American Politics Hijacked by White Supremacy Ideology

Published in Huanqiu
(China) on 14 August 2017
by Ji Hong (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Yuzhi Yang. Edited by Christine Murrison.
The violent conflicts incited by white supremacists came to a head in Charlottesville, Virginia, recently. In the last few years, white supremacy ideology has grown and right-wing forces have made a resurgence, of which the incident in Charlottesville is just one manifestation.

White supremacy ideology and discrimination are at the core of America's racial problems. According to the 2017 report from the nongovernmental organization,the Southern Poverty Law Center, there were 917 hate groups in America in 2016 (based on race, gender and religion), and white supremacy organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan and “white power” groups account for more than 60 percent of them.

Not only do white supremacist activities exist, their propagation has become modern too; no longer limited to gatherings and violent events, the internet is used to spread these groups’ hate ideology and promote their networking.

There are many factors causing the rise of white supremacy ideology in addition to 9/11, the financial crisis and Barack Obama becoming the first African-American president are direct contributors to the crisis. More long-term reasons include the rise of minority populations due to immigration, the aging white population, fewer white offspring, etc. Since the end of the last century, there has been a dramatic drop in the number of white Americans. Around 2043, whites will account for less than 50 percent of the total American population.

Facing the population changes, white Americans are not prepared, and factors such as the shrinking manufacturing industry have made some whites attribute all their anger and anxiety to minorities. The government’s preferential policies for minorities have also created “reverse racism” for white Americans, so the 2016 election was their “last stand.”

What has Trump, elected by many blue-collar voters, done to the minorities since he came into power? The “Muslim ban,” canceling federal funding for sanctuary cities, finding and arresting illegal immigrants, replacing family unification-based immigration policies, and so on.

Since the Charlottesville riot, Trump has not specifically criticized white supremacists. In essence, election politics have “locked in” Trump’s position. White supremacy has hijacked American society, even American politics.

Data show that there's been a 57 percent increase of anti-Muslim incidents since 2015, and there have been 86 percent more anti-Semitic events in the first three months of 2017 than last year.

It could be said that if Trump’s economic policies do not show results and social policies are not adjusted in time, and as the polarization of wealth becomes more severe in America, racial relations in America will only further deteriorate.

The author is a researcher and PhD advisor at the American Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.


因白人种族主义者集会引起的暴力冲突,弗吉尼亚州夏洛茨维尔这个美国南方小城被推上风口浪尖。近年来美国白人至上思潮加剧,右翼势力抬头,夏洛茨维尔事件只是其中一个突出表现。

  白人种族主义思想和歧视行为是当代美国种族问题的核心。根据非政府组织“南方贫困法律中心”2017年研究报告,2016年美国全国的仇恨组织(大多针对种族、宗教、性别等)有917个,其中白人种族主义团体如三K党、白人民族主义团体占了6成以上。

白人至上运动不仅存在,且其蔓延方式也变得“现代化”,不再局限于集会和暴力行动,还利用网络传播仇恨情绪,互相联络。

  造成美国社会白人种族主义抬头的因素很多,除了“9·11”事件、金融危机、奥巴马成为美国首位非裔总统等直接导火索。

更长期的原因在于:因移民潮导致的少数族裔人口增加以及白人人口老龄化、少子化等,上世纪末以来,美国白人人口急剧下降。预计2043年前后,美国白人人口比例将不足50%。

面对人口结构变化,美国白人没有心理准备,加之制造业萎缩等因素,白人把焦虑和愤怒都算到少数族裔和移民身上,政府优待少数族裔的政策也构成了对白人的“逆向歧视”,于是2016年大选中出现了白人“最后一搏”。

  得到大量白人蓝领支持的特朗普上台后对少数族裔怎样呢?颁布禁穆令、取消对非法移民提供庇护的城市的财政补助、搜捕严打非法移民、取代家庭团聚原则等等。

夏洛茨维尔骚乱后,特朗普也没特别谴责白人种族主义者。本质上讲,选举政治“套牢”了特朗普的立场,白人种族主义已对美国社会甚至美国政治形成了绑架。

  统计显示,当下美国反穆斯林事件较2015年骤增57%,反犹事件在2017年头三个月较去年同期增加86%。

可以想见,如果特朗普政府经济政策迟迟不见成效,而其社会政策又不能做出适时调整,随着美国社会贫富差距继续加大,美国国内种族关系将会更加恶化。(作者是中国社会科学院美国研究所研究员、博士生导师)
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