Overcoming Feelings of Hatred (Focus on Family Matters)

Overcoming Feelings of Hatred The Blending of Foster and Adopted Children into the Family Dealing with Terminal Illne...

Author: Michele Alpern | Marvin Rosen

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Overcoming Feelings of Hatred

The Blending of Foster and Adopted Children into the Family Dealing with Terminal Illness in the Family Dealing with the Effects of Rape and Incest Dealing with the Loss of a Loved One The Effects of Job Loss on the Family The Effects of Stress and Anxiety on the Family Helping Hands: How Families Can Reach Out to their Community Let’s Talk: Sharing Our Thoughts and Feelings During Times of Crisis Overcoming Feelings of Hatred Teen Pregnancy Understanding and Coping with Divorce Understanding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Focus on Family Matters


Michele Alpern Marvin Rosen, Ph.D. Consulting Editor

CHELSEA HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EDITOR IN CHIEF Sally Cheney DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION Kim Shinners CREATIVE MANAGER Takeshi Takahashi MANUFACTURING MANAGER Diann Grasse Staff for OVERCOMING FEELINGS OF HATRED

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Bill Conn PICTURE RESEARCHER Sarah Bloom PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Jaimie Winkler COVER AND SERIES DESIGNER Takeshi Takahashi LAYOUT 21st Century Publishing and Communications, Inc.

©2003 by Chelsea House Publishers, a subsidiary of Haights Cross Communications. All rights reserved. Printed and bound in the United States of America.

http://www.chelseahouse.com First Printing 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Alpern, Michele. Overcoming feelings of hatred / Michele Alpern. p. cm.—(Focus on family matters) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7910-6953-2 1. Hate in adolescence—Juvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series. BF724.3.H38 A47 2002 152.4—dc21 2002007351

Contents

Introduction 1 Intolerance and Prejudice

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2 Discrimination and Violence

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3 Hate Groups

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4 Historical and Social Roots of Hatred

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5 The Psychology of Intolerance

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6 Taking Action Against Hatred

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Glossary

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Further Reading

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Index

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Introduction Marvin Rosen, Ph.D. Consulting Editor

ad things sometimes happen to good people. We’ve probably all heard that expression. But what happens when the “good people” are teenagers? Growing up is stressful and difficult to negotiate. Teenagers are struggling to becoming independent, trying to cut ties with their families that they see as restrictive, burdensome, and unfair. Rather than attempting to connect in new ways with their parents, they may withdraw. When bad things do happen, this separation may make the teen feel alone in coping with difficult and stressful issues. Focus on Family Matters provides teens with practical information about how to cope when bad things happen to them. The series deals foremost with feelings—the emotional pain associated with adversity. Grieving, fear, anger, stress, guilt, and sadness are addressed head on. Teens will gain valuable insight and advice about dealing with their feelings, and for seeking help when they cannot help themselves. The authors in this series identify some of the more serious problems teens face. In so doing, they make three assumptions: First, teens who find themselves in difficult situations are not at fault and should not blame themselves. Second, teens can overcome difficult situations, but may need help to do so. Third, teens bond with their families, and the strength of this bond influences their ability to handle difficult situations. These books are also about communication—specifically about the value of communication. None of the problems covered occurs in a vacuum, and none of the situations should

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be faced by anyone alone. Each either involves a close family member or affects the entire family. Since families teach teens how to trust, relate to others, and solve problems, teens need to bond with families to develop normally and become emotionally whole. Success in dealing with adversity depends not only on the strength of the individual teen, but also upon the resources of the family in providing support, advice, and material assistance. Strong attachment to care givers in a supporting, nurturing, safe family structure is essential to successful coping. Some teens learn to cope with adversity—they absorb the pain, they adjust, and they go on. But for others, the trauma they experience seems like an insurmountable challenge—they become angry, stressed, and depressed. They may withdraw from friends, they may stop going to school, and their grades may slip. They may draw negative attention to themselves and express their pain and fear by rebelling. Yet, in each case, healing can occur. The teens who cope well with adversity, who are able to put the past behind them and regain their momentum, are no less sensitive or caring than those who suffer most. Yet there is a difference. Teens who are more resilient to trauma are able to dig deep down into their own resources, to find strength in their families and in their own skills, accomplishments, goals, aspirations, and values. They are able to find reasons for optimism and to feel confidence in their capabilities. This series recognizes the effectiveness of these strategies, and presents problem-solving skills that every teen can use. Focus on Family Matters is positive, optimistic, and supportive. It gives teens hope and reinforces the power of their own efforts to handle adversity. And most importantly, it shows teens that while they cannot undo the bad things that have happen, they have the power to shape their own futures and flourish as healthy, productive adults.

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1 Intolerance and Prejudice September 11th changed Mohammed’s life forever, but not because he or anyone he knew was hurt in the terrorist attacks. Mohammed dreaded going to school everyday, where people started to call him “Osama” when he passed in the hall simply because of his dark skin and Iranian heritage. It didn’t seem to matter to them that Mohammed was born in America, or that his parents worked hard to raise a family just like their parents did. All they could see was the apparent differences between themselves and Mohammed, not the similarities. They didn’t realize that he hated the terrorists just as much as they did; they just assumed that everyone with ties to the Middle East must have the same opinions as a handful of dangerous extremists.

any people fear the unknown. Unfortunately, every day, people throughout America respond to social groups that are different from theirs—to different ethnicities, nationalities, religions, genders, or sexual orientations—with rejection and hostility.

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Intolerance and Prejudice

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Some may outright hate people who appear different, feeling a loathing that denies the basic human dignity of people from different social groups. Hatred, which can be expressed in physical assaults or attacks on personal property, is a very dangerous attitude. But hatred of differences has the same roots as more subtle forms of intolerance that are harmful, too, and are even more widespread. Any time we reject people only because they seem different, we are engaging in intolerance, whether it be by treating them unjustly, point- Sadly, many people fear and hate ethnicedly avoiding them, or just ities and cultures that are different from perceiving them negatively. their own. This synagogue was vandalIt is important to under- ized with a swastika—a symbol of the stand intolerance in Ameri- Nazi party, which exterminated 6 million can society, and to be aware Jews during World War II. of its destructive effects. Understanding intolerance helps us to challenge it. This book discusses feelings of intolerance and the forms of behavior those feelings may take. It explores the social picture behind hateful attitudes and actions, and explains the psychological impulses that trigger them. It also presents concrete actions you can take to overcome hatred and intolerance, in your personal life, your community, and your nation.

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Similarity and Difference All human beings are basically similar. Scientists have shown that we all descend from common ancestors in Africa. At the same time, all human beings are subtly different. Each of us is a unique individual while we all share the fundamental qualities of being human. This life truth can be a source of wonderful richness and comfort as well as confusion, insecurity, and anger. Do we respond with fear or hostility when we recognize someone if different from us, or do we respond with appreciation and respect? We encounter differences everyday. We see that people may be short or tall, heavy or thin, dark- or light-skinned, curly- or straight-haired, male or female. We vary in the languages we speak and the cultural traditions we hold. Our personalities also differ—one child may be shy and the next outgoing; one may be better at sports and another at math. Yet our physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual make-ups and capacities are basically far more similar than different. Sometimes we feel threatened by differences. We may have a gut reaction that what is like ourselves is good, and what is different is bad. We may simply feel more comfortable with people who are like us, and awkward with people who seem different. Or we may sense that some differences are unpopular with a group we wish to be part of, so we reject them. We also have the option of respecting differences. We can appreciate them as something we can learn from. Life would certainly be very stale and boring if we were all the same. Even when we don’t like a point of difference or disagree with someone’s point of view, we can still recognize that the other person shares the basic humanness that we have.

Prejudice, Stereotypes, and Scapegoating Intolerant attitudes toward differences commonly take several forms. Prejudice means judging or forming an opinion about someone or something before you know the


Although we all look different on the outside, we share many similarities in how we think and feel. Speaking with someone of a another race or religion may show you how much you have in common with someone you considered different from yourself.

facts. For example, if you encounter a foreign, unfamiliar food, you may feel sure you won’t like it even though you haven’t even tasted it yet. In common usage today, the term prejudice often specifically means judging a social group on the basis of preexisting negative ideas rather than the facts. People are prejudiced when they form negative opinions of racial, ethnic, or religious groups without accurate knowledge. For example, some people may look down on an Asian person simply because they have a negative attitude toward Asians; their judgment is not based on knowing the person or on accurate knowledge of Asian cultures.

