Monday, April 5, 2010

Sobering Look at Hate Groups in the U.S.

Sobering look at hate groups in the United States. A lot of issues related to hate crimes, freedom of speech and activities engaged in by these groups.

"Hate thrives when good men and women do nothing."

32 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. After looking at the map of the hate groups that are known of around the country and while I am not really surprised by the number of hate groups I am surprised that it seems to be proportional to the size of the state. I also noticed that North Dakota and New Mexico had 1 and 2 groups, I wonder if this is because there is a lot of unpopulated land in those states and even the big cities have relatively small populations or something else? It is really pretty sad that Texas seems to be the number one place for hate groups to hang out 66 total seems pretty extreme, when I looked at the list of the different groups I noticed that we have a little bit of every kind of hate groups from the KKK to the Black Panthers. While I believe that the freedom of speech is very important and is worth fighting for, it seems that when applied to hate groups and their messages it is a little bit taken advantage of. Really any message of hate against another group of human beings seems really counterproductive in creating a better functioning country and society for not just us but also future generations.

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  3. It is surprising to see a disproportionate number of groups in areas such as D/FW where not only do we have D/FW international airport but institutions such as the University of Texas at Arlington which has opened its arms to all types of groups. Perhaps the presence of a multicultural society precipitates the feelings in some individuals that can lead to organized hate. In laymen’s terms, some people are not comfortable with those outside of their own social group and as such instead of learning about the group and embracing that groups differences, they will turn to hate as it is the only response they know.

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  4. I agree with both of you. I think that Texas has the most because we attract so many types of people due to what are state has to offer. Also if my memory is correct we also have the most military bases out of the rest of the states. Somebody once told me that since military families come from all over they bring the problems with them. We are also the largest state.

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  5. This is truly shocking! I've lived in Texas for nearly all my life and I never knew it would have so many hate groups! It's a little surprising to me, at least, that Texas has the most hate groups out of all states in the United States. I also agree with the comments before me. Perhaps it could be because of the size of our state. The highest three states with hate groups are Texas, California, and Florida. Those three states are pretty big, so maybe one of the factors of large amounts of hate groups could be the size of the states. I believe this is abuse of freedom of speech because hate leads to many things. These groups not only express their hateful opinions and beliefs, but also direct their hate and anger toward a particular group of people or races. That's never good, it could lead to public resentment, physical violence, and prejudice. Interesting, but very shocking, information.

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  6. The hate map article did not include a lot of detail. Ok so they used websites and citizen police reports to find their information, it did not entail enough informative information. I want to know what kinds of hate groups are out there. There are people who hate people who cut down trees. Are they part of this hate group? I just did not find this article very informative. People rally over all kinds of things, others get on websites and vent to the public about the public. I don’t necessarily think that all those groups are true hate groups.

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  8. Oh my god, look at the number of hate groups in Texas! That’s scary. I have lived my whole life in Texas and never experienced anything personally involving a hate group. If you select the state in the drop menu, one can see what exact hate groups there are and where they are located. There is a good number of KKK, neo-Nazis, and neo-Confederates. We can see there are a lot in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and in the South. The states (North Dakota and Vermont) that just have one hate group involves a White Nationalist group and Hawaii and Alaska have a hate group of the Skinheads.
    To me it is really scary to realize that there are hate groups out there, especailly because I am a member of a minority group. I don’t know if it is because I don’t watch a lot of news, but I have not heard of any riots or actions done by these hate groups. What good can they get out of having a hate group? Do they just gather and start talking about why they hate a certain group(s)? That will just make them even more sick in the head!!!!!!

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  9. It is surprising to find out that Texas has the most hate groups. I guess it is because we are a big state. I was naive to the fact that hate groups still existed this map really showed me that they still are very active. The scary part is that the hate groups in this map are only the ones that are reported who knows how many more hate groups are out there.

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  10. I'm not really surprised at the number of active hate groups there are in Texas. The hate groups all have a common goal. When you can find people who share the same values you do and they connect with that common goal then you can start a group(in this case a hate group) that will help you reach that goal. The people who are in hate groups are all comformed to this one style of thinking. They believe they are more superior than any other race and that race that they are superior to should not exist. They take actions to scare people and show them that they are in control. I find it strange that the hate groups are proportional to the states. I agree with the fact that Texas has more hate groups because Texas attracts different nationalities. I also agree with the fact that this map only reports the hate groups that are active. That is a scary thought because we dont know if there are any groups that haven't been reported.

