Woodall American History X

American History X points out that there is a certain demographic that is attracted to such a group as the white supremacist neo-Nazis, and that is young, bullied, white males. The white supremacists offer a community for these harassed, confused teens and provide them with protection, friends, and a sense of belonging. These young boys become very susceptible to the ideology of the organization because of their respect for the veteran members who treated them with dignity. Danny Vineyard says that the “frustrated kids, the ones who were sick of getting their asses kicked by the black and Mexican gangs. [They] don’t just [want to] be some punk, [they want to] be a part of something.” The scene that depicts this the best is Derek’s speech before he and a group of young neo-Nazi members attack the Korean grocery store.

First, the use of black and white helps blend all the colors into different shades of white, black, and grey, so that all the subordinate characters lose individual identity and can only be considered neo-Nazis. To the young, impressionable teens that make up most of the group, this identity is better than not having an identity at all, which is how they felt prior to joining the group. Also, the dominant contrast throughout the entire scene is Derek, an intelligent, articulate, fearless man who shows compassion for the younger members. He serves as a father figure for these misguided boys who are looking for a strong role model to look up to. By serving as the dominant contrast throughout the scene, the director is demonstrating Derek’s image to the new members as a role model. In an article about white supremacy in film, Laura and Peter Finley state that, “the choice of which character is given the loudest, longest, and most passionate voice or opportunity to speak, makes a difference in the messages that viewers take from a film.” In this particular scene, Derek takes the vast majority of the face time showing just how important of a figure he is to the young teens who make up most of the members of the neo-Nazi group, and how his beliefs leave a lasting impression on the young minds of the teenagers in his group. Finally, character placement shows how such a group of impressionable teens are attracted to such an organization. In the scene, all the characters aside from Derek, his girlfriend, and Danny are in a tightly formed, intimate group. They are not alone anymore, but instead are in a close group of people like themselves. They also have the role model each teen has been yearning for. Derek is set a part from the group in the same way a preacher stands in front of a congregation while preaching. The group of common members reveres him, so he is made an individual a part from the rest of the group. The director keeps him at more of a personal and social distance from the rest of the group.