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Stereotypes are closely related to prejudice. A stereotype is an overgeneralized, distorted picture or belief about a group of people. Some examples of stereotypes are: elderly people are feeble-minded, teenagers are wild and irresponsible, blonde women are dumb, and black people are good at sports. Stereotypes discount the reality that individuals are Can you describe unique. Some teenagers are a few common stereotypes? irresponsible some of the time, Have you ever been the but others are not, just as victim of a stereotype? people of all age groups are sometimes unruly and sometimes not. Similarly, some African Americans are athletically gifted and some are not, just like everyone else. Often stereotypes take root when information about one person is applied to every member of the person’s social group. For example, an employer who had a bad experience with one teenage worker may believe that all teenagers are bad workers. After the September 11th terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, some Americans formed negative stereotypes about Muslims and Arabs, imagining that all of them were terrorists only because a few Arab Muslims were the alleged perpetrators of the incident. Another form that intolerance can take is scapegoating. Scapegoating occurs when undeserved blame is directed at a person or group of people. For example, when economic times are tough, unemployed people may falsely blame their joblessness on members of another social group. Men may blame women, Italian Americans may blame Hispanic Americans, or Hispanic Americans may blame African Americans, each group believing that other social groups are better employed. In reality, everyone in the community is struggling and coping with the same tough economy as best as they can. The economic problems are caused by a national slowdown in spending and


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job creation, not by one social group. Similarly, kids at school sometimes take out their general frustrations on those kids who seem different. An overweight girl with unusual clothes or a shy boy of an unfamiliar ethnicity may become a scapegoat, the innocent target of bullying and abuse. When people are angry and frustrated, they may feel the need to lash out, and those who seem different can serve as an easy, although undeserving, target for their rage.

Minorities Nearly all of us can recall being the victim of intolerance at some time in our lives, rejected or demeaned by others who thought something about us was weird or uncool. But minorities are targets of widespread, frequent intolerance. A minority is a group whose cultural identity differs in some way from the dominant group in a given society. Minority groups may differ from the dominant group in race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. Minorities are often targets of stereotyping, prejudice, and scapegoating. For example, in the U.S., African Americans and Hispanics are often stereotyped as criminal or violent. Salespeople often watch them far more closely for shoplifting than they do white people. When a crime occurs, people often suspect African Americans or Hispanics, simply because of their color. TV and movies often portray them as criminals, reinforcing the stereotype. The majority of romantic Who do you picture leading actors and actresses, when you think of an attractive as well as magazine cover man or woman? models, are white. Subsequently, the perceived ideal of attractiveness excludes minority groups. Similarly, many people find it hard to imagine that a gay

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man may be strong, brave, or patriotic, simply because they mistrust his sexual orientation. In fact, gays have performed countless acts of heroism in military, police, and civilian realms, just as people who are straight have. Women are often believed to inferior to men at certain subjects, like math or computer technology. Some people believe this of women simply because of their gender, without considering their individual talents and abilities. How would you feel if you were an expert computer software specialist, but people who came into your office assumed you were the secretary, doubted your abilities, and asked to speak to someone else about their software? You may immediately think of an Arab or a Muslim when you hear the word “terrorist.” But the truth is, terrorists come from every ethnic and religious group. In fact, many major terrorist attacks have been committed by white Christian Americans in recent years. Yet Arabs, who comprise 200 million people Discrimination is not limited to race or worldwide, and Muslims, religion; women may experience intolerwho comprise over one ance or mistreatment because of their billion people, are often gender. Women are often stereotyped as treated with mistrust and being inferior to men in areas like math hostility because they are and science, despite their achievements as feared to be terrorists. doctors, engineers, and mathematicians.

Intolerance and Prejudice Many people also assume that an Asian-looking person is an immigrant or a non-native speaker of English. However, a vast number of Asian Americans were born in the U.S., born to English-speaking parents, raised with American TV, movies, music, and food. Yet they are often assumed to be foreign, as though American culture does not include them. In fact, people of Asian descent have been citizens of our nation for well over a century.

Overcoming intolerance At one time or other, we have all felt intolerant toward people because they seemed different from ourselves. Nearly all of us have felt prejudice or engaged in stereotyping. Yet it is important to try to overcome our feelings and habits How would you feel of intolerance as much as we if you were teased for the can. When we judge people way you spoke or looked? according to a distorted vision of their group identity, we lose sight of our commonalities as human beings, individual yet similar. When we reject or pointedly ignore others because they seem different, we hurt and devalue them. We lose the opportunity to feel connected and to learn from others. We miss out on their contributions, and we lock ourselves into an atmosphere of mistrust. To overcome intolerant attitudes, it is important to recognize prejudice, stereotyping, and scapegoating when we see it—in ourselves and in others. When we recognize intolerance, we can question it. We also need to develop empathy. Empathy means putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. It means trying to see another person’s point of view and imagining that you feel the way he or she does. When we feel for others, imagining that we were in their place, we are likely to fundamentally respect them, whether they are like us or not.

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2 Discrimination and Violence When James Byrd, Jr. left an anniversary party late one night in June 1998, no one could have foreseen the tragedy that would befall him. No one, that is, except his attackers—three white supremacists who saw James Byrd, an African-American man, as an easy target. The attackers picked James up on a deserted country road in Jasper County, Texas. They spray-painted his face, beat him, tied him to the bumper of their truck, and dragged him to his death. James’ broken body was left in front of a church with a predominantly African-American congregation, sending a clear message that James’ murder was a race-related hate crime. Although his murderers were captured and convicted, no punishment will ever bring James back to his three children.

eelings of intolerance often lead to acts of rejection and hostile behavior. Unfortunately, nearly all of us have heard jokes and names that demean minorities. Many of us avoid sitting next to or engaging in conversation with people who appear different from

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Discrimination and Violence

The prosecutor in the James Byrd, Jr. murder trial displays the chains that were used to drag the victim to his death. Byrd was targeted because he was African American; his attackers were white supremacists.

us. Across the country, graffiti that humiliates gays is scrawled on walls and school lockers. Muslims, Hindus, and Jews are mocked and insulted. Women endure catcalls and rude sexual remarks on the streets. People are harassed and even assaulted for their racial or ethnic differences. Intolerant behavior occurs in subtle and overt forms. It ranges from casual, belittling jokes to unjust treatment to acts of violence. Yet the same root underlies all these behaviors— hostility to the differences of others. That is why it so important that we examine our feelings and attitudes toward differences, our stereotypes and prejudices—so we may put an end to hurtful behavior. Becoming aware of acts of intolerance helps us to overcome them.

Discrimination Discrimination means denying justice and fair treatment to an individual simply because of that person’s group

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identity. Discrimination occurs when inaccurate, negative feelings toward a group lead to biased treatment of that group. Stereotypes and prejudice, discussed in chapter 1, can easily lead to discrimination. For example, some taxi drivers suspect that all African Americans are criminal— a stereotype—and therefore do not pick up African Americans—an act of discrimination. Strong legislation by the U.S. government, including the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965, outlaws discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, and disability. Discrimination on these bases is illegal in housing, employment, and education. Unfair treatment on account of How would you feel race, color, religion, national if you were not allowed to origin, and disability is also live in a certain neighborprohibited in public accommohood because of your race dations, including restaurants, or religion? hotels, and other business establishments. The U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are empowered to enforce these laws. Despite legal progress, discrimination still exists in America, sometimes in subtle ways that are hard for an individual to prove in court. Minorities often encounter a glass ceiling at work; that is, they are passed over for promotions that are given to whites and/or men instead. Real estate and rental agents sometimes direct minorities toward certain neighborhoods, and away from areas that are mainly populated by whites. Studies of the criminal justice system have shown that white criminal suspects are not prosecuted as strongly as people of color. Employment agencies may give greater opportunities to whites and men and lesser ones to minorities; similarly, school guidance counselors may steer boys to more lucrative careers than

Discrimination and Violence girls, and whites to more rewarding careers than minorities. Recently, discrimination against Arab Americans has been widely discussed in the media. Many Arab Americans have been scapegoated for the September 11th airline hijackings allegedly perpetrated by Al Qaeda, a small group of Arab terrorists. Some police officers and airport operatives are suspicious of Arab Americans, and may unfairly single them out for questioning and searches only because of their ethnicity. Another current issue is discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Some states have outlawed it this kind of discrimination, while others have not. Gays and lesbians are often victims of discrimination. For example, they are often subject to hostile treatment at school and at work. They are also commonly prohibited from working in education and the police force, and are banned outright from the armed forces, unless they keep their sexual identity secret.

