Hate Groups
In today’s society where differences between people are magnified and everyone is discussing diversity, tensions between different groups are remarkably high. The extreme of this tension is brought out in hate groups. Hate groups play off of the stereotypes of specific peoples. They use these generalities in their relentless and often violent persecution of those different from themselves.
There are many groups that practice in such ways, most of them preaching white supremacy. The main goal of these groups is the advancement of the white race by the segregation of other cultures from society. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is probably the best known of these groups. They have been around since the Reconstruction era following the Civil War.
The KKK was set up to build an all white society based on Christian beliefs. They claim that they are not the enemy of non-white, non-Christian people. They believe that all races would benefit from separation from each other because everyone would work better if they are surrounded by their own kind. The KKK states “Our purpose is to unite, organize, and educate the white Aryan masses world wide to the dangers that face our race, culture, and Christian civilization” (www.kkkk.net). They also claim that they don’t tolerate people of immoral character in their society such as drug users and dealers, thieves, or c...
Intolerance, reluctant to welcome beliefs, views, or behavior that contrast from one's own. It has not been dissolved and may never be resolved. In the last several decades, we have seen our world look down on those who are different. It could be as little as they dress differently to a different ethnicity. We make assumptions that those who alter our views are the evildoers, and those are monsters. Monsters don't stay the same; they change as times do. When a new fear is created, the monster than shifts.
They hated anyone who was not a white Christian, and would go as far as to kill anyone who was not. This group is the Ku Klux Klan. This group of people were known primarily for their very Nazi-based ideologies, which in turn, they ended up murdering many who were not white, or even burning down the homes and business’ of those who weren’t. They were strongly against the progressive movement of the American Government toward the African American people. Although today this group has lost many in numbers, there are still a surprisingly large amount of people who are part of
Hooded Americanism: The First Century of the Ku Klux Klan: 1865 to the Present by David Chalmers records the history of the Ku Klux Klan quite bluntly, all the way from its creation following the civil war, to the early 1960’s. The author starts the book quite strongly by discussing in detail many acts of violence and displays of hatred throughout the United States. He makes a point to show that the Klan rode robustly throughout all of the country, not just in the southern states. The first several chapters of the book focus on the Klan’s creation in 1865. He goes on to discuss the attitude of many Americans following the United State’s Civil War and how the war shaped a new nation. The bulk of the book is used to go through many of the states, and express the Klan’s political influence on both the local and state governments. The author starts with Texas and Oklahoma, and goes through the history of the Klan geographically, finishing with New Jersey and Washington. The author stresses that the KKK did not just commit acts of violence towards minorities, but also carried political power. He continues to discuss the impact of the Klan on Civil Rights movements in the 1960’s, and various other important political controversies between the 1920’s and 1970’s. Towards the middle of the book, David M. Chalmers focuses on portraying the feelings of governments and state legislatures, as well as normal citizens towards the Klan. To do this more effectively, the author uses excerpts and quotes from editorials and newspapers, along with several dozen pictures. The conclusion of the book was used mainly as an overview of all of the major incidents and deaths involving the Klan, and how their persistence has allowed them to still exist today despite a lack of resources and support.
Jim Crow. “What is Jim Crow?” You ask. “Is that a person?” No, actually, it is not. The term Jim Crow was a “colloquialism whites and blacks routinely used for the complex system of laws and customs separating races in the south” (Edmonds, Jim Crow: Shorthand for Separation). In other words, it was a set of laws and customs that people used that separated white people from the colored. The Jim Crow laws and practices deprived American citizens of the rights to vote, buses, and “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
1. Common belief in inequality and separate interests of races, desire to promote the interests of the white race.
Race and religion are two concepts in American culture that can really tie people together, or clearly separate them apart. A group forged by strong common roots in both race and religion can be a powerful societal force, if it wants to be. The Nation of Islam is a small but growing religion in America that has become somewhat of a social movement because of its strong and radical ideas on race. In this paper, I will try to explore the beliefs of the Nation of Islam, and the ramifications it could and has had on racial relations in America. The Nation of Islam, or NOI, is a relatively new religion. The first temple of Islam was established in Detroit by Master Fard Muhammed in 1930. Much of the theology was based on the simple facts that: "Allah is god, the white man is the devil, and the so-called Negroes are the Asiatic black people, the cream of the earth."(1) And, in accordance with their bizarre view of creation, involving a mad scientist creating the white race from the black race, the twentieth century represents the time for black people to regain their rightful position as god¹s chosen people. (1) The Nation of Islam was spawned from Orthodox Islam, an age-old religion. However, Orthodox Islam has openly denounced the NOI as a heretic sect for three main reasons: the NOI¹s rejection of the belief in an afterlife, its tendency to view human leaders as deified figures, and its strong racist attitudes. (2) For a brief time, during the seventies, Wallace Deen Muhammed became the leader of the NOI and tried to take it in a new direction, more conforming to "true Islamic beliefs." This group is now called the American Muslim Mission and still exists in small numbers today. (1) ...
