A = American History X

American History X
Directed by: Tony Kaye
Starring: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, and Beverly D'Angelo
Rated R for Graphic Brutal Violence Including Rape, Pervasive Language, Strong Sexuality and Nudity

WARNING!!! Spoiler Alert... If you have not seen this film, I suggest you watch the movie before reading this blog. Otherwise, Enjoy!

American History X is a tale about a man named Derek Vinyard (Norton), the leader of a group of white supremacists,  goes to prison for murdering two African American men in cold blood. During his stay in prison, Derek goes through many life changing experiences that lead him to become an honest and sincere man. However, after his release, he discovers that his younger brother, Danny (Furlong), is heading down the same path that he had just endeavored. Derek must take action immediately to make sure that his brother doesn't land in any serious trouble.
When I first thought about taking on the challenge of trying to find God behind the writing of movies I never would have thought that I would choose to write about American History X. The reason is because it is not a very "Family-Friendly" film. Just look at the rating on the back cover of the DVD; "Rated R for Graphic Brutal Violence including Rape, Pervasive Language, Strong Sexuality and Nudity" So why? Why choose a film with so much garbage? Because it is a challenge. And the whole point of this blog series is to challenge myself. I was very stressed and worried that I would find nothing to write about for this movie. But I remained faithful that God placed this film in my head for a reason. So I sat down and took some notes as I watched one of the most disturbing, and intensely depressing movies I have ever seen. And this is what I got:
In the first five minutes of this movie it is not hard to identify that Derek Vinyard is a very bad man. We see him shoot down and "curb stomp" two black men and then turn to his younger brother with a wide grin on his face as he is being arrested. Derek is about as bad as any man can turn out. He is a racist, prejudiced young man who has lost all sense of what is right and wrong.

But I seem to recall a quote by Mr. Walt Whitman; "I may be as bad as the worse. But thank God I am as good as the best." think about those words, "as bad as the worse". You are no better than this character Derek. Your life is completely consumed with sin. You are no better than Adolf Hitler himself. He was a sinner and so are you. In God's eyes, you are equal. Let that sink in a little bit.
Derek represents us in this story. He is a man, not a monster. A man who has endeavored into the darkness and is now consumed by sin. Just like the rest of us. Now, the concept I am going to be talking about in this post is Leadership. There are many different types of leaders in this story. There is The Leader of Light, The Misleader, and The Follower-Leader.
The first type of leader we will talk about is The Leader of Light. The Leader of Light is represented in this story by a teacher named Dr. Sweeney. Dr. Sweeney was Derek's teacher in High School and is now Danny's teacher. Sweeney had taken Danny aside from the other students at the school and is teaching Danny about current events (Problems America is facing right now.) This course is entitled American History X. Sweeney also takes the liberty of visiting Derek in prison and becoming somewhat of a counselor to the convict. He helps to bring about the changes in Derek's life. This is the type of leader we should all try to be like. Someone who takes care of his followers and tries to bring peace.
Now there is the Misleader, represented by a man named Cameron Alexander, the leader of a large group of White Supremacists who had highly influenced Derek's life from the time he was just a teenager. Cameron had lead Derek down a dark and painful road and was now doing the same for Danny. The Bible warns us about people like this in 1 Timothy 4:1-2; "Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead."
Now the third leader I want to talk about is you (Who is represented by Derek). The Follower-Leader. You are a leader, however you do not have all of the answers and sometimes you are unsure which path to choose. So you need another leader to help you find your way. But be wary. If you follow the wrong leader, you will find destruction. Derek chose to follow Cameron- at first- and where did that lead him? Prison! However, when Derek went to prison, he had no idea how much it affected the rest of his family. His brother was so inspired by him, that he started to do everything exactly as Derek would. He started meeting with the white supremacist members and he was on his way to becoming a "skinhead" or "neo-nazi". There is a quote I love that is delivered by Derek's mother while she is visiting him in prison. She says, "You think you're the only one doing time, Derek? You think you're in here all alone? You think I'm not in here with you?" when we choose the path of sin, it not only destroys our lives, but the lives of those around us. There is so much responsibility that comes with being a leader. You can't fall into sin. You can't start partying all the time. You can't start having pre-marital sex. You can't start slacking off in school. You have to be the perfect example of Christ. And say you do start doing that stuff, and your followers start doing it to, and you realize that you have lead them astray, you can't just leave them and hope they find a better leader that will guide them towards God. As Sweeney says, "Running just ain't good enough"

Derek got out of prison and immediately began to try and restore his family's life. He leaves the white supremacist group and tries to help his brother. But Derek realizes the only way to lead his brother back on the right track is to tell him the consequences of his actions. He tells his brother how he was raped in prison by several white supremacists because he was conversing with a black man. How eventually the only way he survived prison was because the only friend he had, a black man named Lamont, keeps the rest of the black convicts from killing Derek. Danny listens to his brother and turns away from the gang of neo nazis.
There is a scene in the movie where Derek and Danny begin to strip their bedroom wall of all the white supremacist posters and giant Swastika flag; I believe this scene represents repentance. In order to turn back to Christ we must strip ourselves clean of all sins until we are completely pure and can be filled by Christ. But that doesn't mean we will not remember our sins. There is another scene in the film when Derek get's out of his shower at home and looks at himself in the mirror, examining the large swastika tattoo'd on his chest. He tries to cover it with his hand but he still knows it is there. The sins of our past shall stain us like scars. And eventually they will come back to haunt you. We know what is right. And we know what is wrong. We just have to make the right decisions. And if you don't know what is right and wrong, that's why God gave us the Bible. You are kidding yourself if you think that you can live your life without God's word! Because without it, you will find death.

In the very end of the film Danny is gunned down by a young black teenager that he had discriminated against. His sins and his brother's sins had lead to his death. Derek holds his younger brother's body in his arms and he forever must face the fact that his decisions caused his brother's death because he lead his brother astray. If you don't want to see the people you love get hurt, then don't veer off into the darkness, because they will follow you in. A good Shepherd doesn't guide his sheep off a cliff. Don't Dig yourself a hole, because you might not be the one to be buried in it.

"Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. It's just not worth it."