Losing Track of Hate

We can never completely stamp out hate. Taking Mein Kampf off bookshelves, banning the swastika, or the Rebel Flag will not stop hate, it will only hide it. When we hide hate in that way, we make it harder for future generations to recognize the symbols of hate and easier for hate groups to operate and grow with impunity.

Do not get me wrong. The Rebel Flag should never fly over a public space. Klan robes should never be worn in public ever again.  No parade should ever be led by a swastika or anyone wearing one.  This goes for blackface, or any other racist caricature or stereotype. But we cannot pretend these things did not exist, do not still exist, and may surface from neglected boxes in attics or may even be prized by some people.

As much as a picture of Klan rallies are horrific, it is just a picture.  To see a real-life size Klan robe is completely different.  To see full Klan uniform face to face is to begin to understand, as in no other way, the fear it is meant to instill.  The same for any racist, bigoted, hateful, ignorant vestiges of our past.

We do not need to see these things constantly, nor should we. We should work to move such icons of hate to safe spaces where the context, truth and resolution of their existence can be addressed.  There are those who advocate hate. They try their best to desensitize us to the pain and revulsion such things should naturally elicit. These academic hatemongers argue that the expression and display of a racist heritage is their right. It is time we say, no. The intentional perpetuation of historic distress and intimidation is not part of free speech. There is no such thing as casual or harmless display of hate symbols.

In that spirt, we should work to drive hate out of public spaces.  We must come to terms that as we are progressively driving it offline, to whatever extent is possible, there is a responsibility to archive it. We also need to take measures that it will only manifest itself appropriate places.

The great catch-22 in empowering people to recognize hate is the need to discuss it and to teach about it. To know the symbols of hate you need to see the symbols. To know the language of hate you need to be hear hateful terminologies, see stereotypes, and learn bigotries destructive power. To make a better world we need to teach the ugliest of lessons.

 For years displaying hate online has been part of the educational process in fighting hate.  This has posed significant challenges. On every platform, accounts run by educational and informational organizations have been flagged and suspended for the offensive content they have post as examples of hate. Some websites have been suspended for posting examples of terrorist, racist or propagandistic content meant to target people belonging to ethnic, national origin, religious, sexual identity or social groups.  Sometimes these websites are flagged by people who do not understand why the material is being displayed. In other cases, the haters being exposed try to suppress the exposure of their truth.

Some civil rights advocates promote the unilateral removal of all symbols of hate. It is important to remember that symbols, slogans, acronyms, hand signs, and the like, are not just about intimidation, but also about communication within a group.  Removing all hate group references, and iconography from public exposure is dangerous.  If you saw a bumper sticker that said just “AKIA”, would you think twice about it? AKIA is one of the ways KKK members signal their identity to each other. It stands for “A Klansman I Am.” This is bad enough under any circumstance, but worse when it, or some other identifier for a hate group goes unrecognized.

Exposing hate is one of the most powerful tools in defeating it. Stetson Kennedy infiltrated the Klan in post WW2 America. He then worked with producers of the Superman Radio Show to use what he had learned to create content for that radio show. Klan symbols, identification phrases and passwords were all exposed by the Superman Show to the world.  The Superman producers and Kennedy knew that to know hate, expose hate, teach how to recognize, and track it was the best weapon against it.  The damage to the Klan was profound.

The 2016 election showed us that deep systemic hate was very much alive in the United States. It had not been defeated. It had simply learned to hide. It appears we were happy to let it hide. That did not work out well.

Hate will always find a way.  By far the first, best  thing we can do to oppose hate is to keep track of hate and teach about its many forms - the symbols, language and ideologies of hate, and the people who make it their job to perpetuate hate.

The true nature of hate and haters becomes obvious on close scrutiny.  If we lose track of hate, that is what hate needs most to survive.

Jonathan Vick

International Network Against Cyber Hate, North America Representative