"What does it take for someone to move from a position of hate and racism to a position of tolerance and respect like the transformation that occurred in Derek?"

When we think about racism throughout the world, we may think that we're out of those groups, but what's really happening is that minorities are often persecuted by other social selections, with different social status.

In my Academic Leadership Class we saw a movie called American History X, that was about two brothers, who were raised like normal kids, and when their father left, they became skinheads. They were normal kids, going to High School, and they became skinheads, to honor their father's belief. All this was caused by talks that this man had with the family, in casual occasions, like having dinner. The father of these kids told them that black people were taking over, and that they had to stop believing what they told them, because that was “nigger bullsh*t”, quote from the movie. From that moment on, Derek and Danny became haters of the black people, judging them for everything they said. In this movie, there was a clear example of racism, because none of the two boys really knew what racism was, and why were they committing it.

Everything changed when Derek had to go to jail for two years, under the charges of killing a man brutally and bloodily. The time he stayed in jail, he had different kinds of experiences with people from his enemy’s team, and ended up liking that people too. He also learned how to appreciate the enemy’s habilities, and to respect people. When Derek learned that, he taught Danny about the great things that this people can do, and that they are good people, just like them. Danny then understood that his father was wrong, and that he could be a better person, just by respecting and accepting other people. He also learned that what you did, can be covered by good actions that you can do, but they will never disappear.

In the movie the situation is just as it would be in reality, because it shows how dangerous and threatening it can be, if you go against a group of people or ideology, and then want to change to be different. We can clearly see that the transition between hate and respect can be tough, but it’s possible to make, and if you’re in one of those situations, you have to ask yourself if you really benefit from what you do. When the feeling good turns into a feeling of hate and selfishness, you decide that what you’ve done can be changed, and it’s not late to make sure you change, so your life can be better, and other lives too.

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