Update: see this post for a sociology symposium on Charlottesville:
https://contexts.org/blog/after-charlottesville/
Student Readiness:
Do you know what happened last week in Charlottesville?
Do you know what the "alt-right" is?
Do you know what "antifa" is?
Do you think monuments to Confederate generals should be displayed in public parks?
Do you understand why some people want them to come down?
willing to talk
don't know
Yes No
don't want to say
don't want to talk
With all the discussion of hate in the news lately, I wanted to post something about the sociology of hate groups. The Washington Post encouraged it in this article, which says,
While such discussions are often seen as politically charged and teachers like to steer clear of politics, these conversations are about fundamental American values, and age-appropriate ways of discussing hatred and tolerance in a diverse and vibrant democracy are as important as anything young people can learn in school. Civics and history education have taken a back seat to reading and math in recent years in “the era of accountability,” but it is past time for them to take center stage again in America’s schools.The discussion has centered generally around the white supremacy groups in the U.S. who oppose all minorities including black, hispanic, Jewish, Muslim, and immigrant Americans and the groups that oppose these fascist groups, sometimes called the antifa. More specifically, the protests in Charlottesville that turned violent last week have been the catalyst for the recent discussions. In Charlottesville, the local government decided to take down a statue of General Robert E. Lee who fought for the Confederate United States during the U.S. Civil War.
This 20 min documentary from Vice News details the incidents.
A Brief History
A little background that is often ignored is important here. Lee was fighting for the right to break off the union and to continue the practice of slavery. However, when the war was over, Lee opposed any monuments to himself because he feared it would keep the wounds of the civil war open. In Lee's own words,
"As regards the erection of such a monument as is contemplated; my conviction is, that however grateful it would be to the feelings of the South, the attempt in the present condition of the Country, would have the effect of retarding, instead of accelerating its accomplishment; of continuing, if not adding to, the difficulties under which the Southern people labour."Despite these requests, in the 1920s, a sculpture was created to romanticize the confederacy and the southern culture which also romanticized slavery. The Charlottesville parks department describes the statue as part of a confederate reunion:
Paul McIntire instructed that the local chapters of the Confederate Veterans, Sons of Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy should have entire charge of planning the exercise for the unveiling of the sculpture in Charlottesville. It was thus presented to the city on May 21, 1924, during a Confederate reunion. As a part of the ceremony, one hundred cadets from the Virginia Military Instituteparaded through the center of Charlottesville decorated with Confederate colors.This was just one of hundreds of memorials that were erected to remember and celebrate the time when the Confederate States tried to form their own country that would allow them to legally enslave, murder and rape millions of people. The romanticizing of this time was partly a response to economic factors that caused poverty throughout the south. The economic downturn combined with the feeling of embarrassment and disenfranchisement from the union. This sense of powerlessness and difficulty in adjusting to the reality of post Civil War U.S. might be viewed by sociologists as anomie. The romanticism back to pre-Civil War southern culture gave those experiencing anomie a feeling of pride and order that they lacked in their life. This feeling was exacerbated during the civil rights era of the 1950s-1970s as rights were being granted to people of color. This resulted in more widespread use of the confederate flag.
Coinciding with the civil rights movement was a gradual increase in social class disparity in the U.S. Beginning in the 1950s, more wealth began to be channeled to a small elite class while blue collar and middle class workers fell further and further behind. This is true across all races in the U.S. but for whites who romanticize the days when they were legally allowed to own other people, it is especially poignant. This trend continued as deindustrialization and globalization occurred and it culminated with the United States' first black President, Barack Obama. At the same time, there has been a growing movement of fascists who believe that the United States needs to be white and all others should not be a part of the country. These fascist beliefs take imagery and rituals from Nazi Germany who killed millions of people.
Andrew Young, a civil rights leader and former ambassador to the United Nations explains the context and connection to social class in this interview on NBC.
