For A-plus Writer Only

White Supremacy is a Problem

Name

Institution

White Supremacy is a Problem

Problem statement

In this study, I will be exploring the problem of White Supremacy in the United States. The United States has developed and grown through major social crisis including racism, slavery, civil war, gender discrimination, and secession arguments. Today, the majority of the United States citizens can argue that the country has achieved a significantly mature point of civil rights and the inclusion of all people irrespective of color, ethnicity, gender, religion, and even disability. In the view of this maturity and national unity, white supremacy sentiments are threatening the peace and integrity that has been pursued for decades and centuries. Perhaps the sound observation to make is that the sentiments of white supremacy have not re-emerged but rather, have been simmering in the background and now they have reached boiling point. This is witnessed by the increasingly violent demonstrations and attacks perpetrated by white supremacists.

Symptoms of the social issue

The symptoms of white supremacy are several. The first symptom revolves around the increasing Nazi and white supremacist sentiments on popular media. According to Berger (2016), these sentiments became very aggressive with the rise of Donald Trump and his political stance that has been greatly criticized as being discriminatory. Berger (2016) observes that the white supremacist leaders, including the Ku Klux Klan leader, have openly supported Trump's sentiments often using them to fight against other factions in the population such as the Black Lives Matter community. The second symptom entails the open demonstration held by the white supremacists. These demonstrations have often turned violent leading to the third symptom of hate and intolerance. Open debates about white supremacy are the fourth symptom. These debates are taking place on social media, news platforms, and academic platforms. This paper is another example of the debate. People who support the white supremacy and those opposed to it are emerging to castigate or protect it openly.

Conflicts regarding white supremacy

The issue of white supremacy has conflicts in several aspects including whiteness and blood purity; race, religion, citizenship, and class; patriarchy, homophobia, and transphobia, and prejudice and power. According to Ross (2016), the aspect of whiteness and blood purity purported by white supremacists is founded on the tenets spilling over from the 17th century when colonial settlers defined established themselves as the leaders of the nation economically and politically. To ensure that distinct classes of whites and non-whites remain, the white supremacists argue against intermarriages between whites and African Americans, Asians, or Native Americans. This pursuit of pure blood thus conflicts with the constitutional freedoms of Americans that outlaws discrimination. It is also in conflict with American popular culture. The race, religion, citizenship, and class are also affected by the white supremacy institution. Ross (2016) argues that the same self-appointed white emancipation activists who define who is a white person also historically defined which religions were acceptable, who were supposed to be allowed citizenship, and who should be allowed class mobility. Irish and Jews were not allowed these privileges despite their color. These same exclusion criteria could re-emerge with the triumph of white supremacy. Similarly, patriarchy, homophobia, and transphobia are deeply engraved in the white supremacy intentions. Lastly, these activists are simply propagating prejudice against other races and ethnicities in pursuit of power, which translates into explicit racism.

Ethical dilemmas

The most prominent ethical dilemma regarding white supremacy revolves around maintain law and order and upholding freedom of speech. Apparently, the white supremacy activists and supporters have freedom of speech. As such, they can voice their opinion concerning the inferiority of other races. They can also openly recruit members to their factions because the constitution allows them. However, this open opinion and activities pose a threat to the unity of the nation because of violence between opposing groups. Therefore, the dilemma exists on whether to deny them the freedom to express themselves concerning white supremacy or not openly.

The development of the issue

According to Ross (2016), white supremacy is an institution founded on discriminatory sentiments that date back to the 1600s in the era of colonial settlers. These institution has existed in the underground throughout the last decades until the Donald Trump's campaign that seemed to radicalize the white supremacy activists (Ross, 2016). Other factors fueled the increased rallying of white supremacy after its re-emergence. They include white fragility and white supremacy consciousness matrix. According to DiAngelo (2011), whites in the United States often live in social environments that insulates and protects them from the race-based stress. This insulation builds up certain expectations for racial comfort, which lowers their tolerance to racial stress. DiAngelo (2011) refers to this phenomenon as white fragility. When exposed to racial stress, some white's defense mechanism could involve fighting for white supremacy. This defense mechanism is best understood through three factors of white supremacy consciousness matrix. The first factor is the fear response against perceived unfair loss (Schwartz, 2017) of social, economic, and political control to other races. The second factor is fear fugue of the other person, religion, ethnicity, or race (Schwartz, 2017). The third factor is person's degree of correlation with the conservative political or religious beliefs of the white supremacists (Schwartz, 2017).

Significance of investigating the issue

The debates and demonstrations concerning white supremacy may yet culminate in violent confrontations that could threaten the unity of the nation if not promptly handled carefully and appropriately. The best way to deal with the problem is not clear, especially due to the ethical dilemma discussed above. Therefore, investigation of the issue is pertinent to the identification, formulation, and implementation of measures to avert the possible national crisis that white supremacy sentiments may cause.

References Berger, J. M. (2016). Nazis vs. ISIS on Twitter: A Comparative Study of White Nationalist and ISIS Online Social Media Networks. Washington DC: George Washington University. DiAngelo, R. (2011). White Fragility. International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, 3(3), 54-70. Ross, L. (2016). Fighting White Supremacy and White Privilege to Build a Human Rights Movement. Understanding and Dismantling Privilege, 6(1), 1-11. Schwartz, S. A. (2017). America's WhiteSupremacyCrisis. Explore, 13(5), 293-298.