From the very founding of the United States, there has been racism, prejudice and hate present. Even after laws were put into place to avoid discrimination and give every race and gender equal opportunity, there is one thing still evidently present: hate. As of 2018 there have been 1020 hate groups reported and, though the times have changed, different factors have contributed to the increase of hate groups.
“There is a 30% jump in hate groups that coincides with [Trump] running for office and winning the presidency… Trump plays on fears of immigrants to build up his base,” said Heidi Beirich, the director of the Intelligence Report, which is published quarterly by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Trump has made many allegations towards immigrants, calling them “rapists, criminals,” and so forth. And as a result, many have become fearful of and hateful towards immigrants, believing that they make no contributions the country, and live a life of fear.
Just as there are people afraid of immigrants, some hate groups and white supremacists are afraid of the increasing diversity occurring in the U.S. These white supremacists believe that, because they are superior, other races shouldn’t be present and that there is no need for diversity.
“We are now very close, maybe 20 years away from whites being a minority in the United States. And that change freaks some people out, people who are uncomfortable with cultural change and increased diversity and multiculturalism,” said Beirich.
The response to this fear is an increasing amount of hate towards minorities, the government, and others. Throughout most of the 50 states, there are different clans, from anti-LGBT groups to neo-confederates to the racist skinheads. And since these groups are acting out of hate and anger, violence is often followed.
“They want to kill minorities, or Jews, or whatever the case may be because they believe that white people should run this country and they’ve decided that the only way to achieve that is through weapons of war,” added Beirich.
Another factor contributing to the rise of hate groups is social media. With social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram many of these hate groups now have the means to spread propaganda, recruit members, and organize rallies. Unlike people decades ago, users now have the ability to see all that hate groups have to say with as little as a click or a scroll.
In Florida, there have been 75 active hate groups reported, the third highest in the United States. Not only is Florida home to a great amount of people—over twenty million—there is also divisiveness in the state, which is especially seen during the election.
“States like California, Florida, and New York that have large populations are often at the top of the list for hate groups… California and New York, when you look at the number of hate groups per capita is actually much lower than Florida… That reflects partly that Florida, although the southern part of the state is very cosmopolitan and very multicultural, the panhandle and the northern area are more like their cousins in the deep south,” said Beirich.
Seeing as how many social media platforms that are trying to perfect algorithms which will prevent hate groups from continuing to gain momentum and diversity in the U.S. are also increasing, it is projected that the amount of active hate groups will also continue to rise. The hate that resided in America before the 1960s is still here today, and for the time being, will continue to be evident in clans throughout the country.
