American History X and the Epidemic of Youth Violence Essay

American History X and the Epidemic of Youth Violence Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, But now am found, Was blind but now I see. --Shaker hymn James Garbarino (1999) discusses the boys who are lost and ways that they can learn to see again in his book Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them. He takes an in depth look at what he calls the epidemic of youth violence in America in order to determine its causes and origins. By gaining an understanding of the problem, Garbarino hopes to be able to ascertain some sort of solution. He provides useful advice and insight about steps we as a society can take to ensure our boys do not become lost. In order to†¦show more content†¦Although the movie is fictitious, there are boys who are living in America today that express similar actions and attitudes to those expressed by Derek and Danny. The movie is not a far cry from what is currently taking place in our society today. Overview of the Movie American History X tells a tragic story that focuses on two brothers, Derek and Danny Vinyard. The movie begins with a startling flashback scene in which Danny interrupts his older brother Derek and his girlfriend having sex to tell him that there is a black man outside trying to break into Derek’s car. Next we see Derek run outside and shoot and kill two African Americans and attempt to kill another driving away. Derek is in his early twenties and Danny is 16 years old. Danny witnesses the entire transaction. In the next scene, it is the day Derek is released from prison, and Danny is in the principal’s office because he wrote a paper on Mien Kampf arguing for Hitler as an outstanding civil rights activist. He is instructed by the principal, who is African American, to write another paper on his older brother Derek. As the movie progresses, the viewer learns more about the lives of Danny and Derek. Their father was a fireman who was killed by a black man while trying to put out a fire in a black community. Derek and Danny live in an area of California that is run by violent gangs. After his father is killed, Derek joins D.O.C., which is a Neo-Nazi, white supremacist group. HeShow MoreRelatedNative American Gangs During European Colonization1960 Words   |  8 Pages Bernadette Stafford Rough Draft April 29, 2015 Native American Gangs Prior to European colonization, North America was home to up to ten million indigenous people with distinct cultures and hundreds of languages. Within 500 years the population was halved through disease and genocide. Today, Native American’s make up 5.2 million or 2% of the US population. 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