Derek Vinyard & Frank Meeink

     There is much to be learned from the movie American History X as well as the book Autobiography of a Recovery Skinhead: The Frank Meeink Story.  Both offer insight into the world of white nationalists with elements ranging from day to day discourse all the way to socialization into the white supremacist movement.  This blog has dedicated each and every post to the examination of the white nationalist movement, both the book and the film embody many of the topics raised in this blog, while offering new elements of discussion for future blog focus.

       Many of the previous posts on this blog have been dedicated to topics specific to white nationalism on a global scale, on of the most important elements of globalized white nationalism is the facilitation of translocal whiteness. Translocal whiteness describes a shared white communal identity that transcends geographic location. Though notions of translocal whiteness are not explicitly stated in either the movie or the novel, invocations and symbols of this shared identity are on display in both pieces of media. Upon Derek's release from prison he revisits his old hangout and has a conversation with Cameron, the leader of the local white nationalist movement, a man Derek once viewed as a father figure and as a mentor. Cameron, the former mentor shares with Derek how the movement has changed since his imprisonment.  Cameron describes the new level of organization in the movement detailing the new found communication with white nationalist groups all along the west coast, communication facilitated by new media specifically the Internet.
 
    Though it is not explicitly stated this is translocal whiteness, using the Internet groups across a whole region have now fostered a singular identity and can now work together towards a collective goal.  This same transcending identity is on display in the Frank Meeink story.  Frank himself comments on the new uses of the Internet and at one point even hosts his own white nationalist television program, yet another sign of new media and its fostering of translocal whiteness. Though I understood the definition and significance of translocal whiteness before watching the movie and reading the book, consuming both allowed me to see how this shared identity is felt on the ground level for individuals operating within these groups.

     One of the most intriguing elements for me in both the book and the movie is the notions of individual socialization into the white nationalist movement. In both Frank and Derek’s case, feelings of racial hostility were felt at an age before entering the movement.  Frank captures these feelings in his book.

“Especially after I moved in with my dad and I saw black guys beating the shit out of white guys almost every day. Especially on the days I was the one they were wailing on.”

Not only does Frank discuss his experiences with other races but he acknowledges how these life experiences left him predisposed to falling into the movement.

“ I’d be lying if I said those guys planted a seed in me that night; the truth is they just added water and beer to a seed already inside me waiting to grow.”

This same narrative is also offered in American History X, with Derek’s father and his forced socialization.  The scene below displays this dynamic, with Derek’s father racializing the a conversation about what Derek is learning in school. Not only does he throw out terms like “affirmative blacktion” he cuts down an influential black leader in Derek’s life.

Another learning point in both the film and the book comes from an epistemological viewpoint.  Anyone who researches the white supremacist movement will learn of the epistemological attack white nationalists are waging on hard earned political truths.  In American History X the leader who I alluded to earlier uses epistemological attacks to not only convince recruits of their legitimacy but also to justify and validate the violent actions of the group and its members.  The same progression is seen in the false truths adopted by Frank Meeink, throughout his career as a white supremacist he uses these so called truths to validate his constant violence.  An example of this can be seen when Frank and a group of white nationalists beat up a group of gay men for seemingly no other reason than their apparent sexual preference.

 

These validations are the same in American History X when Derek gives a speech detailing the evils of immigration and how it affects white America, quickly afterwards they go on to raid a grocery store supposedly employing illegal immigrants (Video Posted Below).  Before the book and the film I viewed the epistemological attack from white supremacists as a way to misconstrue truths in mainstream society, and while it still serves that purpose it is also used to validate the actions of white supremacist groups.

