Resurgence of Racism

[Samael_Khan]

Is it me or does it seem that racism, xenophobia and nationalism are making a comeback?

And by that I don't mean that racism and nationalism ever left the building in the first place, but that their supporters have found enough popular support for their views that they feel it is relatively safe to discuss it in the open.

And by racism I don't just mean racism against black people, but also against whites, latinos, foreign nationalities etc.

From what I hear from some people is that racist, xenophobic and nationalist groups are even gaining influence in first world governments.

I have been gradually discovering, through my hobby of studying indoctrination and cults, that there are groups of people who think in a similar way and have similar sentiments to outwardly racist groups. But they use common surface level loaded language to maintain plausible deniability, and deny allegations of prejudice against them but eventually their true colours show through.

Two examples from opposite ends of the political spectrum is undercover white nationalists isolating the killings of white farmers in South Africa to say that there is a planned worldwide white genocide and an anti-white political party who want to claim land from white people, but maintain plausible deniability by using loaded language, but now have potentially shown their true colours with ongoing evidence possibly showing that the recent riots in South Africa were cause by local terrorists linked to this party, as everything points to strategic sabotage which is not something that the rioters would have been capable of.

So what do you guys think? Am I being delusional or is the world in for some serious trouble because of racism, xenophobia and nationalism? The first two world wars were caused by a mix of these mental states so could we potentially see a third world war because of them?

 

[Nakosis]

Is it me or does it seem that racism, xenophobia and nationalism are making a comeback?

And by that I don't mean that racism and nationalism ever left the building in the first place, but that their supporters have found enough popular support for their views that they feel it is relatively safe to discuss it in the open.

And by racism I don't just mean racism against black people, but also against whites, latinos, foreign nationalities etc.

From what I hear from some people is that racist, xenophobic and nationalist groups are even gaining influence in first world governments.

I have been gradually discovering, through my hobby of studying indoctrination and cults, that there are groups of people who think in a similar way and have similar sentiments to outwardly racist groups. But they use common surface level loaded language to maintain plausible deniability, and deny allegations of prejudice against them but eventually their true colours show through.

Two examples from opposite ends of the political spectrum is undercover white nationalists isolating the killings of white farmers in South Africa to say that there is a planned worldwide white genocide and an anti-white political party who want to claim land from white people, but maintain plausible deniability by using loaded language, but now have potentially shown their true colours with ongoing evidence possibly showing that the recent riots in South Africa were cause by local terrorists linked to this party, as everything points to strategic sabotage which is not something that the rioters would have been capable of.

So what do you guys think? Am I being delusional or is the world in for some serious trouble because of racism, xenophobia and nationalism? The first two world wars were caused by a mix of these mental states so could we potentially see a third world war because of them?

I had to learn Whites were supposed to be racist towards Jews, Blacks, Asians, and folks with darker skin color from watching the news.
Things my parents and public education never taught me.

 

[Kooky]

Wrong tense, in my opinion - they have been making a come back for quite a while. In some instances, I would argue that they never went away in the first place.

What I believe we are witnessing here is the Overton Window in action. I don't think that people's hearts of hearts considerably changed; however, I believe that over time, it has become more and more acceptable to voice misgivings against certain population groups, and it has become more acceptable to voice them in harsher, less circumspect, less plausibly-deniable words.

With regards to Islamophobia, for example, September 2001 proved an important sea change all across the Western world, as Muslims became more and more associated with social problems - and, specifically, issues requiring policing and surveillance.

In this instance, people's desire to find scapegoats for social problems and the police apparatus' desire to expand civil surveillance and police powers combined to drive new anti-Muslim policies, but the anti-Muslim rhetoric that began with 9/11 paved the way for these policies, and made them appear more acceptable - more pressing, more desirable, more necessary. Such policies would have been considered unthinkable in the 1980s or even the early 1990s - but the Overton Window shifted so far that they not only became a real possibility, but are now effectively the new normal.

 

[Kooky]

I have been gradually discovering, through my hobby of studying indoctrination and cults, that there are groups of people who think in a similar way and have similar sentiments to outwardly racist groups. But they use common surface level loaded language to maintain plausible deniability, and deny allegations of prejudice against them but eventually their true colours show through.

