For the 20th anniversary of the film, Christopher Hooton writing for "The Independent" opined that the film "feels more essential now that it ever has". Clayton Schuster of "Vice" drew comparisons between the film and real life atrocities; the murders of nine African-Americans in a Charleston church in 2015, a far-right march in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, and a year later, a mass shooting in a Pittsburgh synagogue. He argues that these violence acts are no different to the hate represented in the film, adding, "White supremacy has existed for centuries. It's lurked on the fringes of American power since the birth of this nation". He added "there is at least one notable difference ... The movie portrays skinheads as visually different ... They're suited up in boots with red laces, heads gleaming from a fresh shave, and tatted with Nazi insignia and racist slogans. White supremacists today have largely adopted a policy of fitting into society rather than standing out". Writing for "Esquire" magazine in 2018, Justin Kirkland stated that he believed that "Perhaps the reason that "American History X" still feels so relevant two decades after its release is because we haven't done enough for it not to be ... I'm afraid we're going to be writing about "American History X" forever. I'm afraid of what will happen if we don't".