Hate crimes Hate crimes are crimes committed against people because of hostility toward their group identity. Such acts of hatred include harassment, threatening letters or e-mail, vandalism or destruction of property, physical assault, rape, and murder. Many states have special laws against hate crimes; these laws provide extra punishment for crimes committed because of the victim’s race, religion, ethnicity, or national origin. Some states also cover disability, sexual orientation, and gender in their hate crime legislation. Thousands of hate crimes are reported each year in America. Many more go unreported, because the victims are too humiliated or frightened to tell the authorities, or are unaware of their legal rights. For example, some victims might fear reprisals from their assailants if they go to the police. Immigrants, especially non-native English speakers, may feel unable to navigate the criminal justice system. And some minority groups doubt that the police will help

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them. If you are the victim of a hate crime, tell an adult who you trust will help you, and try to report the incident to an authority. Hate crimes are serious and should be properly investigated and prosecuted. The perpetrators of hate crimes vandalize houses, steal from or defile places of worship, send terrifying e-mails, bully, beat up, stab, rape, or shoot people simply because the victim is different in some way. The federal government’s statistics show that most victims of hate crimes are African Americans, Jews, and gays. Victims of hate crimes are targets of But hate crimes also occur harassment, assault, rape, and murder to Hispanic and Asian because of their race, religion, gender, Americans, Muslims and or sexual orientation. Many states have Hindus, people with mental special laws that levy stiffer penalties or physical disabilities—any against the perpetrators of hate crimes. group who appears different from the perpetrators. Reports of hate crimes show us all how destructive intolerance can be. • In Arizona in 2001, a man drove to a gas station, where he shot and killed Balbir Singh Sodhi, the Sikh owner of the station. He then shot a Lebanese-American clerk at another gas station and opened fire on the home of an Afghan-American family. The perpetrator claimed that his actions were patriotic, conducted four days after the September 11th terrorist attacks.


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• In Wyoming in 1998, two young heterosexual men accosted and severely beat Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, lashed him to a fence post, and left him there until he died. The perpetrators explained their actions by claiming Shepard had flirted with them. • In Los Angeles in 1999, an anti-Semitic (anti-Jewish) man walked into a Jewish children’s school in a community center and opened fire. He injured five adults and killed a Filipino postal worker.

Violence against women Some legislators include in their definition of hate crimes those crimes committed because of hostility to the victim’s gender. Whether or not we call it a hate crime, violence How would you feel against women runs rampant if your mother or your sister was throughout every class, race, the victim of rape or abuse? and ethnicity in our society. Every six minutes a woman is raped somewhere in the United States, and a woman is beaten by her husband or boyfriend every fifteen seconds. The frequency of the rape and abuse of wives and girlfriends is tied to how women as a whole are perceived by society. Women earn less money than men, have fewer career opportunities, and are unequally represented in government. The vast majority of rapes and acts of violence in sexual relationships are committed by males, and the great majority of the victims are female. The prevalence of rape threatens all women, who face threatening possibilities when walking alone on the street or going out on a date, just because they are women. Women in abusive relationships live with danger every day of their lives, and are sometimes killed; the common factor among these vast numbers of victims is their group identity—their gender.

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Overcoming Feelings of Hatred Violence against women involves attitudes of anger and domination that are similar to other discriminatory feelings and behavior. However, violence against women can be confusing because it occurs within the realms of love, family, and sexuality. We may think it is okay for a husband to lash out against his wife, or a boyfriend against his girlfriend, because the couple has such a close relationship. Some people think it is acceptable for a man to force himself sexually on a woman, because they think men are naturally aggressive and women want to be overpowered. It is important to recognize that violence against women is unacceptable, and criminal, under any circumstance. We need to treat others with respect even, or perhaps especially, in our most intimate relationships.

A climate of intolerance Acts of violence against members of minority groups can be extremely brutal, but they are related to acts of intolerance that are more subtle and quite commonplace. The most violent hate crimes are rooted in feelings of hostility to differences that we have all felt at one time or other. Discrimination in housing, employment, education, and criminal justice is also part of the larger social picture of intolerance. Further, hate incidents that are not crimes but still damaging, like insults and humiliation, are widespread. We have all heard or used derogatory names to demean others, and we have all seen or participated in rejecting kids at school who appear different. These acts of prejudice and discrimination are destructive to all of us. The targets suffer the burden of feeling rejected or demeaned by others, and face unjust limits on their opportunities and freedom—limits that prevent all of us from enjoying their full contributions to society. In addition, we all feel insecurity, mistrust, and isolation when we live in a climate in which we may not all be


Discrimination is not always expressed through violence—it can be subtle, but just as emotionally damaging to the victim. Actor Danny Glover filed a discrimination complaint after a taxi driver refused to let him sit in the front of his cab because he is black.

appreciated and respected as individuals. It is important to recognize acts of hostility and rejection wherever we find them. Acts of intolerance may be casual habits or deliberately hateful, but they all contribute to a harmful environment. Becoming aware of hurtful attitudes and actions helps us to change them.

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3 Hate Groups When John arrived at school on Monday morning, there was tension in the air. Over the weekend, someone had stuffed the lockers with flyers that said things like, “Jews work for the Devil,” and “Blacks Spread AIDS.” John was shocked by the flyers, and even more so by the reaction of his friends and classmates. The black students blamed some of the white students for the flyers, and there were lots of fights throughout the day. To his amazement, John saw people who were once friends begin to take sides against one another. After school that day, two older guys with shaved heads and Doc Marten boots showed up in the school yard. They told John and his friends that they would help protect them when fights broke out, and even invited them to a party on Friday night. What John and his friends didn’t know was that they were being recruited by a hate group.

hate group is an organization whose policies are based on hostility toward social minorities. Recent studies show that there are several hundred groups in the United States whose major

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Hate Groups

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agenda is promoting the hatred of minorities. Each of these groups is very small in size; only a tiny fraction of Americans are members of hate groups. Nonetheless, it is important to be aware of these groups for several reasons. First, their messages can be very dangerous. For example, the perpetrators of the 1995 bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City— a terrorist attack that killed 168 people—were closely associated with hate groups. Further, hate groups spread their ideas beyond their small membership, airing their messages in leaflets, self-published books, Hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan websites, and local cable tele- promote hatred and violence against vision and radio shows. Some social minorities. However, not all Americans share the ideals hate groups are as obvious as the held by one hate group or KKK; some groups recruit young another, but don’t actually join members by befriending them and the organization. Finally, it is making them feel like part of a family. useful to examine hate group messages because it helps us understand the characteristics and ways of thinking that members of these groups have in common.

