McElvaine American History X

In the film, American History X, Neo-Nazism is made attractive to lower middle class white Americans who are angry and looking for someone to blame for all of their hardships. Cameron, the leader of the Neo-Nazi group in the film, simply gives these young people an outlet to express their anger. A scene that very clearly portrays what type of people Cameron is targeting is the scene in which Derek goes to a party at Cameron's house to inform him that he no longer wants anything to do with the gang. Derek states that Cameron coerces people into joining his movement by "preying" on them. Derek means that Cameron seeks out people who are feeling weak, insecure, and confused and gives them a cause for which to fight, a place to put the blame for how they feel. In this scene, Derek returns to remove himself from the group and the scene serves to portray what type of world Derek is trying to escape. For most of the scene, Cameron in filmed with a Swastika flag behind his back. The room where the the scene takes place is also filled with White Power propaganda and pictures of Hitler. The scene traps Derek in this world of Neo-Nazism that he is trying to free himself from. The entrapment of Derek shows how powerful the constraints of the beliefs of the Neo-Nazi movement are and how difficult they are to escape. Derek's struggle to escape is taken one step further when he is trying to leave the party and he is met with a chaotic scene of skin heads surrounding him and calling him a Nigger. All of the people who are screaming at Derek are immensely angry and hostile which speaks to the type of person Cameron is targeting. He manipulates people's anger into something he can control and steer in any direction he chooses.