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  11. Oh my goodness, there is a heck of a lot “hate groups” in Texas! I noticed like many others have too that Texas has the most “hate groups” out of any other state. Look at New Mexico standing with only two; I wonder why when the state is right next to ours? It’s scary to see that there are such groups and people thinking and hating others living right next to me. There are so many “Ku Klux Klan” members living in Texas. I do not know much about them but some of the stuff I have heard is not pleasant. I don’t want them living here! I guess Texas attracts many people because it is the best state, but these believers in “hate groups” need to convert to believers in “love groups!” Meaning love all, not just the one kind of race they like. If more of the population of people living in Texas starts believing in these “hates groups” or these “hates groups” start recruiting people or developing a cult then the state will eventually be a horrible state to live in. I didn’t like seeing the results in this map at all!

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  12. Ms. De Los Dantos is right on the money. Hate groups are in Texas and everywhere. They thrive due to a need to feel cohesive as a group in terms of hate. Hate is their deity. They place hatred of other ethnicities, orientations, genders, religion, etc. on pedestals. Everything from religion to politics is used to justify their hatred. It sounds inane, but in Women in Crime and Deviant Behavior I learned how people can reorder their entire outlook to fit in with the group. Group think can form a form of social cohesion that is positive (like Gandhianism) or negative (like a dark cult). In my personal life, I opppose those who discriminate against women and homosexuals. But I have studied American history and I have nothing but contemptuous things to say about those who pick on African Americans and Hispanic Americans. Since I am autistic, I relate to so-called minority races. I'm used to being picked on. I have been segregated for being different. I may be a white male, but I have been treated just as badly as minorities in the 1960s by some ignorant people. I especially get emotional when people use thinly veiled racism against Latino/Latina peoples. Racism can pervert group think and distort individuals' reality. In the end, I would say that the hate group think reorders individuals into cohesive groups based on blind rage. It's one of the tragic aspects of humanity. Human races are not different species. There are more biological differences between individuals than "races." Race is just a social construct. If you look at animals, there are many species of, say, dogs or cats. But there is only one human species. Let's stick together! We are all HUMANKIND! I don't care what color your skin is, what your orientation is, or what your religion might be. Humans are humans. Amen.

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  13. My Question is how can we get along without diversity? Would the United State even exist without the diversity of its cultures and the richness of its unique talents and skills that all people bring to it. We had no choice in who we are, so why not be more acceptable and tolerable in believing that our lives was given as a gift to each other not only to learn from each other but to see the beauty in each other. Maybe not in this century will we see hate eradicated, but one day we will fly like eagles and soar on the wings of loving all the things that God has given us. For me and my house, I choose to love.

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  14. I enjoyed reading the article and glad to know such information is publicized. I just think about a momemt in time of a comment stated by Martin Luther King Jr. "Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi! From the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from stone Mountain of Georgia!Let Freedom ring from the lookout Mountain of Tennessee!" Inspite of the difficulties and frustration that some of these groups display a negative image....I will continually to pray and restate our Constitution of Declaration of Independece, that all men would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. We are one nation, under one GOD. It lies within us to bring to an end to this type of separation, racism and institutionized racism to exist.

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  15. There are those in society who love to stir the "fear" pot so to speak! We still have a long ways to go sadly enough.

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  16. Sadly TX has the hightest reported hate groups as reported on the map. What seems to "feed" these groups is the use of the media. I agree with Elaine's comments that people rather turn to hate then to embrace group differences. A vicious cycle that no one seems to have an answer for.

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  17. So Texas, California, and Florida are the top three states with hate groups. It's not surprising to see that Texas is the number one state filled with hate groups, since it is a pretty large state. All three state have common hate groups. One example is te Ku Klux Klan, which I personally have heard no recent news or anything on. I mean what do these hate groups do.?..?. Just sit there and chat about their hatred towards other groups. When there is hattred though, it can lead to violence, which then leads to fear. And as we know, the more fear, the more violence there can grow to be. And since Texas is a large state, it tends to attract many different nationalities which can be easiear for hate groups to form and spread in a vast way.