That happens when their beliefs and tenets have not yet become part of the mainstream. The Overton Window hasn't shifted enough down the racist line that the N-word would become palpable in American political discourse - and possibly, such words will never become palpable again; so now, racists have to use dogwhistles - coded language that can be understood by fellow racists, but which carries an element of plausible deniability - such as "urban thugs", "ghetto kids" or "welfare queens".

 

[Father Heathen]

I think Trump simply scratched a scab off, allowing the infection to surface.

 

[Samael_Khan]

I had to learn Whites were supposed to be racist towards Jews, Blacks, Asians, and folks with darker skin color from watching the news.
Things my parents and public education never taught me.

Can you elaborate please?

 

[74x12]

Two examples from opposite ends of the political spectrum is undercover white nationalists isolating the killings of white farmers in South Africa to say that there is a planned worldwide white genocide and an anti-white political party who want to claim land from white people, but maintain plausible deniability by using loaded language, but now have potentially shown their true colours with ongoing evidence possibly showing that the recent riots in South Africa were cause by local terrorists linked to this party, as everything points to strategic sabotage which is not something that the rioters would have been capable of.

Sounds like you've been listening to lefty apologists. Those accounts are even worse than reports make them out to be and people from SA itself verify it. IT's not just propaganda made up by white supremacists.

 

[Samael_Khan]

Wrong tense, in my opinion - they have been making a come back for quite a while. In some instances, I would argue that they never went away in the first place.

Yes, this is what I mean.

What I believe we are witnessing here is the Overton Window in action. I don't think that people's hearts of hearts considerably changed; however, I believe that over time, it has become more and more acceptable to voice misgivings against certain population groups, and it has become more acceptable to voice them in harsher, less circumspect, less plausibly-deniable words.

I have am learning something new here. Never heard of the Overton Window before and the concept makes sense. So potentially, if extremists know their end goal in terms of policy, all they have to do is gradually market bits and pieces of their ideas in a nice way so that they can mold public opinion enough so that their views become less extreme over time.

I like this quote from your link:

"In 1998, Noam Chomsky said:

The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum—even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there's free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate"

With regards to Islamophobia, for example, September 2001 proved an important sea change all across the Western world, as Muslims became more and more associated with social problems - and, specifically, issues requiring policing and surveillance.

Yes, I remember this being a huge thing after 9/11 and is still used to this day.

In this instance, people's desire to find scapegoats for social problems and the police apparatus' desire to expand civil surveillance and police powers combined to drive new anti-Muslim policies, but the anti-Muslim rhetoric that began with 9/11 paved the way for these policies, and made them appear more acceptable - more pressing, more desirable, more necessary. Such policies would have been considered unthinkable in the 1980s or even the early 1990s - but the Overton Window shifted so far that they not only became a real possibility, but are now effectively the new normal.

This is fascinating. Social manipulation in the process. So would you say that their strategy is to market their ideas over years?

 

[sun rise]

@Israel Khan , I agree that it's much more visible now than in the past.

To me, people are under increased stress from political, economic, environmental and other changes and because of that the worst parts of human nature have surfaced.

There are also forces counteracting that which need our support. The support does not need to be dramatic, but we should stand up for teaching all of history, opposing laws that indirectly target minorities, counteract hate ideologies in any form etc.

 

[Samael_Khan]

That happens when their beliefs and tenets have not yet become part of the mainstream. The Overton Window hasn't shifted enough down the racist line that the N-word would become palpable in American political discourse - and possibly, such words will never become palpable again; so now, racists have to use dogwhistles - coded language that can be understood by fellow racists, but which carries an element of plausible deniability - such as "urban thugs", "ghetto kids" or "welfare queens".

Well as far as I have seen, there are a few conservative voices who push the concept of free speech, and say that people can say whatever they want unless it is a call for violence. I think that this concept could be distorted enough, that it will cause the Overton Window to shift so much that the only limit for free speech is the call for violence and the N-word will be deemed acceptable by the majority.

And yes, dogwhistles, their loaded language. It means one thing to outsiders and something very specific to those in the know and which conjure specific emotions in adherents. Loaded language, dogwhistles, are tricky to decipher, but when you eventually do, you can pretty much tell which group someone belongs to. The problem is that they can suck others in by claiming that the allegations are false and will get further supporters among the clueless.

 

[Nakosis]

Can you elaborate please?

I tend to blame the media for sensationalizing racism.
Like the point you made about the White nationalists.

