White supremacy dates back to days when Europeans tried to conquer “inferior” races as they invaded their lands. The term to came to America and stuck around during the days of slavery, segregation and even into current times. I don’t believe that racial issues have disappeared like some claim. Yes, America has come a long way from the days of slavery, but we have a long way to go before we overcome all our issues.
In today’s political environment, there’s a lot of concern from people of color and minorities. Recently, Trump closed the borders to seven countries. Some people hail this as a way to protect our country from terrorism. However, it is just fear and trying to exert white supremacy over other religions and races.
Some say that the current white supremacy in our political discourse is due to backlash from white conservatives who opposed Obama, situations in the Middle East, and issues with illegal immigration. There are still active Neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klans and Aryan supremacy groups across America, just to name a few.
Alongside the existing supremacy groups, the Alt-Right movement gained popularity and momentum in the past year. The Alt-Right movement is one that centers on white nationalism, Neo-Nazism and white supremacy. This movement includes people like Steve Bannon, who is now assistant and Chief Strategist to President Trump. Bannon is known for his work with “far right conservative news source” Breitbart News. Last year, Breitbart was labelled as an Alt-Right news source.
If a man like Bannon is in the White House advising President Trump, then it’s very likely that the ideals that come along with white supremacy are being passed and spread further across America. With the availability of social media and technology, spreading these ideas is easier than ever. Making propaganda is becoming simpler. We can see one example of how the Alt-Right created propaganda with Pepe the Frog. The once innocent frog became a symbol of white supremacy after being used for numerous Alt-Right propaganda. In this particular case, the propaganda was spread in the popular form of memes. Through the association between popular culture and propaganda, many people are gaining access to these white supremacist ideals.
So how can we combat this?
There is a lot of hate in the world. If there’s something that is wrong, speak out against it or share it with the local authorities. For example, if you know of a hate group, especially if they are planning an attack, alert authorities. It will protect lives.
We don’t need to be so filled with hate. No one is inferior to another person. We are equals and need to treat each other with respect.