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is the oldest and most infamous hate group in the United States. It was founded in Tennessee

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in 1865 and grew rapidly throughout the South in the decades just after the Civil War. The KKK’s central doctrine is white supremacy—the belief that white people are superior to people of color and have the right to dominate them. At present, the Klan’s numbers are small, but its history of terror still casts a long shadow over American race relations. When African Americans gained their freedom after the Civil War, Klansmen conducted widespread acts of terrorism against former slaves and their supporters. KKK members kept their identities secret, dressing in hooded white robes that covered their faces, and carried out the group’s activities under cover of night. They set fire to African Americans’ homes and schools, and beat, raped, tortured, and lynched black people in an attempt to keep all African Americans from living freely without fear. In the 1920s, the Klan broadened its campaign of hatred, as well as its membership. During this time the group promoted what it called “Americanism,” their belief that white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants were the only true Americans. In speeches, literature, and violent assaults, Klan members lashed out at Jews, Catholics, and European immigrants, as well as their traditional target, African Americans. The KKK’s membership reached an all-time high of five million people. World War II diminished the Klan, but the group rose again during the Civil Rights Movement of the late 1950s and 1960s. Once again, as African Americans sought Why do you think the civil rights guaranteed the KKK and white supremacy to every American by the were influential during the 1860s, Constitution—including the and then again in the 1960s? right to vote and to attend previously all-white schools— the Klan terrorized them and their supporters. This time, African Americans were more successful in gaining legal

Hate Groups justice from the U.S. government, as well as support from media around the world. As a result, the Klan’s numbers and activities declined. Unfortunately, however, their philosophies continue to influence other hate groups.

Christian Identity Christian Identity, founded in the late 1800s, is a loose movement of numerous small groups throughout the United States. Other hate groups, like the Klan, neo-Nazis, and extremist Patriots, promote Christian Identity ideas as well. The central doctrine of Christian Identity is the belief that the Christian religion favors white supremacy. The Christian Identity philosophy states that white people, especially Anglo-Saxons and Celtics, are the chosen people of God. In contrast, it states that Jews are the children of Satan, and people of color are “mud people,” primitive beings who are less than fully human. Christian Identity groups believe that Jews, in league with Satan, conspire against white Christians and should be destroyed, and they believe that people of color should be subordinated. Like many other hate groups, the Christian Identity movement attempts to justify its policies of hatred through religion, claiming that the Bible tells us to practice white supremacy and anti-Semitism. Many purveyors of hatred throughout history have asserted that their views are based in religion, in an attempt to give their hateful philosophies an aura of authority. A recent example is the Al Qaeda terrorist group, based in the Middle East, which is believed to be responsible for the bombings of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001. This group vows that its opposition to U.S. political foreign policy is a holy war; it falsely claims that Islam authorizes violent hatred of Americans. The Christian Identity movement also claims that the groups it hates are secretly plotting together against white Christians. The Identity movement believes that Satan and the

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Overcoming Feelings of Hatred Jews are in league with the government to enslave white Christians and give all the world’s riches to Jewish people and people of color. Although their belief is entirely false, it serves to strengthen their hatred. Their vision is also rooted in scapegoating; Identity members blame all their problems on a supposed hidden plot by Satan, Jews, people of color, and the government.

Neo-Nazis

Hatred sprouts roots very quickly; these young children have learned to hate from their Neo-Nazi parents, and display the symbols and salutes that are part of their organization.

Neo-Nazis take their inspiration from the German Nazi Party of the 1930s and 1940s. The Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, was the most deadly hate group in history; it deliberately murdered nine million people—including six million Jews—and conquered nations throughout Europe, initiating World War II. During the war, Americans fiercely opposed the Nazis. Unfortunately, since the 1970s, small organizations that glorify Hitler’s Nazis have arisen in the U.S. Following the Nazi Party, neo-Nazis believe that white people of Northern European descent are the only people of great worth. In addition to promoting white supremacy, they assert that Jews are an inferior race that seeks to control the world. Neo-Nazis believe that Jews and people

Hate Groups of color should be denied legal rights, and they support the use of violence against their enemies. Neo-Nazi groups include the American Nazi Party, the How would you feel White Aryan Resistance, and if someone wanted to take the World Church of the away your civil rights Creator. The biggest neo-Nazi because of your ethnicity? group today in the U.S. is the National Alliance, with about one thousand members. Members of the group have been charged with several bombings and murders. The National Alliance’s leader, William L. Pierce, is an author of white supremacist and anti-Semitic literature; his writings influence other hate groups, including the Klan and Patriot groups.

Racist skinheads Skinheads are a subculture of young people who typically listen to a form of rock music called “oi,” shave their heads, and wear Doc Marten boots. Like many rock music subcultures, skinheads wish to express rebellion against confinements in contemporary society. Many skinheads are not racist. However, some support white supremacy, and some have formed groups to promote hatred of people of color, Jewish people, and gays. Some of these skinheads commit acts of violence against minorities. Further, neo-Nazi groups support these skinheads and actively encourage them to join their groups.

Patriot groups The Patriot movement, which emerged in the U.S. in the 1990s, is a loose network of about two hundred small local groups that are extremely opposed to the government. The Patriots feel that the government takes away citizens’ freedom, and they oppose taxes, gun control, environmental laws, welfare programs, and pro-immigrant policies. Many of the groups believe that there is a secret conspiracy in which

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Overcoming Feelings of Hatred the government, the United Nations, and bankers are plotting against average people. Some Patriot organizations are militia groups—groups modeled on the armed forces. Some Patriot groups do not support violence, and some do not endorse white supremacy. However, some do combine their opposition to the government with a hatred of social minorities. This arm of the Patriot movement believes that Jews, people of color, immigrants, feminists, and gays are part of the supposed conspiracy with the government and banks to destroy the rights of white Christians. As previously mentioned, some of these Patriot groups are Identity Christians. Other Patriot groups who promote white supremacy are the Constitutionalists and the Liberty Lobby. The Liberty Lobby broadcasts hate messages widely. Its head, Willis Carlos, was formerly a co-leader of a neo-Nazi group with William L. Pierce. It is important to note that the white supremacist flank of the Patriot movement often focuses its literature on its opposition to taxes, gun control, environmentalism, and abortion. They also express hatred of minorities, but they generally combine this with other issues. For example, they may express anti-abortion views while also falsely asserting that abortion is mainly practiced by Jews. Further, sometimes they do not express their hatred outright; instead they may use code words, like “international bankers,” which in their doctrine means Jews. Like the Klan, sometimes they use the term “pro-American” to mean pro-white Christian and antiminority. The groups use such code words to try to make their hate messages sound more acceptable. The kind of deception practiced by white supremacist Patriot groups suggests how important it is to think critically when you read literature, view websites, or hear speeches. If you encounter a group that says its argument is “proAmerican” or “patriotic,” think about what the group really means by these terms. Does its vision include and embrace

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different kinds of American people, or does it promote only one ethnic group or religion and oppose all others? Hate groups imply or directly state that “Americans” means only white Christians; this definition supports an antiminority view. We must remember that America is and has always been comprised of many diverse While not all Patriot groups are racist, ethnic groups and religions, some arms of the movement do combine and that we all have equal their opposition to the U.S. government civil rights under the U.S. with a hatred of minorities. These Constitution. groups will use code words like Hate groups represent the ”pro-American“ to make their messages most extreme expression of of hate seem more acceptable. hostility against social minorities. We do not need to fear them; be assured that hate groups are presently very small, and the criminal justice system investigates and prosecutes both individual members and entire organizations for any crimes they may be involved with. It is important, however, to be aware of hate groups, so we can oppose their messages. Even more importantly, the groups’ hostile Can you describe doctrines contain seeds of the advantages that hate intolerant ideas that, as we have groups gain by hiding their seen, are quite commonplace. If racist policies behind code we resist thinking that people words like “pro-American” who are different from us are and “patriotic”? inferior and avoid scapegoating others for the problems we face, we destroy the seeds of hatred that can sprout into hate groups and create a climate in which these groups cannot survive.

4 Historical and Social Roots of Hatred On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a bus in Montgomery, Alabama and took the first seat in the “colored section” at the back of the bus. She was tired from working all day as a seamstress, and was grateful for a spot to rest her tired body as she headed for home. But as the “white section” at the front of the bus was filled, a white man demanded Rosa’s seat, which by law she had to give to him. But Rosa was tired—not just tired from working, but tired of the mistreatment and discrimination that she and her family had suffered because they were African American. She refused to give up her seat, and was promptly arrested. Rosa’s courage that day helped spark the Civil Rights movement. The nation’s eyes turned towards Rosa as prominent leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. and organizations like the NAACP defended her rights, and argued that segregation was unconstitutional.