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  18. Hate crimes have been used for ages, I think some people find comfort in being organized with a hate group just like being in a gang. Looking at the map the first state i saw was Texas and then i looked at the rest of the states. i was not suprized to see that Texas has 66 hate groups. People from every race live here in Texas. Not everyone is going to everyone living in the same state. Another reason i think there are so many hate groups in texas is because Texas is so large, every group can have their own area without being squeazed next to another group. Hate groups and gangs should be put to a stop, everyone is an american and should be treated the same in everyones eyes.

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  19. I am very surprised at the number of hate groups as well as everybody else. And
    Texas being the one of the largest states, and having the largest number of hate groups is very scary. It’s even scary to know that we have the most KKK hate groups very close by. I never knew their were this many hate groups, whats going on in this world? I thought racial profiling, racism, and segregations weren’t a big problem anymore but I was obviously wrong. I would seriously be afraid to walk into a community with any type of hate group because they already hate something so they might hate me for just walking by. All this information on the map I would say isn’t very accurate because these are only reported hate groups, what about the hate groups out there that haven’t been reported??? I wish there were love groups out there that could help the hate groups realize that what they are doing and thinking isn’t good, but I maybe they need more then that to stop their hate groups. I still think the numbers for Texas are ridicioulous. I Just hope we don’t pass the Arizona immigration law, because then we’ll have a hate group towards Arizona.

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  20. Texas is not the biggest state Raincrow, neither in population nor in size. Texas was founded as a frontier state, meaning that mentality has been passed all the way to this generation. This makes Texans more violent and aggressive than other states, especially towards people who are different than they are. This prejudice mindset can explain away all of the hate crimes in Texas. Honestly, I was never exposed to racism until I came to Texas. Back in California I knew that it existed somewhere out in the world, but I thought that America had come far enough away from it that it was over. I was culture shocked to not only seem that racism still was out of control, but also that Texas did not even try to cover it up. Openly Racist... Even the names of towns showed prejudice, White Settlement, Killeen, etc. Not to mention the reason why the surrounding area of Texas Wesleyan is in such dire straits: the White Flight. Because I was never really exposed to such levels of racism before I cannot accurately provide a solution to this problem, other than that an increase of education would help Texans become more culturally sensitive, and would, hopefully, lay a good foundation for the future.

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  21. Honestly, it does not surprise me of the many hate groups that are here in Texas. I left Texas and returned with more children than I left with, after we left the north and returned back here. My children were suprise in the way that they were treated, the racial comments and what not. I was not because I grew up right here in Texas.

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  22. It is no surprise to me in what manner the hate groups within the United States are dispersed. Typically the most dense areas of hate are also the ones who are most densely populated with diverse populations. Texas, with the largest amount of hate groups (were number one!) is home to a diverse population who have fled economic hardships of the east and west to start new life within our cities. However, this causes discontentment with those who have been here longer view the rises in crime and poverty, characteristic of a growing city, as the byproduct of ‘invaders’. In the top 3 nations, California, Texas, and Florida there is a large influx of illegal immigration, as native Mexicans and Cubans flee the hardships of their native countries and seek employment here. The way we can dissemble these hate groups is patience; in time the differences that spurn enmity between individuals will wane as newer generations forget past strife. We have not progressed far as a civilization in the post-civil rights era, it will take a few generations before racial and cultural tensions become less pronounced.

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  23. This is absolutely terrifying! It's horrible that Texas has the most. California is right behind us. It is scary to think that these people can continue to preach their beliefs and hold their rallies because of freedom of speech. I was born and raised in Fort Worth, TX and have been all over Texas for most of my life and even as a Mexican American I can honestly say I have not experienced very much racial discrimination. Now I've had my moments, but I am surprised that there are so many hate groups here in Texas. I understand we live in the South and it can still be a little more problematic than it is up North, but I know there will always be some kind of racial problems. Until there is one "pure race" there will always been racial tension. Now let's all go live in North Dakota!

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  24. After seeing the map of all the hate groups in the United States I am really surprised that there are actually 932 active groups. I am not surprised that Texas and California have the most hate groups because of the size, but it is crazy to see states like New Jersey have as many as 44 in such a small area. This map illustrates to us that hate groups are everywhere in this country even if we do not see them up close and personal. I wished that the map went into more detail and told us exactly what type of hate groups were in each state because if there are 66 just in Texas I think it would blow my mind to see the crazy groups that have been created. These statistics show you that this country is far from being united as one and that hate groups still exist in the United States in large amounts.