Mel Gibson and America's Hidden Racism

Mel Gibson and America's Hidden Racism (Article Link)


I chose the above article to display a personal example of racism and white supremacy in my life. I view this as a personal example because as Americans and citizens of the world we all encounter racism and displays of discrimination and prejudice.  The article at first may seem as if the entire premise is centered around Mel Gibson,  and yet another one of his hideous acts of bigotry, this is not the case.  The author uses Mel Gibson as an example to implicate a larger issue: contemporary race relations in America.
The article begins with the story about Mel Gibson and the racist voicemail he left on his girlfriends phone, stating that her dress was so scandalously provocative she was likely to get “gang-raped by a bunch of  n*****s.” The author uses this display of private racism to symbolize the “insidious” nature that characterizes racism in America today.  With the civil rights movement and the subsequent legal legislative providing racial equity,  we as Americans have embraced a multicultural society.  This embrace of multiculturalism has not ended racism by any means but has rather pushed it behind closed doors, it is here where our current racism dwells in privacy throughout our nation. Many have used the election of Barack Obama to symbolize the end of American racism, a fallacy well captured by the author.

“The country has made real progress. But it would be naive to imagine that racism has disappeared with the ascent of an African American to the White House.”

This naivety that has conquered so many Americans views on race, serves as the catalyst that allows racism to grow in society.  It allows these private teachings of racism and stereotypes to permeate the minds of our youth and further continue  the viscous cycle of insidious racism.
 
As for how this relates to white nationalism the correlation is very clear.  The Frank Meeink story and movies such as American History X have shown us as observers that negative racial emotions begin far before people enter the movement.  These feelings of racial animus are taught and felt at much younger ages.  As a child, Frank Meeink had numerous negative encounters with members of other races, so much so that his neighborhood became a battlefield of sorts between the different races and ethnicity's inhabiting them.  In the film American History X, Derrick the protagonist and main character is socialized by his father to view the world in terms of race.  Terms like “affirmative blacktion” and other racial epithets were commonplace at Derrick’s dinner table throughout his childhood.  Understanding how this behind closed doors racism is facilitated, shows us the first step in obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the starting blocks for potential white supremacists.  As for how these stories of the beginnings of racism relate to white supremacy on a global scale the connection is also clear.  Racial animosity, and the teaching of, is not a singular phenomena to American culture.  As this blog has commented on before racism and white supremacy are not inherent perspectives, they are not found in a predisposed genetic compound.  Rather they are learned through each individuals worldly socialization.  As for myself, I was taught at a young age the evils of racism in society. As I was socialized into a world believing in equality and egalitarian values.  Who’s to say that my worldly view wouldn’t be the opposite had I been raised into a world embracing racism and ideals of white purity and supremacy? Though I view myself as a strong believer and proponent of racial equity, it would be naive and foolish to think that my socialization didn’t directly facilitate those beliefs.
Many if not all collegiate level cultural ethnic studies, criminal justice, and political science classes discuss the levels of inequality that exist in America today.  They all do a great job of detailing the racial lens that America lives through while simultaneously ignoring its existence.  But where they fail is offering solutions to the problems at hand. The author of the aforementioned article does not follow suite. Rather he concludes his writing with a solution. As with all solutions the first step is acknowledging the problem; as Americans and as a global community we all must admit that racism does exist. Next we must gain understanding as to the location of this existence.  The author expresses where this battle must first begin.

“Open discussions and dialogues about race are required. They must be built more frequently into the curriculums of our schools and promoted by reasonable minds and organizations.”

I could not agree more with this argument, too many times we as humans provide solutions after the fact. We see this mindset in how we deal with white supremacists, violent criminals, and drug users alike.  Our solution always comes after we have allowed offenders to commit these acts of gross misconduct.  So many would like to point at prisons and other institutions that attempt to “rehabilitate” as the current problem in our system.  But maybe the problem does not exist within our current method, perhaps the problem is the method itself.  I believe that widespread changing of problems begins before the problem does.  Discussing race and contemporary racism with our youth allows us to replace the potential growth for white supremacy and racist attitudes with egalitarian ones.  As we change the minds of our youth we make an investment in the future of our world, while making steps towards a racist free society.


Mel Gibson and America's Hidden Racism (Article Link)

Who's the Victim?