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Historical and Social Roots of Hatred

When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, he declared that “all men are created equal.” However, achieving that equality for all men—and all women—has been a difficult task for the United States.

he United States was founded upon the Declaration of Independence, which boldly asserted that “all men are created equal.” Our nation holds the guiding precept of the equality of all, but the U.S. has also been suffused with intolerance of differences from its founding to the present. Why has this intolerance occurred, and why does it persist? One approach to answering this question is looking at the social history of intolerance. Examining the past helps us gain perspective on the present. It also helps us recognize the social conditions that tend to give rise to attitudes and actions of intolerance.

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Conquest and slavery Beginning with the early settlement of America, white people attempted to dominate Native Americans in order to achieve economic gain. European settlers used violence and the threat of violence to drive Native Americans out of their homelands and claim the land for themselves. By the late 19th century, Native Americans were legally forced onto reservations—areas of land that were usually unproductive for farming, and thus undesirable. White Americans also took Africans away from their homelands, brought them to America, and forced them to work without pay, as slaves. Slaves were considered the legal property of their masters, and had no choice but to labor in any way their masters saw fit. Slave owners deliberately separated slaves from their families, and subjected them to the harshest of living and working conditions. By the early 19th century, there were about four million slaves in America. At the same time, prejudiced attitudes and stereotypes about Native Americans and Africans were widespread. Native Americans were considered savage, inferior beings, and African Americans were seen as stupid, childlike, Can you describe primitive, lazy, and violent. the ways in which European From our modern vantage settlers profited through their point, we can easily see that racist attitudes? whites’ negative images of these groups went hand in hand with economic exploitation. By looking down on Native Americans and African Americans, white people did not have to feel guilty about dominating them for their own economic profit. Since whites believed these groups were inferior, they could also believe that Native Americans didn’t deserve land and that Africans didn’t deserve to be free. Stereotypes and prejudice often serve

Historical and Social Roots of Hatred to justify one group’s economic exploitation of another.

Social backlash: Jim Crow After the Civil War, an amendment to the U.S. Constitution outlawed slavery and asserted the full citizenship of African Americans. Soon, however, Southern states enacted laws and tax measures called “Jim Crow.” Jim Crow laws kept African Americans from voting and serving on juries, confined them to separate neighborhoods and poorer housing, encouraged severe discrimination against them in employment, and forced them to go to separate, inferior schools. As you recall from chapter 3, the period after the Civil War also saw the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, which wrought widespread terrorism against African Americans. Jim Crow practices were not overturned until the 1950s and 1960s, when thousands of Americans protested on behalf of African-American civil rights. The Klan, which had been weakened for decades, reemerged along with other hate groups during the Civil Rights era. Racist reactions to both the 19th century emancipation of slaves and the 20th century push for African-American civil rights can be considered backlashes. A backlash occurs when people feel threatened by social change, and fight to reverse that change. Racist attitudes and actions emerged with vehemence when African Americans gained the social and political rights they were due. Backlashes nearly always occur when a social group makes dramatic progress. In the 1970s, gays and lesbians fought a large-scale campaign for fair treatment. Many gays and lesbians who had previously been threatened by harassment and kept their identity secret, now publicly acknowledged their homosexuality. Widespread hate incidents against gays and lesbians in the past few decades are part of backlash against their social progress. As more

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When a social minority begins to make strides towards fair treatment, they often experience a backlash from people who want to resist change. When gays and lesbians fought for fair treatment in the 1970s, there was a dramatic increase in hate crimes against homosexuals.

and more people come to realize that gays have the right to be treated fairly, other people feel threatened and lash out forcefully against gays.

Economic insecurity: anti-Chinese discrimination Except for Native Americans, all Americans can trace their descent to other countries. During the 1800s, immigrants


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poured into America in vast numbers. Many Chinese immigrants, for example, came to America between 1840 and 1880. America was expanding westward, and Americans encouraged the Chinese immigrants to come to work on farms and in factories in the new Western settlements, as well as to help build the first railroad that would span the continent. By the 1870s, the railroad was complete, and many whites felt the Chinese Americans were no longer needed. The nation as a whole also fell on economic hard times. Many white workers felt threatened by Chinese Americans, viewing them as competitors for jobs. They also blamed them for low wages, instead of the factory and farm owners who were really responsible for low salaries. Prejudice and discrimination had already existed against Chinese Americans, who were subjected to poor working conditions, but the unjust treatment now intensified throughout the West. Chinese Americans were forbidden How would you feel to own land, forced to live if someone else was offered in separate neighborhoods, a job that you needed? Does driven out entirely from finding employment have many communities, barred anything to do with race from public education, and or ethnicity? subjected to widespread violence. In 1882, a federal law was passed that prohibited any more Chinese from emigrating to the U.S., and prevented Chinese Americans from becoming U.S. citizens. The shameful treatment of Chinese immigrants reveals how intolerance grows during times of economic insecurity. Often throughout history, groups struggling to gain a stable financial foothold have become hostile to groups whom they viewed as rivals for jobs; struggling Irish Americans have felt hostile rivalry with Italian Americans,

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Overcoming Feelings of Hatred Italian Americans with African Americans, men of all ethnic groups with women, and so on. When economic times are tight, people of all walks of life may scapegoat social groups that are different from their own. People under financial pressure generally feel frustrated and frightened, and may lash out at people who appear to be easy targets because they are different. The Christian Identity hate group Posse Comitatus, was most active in the 1980s among farmers who were suffering severe economic hardships. Facing low crop prices and high debts, some farmers were receptive to the group’s message that their problems were caused by a conspiracy between the Jews and Satan.

Times of war: Japanese-American internment In 1941, the U.S. entered World War II against Germany, Italy, and Japan. Japanese Americans suffered great prejudice and discrimination, as other Americans feared they were in league with Japan, even though Japanese Americans had been loyal U.S. citizens for generations. Simply because of their ethnicity, Japanese Americans were made to give up their jobs, homes, and possessions and move to prison camps on the West Coast. They were released only at the close of the war. The imprisonment of innocent Japanese Americans during World War II is a notable example of mistrust during times of international conflict. When a nation is at war, its leaders and media often present extremely harsh images of the opponent nation. As tensions run high, people may become irrational, losing sight of the opposing nation’s humanity and targeting wholly innocent people for hatred. Stereotypes and prejudices can run rampant. As previously discussed, Arab Americans and Muslim Americans have been frequently victimized for the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001—attacks they had nothing to


Arab Americans have been the targets of hate crimes since the September 11th terrorist attacks. This Arab American was the target of a shooting in his store on September 12th, even though he was an U.S. citizen with no ties to any terrorist group.

do with—simply because the terrorists are believed to be Arab Muslims. In fact, Muslim and Arab Americans, most of whom are native-born citizens of our nation, have no greater connection to Middle Eastern terrorist groups than other Americans do. Like Japanese Americans during World War II, Muslim and Arab Americans are vulnerable to extreme hostility during conflict with the Middle East, because people mistrust, stereotype, and are ignorant about ethnic minority groups. When people are under tension, whether it be economic hardship or international conflict, they often unfairly focus their heightened fears and anger on those people who appear different.

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An enduring history: Sexism Throughout the 19th century in America, as in Europe, women were legally considered the property of their husbands or wards of their parents, rather than independent human beings. Considered weak and unintellectual, women were only supposed to care for their families, not to act on their own behalf. They were not entitled to inherit or pass on property, and they did not have the right to vote until 1920. Wife-beating was legally permitted until the late 1800s. After the mid-20th century, more women began to work outside of the home as financial circumstances required the salaries of two adults to support a family. The women’s rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s also resulted in great legal and social changes, helping to reduce bias and discrimination against women. Many young people believe that women now have full equality with men in our society. In fact, however, women as a group are still paid considerably less than men. Most women today work in only a few occupations, such as service and clerical jobs, What would you do while the career picture for if you suspected that your men remains broader. It is boss was treating you unfairly still women who do most of because of your gender? the frequent, time-consuming chores in households. And women still comprise the great majority of the victims of rape and domestic beatings. The situation of women in American society may show us how historical conditions live on in the present. Although women did not have the rights of citizenship in 1776, the words of the Declaration of Independence “all men are created equal” are now largely held to apply to women as well as men. Yet although women, and other minorities, have made progress toward equal rights, they still suffer discrimination and prejudice.

