Principal Sweeney assigned Danny a paper on how his brother, Derek (a convicted murderer &

leader of their neighborhood Neo-Nazi gang) helped shaped Dannys perception of the world.
Principal Sweeney said the goal of the paper was to analyze and interpret how Dereks
incarceration helped shape Dannys current understanding of contemporary America. Judging
off what we know about Derek from the opening scene, how do you see Dannys POV being
molded or influenced by Derek? Explain

Since Derek is his older brother, it is obvious that he is going to be influenced by him in a
number of ways. At the most basic level, Danny looks just like Derek with the haircut and the
way he dresses. After watching the scene, the reader could theorize that Danny would not
blame Derek for killing the two gang members since they broke into their car. If that is the case,
the hatred and blame would not go on his brother but black people as a whole.

Derek Vineyard was referred to as THE skinhead by Sweeney & the Police Chief this seems
to be a far cry from the young, emotional Derek we see in an interview after his fathers death.
Does this transformation seem logical or not? List 2 of your reasons, and 2 of the societal
factors Derek mentions, that were the main cause of this evolution?

This transformation does seem logical, especially after listening to the language that Derek used
in the interview. The most obvious reason is that his father was shot and killed by a black man
while on the job. He blames them (minorities) for his fathers death. Another reason for Dereks
transformation is because of where he lives. It seems as if Dereks family lives in a pretty nice
neighborhood, white picket fence sort of neighborhood. These types of neighborhoods are
predominantly white with not a lot of diversity. By growing up this way, Derek probably only saw
the bad side of minorities from the news and such and hence had a prejudice against them
which exploded after his father's death.

We see B&W flashbacks into Dereks life pre-prison and its clear he was a prominent figure in
the Neo-Nazi community; we also meet Derek's large friend, Seth. At the Vineyards apartment
we see Seth pressuring Danny to recite propaganda that Danny initially mocks & dismisses, but
eventually complies to. Taking this into consideration, how influential do you believe your
environment and the people you surround yourself with are when it comes to forming opinions
of the world? Explain

I believe that your environment and the people you surround yourself with, in real life or
otherwise are quintessential to how your opinions are formed. I could talk about this all day, but
no matter who you surround yourself with, they will either push your directions further toward
theirs or push you to the other side of the argument.

After returning home Derek doesnt seem to be the brash skinhead he was known for prior to
prison. In flashbacks we see that he was a leader, a voice for people in his community who felt
disenfranchised by their current system and surroundings. Ultimately, do you think his call to
take action against the Korean grocery store did more to help or hurt his cause? Explain
I think the actions against the grocery store only hurt his and the others cause. After the raid,
the police started to monitor their whereabouts and movements. Also just looking back, what did
they accomplish by trashing a grocery store? The only people that cheered on the raid would be
the people who are already a part of the neo-nazi movement.

When rallying the troops before the attack on the grocery Derek highlighted many problems
members of his community were facing. He touched on frustration over illegal immigration, state
spending on welfare, incarceration percentages, etc. In what ways do you find his grievances
similar to todays America? How are they different?

I find that immigration is always a hot topic issue in the US, with opinions being very strong. The
same thing with welfare and the amount of money the US Government spends on citizens. All of
his examples used are still prevalent today, but there are issues today that wouldn't apply during
the movies time period. For example privacy is much more of a hot topic than it was 10 years
ago. Citizens want to know that their internet and computers are safe from spying and
government surveillance

During the dinner conversation Derek represents the anti-minority side, while his mother and
her boyfriends represented the liberal side what were each sides main arguments within the
discussion? Remember, they discuss social inequalities, crime rates among members of certain
races, media portraying cops vs civilians, use of excessive force, and basic human rights. Both
sides seem valid, but its not always easy to see or reach a compromise when you only support
one side of the rhetoric.

They were discussing the case between Rodney King and Los Angeles. Dereks argument was
that the police did exactly what they needed to do to control the situation and that King had
attacked the officers before the video started recording while his mom said that the police went
too far and needed to be charged.

The night Derek curb stomped the would-be thief, he made a decision out of anger and pride
that could have been avoided. Instead, his actions got him sent to jail for voluntary
manslaughter he lost everything because he adhered to a code that present-day Derek seems
ashamed of belonging to. Danny typed it would have been life if I testified. Although
emotionally fueled actions are often our initial reaction to situations, is this always the best
course of action? Explain

Almost all of the time the answer is no. While it is very satisfying to act off of emotions, in the
long run these emotions play against your better judgement and are almost always not as good
as doing the rational thing/decision.