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)