The article "A Whiter Shade of Christmas" by Maria Luisa Tucker (published on AlterNet), describes a group of white supremacist women called Women for Aryan Unity, whose activities are somewhat unusual for a group with racist beliefs. Their activities are more of the nurturing kind, and include sending Christmas cards to white supremacist in prison, buying gifts for the children of these prisoners, and selling a cookbook. An excerpt from the article explains:
"The idea of a nurturing neo-Nazi or a charitable skinhead is incompatible with most people's conception of racist activists. After all, a hate group is all about hate, right? Well, yes and no. For many women in the white supremacist movement, their public actions involve the nurturing of their own group. These facilitators of fundraisers, contributors to clothes drives, and community builders represent the "softer side" of hate. They are the "housewives who hate" as one person sarcastically noted on a white nationalist message board. While their actions may be more benign than that of their male counterparts, they are not necessarily less harmful."
The article explains how these women help to perpetuate the beliefs and actions of this kind of racist group. It also describes the diverse characteristics of the people involved in this group, who have different religious beliefs, different educational background, and come from diverse geographical areas. The author suggests some ways to prevent the perpetuation of this ideology:
"Perhaps the best defense against the spread of racist activism is the nurturing of a healthy, multi-ethnic youth culture. Like any group, a lot of what racist organizations have to offer is social: parties, friends and identity. If white kids are encouraged to engage in social activities that are multi-cultural, inter-faith and tolerant they will be less likely to be enticed by a free skinhead concert. Research suggests that committed racists are made, not born, and most members of racist groups become radicalized once they enter a group setting that encourages racist attitudes, so preventing recruitment into racist groups is key."
For the full article, click here:
Thist article really sparked my interest. However, as I was reading it, I was struck with a question I just can't find the answer to: Why is it that white supremists live in predominantly diverse areas? Is it like other groups, and when there is more people in any location there is more people to be in certain groups? That perhaps, per capita, there are just as many white supremists here in iowa as there are in New York City? Or maybe it is shere exposure to other groups that turns would be racists into white supremists? I think that this is a strong possibility. I think that for similar evolutionary reasons as to why different races are recognized through different neurological pathways, perhaps the more other races around us, the more likely one is to become racist.
Sorry this is so off topic from the article, but it sparked a thought process.