ANDREW YOUNG: Most of the issues that we’re dealing with now are related to poverty. But we still want to put everything in a racial context. The problem with the – and the reason I feel uncomfortable condemning the Klan types is – they are almost the poorest of the poor.
They are the forgotten Americans. And, um, they have been used and abused and neglected. Instead of giving them affordable health care, they give them black lung jobs, and they’re happy.
And that just doesn’t make sense in today’s world. And they see progress in the black community and on television and everywhere and they don’t share it. Now it’s not our fault. We’ve had a struggle from slavery.
Martha Raddatz on ABC
Martha Raddatz on ABC had a powerful opinion about Charlottesville explaining that the U.S. military is the most diverse institution in the United States and they deserve to come home to a country where each of them feels accepted and valued. Watch it here on youtube.
I think it is important to understand this history but let me be clear; it is not meant to excuse the hatred. It is meant to help provide context to the violence and hatred. The violence is not spontaneous; It has both a historical and geographic context. And though I vehemently oppose the violent rhetoric, ideology and actions that promote hate and racism, I struggle to understand it. But, having a sociological imagination helps me understand how such awfulness can manifest.
A Sociological Understanding
The brief history above is important in understanding the hatred from a sociological perspective. Keep it in mind as you explore the connections below:
Ingroup- outgroups and hate:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/
"Trump's choice on Tuesday to blame "two sides" for Saturday's violence — rather than to specifically blame white nationalism/supremacy — could have "a serious emboldening effect," said Peter Simi, an associate professor of sociology at Chapman University in Irvine, California, who studies far-right hate groups. "
"Trump's choice on Tuesday to blame "two sides" for Saturday's violence — rather than to specifically blame white nationalism/supremacy — could have "a serious emboldening effect," said Peter Simi, an associate professor of sociology at Chapman University in Irvine, California, who studies far-right hate groups. "
Masculinity and nature/nurture and hate groups:
https://amp.theguardian.com/
The sociologist Michael Kimmel is one of the world’s foremost experts on [masculnity and white men who cause violence]. As the director of Stony Brook University’s Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities, he’s a leader in the emerging field of masculinity studies. His recent research has looked at topics including spree killers (who are overwhelmingly male and white), as well as the relationship between masculinity and political extremism. He’s also just wrapped up a new book studying why men join hate groups – and how they leave.
Interdisciplinary Study of hate syllabus from Gonzaga:
The sociologist Michael Kimmel is one of the world’s foremost experts on [masculnity and white men who cause violence]. As the director of Stony Brook University’s Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities, he’s a leader in the emerging field of masculinity studies. His recent research has looked at topics including spree killers (who are overwhelmingly male and white), as well as the relationship between masculinity and political extremism. He’s also just wrapped up a new book studying why men join hate groups – and how they leave.
Interdisciplinary Study of hate syllabus from Gonzaga:
FBI stats on Hate Groups:
Hate Crime Research Network:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/opinion-how-do-we-talk-our-children-about-white-supremacy-n793806?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_blk
"As a sociologist and scholar who specializes in the study of race and racism, I know that we are at a cultural crossroads. We are in a post-Obama era where the myth of a colorblind or post-racial society has been exposed as a lie. Brewing in our culture was an undercurrent of violent, racial hatred and resentment that is now being emboldened by our President. Hate crimes against people of color are rising; according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there were 900 hate and bias incidents alone between Election Day and the 10 days after that. In addition, the number of hate groups in the United States rose for a second year in a row in 2016."
American Sociological Association's 2017 annual meeting had a panel focused on teaching in this climate of hatred.
General Resources
Bryan Stevenson speaking about the events in Charlottesville:
Washington post compiled a list of resources here including:
The American Federation of Teachers has also collected links for teachers, here, and below is a detailed guide from the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance program on how teachers, counselors and administrators should respond to hate and bias when they are manifested in school. Teaching Tolerance offers a long list of resources for educators, with lessons plans and other material. You can find all of that here, and Here are materials from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum for educators.
