Dr. Roderick Graham
Rhode Island College
“Diversity Week” Presentation
White Nationalism
• For the first time since a count began,
hate groups topped 1000 in 2010
(Southern Poverty Law Center 2011).
• One area of growth is within white
supremacist organizations
• I will focus on one type of white
supremacist group – “white nationalists”
White Nationalism
•
Believe it is their God-given and
natural right to have a distinct
white identity and white
homeland
•
This identity is threatened by:
• The rise of multiculturalism
• Affirmative action policies
• Immigration into the United
States from non-white nations
• Racial intermarriage
White Nationalism
•
Attempt to build up a movement
at the grass roots level
•
Work towards their goals
through political action and
persuasion
• Not Fear or violence (e.g. Ku Klux
Klan or Neo-Nazis)
•
Attract educated, high status
members to their cause
White Nationalism
•
•
•
Some of the first
“communities” on the web
were white nationalist
communities
Current U.S. climate does not
allow for open discussion of
“white pride”
The culture of the movement
–persuading educated whites
through argumentation and
information – is well suited for
the online world
White Nationalism
Key Websites
Intellectual Development/Dialogue
 Stormfront
 American Renaissance
 VDARE
Political Action
 American Third Position
 CofCC (Council of Conservative Citizens)
The Study
What are the non-racist beliefs
of white nationalists?
How Non-racist Beliefs Can
Work
Religious
Beliefs
“White
Man’s
Burden”
Classical
Racism
“Non-Whites
are Inferior”
Scientific
Beliefs
How Non-racist Beliefs Can
Work
?
Racism of
White
Nationalists
?
?
How Non-racist Beliefs Can
Work
1)
2)
3)
“I always knew I was right…”
•
Non-racist beliefs solidify racism
“That explains everything…”
•
Can give explanations through which
people derive racism
“Finally, someone is speaking a language I
can understand…”
•
Can act as a means to recruit people
into the white nationalist movement by
explaining current conditions
A Few Notes
Racialism vs. Racism
Racialism – believing that people who share a
phenotype share common behaviors (Appiah
1990)
Racism – believing that people who share a
phenotype are morally, culturally, or
intellectually inferior to another groups and
deserve special treatment
Method
• Qualitative study
• Content analysis
• Looked at 10 websites from February
2010 to September 2011
• Took field notes, looked for patterns
• Explored discussion boards, podcasts,
and videos
The Non-Racist Beliefs
1. A Natural Racial Order
• Races are real, people identify with those who
are of the same race, people want to be with
their own kind
• These processes are good, healthy, and natural
• Interfering with these processes only causes
problems
Quote from Stormfront:
"Clearly, each race evolved independently under vastly
different conditions, and the results manifests these
differences: Whites and Asians developed greater intellect,
for example, while Blacks developed greater physical
prowess. In their individual environments, each race
developed the adaptations that suited them best. I do not
doubt that Whites have made tremendous contributions to
humanity --that is indisputable. This does not, however, make
us utterly "superior" --This simply means that we are more
intelligent, on average than some other races. Likewise,
Blacks are not "superior" because they are, on average
stronger than some other races. My belief in WN stems from
the conviction that each race is uniquely valuable and that
miscegenation destroys true diversity..."
Quote from Occidental
Dissent:
"To deny White citizens of White nations the right
to preserve themselves- biologically, ethnically,
and culturally- is the true example of racism and
hatred. Genocide is never acceptable. What can be
more racist than the systematic eradication of an
entire race? White Americans need not be
ashamed of identifying on a racial basis, as every
other race in America has a political license to do
so. La Raza, the League of United Latino American
Citizens, the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People, and the AntiDefamation League of the B’nai B’rith are all bound
by racial or ethnic ties."
Video from David Duke’s
YouTube Channel
The video is entitled
“Race is more than
skin color”
The Non-Racist Beliefs
2. Cultural Marxists are Destroying (White)
Society
Cultural Marxists advocate multiculturalism,
diversity, and racial equality. This group of
people are the ones who are tying to
interrupt natural racial processes. At the root
of cultural Marxism is a Jewish Influence.
Quote from American Third
Position
"Look at their track record.
"Multiculturalism" and "Integration" are their
stock in trade. "Equality" is their buzzword."
Quote from Occidental
Dissent
"Forced diversity, multiculturalism = Washington,
DC (Jew influence)
Army of white enablers = Marxist, highereducation system (Jew influence)
Clandestine brainwashing = Hollywood &
Madison Avenue (Jew influence)
Clandestine dispossession = Wall Street (Jew
influence)
Clandestine mass distraction = Sports (Jew
influence)
See, we really only have one problem."