All white nationalist organizations, websites, and blogs work to combat the supposed truths that threaten the white race, and the purity of “whiteness”. One of the largest “truths” white nationalists take issue with is the Jewish manipulation of society on a global and domestic scale.  While stormfront.org serves as a venue for all white nationalist rhetoric and discourse, anti-semitism accounts for a significant portion of the blogs content. This post will examine how stormfront.org and its active members work to construct Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust as Jewish instruments of control and benefit.

I dont think that there will ever be a day when they claim that there is no anti-semitism, that it's gone away. Anti-semitism, real or imagined (most usually the latter of the two), is their "meal ticket", their tool for making gains upon others, and helps them keep pushing their eternal "victim" status.

This post by “Bulldog43” provides observers with numerous intriguing implications.  This notion of a “meal ticket” and the Jewish embrace of being a victim only to benefit themselves gives prudence to this idea of Jewish Manipulation.  Jewish people using the atrocities that happened to them as a means of furthering their own selfish goals.  Rather than viewing Anti-Semitism as a behavior which is prejudicial towards Jew’s, members of stormfront.org have framed the conversation in a manner which implicates Jews as conspirators.  These notions of “ZOG” Zionist Occupied Government are very popular in the white nationalist imagination.  Not only have Jewish people found a way to introduce multiculturalism into society in order to destroy the white race, but they have also found a way to turn the genocide of their people into a benefit.  Once again an attempt to legitimize this idea of a behind the scenes Jewish conspiracy.  This post and the overall idea behind it really shows the Jewish paranoia that exists within the white nationalist movement.

Another important aspect of this post is the two distinct paradoxes that “Bulldog43” has created.  As the forum user writes about Anti-Semitism as a means for Jews to benefit, “Bulldog43” himself is engaging in Anti-Semitism while posting.  In essence the user is complaining about the false results of Anti-Semitism while simultaneously contributing to the perpetuation of that in which he is fighting.

"Global elites view the White Western world as the main obstacle standing in the way of a future world government. Multiculturalism is a tool used by such elites to dismantle White Western civilization." Pat Buchanan (from a 2004 speech given in Falls Church, VA)

The second interesting paradox is the notion of victimization.  While white nationalists claim Jews have used the Holocaust and Anti-Semitism to victimize themselves and then in turn receive benefit from it, White nationalists have also implicated themselves as the victims of Jewish conspiracies.  As white nationalists blame Jews for calling themselves victims, white nationalists use there own supposed victimization from the Jews to support and legitimize their movement.  The second post citing a quote from Pat Buchanan displays this perspective.

Extreme and Mainstream.

Intersection between extreme ideals and mainstream ideals is an inevitable consequence of modernized society, sometimes its difficult to tell which is which. This post will examine the dichotomy between extreme and mainstream in comparative societies, for this example we will be looking at Australia and the United States.

The video clip posted above displays an Australian television show, on this particular show performers came on and did their own rendition of the Jackson Five, which sounds innocent enough.  The only issue comes with their offensive use of black-face in their representation.  For those of you who who are unaware of the historical significance of black-face in the U.S. allow me to enlighten you.  Black-face describes a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, these shows would perform common African American stereotypes for comedic purposes.  Shows like these dehumanized African Americans in contemporary American society and perpetuated notions of white supremacy and black inferiority. Black-face shows were practiced in American theatre for around 100 years beginning in the 1830’s. As America became more progressive with the birth of the civil rights movement Black-face became taboo and is a serious matter today.
 
In contemporary Australia this clearly is not the case, how is it that two modernized societies can have such polarized views on issues such as race?  Specifically racially sensitivity and awareness. American judge Harry Connick Jr. (Independence Day) displays the mainstream American perspective on black-face when he discusses how hard America has worked to overcome racial issues, while mentioning how offensive black-face is in the United States. This conflict between extreme and mainstream in societies provides interesting discussion on the global racial lens. Whereas something in Australia is deemed totally acceptable (see audience reaction) in America it is frowned upon and taken seriously.  This instance is similar to European soccer matches in which members of the audience will racially taunt black players even throwing bananas on the field. While both of these practices are taboo in the United States, they are deemed acceptable on their specific nations.  Even though America frowns upon these actions, we are not without criticism from the rest of the globe.  For example Europe is much more restrictive of hate speech on the Internet when compared to America.  Many European nations have created legislation outlawing hate speech on the Internet, where the U.S. has allowed hate speech based upon First Amendment privileges.