Historical and Social Roots of Hatred Sometimes unjust treatment of social groups is unconscious—since it has always occurred, it seems normal and passes under our radar screens. Understanding history can help us to recognize injustice in the present. We know that the discrimination against Chinese Americans of a hundred years ago is now illegal; perhaps we can also see that treating Asian Americans today as somehow not truly American is similar, although more subtle, and just as wrong. Some of us consider housework to be women’s work, or believe that women who are raped actually wanted it. It is enlightening to recognize how our society’s treatment of minority groups is connected with historical patterns of intolerance.

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5 The Psychology of Intolerance Throughout the week after the racist flyers were found in their school lockers, John and his friends seemed to get into fights with other students almost every day. It seemed stupid to John that they fought just because he and his friends were white and the other kids were black, but he wanted to stick by his friends. He thought that it was better to fight with them than against them, because he knew that his friends would think he was afraid and weak if he didn’t fight. John wanted to prove that he could stand up for himself, but he felt like he was fighting for the wrong reasons.

o understand why people reject and demean others, we need to examine the psychological roots, as well as the social circumstances, of intolerance. Gaining insight into the emotional conflicts and mental outlooks that lie behind intolerance helps us to overcome hatred. It helps each of us become alert to our own psychological impulses that may lead us to be intolerant toward others. When we are aware of feelings that

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The Psychology of Intolerance

Insecurity often breeds hatred. People with low self-esteem may demean others to makes themselves feel good, or may align themselves with others that have the same views to feel like part of a group.

may trigger intolerance, we can learn better ways to handle those feelings.

Self-esteem People who feel insecure about their self-worth may put down others in an attempt to make themselves feel good. By asserting that others are inferior, you may believe that you are superior. For example, a white woman may believe that people of color are dumb, in order to make white people, including herself, seem smart by contrast.

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Overcoming Feelings of Hatred Teenagers are prone to feeling insecure about themselves. During adolescence, you begin to rely less on your parents and teachers to make decisions and judgments, and more on yourself and your peers. You gain responsibilities in school and at home, and your body is going through major changes. With all of these changes, it is no wonder that teenagers often struggle with self-confidence. As a result, teens may demean people who appear different in an attempt to feel more confident of their own worth. At a time when sexuality is very confusing, young people often put down homosexuality in order to feel more secure that they have a higher-status, heterosexual identity. They may belittle people in many ways for looking or acting uncool, in order to make themselves feel cool by contrast. Demeaning others in an attempt to gain self-confidence backfires. Putting down others may make you feel superior for a moment, but it also brings you feelings of anger, mistrust, and hostility—emotions that are far from satisfying. Further, when you rely on belittling others to feel good about yourself, your self-esteem is not secure in the long term; you must keep targeting others in order to build yourself up and you fail to address your root problem— insecurity about yourself. Instead, when you recognize and address your feelings of insecurity, you can find more effective ways of feeling better than lashing out at others. You can attain more stable self-esteem by focusing on your own innate worth, on kindness to yourself, and on relationships of respect, caring, and trust. To feel self-confident, we must recognize that all of us have innate worth, while appreciating the differences that make each of us special.

Belonging Belonging to a group can give us security, support, and the self-esteem that comes from being part of something


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larger than oneself. But sometimes the drive to belong to a group can involve rejecting people who are different from the group. As we have seen in chapter 3, people who join How do you feel hate groups gain their collecwhen you participate in a tive identity from demeaning group, such as a team sport? minorities. But even people Would this feeling be different who are not members of hate if the group’s focus was somegroups may be intolerant in thing negative like racism? order to gain a group identity. For example, some Americans mock new immigrants to enhance their sense of belonging to a strong group—native-born American citizens. This kind of behavior may be familiar to you from school; kids in a clique sometimes strengthen their sense of belonging to the clique by rejecting or putting down other kids. The desire to belong may also bring peer pressure into play. A man may participate in anti-gay jokes at work even though he doesn’t think they’re funny, just because he doesn’t want the other men to think badly of him. A woman may fear that her social circle will disapprove of her if she befriends a member of another ethnic group. If one aggressive kid starts bullying someone for being a supposed geek, other kids may join in so they will appear to belong to the cool, non-geek category. It is important to be aware of our powerful drive to belong so we can try to avoid acting in harmful ways to gain a group identity. Belonging to a group can give us comfort and support, but we need to make sure it does not also involve intolerance to others. We can enjoy group identities—our nationality, ethnicity, religion, social and cultural interests—while remaining respectful and even appreciative of other groups, as well as recalling our similarities as human beings.

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It is tempting to find comfort in categorizing people according to their race, ethnicity, or religion. However, stereotypes are oversimplifications that devalue the uniqueness of the individual.

Simplification People can also be prone to prejudice when they view the world in very simple categories—good and bad, right and wrong—and feel uneasy with more subtle shades of gray. Stark, clear-cut categories can make us feel secure and comfortable; they can make it easy to know how to think and feel. For example, if you know that you like jazz music and dislike country music, you can easily go to the jazz section and avoid the country section in your local CD store. However, if you loosened your narrow thinking about music categories, you might find that you like some country artists more than some jazz artists.

The Psychology of Intolerance But most things in life are not so clear-cut. People particularly do not fall into simple categories. Yet, mistakenly, we sometimes try to feel secure in our judgments by overlooking the particularities of individuals, relying instead on stereotyped ideas. For instance, a girl might think, “That man is black, so he must use drugs.” In fact, while some African-Americans use drugs, most do not, just like all other Americans. The girl who views this man stereotypically may feel secure and certain that she can make a snap judgment, but her judgment is actually wrong. If she looked at people as individuals, rather than as examples of categories, she would be more likely to gain an accurate picture of the man. Most hate crimes are committed against strangers. We are more likely to stereotype strangers than people we know, because when we get to know someone, we can understand that he or she is an individual with a rich, complex personality, like ourselves. Soldiers in war commonly must avoid thinking of their opponents as human individuals; it is much easier to shoot someone when you consider them simply as members of a category—the enemy. For civilians, viewing others in very simple categories is a harmful distortion. Some of us think, for example, that gays are sick or disturbed. But what if it turned out that your best friend, or the coolest kid at school, was gay? Would you hold on to that judgment? We need to remember that we are all unique individuals.

Anger We may also be hostile to people who appear different from us when we don’t cope well with feelings of anger. As noted in chapter 1, when we feel angry, we may look for someone to lash out at, someone to scapegoat for our problems. We may feel overwhelmed with intolerance to others. Sometimes we may direct our anger toward people

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of a different social group, viewing them as more acceptable targets of our rage than people who belong to our own social group. Anger can be a tough emotion to have. But it is important that we recognize when we are mad and accept our angry feelings, so we can avoid blindly targeting others for blame. Once you accept that you are angry, you can find Can you describe ways to resolve your feelings, several activities or hobbies instead of lashing out at that may help you deal with scapegoats. For example, your anger in a positive way? many people feel relief when they talk about their frustrations with people they feel close to. Talking with others may help you find positive solutions to your problems, or at least put them in perspective. Drawing, painting, and writing can also help you relieve tension and gain insight, enabling you to unburden feelings of anger without harming others.

Gender ideals In our society, more men lash out with violence than women. Women can be just as prejudiced and discriminatory as men, but the great majority of violent hate crimes are committed by men. Further, nearly 100% of convicted rapists are men. One explanation for this is the cultural idea that being masculine means being aggressive. A common ideal image of a male hero is a gangster or warrior stereotype—someone who doesn’t reflect on his emotions, seems always in control, and takes power with guns and fists. In reality, no one can control everything in life, and everyone is sometimes subject to painful emotions like self-doubt, fear, grief, and anger. Men who feel they should be warriorlike may bury their emotions and take them out on others instead. They may battle others to prove they are


Old-fashioned ideas of masculinity may force men to bury their emotions and insecurities, which can then manifest themselves in violence and discrimination.

tough and in control. It is important to find more flexible models of manhood, models that do not rely on combat and violence. There is nothing to admire about hurting others. Instead, it takes wisdom and strength to recognize your feelings, turn to others for help when you need it, and treat other people with respect. Women can be just as prone to men to the feelings of insecurity, competitiveness, peer pressure, and oversimplification that can trigger prejudice and discrimination. Men are not responsible for all of the intolerance in our society. But to overcome hatred and violence in our society, we need to examine our ideals of masculinity and avoid warrior models in favor of wise, humane ones.