The Non-Racist Beliefs
3. Europeans (Whites) Face a Double
Standard
Whites cannot be proud of their race, while
other groups can. Whites must walk on eggshells so as not to offend racial groups. There
are many government programs designed to
help other races, but none designed to help
whites.
Quote from David Duke:
"The fact is, in America today there is not
equal rights for all but a systemic and
endemic racial discrimination going on
against European Americans. In jobs,
promotions, college admissions,
scholarships, and contracting millions of
better qualified white Americans are being
systematically discriminated against in so
called affirmative action programs."
Quote from American Third
Position
"The American Third Position has no
problem with Hispanics organizing their
own college funds. What we do have a
problem with is the failure of these major
corporations to set up such funds for
white American kids."
The Non-Racist Beliefs
4. Government Intervention Hinders White
Progress
“Laws have been passed since the 1950's that
have ripped apart the social cohesion of
society, taken resources away from whites and
giving them to minorities, and generally have
lowered the prestige of whites.”
The Non-Racist Beliefs
Government Intervention Hinders White
Progress
1. Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
2. Civil Rights Act (1964)
3. Fair Housing Act (1968)
4. Affirmative Action
Non-Racist Beliefs - Summary
1. A natural racial order
2. Cultural Marxists are destroying (white)
society
3. Whites face a double standard
4. Government intervention hinders white
progress
Effects of Non-racist Beliefs Review
1)
2)
3)
“I always knew I was right…”
•
Non-racist beliefs solidify racism
“That explains everything…”
•
Can give explanations through which
people derive racism
“Finally, someone is speaking a language I
can understand…”
•
Can act as a means to recruit people
into the white nationalist movement by
explaining current conditions
The Promise and Peril of Virtual
Communities
Promise
The Internet reduces the
cost of communication
and organization (Shirky
2009). More people
participate in the
production and
consumption of
knowledge, and more
opinions are shared.
Peril
Allows people to filter
the information they
consume (Sunstein
2001). This does not
lead to democracy
because people are not
making informed
decisions.
Conclusions
Solidifying Racism
•
If one believes in a “natural racial order”, then
racist feelings can be justified:
“Its ok for me to feel this way is because they feel the same
way about me.”
“Look, Hispanics are only going to look out for their own
kind, so they should go back to their own country.”
“Hey what’s wrong with me looking out for my own kind. If I
don’t want to rent to that black man, that’s my choice.”
Conclusions
Deriving Racism
The belief that cultural Marxists are
destroying society by passing laws that
hurt white people and by creating a
double standard for whites may lead to
antipathy towards Jews.
Conclusions
Deriving Racism
• The belief that the government only works
to hurt white people can lead to strong
reactions against government plans to
redress inequalities.
• The program may be harmless to most
whites (or even help), but any government
led program is seen as hurting whites and
helping minorities
• The merit of a program is less important
than whether or not it helps non-whites
Conclusions
Deriving Racism
The belief that cultural Marxists are
destroying society may lead to antipathy
towards Jewish intellectuals.
Conclusions
Recruiting
• Many whites may be trying to make sense
of:
• What appears to them to be obvious distinctions
between people
• the negative experiences they have had directly
and indirectly with racial others
• the relative loss of power both nationally and
internationally of whites, a group that they identify
with
• An inability to express their racial pride like others
do
Conclusions
Recruiting
•People may not wish to
see themselves as
“racist” and may be
turned off by the racism
on those sites.
•But the non-racist beliefs
may appeal to them
because they provide
answers to questions
they have been having
The Promise and Peril of
Virtual Communities
• Do online communities bring racial and
ethnic groups together or drive them
apart?
• Does online anonymity allow people from
across racial and ethnic divides to
interact in a virtual space free from
stereotypes or allow people to express
their racial and ethnic prejudices more
freely?
References
Appiah, Kwame A. 1990. “Racisms.” pp. 3 - 17 In Anatomy of Racism, David Goldberg (ed.)
Minneapolis: Minnesota University Press.
Shirky, Clay. 2009. Here Comes Everybody : The Power of Organizing Without Organizations. Penguin
Press: New York, New York.
Southern Poverty Law Center. 2011. “The Year in Hate & Extremism.” Retrieved June 2, 2011
(http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2011/spring/the-year-inhate-extremism-2010)
Sunstein, Cass. 2001. Republic.Com. Princeton University Press: Princeton, New Jersey.