      What does this all tell us? All three examples perfectly display the paradoxical relationship that modern societies have with race, it shows how being racially appropriate can differ based upon the ground in which you stand.  These examples really give prudence to the idea that a societies racial lens is based upon cultural perspective.  This gray area in global racism blurs the line between extreme and mainstream in different global societies.  There is no one size fits all solution, each culture is different therefore each solution must also be different. In order to reduce and hopefully one day eliminate racism from the world race problems must be looked at on an individual level varying across cultures and borders.

From Russia with Hate.

People are not born with hate, it is not something we acquire from our genetic compositions, it is not passed down biologically through our parents or other relatives, hatred, is learned.  Reading the Frank Meeink story one begins to get a feel for how hatred is indoctrinated into the youth of the world.  Frank Meeink’s story is not singular to disenfranchised American youth, white nationalists across the globe indoctrinate young people into the movement and fill them with hate. This unyielding hatred for those who are different than you serves as the main catalyst for the white nationalist movement, and it is with this hatred that the movement brainwashes young people to commit horrific unprovoked acts of violence in hopes of destructing multiculturalism and ensuring a future for the white race.

The above video displays this hatred in Russia, the same hatred was shared by Frank Meeink and his American counterparts.  Watching the clip detailing the Russian Neo-Nazi movement it was easy to see the similarities between what is going on in Russia and how Frank Meeink was in America.  In both instances the main perpetrators of violence were the youngest members of the group, older members prey on the youths insecurities and ignorance to the world,  the leaders of these groups use the hate that the youth already feel, and channel it  towards people of color and Jewish descent.  The groups provide a face, and a target for these young people to channel their  hatred and aggression towards a world that has treated them unfairly.  

Frank Meeink was not raised to hate blacks, Hispanics, Asians, homosexuals, and Jews. Frank Meeink was raised to hate himself, between the neglect of his parents, the constant beatings from his step father, and the overall culture of violence Frank was raised in he was destined to hate.  Frank began to feel this hatred at a young age,  not towards tangible ideals or people but towards the world.  His cousin and other members of the movement used the hatred in Franks life to convert him into their world of hate, indoctrinating him into a place where hate is cherished and celebrated, showing Frank that hate is okay to feel, and more importantly hate is okay to act upon.

This same indoctrination that Frank went through exists across the globe. Frank and his crew made a name for themselves from committing random and unprovoked acts of violence, violence almost exactly the same as the violence shown in the clip.  The video clip displays a random attack on a minority in Russia which subsequently resulted in the mans death, yet another victim of the senseless hatred in which the white nationalist movement has used to transform children into race warriors.

It is with this senseless hatred that we as a global community can find our solution.  Without hatred the white nationalist movement cannot exist, Frank Meeink showed us this when he left the movement.  Once he lost his hate and became friends with his fellow black inmates his world changed.  I am not saying the removal of hatred will come easy, but Frank Meeink gives the world hope, he displays the common denominator that unites all white nationalists.  With collective hatred the movement is united, without collective hatred they are simply individuals.

Remove the hate, stop the violence, end the movement.

Boers? or Klansmen? Is there a difference?

The attached video displays BBC documentary maker Louis Theroux interviewing Eugene Terre’ Blanche a South African “Boer” leader.  Terre’Blanche describes what it means to be a “boer” essentially stating that a Boer is a white South African patriot. This interview brings up two international elements of white supremacy and white nationalism: white blood is superior, and multi-cultural societies should not exist, rather we should be segregated.  Groups across the globe are steadfast in these beliefs and both are regular components of white nationalist rhetoric.

