American History X is a powerful movie depicting the life of Derek Vinyard, a former neo-Nazi, and the struggles he faced while trying to protect his younger brother, Daniel, from making the same mistakes he made. When Danny got in trouble for writing an analysis on Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, labeling Hitler as a great leader, Principal Robert Sweeney said, “he learned to be racist and he can unlearn it too” (Morrissey & Kaye, 1998). American History X illustrates how racism and intolerance are learned behaviors, passed down through generations according to the cultural transmission theory. Cultural transmission theory is defined as the process whereby values, beliefs, and traditions are handed from one generation to the next (Siegal, 2017). Nobody is born with intolerance for others and racist views, they are learned traits that stem from watching the behavior of significant others. In Derek’s case, his racism was learned from his father. His father encouraged Derek to question “affirmative black action” because “equal rights is not as easy as it sounds” (Morrissey & Kaye, 1998). He believed that black people were getting jobs over more qualified white people simply because they were black. Derek admired his father and started listening to his advice. After his father was murdered by
He was accepted by the group, found friends within the group, and conformed to their beliefs. The differential association theory best describes Danny’s behavior and thought processes. Differential association theory is defined as the view that people commit crime when their social learning leads them to perceive more definitions favoring crime than favoring conventional behavior (Siegal, 2017). Gangs provide an environment for people to see criminal activity as correct. They learn to adopt certain behaviors and beliefs, which Danny adopted from the skinheads and translated into his personal and social