Traumatized white supremacists acting out
By Kevin Palmer
The reason believers in white supremacy are becoming unhinged is because they have been traumatized by a government report. A January 2017, VOX.com article captioned, White fear of demographic change is a powerful psychological force, stated, “In August 2008, the Census Bureau released a report which predicted by 2050, minorities would make up more than 50 percent of the population and become the majority.” Moreover, when Yale psychologist Jennifer Richeson heard about the report on NPR (National Public Radio), she remembers thinking, “This is probably freaking somebody out.” By “somebody” she means white people.
The article went on to say, Richeson’s studies on interracial interactions had taught her that when (white) people are in the majority, the sense of their race is dormant. But the prospect of being in the minority can suddenly make white identity – and all the historical privilege that comes with it – salient (most important). And, she guessed, the prospect of losing majority status was likely to make (white) people uneasy.”
Indeed, a result of this uneasiness was explained in an August 19, 2017, Guardian article captioned, The storm around America’s statues isn’t about history. It’s about whiteness. The article stated, “That (confederate) statue represents an idea of whiteness they refuse to relinquish; it is a part of a politics that trades on fears, ongoing cultural wars that scapegoat black and brown people and policy decisions deeply rooted in racial animus.”
Therefore, it is time for the white supremacist to let go and practice the biblical principle which says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