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  25. I believe that most hate groups are unnecessary to the public. Most are against race or gender and hurt many people in our society. The hate groups are increasing each day and growing more and more. It is sad to see that we have 66 hate groups here in Texas. Most of these hate groups are against a certain race that some people do not agree on and also the bisexual group or transvestites. It is horrible to know that our society has grown to be like this.

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  26. Big state, I guess means a lot of hate. I agree with Brent, it is scary to think of those that are not reported. Granted free speech is an important part of everyone’s right, when that right is abused and is harmful, then it should not be acceptable. When one group hates against the other, then it only feuds future thoughts and hatred. If the culture of fear is what hate groups are trying to achieve, then they are doing a good job. Texas homes many different races and cultures, so the result of the number of hate groups (while discomforting) is not suprising.

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  27. Wow! I knew hate groups existed but I never to what extent and I never imagined where the most hate groups are. It was a shock to know that the most hate groups were in Texas, but then again not really cause we're the friendly state, we allow anyone from anywhere live and experience the greatness of Texas. That's our southern hospitality but at the same time it seems as though, we, as Texans don't really adopt well to diversity. Each person must realize we are all different in everyway. No two people think or percieve things in an identical lens. We must learn to accept diversity. I didn't realize that there were individuals who were looking into hate groups at all, how interesting. I would love to be on a research team or experiment as such.

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  28. Wow.. shocking but not surprising. If you look at the map the places that have the most hate groups are the most diverse states such as Texas, Florida, and California. These hate groups seem to be everywhere and it's a little unnerving to think about so many hate groups being in the state that I live. I've heard of groups like KKK and the Arain nations, but I thought that was it. Obviously not all these groups are lead by white americans, but those are the ones that are mainly in the spotlight. I think that these hate groups evolve from the lack of education and ignorance. These people either had a bad experience with someone different than them, or were raised that way by their parents, or never seen anything different form themsleves. This needs to be fixed by having better education to teach these kids form the start things about how everyone is equal and no one race is better than the other.

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  29. I wasn’t the slightest bit shocked to see Texas as the state with the highest hate groups. Texas’ is one of the most diverse states, yes, but the culture of Texas is Southern slave owners and I believe some of that prejudice has been carried through the years. Maybe not near as strong but it’s still there. Same with California, Texas along with California both had plantations or some form of labor that carried that hate down the generations. The fact that those states are so diverse gives a lot of room for people to have hate groups. Though our society have adjusted to people being “color blind” to different people, our hate has carried with time by the people who still carry on the traditions of Arian nations and the KKK. What I found very interesting was that places with bigger cities had lower hate groups. I believe that it is because people have adapted to modern society of acceptance to a certain degree and people must sugar coat things for everyone because no one in bigger cities is afraid in act on it. Also, New Mexico has 6 hate groups, I was somewhat shocked by that because I figured, being by Texas, the number would be way higher than that.

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  30. Its not a surprise that Texas leads the US in the number of hate groups. Texas has almost every kind of race known. Texas also has space everywhere for certain hate groups to claim a territory. the states with lots of space and big cities with money seem to have the most hate groups. California and Florida have a high number of hate groups. all three states are highly populated, they all have beaches and a reasonable climate so each state is comfortable to live in. notice how the colder and not so populated states dont have as many hate groups. each state has cutural diversity and draws alot of atention and tourists.

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  32. WOW. I've looked at this map in the past to be honest... so frankly I wasn't surprised when looking at it for a second time. What has changed in my previousin it is the knowledge I've gained over the past few years about these various groups. I specifically chose to look at the DFW metroplex, and it is somewhat surprising how many overlapping groups exist in such close quarters.

    These hate groups have developed themselves for decades now praying off the ill educated assumptions of those from the past. It's quite sad that people base such strong opinions against specific races, genders, and or orientation. I guess I can say that is what stands out most to me. I was taught never to discriminate against a person due to their characteristics or culture. Therefore it is so surprising how many individuals have devoted themselves to these hate groups as well as the fact there are so many different variations to these hate groups. What is the point? I personally see these hate groups consisting of people who are narrow minded and weak when it comes to integrating into the diversity of specific cultures.

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