By Random White Dude
Recently, a wave of neo-nazism and white supremacy heavily related to political events, such as the election of Trump, has surged across our nation (and the internet). It has me, a white male, thinking a lot about my place in this country. The Charlottesville riots and the events that followed really struck a nerve across the board, understandably so. Myself and other white people must acknowledge that there is a logical argument for the existence of white privilege that stems from these recent events.
Truthfully, I am not a proponent of government expansion, which is why I often battle liberals and people who mindlessly vote for candidates that want nothing more than institutional manipulation. But when it comes to social issues, including acknowledging white privilege, I see eye to eye with the same people I battle. Racism is one of the highest forms of stupidity, and it courses and evolves through generations as families learn to depend on opportunities they were given because they were white. Over time, on a national level, these racist narratives have been beaten down, but in certain crevices of our country, there still are many who are too dependent on the privileges of old to turn to anything but racism. This is why Donald Trump got elected, as Hillary Clinton’s campaign aggravated enough of these people to convert them into a grass roots movement.
Events of the nature of the Charlottesville riots are destined to happen considering the current racially charged environment. As white people, it truly is our obligation to reject these hateful narratives and see them for what they are: illogical, hateful, and regressive. To move towards a better future, being neutral towards hateful movements is not an option (@realDonaldTrump). We cannot and should not depend on government institutions to step in. There is another side to this coin. Violence cannot be met with violence if the expected outcome is peace. There is no logic to that, and the “Antifa” should not be praised when they commit violent acts. Far too many on the left subtly praise this movement, when far too often all they are responsible for is being in the place of some traumatic event.
To all the non-racist white people like me, who consider themselves true libertarians, republicans, independents, social liberals: disassociate yourselves from mainstream political parties and denounce racism wherever you see it. We cannot allow Neo-Nazis and White Supremacists to throw dirt on the name of all white people. If we stand by and do not condemn them openly, this is exactly what will happen. When is the last time you met a supremacist of any other race?
One could bring up the Black Panthers, or Black Lives Matter, but those groups mostly fought and continue to fight against institutional bias. They are not supremacy or hate groups. The KKK and plenty of other organizations throughout the south were responsible for essentially a genocide for 100+ years. It is understandable why there are groups that promote the pride of other races, because stupid and evil people had beaten their pride down to overarch their own.
Thankfully, we have moved on from that. Unfortunately, the remnants of our history are showing in all of these events, and history is repeating itself. As the “alt-right” clashes with the “antifa” over and over again, all I can wonder is when will people realize that all of these people are mindlessly looking for an excuse to cause societal disruptions? For libertarians that are sick of the system, be aware that associating yourself with a racist militia will have consequences. For leftists who are associating themselves with violence through “antifa” or other similar movements, there will eventually be consequences as well. Even when you disagree with someone, violence only breeds more violence. The only true way to change is to talk like intellectuals and use logic to understand what the closest and most agreeable version of the truth is.