The KKK is the hooded legend of the past, present, and likely the future of the United States. Their stories of death and destruction across the United States and the midwest have frightened many of color and those of certain backgrounds and delegations for years.The history of the secret organization known as the Ku Klux Klan, goes back to 1865. The Ku Klux Klan began as a social group for Confederate veterans after the end of the civil war. On December 24th of the year 1865, the secret society that would change a nation, was born .
They are vehement in their attacks on the government, the white man, imperialism and Christianity, and their eloquence is touched by that naivete which derives...from an almost total ignorance of the world, economic affairs, and any sense of history. This is not to say that they do not have a cause; it is simply to state that whatever case they may have, they parody it with their odd speech, dress and behaviour. (89)
...eir new and young members that the different people are bad and all kinds of things. These lessons, which new members of these hate groups are learning, are wrong because they provoke the anger on its members and therefore the members commit hate crimes against those they hate for being different. That is why not only Blacks, Homosexuals, Asians and Hispanics, but also white people think that these hate groups should be banned so they can not commit crimes anymore.
According to the FBI files on the Nation of Islam, one of its principles was to ?separate the black man from the devil through the establishment of a black nation? (FBI). Many publications propounded on this philosophy. For example, Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam, wrote in Message to the Blackman in America, ?it is far more important to teach separation of the Blacks and Whites in America than prayer? (Book Summary). According to Elijah Muhammad, integration and intermarriage between Blacks and Whites are an attempt by Whites to confuse Blacks, keep them enslaved, and prevent them from learning Nation of Islam's teachings. Furthermore, Blacks who assimilate into mainstream culture were regarded by the Nation of Islam as ?disgraceful Uncle Toms? (FBI) who simply seek to please their ?slave-masters? children? (FBI). Granted, these statements are coming from FBI files which clearly did not support the NOI movement, but the message that the Nat...
A long-standing issue in America is racism with Caucasians historically being the dominant race. Although racism is not as severe of an issue as it was in the past, even today there is still a population of people, known as White Supremacists, that believe Christian Caucasians are supreme over all other collective groups. There are many White Supremacist groups, which have nuances among them. For example, some are politically focused trying to only have certain officials elected, while others are religiously focused trying to further their religious ideals. Some are even radical as well going so far as to harass and even murder those who are not like them. One of the groups focusing specifically on religion is the Aryan Nations. Aryan Nations, a religiously driven, American white supremacist group, perverts biblical text to rationalize their beliefs for themselves and recruitment of more members. Members of the Aryan Nations believe in racism, segregation, and have acted on their beliefs.
Hate crimes are not a new concept for society, because hate crimes have always been around. While the study of hate crimes and the laws that have been passed because of hate crimes is relatively new, hate crimes have always been around. Hate crimes were committed as far back as the 1800’s and even back to The Civil War. Hate crimes are prevalent in society today just like they were in the past; because whether the crimes are aimed towards Muslims, the gay community, or any other minority group; they are fueled by something that every person has come into contact with- prejudice. Prejudice is defined as a preconceived thought or opinion about someone. While prejudice can be positive, in the concept of hate crimes they are negative feelings, thoughts, or opinions that are aimed towards a certain religious, ethnic, race, or even sexual orientation group. The typical definition of hate crime is that a crime has been committed by a majority member against a minority member simply because the victim was a minority. However, as of recent the definition has been expanded to allow for any crime committed by bias towards the victim’s social group such as anti-gay or anti-lesbian. Hate crimes are an extreme, potential effect due to prejudice and discrimination towards someone based on ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. These crimes are committed against an individual or a group of individuals based solely on the fact that they are part of a group that the offender doesn’t approve of whether it is because they are a different race or following an alternative lifestyle. While the hate crimes are not something that is new in society because prejudice has always been around, the concept of a bias-crime and the legal precedent that it ha...
The United States used racial formation and relied on segregation that was essentially applied to all of their social structures and culture. As we can see, race and the process of racial formation have important political and economic implications. Racial formation concept seeks to connect and give meaning to how race is shaped by social structure and how certain racial categories are given meaning our lives or what they say as “common sense” Omi and Winant seek to further explain their theory through racial
It is as if the groups are attempting to grasp and re-craft the beliefs of such political and Christian right, and use it to their advantage. In doing so, their group will gain more notoriety; in return, fulfilling validation to the
Many people, especially those associated with racist groups, find it necessary to put down other ethnic groups in an attempt to strengthen their own. This mode of thought and reasoning usually results in extreme hatred of other races and an overall sense of bigotry. Reasoning in this manner equates to many associated with racist groups. Pride in one 's race may eventually lead to covert racism thought.