nto believing the extreme and hating others. One scene shows Seth probing Danny with a camcorder, asking questions about what he believes. Seth pushes him to say all the "right" skinhead answers, to document how much he hates the black influence on urban society. This along with Cameron making Derek the role model Nazi and his father planting the seeds of racism, the viewer can see how Danny, the younger brother, is going to follow in the same footsteps. Without a father figure in the house anymore, it is natural for the Vinyard children to look to an older brother for that same guidance and love. This is partially why Danny was drawn into the white supremacist beliefs. In a jail scene with Derek and his mother, Doris, she tells him how Danny holds him up so high, worships him, and brags about him to Cameron. As Danny sits at his computer writing Sweeney's new essay he says, "People look at me and see my brother." To everyone important in Danny's life, Derek is the person to look up to, the ultimate in perfection. After Derek is in jail, it puts Danny in the position to fill his brother's shoes. Cameron begins to prey on him, just as he had Derek. Much to his surprise, when Derek gets back from prison, he has gotten away from the things he so strongly believed in. Danny now doesn't know what to think about the gang and being a Nazi. In the end, he keeps his loyalty to his brother, a bond stronger than any personal conviction, and agrees that it is not worth it to be a racist. After all is said and done, Danny finally concludes, for the record of his paper, "Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time." He never could have realized this on his own. Sadly, it is a little too late as a black kid in the school bathroom kills him. The viewer sees how it took Derek's struggles and heavy influence for Danny to come around and change his ways. This mirrors how Dr. Sweeney and his positive influences helped Derek get back on ...
