Watching the coverage of the aftermath of the Charlottesville White Pride marches, I could not help but stare in amazement that anyone could treat their peers in such nasty ways. What drives people to violate the most basic rule everyone is taught in kindergarten, the Golden Rule? It's a simple concept to treat others how you would like to be treated, but instead in this country, and across the world, we have people who brazenly violate this most basic assumption of our behavior. It is not like this is anything new, there has been racial violence and ideological violence for all of human history, but when it is presented on national television, people take notice. The emergence of the 24 hour news cycle has changed how people react to tragedies like the one in Charlottesville. While the pundits and the general public debated where this attitude comes from in the modern era, I realized not many people discussed how we can stem the tide of hate, and help people reverse course. It was at that time I was watching one of my favorite shows and they had this segment on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-n3qiLeVqg
It was after I saw that clip, that I realized I had found an organization that I could get behind, Life After Hate.
In the winter of 2010, six people met at a conference in Dublin called "Summit Against Violent Extremism" and began collaborating on a project called Life After Hate. They initially began as a online publication before turning to their ExitUSA program. This program helps support individuals who are or have been members of hate groups in their efforts to rehabilitate themselves, learn to love their fellow man/woman, and become an advocate against hate and violent extremism. Along with this, they have job training and community partnerships.
I want to raise money for this organization for the simple reason that any violence in the name of ideology or race is abhorrent, and this is an incredibly impactful organization that helps advocate against said violence as well as rehabilitate those who took part in it. President Trump recently rescinded a $400,000 federal grant to combat white nationalist extremism, so organizations like this one are struggling to continue operations without the valuable resources promised by the federal government. By donating to this organization, we as a class can make a tangible impact and help reduce the amount of racial and ideological violence in this country due to their incredible network.
It was after I saw that clip, that I realized I had found an organization that I could get behind, Life After Hate.
In the winter of 2010, six people met at a conference in Dublin called "Summit Against Violent Extremism" and began collaborating on a project called Life After Hate. They initially began as a online publication before turning to their ExitUSA program. This program helps support individuals who are or have been members of hate groups in their efforts to rehabilitate themselves, learn to love their fellow man/woman, and become an advocate against hate and violent extremism. Along with this, they have job training and community partnerships.
I want to raise money for this organization for the simple reason that any violence in the name of ideology or race is abhorrent, and this is an incredibly impactful organization that helps advocate against said violence as well as rehabilitate those who took part in it. President Trump recently rescinded a $400,000 federal grant to combat white nationalist extremism, so organizations like this one are struggling to continue operations without the valuable resources promised by the federal government. By donating to this organization, we as a class can make a tangible impact and help reduce the amount of racial and ideological violence in this country due to their incredible network.
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ReplyDeleteI like how you decided to spotlight a rehabilitative-based program. Often, programs that work with people who have violent pasts do not garner a great amount of support, because these individuals are not exactly considered to be sympathetic. Yet in my opinion, it is through these organizations that change can really spread, and more importantly, last. In your presentation, I recommend that you talk more about how exactly Life After Hate works to rehabilitate people. What techniques and methods do they utilize? Also, there is often a pattern between extremism and other issues, such as domestic violence and substance abuse. Does Life After Hate tackle those issues as well? I think that is vital to the success of the program. If an individual is not fully equipped with all the tools they need to lead a healthy life, unresolved issues may trigger them back into a life of violence and abuse.
ReplyDeleteI also think that we always have to be very careful when talking about racism and remember that overt and blatant racism is not a new trend, just now perhaps a better organized (and politically acceptable) one. Racism does not just exist on a individualistic basis, but through nearly every institution in this country. In this post, you write about peers not respecting peers and how the root of this hateful attitude is often argued and disputed. I think that phrasing removes larger societal factors from blame and ignores how the foundation of this extremism really derives from America's history of slavery and segregation. I just wanted to point this out because I feel like your argument may lose its strength if you place the faults of racism on the singular. I think that one of the best things Life After Hate does in it's practice is teach people that racism is two-fold; individual and institutional. It is necessary that people looking to leave the right-wing movement are aware of both of these aspects, so they can reduce prejudices and stereotypes and gain awareness and knowledge.
Life After Hate is a vital program that teaches cultural sensitivity, respect, and historical understanding to those who want to change. However, on a side note, I wish that the government took a more proactive role in stopping violent extremism. I am not familiar with a lot of extremist rehabilitation programs, but I find myself comparing this to a program in Seattle called Men's Accountability. It is a 10-week intensive workshop that works to rehabilitate men who have bought sex, by teaching them about gender exploitation and sexual violence. It is mandatory for all those in Seattle who have been convicted of purchasing sex. I think that everyone convicted of a hate crime should go through a similar program. While Life After Hate is helpful to those who want to leave the right-wing extremism, many others who do not have this desire are never exposed to these teachings. Mandatory courses would change this. Even though they may not impact everybody, if it changes at least one mind, it is worth it.
Eli,
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of Life After Hate before, but your blog post and your talk today convinced me that it is an important and effective organization. I agree with you that the recent rise in open and blatant racism and hatred is troubling and is a serious problem that is definitely worthy of a donation. It is scary that there are still people willing to march for such an awful cause and declare allegiance to white supremacy over fifty years after the Civil Rights movement.
Originally I thought that rehabilitating white supremacists is not the best way to stop this hatred. It seemed like there must be a more direct method to deal with the problem. Assisting people who used to be part of extremist groups seemed counter intuitive to me: Why would we help people who decided to spend their lives hating others? But after further researching the organization and watching the video you shared, I think spreading love is the best way to deal with people like those who marched in Charlottesville. This organization shows white supremacists that there is a way out and that if they abandon their ideology people will still accept them. Rehabilitation may be more effective than holding rallies or trying to argue against them.
I remember recently reading an article about tattoo shops who are willing to cover up white supremacist tattoos for free: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/05/sickside-tattoo-studio-erase-the-hate-white-supremacist-tattoo-cover-ups (Not this exact article but a similar one). This is very similar to Life After Hate, as both are trying to give white supremacists a chance to escape from their extremist and hateful lifestyle. It is interesting to read about the life of a white supremacist from their perspective and see how other people's support helped them turn their lives around. I'm glad you introduced this organization to me and the class and I hope that this organization is able to continue its important work.
-Adiel Felsen