City with a racist acts. These scenes give the impression that the neo-Nazi movement is not an insignificant and isolated subculture only found in big city ghettos, but rather a force that has the potential to turn back the clocks of American history to less civilized times.
It would be easy to quickly revert to a
historical analysis of racism and how far we have come. That is almost a kneejerk reaction when someone mentions the term racism, but this is not a movie about the 1930s or the
Civil War for that matter. It is a modern movie set in modern times. Kaye presents racism as a major contemporary social issue, not a historical one. Neo-Nazis in the film commit criminal acts and many are jailed and spend prison time for their
crimes, Society as a whole does not agree with, or tolerate their activities, yet,
society is powerless to stop them all together. In the end the younger brother will have to make his own choice and may choose to go down the path of if racial violence, regardless of his brothers council against it. The point that Kaye makes is that racism cannot be legislated away.
Kaye's rhetorical argument in the film is that racism cannot be stopped and that it is more widespread than many people believe. It is the key rhetorical argument that must be examined. In order to examine Kaye's statement, we first need to examine the prevalence of the neo-Nazi movement and its potential to become a force in promoting its ideals throughout society. Another kneejerk reaction in
American society that happens when someone says racism, is…