While I was growing up, I was never conscious of racism. Didn't really feel any different about people with different skin colors.
Of course I realize for some cultures this is a problem.
I think there are some people who if they are told a behavior is bad, then they want to act exactly like that.
The more it's in the news, the more these kind of folks feed off of it.
For any "culture" there is always a counter-culture. Rebels looking for a cause.

 

[Samael_Khan]

Sounds like you've been listening to lefty apologists. Those accounts are even worse than reports make them out to be and people from SA itself verify it. IT's not just propaganda made up by white supremacists.

No, haven't listened to leftists about this. I live in South Africa and know about the farm killings but also know of the broader South African context in which brutal killings are common. My problem isn't people speaking about the killings, but if you notice, there are people who specifically isolate those killings exclusively from the broader context, such as farmers making up the minority of white people and that for the most part, white people aren't target in such a way. I asked why, and noticed that these same people were using loaded language and have a common thread among their videos regarding specific topics. I started researching it after watching Lauren Southern's Farmlands documentary.

Also the political party that I was speaking about who are anti-white are on the far left, the EFF. The far left are dangerous as well.

 

[Samael_Khan]

@Israel Khan , I agree that it's much more visible now than in the past.

To me, people are under increased stress from political, economic, environmental and other changes and because of that the worst parts of human nature have surfaced.

Yes, its like they are catering to peoples fears isn't it?

@Israel KhanThere are also forces counteracting that which need our support. The support does not need to be dramatic, but we should stand up for teaching all of history, opposing laws that indirectly target minorities, counteract hate ideologies in any form etc.

Agree with you here. But I also see people who are counteracting that are going to the other extreme. It is as if we should counter and pay attention to balancing our views as well so that we don't go to the extreme.

 

[Samael_Khan]

I tend to blame the media for sensationalizing racism.
Like the point you made about the White nationalists.

While I was growing up, I was never conscious of racism. Didn't really feel any different about people with different skin colors.
Of course I realize for some cultures this is a problem.
I think there are some people who if they are told a behavior is bad, then they want to act exactly like that.
The more it's in the news, the more these kind of folks feed off of it.
For any "culture" there is always a counter-culture. Rebels looking for a cause.

I have actually had a similar experience. I actually didn't see race until I was in the schooling system.

What is true is that the problem isn't so wide spread that the average person has extreme views on race. Like I see America being very polarized in the news but I doubt that Americans are so polarised on average.

What I do think though is that racism is sensationalized by the media to the point that nutcases think that every person with a certain skin colour is racist. I also think though that social media has given voice to more extreme figures and they are conditioning people. So now the combination is putting ideas in peoples heads and the snowball is starting to pick up speed, as can be seen on social media. There people openly express their racism, especially on Youtube. And it is interesting to see that people with more extreme beliefs are aligning themselves with figures who are suspected of using dogwhistles.

The major problems is that many many people lack critical thinking skills and are easily influenced by whatever is told to them as long as it appeals to their emotions.

 

[Samael_Khan]

I think Trump simply scratched a scab off, allowing the infection to surface.

How do you think he caused this?

 

[George-ananda]

So what do you guys think?

My first thought is that this so-called resurgence is more the product of the sudden dominant rise of the internet and cable TV. In a crowded rush for attention, controversy and emotional drama plays and pays well for them. We just see things in our face that are so clearly meant to stoke the emotions regarding race and ethnicity.

Bottom line is that I doubt the real-world/everyday problems are any worse than ever but the noise around them is worse than ever.

 

[Samael_Khan]

My first thought is that this so-called resurgence is more the product of the sudden dominant rise of the internet and cable TV. In a crowded rush for attention, controversy and emotional drama plays and pays well for them. We just see things in our face that are so clearly meant to stoke the emotions regarding race and ethnicity.

Bottom line is that I doubt the real-world/everyday problems are any worse than ever but the noise around them is worse than ever.

You make a very good point here.

 

[Aštra’el]

No, racism is not “worse than it was before”. What we do see a rise in however is the number of people who are so obsessed with finding racism everywhere they look that they create racism where it isn’t.

 

[Lyndon]

So people get called out more for being racist, and that's a bad thing??

 

[Lyndon]

I also find it not uncommon for racist people to be vehement deniers of racism's reality in the society we live, Ironic, isn't it.

 

[stvdv]

And by that I don't mean that racism and nationalism ever left the building in the first place

Exactly that...its like a hidden cancer, that can pop up any moment, esp. when tension gets more