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Targets of intolerance People who are widely and repeatedly targeted for prejudice and discrimination face very hard struggles with anger, sadness, and discouragement. Their self-confidence is sorely tested. Realizing that others have low expectations of them, they may develop low expectations of themselves. When they are continually stereotyped, no matter who they are as individuals, they may find it hard not to believe the negative stereotypes themselves. Minorities who are widely viewed by others as unintelligent, for example, may believe they really are unintelligent. Or they may feel a constant anxiety about proving they are smart. People who are repeatedly put down for their group identity may also feel pressure to deny their group identity, to avoid appearing different from the dominant group. African Americans may feel pressure to straighten their hair, Jews to avoid keeping kosher or taking off work for Jewish holidays, gays to date or even marry people of the opposite sex. Threats to self-esteem and restrictions on opportunities are some of the greatest challenges that victims of intolerance will face. Under the psychological burden of being considered inferior, they may engage in self-destructive How would you feel behavior, like drug and if you were continually alcohol abuse, poor achievedemeaned and ridiculed ment in school and work, because of your race, even suicide. Alternatively, ethnicity, or gender? their insecurity and anger may lead them to act against others with intolerance themselves. For example, a Jewish man who is demeaned for his cultural identity may lash out against other minority groups, because he cannot cope with his anger and threatened self-esteem. Or a Latino who suffers discrimination may feel hostile to all white Americans, adopting the same attitude of oversimplification

The Psychology of Intolerance and prejudice as his victimizers. It is important to consider the effects of intolerance on its victims, so we can try to overcome it. If you ever feel intolerant toward people just because they appear different from you, consider them as fellow human beings and imagine how your actions might make them feel. When we feel frustrated or insecure about ourselves, or long for group solidarity, we may find ourselves intolerant toward people who are different. When we are the targets of intolerance ourselves, we are understandably hurt and angry. But scapegoating and stereotyping does not help us find fulfillment. We always have the choice to view different social groups with an attitude of equality and to view people as the individuals they are, rather than as stereotypes.

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6 Taking Action Against Hatred Jennifer’s friends took every opportunity they had to tease the new foreign exchange student, Mai Ling. They smiled and seemed to speak nicely to her, but would really be saying insulting things that Mai Ling didn’t understand because she was just learning to speak English. Jennifer never participated in the kind of sneaky ridicule that her friends directed towards Mai Ling, but she didn’t think that simply ignoring her friends’ behavior was enough. So she decided to speak up.

he first key to overcoming intolerance in our society is to recognize the problem. Stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination are so widespread that we often take them for granted. We must recognize attitudes and behavior that demean differences in order to challenge them. Notice how different social groups are treated in the media, by your schoolmates, and by your family. And perhaps even more importantly, honestly examine your own prejudices.

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Stereotypes and prejudices are so common that you may not even notice them. Just like any other social group, some African-American men are criminals, while others are loving husbands and fathers. However, the media often reinforces the negative stereotype.

We can learn to treat people from different social groups with the same respect we would wish for ourselves. Practice empathizing with other people, observing how they feel and imagining that you were in their shoes. Remember that all human beings are fundamentally similar while at the same time they may have different customs; your ethnicity or religion seems just as different to someone of another cultural group as theirs does to you. The next time you encounter someone of another social group, see if you recognize that he or she is a human individual, just like you, and if you view his or her group’s differences with an attitude of equality. Further, see if you can understand how differences can enrich our world.

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Learning from others The more we get to know people who are different from ourselves, the more we can respect and appreciate our common humanity. Gaining accurate knowledge about others helps us to discard stereotypes. Moreover, learning about diversity allows us to appreciate the rich complexity of our human family. When we learn about different social, cultural, and generational groups, we can gain wisdom and insights that we would miss out on if we kept narrowly to our own groups. Ask your friends to share their family’s ethnic and cultural customs with you, and share yours with them. Ask your parents or grandparents about your family’s cultural roots. You may be surprised to learn that your heritage, like How do you feel that of most Americans, when you meet someone of comprises several national a different race or ethnicity? and regional backgrounds; a Are you intimidated, or interwhite family may have Dutch, ested in learning more about Irish, and Native American them and their culture? roots and may have lived in rural Maine as well as urban California, or an African-American family may have African, Hispanic, and English roots and may have lived in New Orleans and New York City. Learn about diverse peoples by reading books or watching documentaries about their histories and cultures. Read novels or watch fictional films by and about people of various minority ethnicities and religions, women, and gays. Go to museums where you can view the art and historical contributions of people from other backgrounds and cultures. Check out world music and American music by people of different cultural groups, and keep an open mind. Try going with your family to a prayer service of a religion that is not your own. Learn about other cultures’

Taking Action Against Hatred holidays, and celebrate aspects of them with your family or others in your community; some fun holidays include Chinese New Year, Passover (Jewish), Cinqo de Mayo (Mexican), and Kwaanza (African American). You can also learn by visiting diverse communities. Ask your family to take you to a restaurant, play, or dance performance in a neighborhood with a concentration of people of a different ethnic group from yours. When choosing a camp, afterschool community group, or even a lunch table at school, try to choose one that includes people of diverse ethnicities, national backgrounds, and religions. That way you have a better chance of finding people you like from different social groups, instead of confining yourself just to people with your own background.

Express your concerns To avoid intolerant behavior, we need to find healthy ways to express our feelings about ourselves and others. As discussed in chapter 5, we sometimes vent our own feelings of insecurity or frustration on innocent targets, and we may choose people from different social groups to be handy scapegoats. When we feel angry or insecure, we need instead to talk about our emotions with people we can trust, perhaps parents, other relatives, friends, a teacher or school counselor, or a religious cleric. Talking about your feelings, or even writing them down privately, lightens their weight, gives you perspective on them, and helps you find ways to resolve them. When you address your troubles directly, you are less likely to take them out on innocent people. It is also helpful to reflect honestly on any feelings of prejudice you have, either by writing about how you feel or by talking with people you trust and respect. Reflecting on your own prejudices can help you sort out where they come from, how they are inaccurate, and

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Express your concerns about intolerance and prejudice to a trusted adult, like a school counselor or parent. You will relieve some of the tension you feel, and the person you confide in may be able to help you resolve the situation.

how you can change them to more tolerant feelings. Only when we dig into our hearts and bring our feelings of intolerance out into the open can we examine and change them. To overcome hatred, we can also speak up when we see hateful actions by others. Don’t confront bullies, or they may harm you, but you can confront people engaged in less violent acts of intolerance, such as making insulting jokes, spraying graffiti, or using stereotypes. Unless you fear for your safety, you can let them know that you find their behavior unacceptable. You can also let authorities know about it—tell a teacher, principal, school counselor, or your parents about your concerns, especially if

Taking Action Against Hatred you witness violence or the threat of violence. You may be afraid of the perpetrator’s angry response if you speak out, but chances are you can also find people who will How would you feel support you. If everyone if a friend made a racist were too timid to speak out comment? Would you against injustice, we would confront them? never make progress. When speaking out against intolerance with people you know, you may wish to open a deeper dialogue about diversity. If you witness anti-minority behavior by friends or relatives, try to explore your concerns with them. You may find, after a compassionate, one-on-one discussion, that the person will agree that his or her behavior has been harmful. Sometimes we all adopt stereotypes and prejudiced attitudes without being aware of it. You can also ask a teacher to hold a class discussion or lecture on diversity and intolerance in American society.

Targets of hatred If you find yourself the target of hatred, you can take action to help yourself. Talk about the incident with people you trust. Sharing your feelings and experiences with someone supportive helps you sort out your thoughts and emotions and relieve your hurt and anger. When we are treated unjustly, we may unfortunately believe on some deep level that we deserve the unjust treatment. Talking with others can help us realize with certainty that it is the perpetrator of intolerance who has a problem, not the victim. Being treated with prejudice may make you feel rejected and humiliated, but remember that it is the intolerant person who is ignorant and wrong. Getting support from others helps you remember your worth.

