The White Power platform is making its resurgence on racism, terror, and hate and are right in the backyard of our communities.
It is okay to embrace your cultural identity, but in the case of White Pride it is nothing to feel proud about. Many wonder how a society allowed Germany to slide into a state of hate and persecution under the Nazi regime. But now, we are watching it happen today in our own country.
White pride follows a historical context of unfair treatment and persecution of other races. Although some may feel that white pride is simply being proud of one’s ethnicity or race, it is important to understand the social context on how the White Pride movement has developed throughout history.
White Pride is a platform that is all-too-easily skewed to represent hateful ideology and unequal, often terrorizing, behavior toward non-white cultures. We saw this happen in Germany during WWII, and we are seeing these same egregious trends develop in American society as well.
Our country has struggled with this issue in the past, and it has never completely gone away, but we are seeing it resurface a lot more, especially after the recent election of President Trump.
There have even been local rallies and demonstrations. Some of which have been sparked by controversy over removal of plaques and memorials honoring Confederate leaders and states. Some argued that removal of the memorials was an attack against White culture and American history. Others defended their removal on the argument that America should not be proud to honor an era built on slavery and white supremacy.
Recently, San Diego faced the other side of this issue. On Sept. 3, the members of Barrio Logan defended the culturally iconic Chicano Park after they were faced with white supremacist threats, claiming that the art painted on the bridge was anti-American and pro-communist.
After the Charlottesville attack and President Trump’s failure to condemn the white-nationalists, we are able to clearly see exactly the type of person Trump is, and the brutal society that he is encouraging.
Many may view those that do not support White Pride as reverse-racists, or anti-American citizens. This simply is not the case. As it stands, it is hypocritical either way, as all White Americans are immigrants to the country based on ancestral migrations and imperialization many years ago.
According to The Atlantic, “A 2016 Public Religion Research Institute poll indicates that half of all Americans, 57 percent of all white people, and 66 percent of the white working-class believe that discrimination against white people is as big a problem in America as discrimination against black people.” This is one of the most offensive and far-fetched statements that could possibly be made, and the large amount of people who believe it is honestly frightening.
Similarly, the idea of reverse racism is not a valid excuse. Ideologies may exist in other cultures that support racial supremacy and ethnocentrism — but systematically, socially, and institutionally, white people are the only race who gets fair treatment. Therefore, other races cannot oppress the white population, because socially and systematically, they are favored anyway.
According to The New Progressive, data from the Department of Justice in Los Angeles between July 2003 and June 2004 shows that, “Blacks were 127% more likely to get frisked and 76% more likely to get searched than whites; Latinos, 43% more likely to get frisked and 16% more likely to get searched. And yet, frisked blacks were 42% less likely to be found with a weapon than frisked whites; Latinos, 32% less likely.”
The White Pride movement and mentality is backyard terrorism that continues to penetrate communities across the country. It is a movement based on ignorance. It is damaging and hateful. America should celebrate and embrace cultural diversity — not foster a polarized and divided society based on outdated and close-minded ideology.
Matthew Heimbach, founder of Traditionalist Youth Network, a white nationalist group, believes the opposite of this. In The Little Fuhrer: A Day in the Life of the Newest Leader of White Nationalists on Aljazeera America, Heimbach states that although he does in fact support people of all skin colors, he believes that
“All races should be the dominant political force in their region. That is why America needs to be divided into smaller, ethnically and culturally homogenous states. In countries where races are mixed, one race will always dominate the others. That is why we need separation. Not because the white race is better than the black race. We need to stop the hate and separate.”
We see people like Mathew Heimbach, trying to bring back the ideals of separate but equal, and although most would see him as a joke trying to bring back such backwards beliefs, it is our cruel reality, and there are way too many people who feel comfortable standing up for Heimbach because this is the society we now live in. We have progressed so much as a country, only to begin to regress all over again.