In the interview Terre’Blanche and Louis go back and forth numerous times debating the necessary racial qualities for Boer people.  Louis repeatedly asks Terre’Blanche if a non white person who displays all necessary boer characteristics could become a boer, after heated exchange Terre’Blanche concedes that in order do be a boer one must be of European descent.  This notion by Terre’Blanche gives continued prudence to the idea that white blood and white people in general across the globe are superior to all other races.

Terre’Blanche begins the interview by detailing a segregated society within South African borders, claiming that these lands were intended for Boers and now they have been taken from them, this being despite the fact that white people were actually not in the continent of Africa first. But I digress, what does all this mean? Why is it important?  This interview and the perspectives expressed in it really show the transnational relationship that white nationalist ideals have with one another.  No matter where you go the same issues are brought up, certain names may be different such as “boers” or “klansmen” but the key rhetoric remains the same.  I view this information to be of extreme importance because it should change the scale in which we look at white nationalism.  

Prior to enrolling in CES 444 I thought that issues of white supremacy and white hate were singluar to the United States, I obviously knew that other countries had and still have problems with race relations but for some reason I always viewed the U.S. as the main perpetrators.  

This is proving to be completely untrue.

Notions of white supremacy resonate all across the globe, white supremacy is not a cultural problem singular to certain misconstrued cultures with a history of poor race relation.  Rather white supremacy is a human problem in which fears and insecurities are rationalized by blaming the racial “other” in society.  White supremacy exists on a global scale, it is collective effort by many humans indigenous to no specific land or culture.  

White Supremacy transcends borders.

Racial Purity & White Genocide: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Notions of racial purity and racial genocide are very popular themes in white nationalist discourse.  These themes are especially popular in white nationalist rhetoric pertaining to global white nationalist. The white nationalist with a global lens loves to perpetuate ideas of white genocide across the world and thus the end of white racial purity.  White genocide and racial purity are two ideological notions very closely tied to one another, with white racial genocide comes the end of racial purity, the end of white racial purity marks the successful completion of white genocide.
For my research on this topic I went to one of the epicenters of white nationalist rhetoric, stormfront.org, this blog has referenced stormfront in previous posts because it captures the perspectives of many white nationalists.  In regards to white genocide across the world the country of South Africa is a main topic of focus for white nationalists. South Africa is targeted because people of color in South Africa outnumber white people by a large margin(see previous posts).  White nationalists use this supposed genocide in South Africa as a symbol for what is to become of other nations with depleting white majorities.

For anyone who wants to know more about the ongoing genocide against Afrikaners, Boer Farmers, White women and children in South Africa. Go to genocidewatch.org This is the real deal ladies and gentlemen. It is likely to happen to this violent degree in America and Europe if massive immigration isn't squelched. And soon! See the word document below which contains information on South Africa and the groups they have identified as victims; Whites and women (high rape rate). According to genocidewatch.org Whites are at a threat level 6 (out of 8) in South Africa. 8 is denial after the fact. This is bad, folks. And they are getting America and Europe ready for this same treatment with massive illegal immigration, assimilation, and non-White/White intermarriage. These criminals say they promote these Dieversity Programs (genocide) in the name of Humanity. They say they are anti-racist. What they are is anti-White. Anti-racist is a codeword for anti-White.

This post represents this perspective from white nationalist attitudes and belief systems. The above post mentions the levels of genocide, stating the South Africa is currently at a level six, on genocidewatch.org level six is the preparatory stage for the imminent genocide. Level seven is the actual manifestation of said genocide and as the post states level eight is the denial of a genocide ever taking place.  
The above post also references immigration in other countries such as America and European countries as the beginning of racial genocide and therefore the end of racial purity.  The video posted below echo’s these opinions as it discusses how white nations allowing immigration are contributing to the extinction of the white race.
Understanding white nationalist perspectives on racial purity allow observers to understand why white nationalists use “white genocide” as an instrument of fear to legitimize their beliefs and gain followers to their cause.