"American Shame" Collage by Sharon McEachern - Copyright
Hatemongers are delightedly exploiting racial fears in America and seeing their ranks of white supremacists grow.
"Racist extremists have been energized by Obama's election, hoping to exploit an Obama backlash among whites who resent having a black man in the White House," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Neo-Nazi David Duke (yes, formerly Grand Ignoramus of KKK) says Obama will be a "visual aid" for angry white Americans, provoking a backlash among fairly mainstream whites that will "result in a dramatic increase in the ranks" of extremists. A number of other hate group leaders agree with this assessment and are boasting of a surge of new members and overwhelming traffic to their websites. Several groups claim their websites have crashed because of heavy traffic.
RACIAL RAGE BACKLASH
The backlash of racial rage that broke out across the country, in the aftermath of the presidential election, included scores of racially charged events -- beatings, effigy burnings, racist graffiti, threats and intimidation. When combined with the economic meltdown, conditions have been created in which racist extremist and militia groups typically thrive, says the SPLC, "often by scapegoating minorities and by stoking fear and division among those who are harmed by events beyond their control or understanding."
Next, add to the mix the immigration debate, which white supremacists have long successfully exploited. The result has been that the number of hate groups operating in the United States has risen by almost 50 percent, from 602 to 888, since 2000.
Political analyst Chip Berlet, in an article in The Progressive, argues that Obama's election "has poked the racist beehive, and we can expect a lot of buzzing around in the months ahead," also noting the rise in racist incidents across the United States since the election. Berlet says the extreme right is "eager to reframe issues in ways that invoke racialized fears" among white Americans.
RACIST SAMPLING
A sampling of recent racial incidents, provided by the SPLC, includes:
...Police in Riverside County, CA, said five attacks on minorities were likely related to the election and were believed to have been carried out by a local white supremacist gang.
...In Shreveport, La., a black man wearing an Obama T-shirt was brutally beaten by a group of white men screaming "f--k Obama" and "N----r president." The attack left the man with a broken nose, broken eye socket damaged tear duct, requiring multiple surgeries.
...In Springfield, Mass., a black church was burned hours after the election was called for Obama. Authorities later arrested three white men.
...In Staten Island, N.., a black teen was bloodied and bruised by two white teens who shouted "Obama" while pummeling him with a bat and pipe.
...In Rexburg, Idaho, second-and third-graders on a school bus chanted "assassinate Obama."
...In Torrance, Ca., swastikas and racial slurs were spray-painted on homes and cars of people who displayed Obama signs or bumper stickers.
...In Milwaukee, a poster of Obama with a bullet going through his head was discovered in a police station.
...In Maine, a sign at a convenience store invited customers to join a betting pool on when Obama would be assassinated. The sign said, "Let's hope we have a winner."
KNOCK DOWN RACIST BEEHIVE
In Racism Review, Claire Renzetti writes about members of rightists groups lurking on progressive blogs to try to disrupt the dialog. "I see this not infrequently on feminist sites when members of fathers' rights groups post comments about women being as violent as men or claims that divorcing mothers falsely accuse their spouses of abuse," she says. "This, though, actually bothers me less than attempts to saturate the mainstream with racist fears."
Renzetti argues that it is more important for those who are not racists to "discuss critical issues more broadly and to debunk racist myths whenever and wherever we find them." Using Chip Berlet's previously mentioned image, she adds: "In other words, we need to knock down the racist beehive."
TO READ "Great White Hope: Metaphor for Racist Kansas Politician," CLICK HERE.
TO READ "Raccoons at White House: America Still Waits for Post-Racism," CLICK HERE.
TO READ "Kansas Church Marquee: Obama Muslim President a Sin," CLICK HERE.
To READ "Teachers Ethic Lesson: Don't Bind Black Students to Teach Slavery," CLICK HERE.
By Sharon McEachern
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