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The U.S. government has agencies that investigate and prosecute discriminatory practices. If you are the victim of discrimination or feel threatened, you should make your concerns known to your parents or teachers.

You can also report bias incidents against you to the appropriate authorities. Talk to your parents, teacher, or school counselor about registering complaints about discrimination. Discrimination at school can be reported to the principal, school board, or state department of education. Federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Justice and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also investigate and prosecute complaints. Your parents can also turn to a lawyer or a human rights organization to file charges against the perpetrators. Remember that discrimination is illegal and violators of your civil rights can be prosecuted, if you speak up.

Taking Action Against Hatred If you are the victim of physical harm or are threatened with physical harm, be sure to tell a trusted adult. As we have seen in chapter 2, hate crimes are very dangerous and must be treated seriously. In addition, if you are the victim of injustice, remember that it is not helpful to be intolerant yourself toward people just because they are members of a social group that differs from your own. Direct your efforts toward challenging intolerance, by speaking out against the perpetrators of injustice; lashing out against innocent people only continues patterns of hatred, patterns that you know only too well are harmful.

Social Action While we can each take action to overcome hatred in our immediate environments, we can also get involved in larger civic actions against intolerance. For example, you can voice your concerns about discrimination and hate crimes to your elected officials. Send a letter or e-mail to your mayor, governor, congressional representative, senators, or the president. You can find the addresses in the government listings of the phone book or on the Internet. You may also wish to volunteer at a community organization that helps people in need. This is an excellent way to get to know people of diverse backgrounds and circumstances and to practice compassion and empathy. Teens can volunteer at a soup kitchen, nursing home, or senior center, for instance, or at a program that tutors immigrants in English or teaches kids to read. You can find opportunities to volunteer by checking postings at your library or house of worship, or by asking a school counselor or a staff member at your local YMCA, YWCA, JCC, or United Way. You can also get involved with social organizations that campaign against intolerance. Some well-known groups

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Overcoming Feelings of Hatred that fight for civil rights include the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. You can consult the phone book or Internet to see if there are chapters of civil rights organizations in your community. You can volunteer to help them with mailings or e-mailings, attend rallies, or donate contributions to victims of hate crimes. By examining our own attitudes and behavior and by working together with others, we can bring about change in our society. Great strides have already been made against intolerance in America. Yet prejudice and discrimination are still serious harmful forces that we need to eliminate. Overcoming intolerance does not require that everyone like everyone else. It does mean that we do not reject others simply because they come from a different social group. It means that we recognize that we are all individuals, alike in some ways and different in others, and that we all deserve fundamental respect. Efforts against intolerance help us create an atmosphere in which each of us can fully contribute to society and be recognized and valued for being ourselves.

Glossary Civil Rights Acts – laws that outlaw discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or disability. Discrimination – denying justice and fair treatment to an individual solely on the basis of that person’s group identity. Empathy – imagining another person’s point of view and the feelings they may have in a certain situation. Hate crimes – crimes committed against someone because of his or her group identity. Hate group – an organization whose policies are based on racism or discrimination against certain social groups. Hatred – intense hostility or aversion usually caused by fear, anger, or a sense of injury. Intolerance – the refusal to grant a person equal social, political, or professional equality based on race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. Prejudice – a judgment or opinion that is not based on fact. Scapegoating – directing undeserved blame at a person or group of people. Stereotype – an overgeneralized, distorted picture or belief about a particular group of people. White supremacy – a belief that white people are superior to people of color.

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Further Reading Books: Able, Deborah. Hate Groups. Springfield, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 1995. Carnes, Jim. Us and Them: A History of Intolerance in America. New York: Oxford UP, 1996. Heron, Ann, ed. Two Teenagers in Twenty: Writings by Lesbian and Gay Youth. Boston: Alyson Publications, 1994. McKissack, Patricia and Fredrick McKissack. Taking a Stand Against Racism and Racial Discrimination. New York: Franklin Watts, 1990. Muse, Daphne, ed. Prejudice: Stories About Hate, Ignorance, Revelation, and Transformation. New York: Hyperion, 1995. Websites Anti-Defamation League. www.adl.org Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. www.adc.org National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce. www.ngltf.org The Prejudice Institute. www.prejudiceinstitute.org Southern Poverty Law Center. www.splcenter.org

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Index African Americans, 12, 13, 18, 20, 25-27, 34-35, 50 Al Qaeda, 19, 27 Anger, 47-48, 50, 55 Arab Americans, 12, 14, 19, 38-39 Asian Americans, 11, 15, 20, 36-38, 41 Backlashes, 35-36 Belonging, 44-45 Chinese Americans, 36-38, 41 Christian Identity, 27-28, 38 Civil Rights Acts, 18 Civil rights groups, 59-60 Criminal justice system, 18, 22 Declaration of Independence, 33, 40 Differences, 8-9, 10, 17, 22, 54-55 Disabilities, 18, 19, 20 Discrimination, 17-19, 22, 52 Empathy, 15, 53 Employment, 18-19, 22 Ethnicities, 8, 11, 13, 19 Gays and lesbians, 13-14, 17, 19, 20, 21, 29, 30, 35-36, 44, 45, 47, 50 Hate crimes, 19-21, 22, 47 Hate groups, 24-31, 35, 38, 45 Hatred of differences, 8-9, 17, 22 expression of, 9 roots of, 33-41

Hindus, 17, 20 Hispanic Americans, 13, 20 Housing, 18, 22 Intolerance, 9 climate of, 22-23 forms of, 10-13, 15, 16-17 and minorities, 13-15, 16-17 psychology of, 42-51, 55 targets of, 50-51, 55, 57-59 Intolerance, overcoming, 15, 51, 52-60 and empathy, 53 and expressing feelings, 55-56 and learning from others, 54-55 and recognition of problem, 52 and social action, 5960 and speaking up, 56-59 Japanese Americans, 38, 39 Jews, 17, 20, 21, 26, 27-29, 30, 38, 50 Jim Crow laws, 35 Ku Klux Klan, 25-27, 29, 35 Liberty Lobby, 30 Minorities, 13-15, 16-17, 18-22, 50 Muslim Americans, 12, 14, 17, 20, 38-39

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National Alliance, 29 Nationalities, 8, 12, 14, 18, 19, 36-39, 41 Native Americans, 34 Neo-Nazis, 27, 28-29 Oklahoma City bombing, 25 Patriot groups, 27, 29-30 Pierce, William, 29, 30 Posse Comitatus, 38 Prejudice, 10-11, 13, 15, 17, 18, 22, 34-35, 52 Racial groups, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25-27, 29, 30, 34-35, 50 Religious groups, 8, 11, 12, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27-29, 30, 38-39, 50 Scapegoating, 12-13, 15, 19, 51, 55 Self-esteem, 43-44, 50 September 11th attacks, 12, 14, 19, 27, 38-39 Sikhs, 20 Simplification, 46-47 Skinheads, 29 Slavery, 34, 35 Stereotypes, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 34-35, 47, 51, 52 Teenagers, 12, 44 White supremacy, 26, 27, 29, 30 Women, 12, 14, 17, 18-19, 21-22, 30, 40-41, 48-49

About the Author Michele Alpern is the author of numerous works on social issues, including The Effects of Job Loss on the Family (Chelsea House, 2002) and Teen Pregnancy (Chelsea House, 2002). She received her M.A. from Columbia University and is a Ph.D. candidate at Rutgers University. She is also an artist.

About the Editor Marvin Rosen is a licensed clinical psychologist who practices in Media, Pennsylvania. He received his doctorate degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1961. Since 1963, he has worked with intellectually and emotionally challenged people at Elwyn, Inc. in Pennsylvania, with clinical, administrative, research, and training responsibilities. He also conducts a private practice of psychology. Dr. Rosen has taught psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, Bryn Mawr College, and West Chester University. He has written or edited seven book and numerous professional articles in the areas of psychology, rehabilitation, emotional disturbance, and mental retardation.

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