Racism in the United States - Essay Example

?Racism in the United s in the Context of Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Association The American system has led to the development of a mature, civil society. The society features citizens who have learned to disregard the fringe components of the society, as well as those who have learned to oppose radical, racist statements through public information campaigns, demonstrations, and apply other means of constraining racist activists. Radical racist statements are strongly opposed by the minority and widely overlooked by the majority in the United States (Bleich 80). In the present United States, a strong online racist presence has linked individuals that might have never been capable of developing their views or sharing them with other like-minded individuals. Some of these people have made racist associations strong and thereby passing extremist messages (Bleich 81). These people act the way they do, in some cases, a bid to overcome dilemmas just like Allen presents in Where I come from Is Like This, “Most Indian women I know are in the same bicultural bind… We resolve the dilemma in various ways… We act in these destructive ways because we suffer from the societal conflicts caused by having to identify with two hopelessly opposed cultural definitions of women” (Allen 45). When individuals are denied the chance of organizing themselves into groups, they will have a difficult time presenting their views or opinions in a democratic society. Majority of the people in the United States and other nations such as Western Europe do not value freedom of association. This is because they join private clubs, bowling leagues, and political parties without any reason. They have become accustomed to the associations such that limiting or denying any group from organizing to further their interests is considered to be limiting their desires to promote a vibrant political sphere and civil society (Bleich 85). This is evident in Paula Gunn Allen’s article Where I Come From Is Like This. Allen states that members of her community resolve issues and dilemmas in many ways; partying all the time, drinking in excess, and engaging in violent exchanges (Adams 203). This indicates the way the people have become accustomed to associations that link them on a common agenda. Countries measure freedom of association against racism in a number of ways. Racists’ autonomy in the United States has been aggressively protected. Groups or associations such as the Ku Klux Klan, racist skinhead crew, anti-Semitic black separatist groups, and small neo-Nazi parties function legally and openly in the United States. Southern Poverty Law Center in Alabama has tracked these groups, and associations for years and it states that there were 900 of them in 2008, indicating an increase in 200 active hate groups since 2000. The modern interpretation of Constitution in the United States has made the freedom of association a fundamental right thus making it nearly difficult to outlaw a group on the basis of its racist characteristics (Bleich 86). Protection of the racist groups in the United States can be equated to Harlem in the James Baldwin’s Sonny’s Blues. The Harlem community is faced with numerous problems such as poverty, frustration, and drugs. However, the community members come together to protect and watch over one another. The adults use most of their time in the afternoon sharing stories and offering their children a sense of protection and warmth. The “music becomes the means for the brother’s reconciliation and functions as an “art of communion” which extends the meaning of each individual’s ‘blues’ (i.e., sorrow) to become a metaphor for the African American community in general” (Recker 30). The brothers and the community watch and protect one another despite the problems facing them. Outlawing such an association can be very difficult because of the protection developed among them. Thus, it is the mandate of the United States to show brotherly love to the racist associations as indicated in the Sonny’s Blues. Each nation makes its decision regarding how much freedom it gives to its racist associations. In other words, how much pressure the nation has to apply if the racist associations go further in promoting racism. The United States offers significant protection for the racists associations from interference by the state on condition that they do not participate in criminal behaviors. The government authorities have extensively tracked extremist groups like the Branch Davidians and have made use of the 2001 Patriot Act to boost its powers of surveillance against suspected terrorists’ organizations such as the al Qaeda. Although it is evident that these groups possess ethnocentric or racist outlooks, the government of the United States cannot chase them based on these grounds alone (Bleich 89). It is worth noting that the U.S. is greatly committed to the freedom of the racist associations than any other nation. However, this does not mean that the US values not the limitation of racism. In the past 50 years, the United States has offered racist associations protection from interference from the state (Bleich 89). A remarkable phenomenon in the United States is the protection of the racist associations while at the same time curbing these associations. The United States shelters the racist associations from state interference because of its dedication to freedom and commitment to protect the minority associations from Jim Crow South racism (Bleich 90). The United States has never banned any organization on the basis of its racist stance. The justice system has been in the forefront of protecting these organizations. On its ruling in cases involving Ku Klux Klan and other racists associations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), it is evident that the verdict reached by the court was based on protecting racist associations. In the case between Ku Klux Klan and the NAACP, the decision made was based on the propensity of the Ku Klux Klan to participate in unlawful violence and intimidation, and the possibility that the members of NAACP would be subjected to the threat of physical harm, loss of employment, economic reprisal, and other forms of public hostilities. The decision was based not on the desires of the associations. In the case of NAACP, fighting racism and upholding freedom of association came hand in hand. This bizarre scenario came about due to the dynamics between Jim Crow Southern states and the minority associations (Bleich 90). The freedom of association in the United States has made the efforts against discrimination nearly impossible. Discussions concerning associations right to prohibit or exclude stems from their liberty to reject membership to applications on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender or race. In such cases, “organizations are appealing to their right to choose their members autonomously, while outsiders are arguing against the racist, sexist, or homophobic reasons that are the basis of those claims” (Bleich 91). The Supreme Court has been acting in preference of upholding the antidiscrimination principles against racist associations’ right to exclude. Although freedom of association remains to be the central theme in the United States, it does not end the desire or need to eliminate of forms of discrimination like racism. However, it permits small groups to ban outsiders who are particularly harmful to the unity of the racist association (Bleich 91). The enactment of the freedom of association has developed a firewall against all other laws that offer summary for the disbandment of racist associations. Pressure against the racist associations can only be applied when the group engages in illegal and violent activities. Additionally, the constitutional law created particular protections for associations that relay certain social or political messages, thus, the neo-Nazis, black power groups, the radical skinheads, and the Ku Klux Klan associations are doubly protected (Bleich 91). Private antiracist organizations have been formed to curb the racist organizations. The Anti-Defamation League, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and non-governmental organizations (both regional and local organizations) fully participate in the fight. Most of these groups have developed complicated strategies for pursuing and attacking these racist associations or groups. One of the most common and important strategy is to sue into submission the groups that encourage racial violence. If associations such as the Aryan Nations or the White Aryan Resistance can be charged in civil courts for negligence and supporting crimes against minorities, the jury can impose hefty fines that will eventually drive the hate groups to bankruptcy (Bleich 92). In a nutshell, the American system has permitted racist associations to thrive. In 2009, there were 932 hate groups in the United States according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Majority of these groups are not very powerful forces because most of them are disgruntled and partially literate. A few of them have made significant influence in the United States. For instance, the National Socialist Movement (NSM) is active in most of the states. The organization maintains a website that expresses the Nazi insignia, sells racist video games and records for profit, publishes local chapter bulletins and a magazine, and it recruits non-Semitic heterosexuals of European descent to fight and stand up for their nations, race, and families. Such organizations have been associated with numerous attacks and murders in the United States, and the most notable activities include the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and plan to eliminate Barrack Obama. It is evident that banning these organizations goes against the value of freedom, but this does not mean that shielding them makes them less dangerous or less pervasive (Bleich 92). Works Cited Adams, W. R. Viewpoints: Readings worth Thinking and Writing About. Belmont, CA: Engage Learning, 2009. Print. Allen Paula. “Where I come from Is Like This”. The sacred hoop: recovering the feminine in American Indian traditions, edition3. Beacon Press. 1986. Print. Bleich, Erik. The Freedom to Be Racist? How The United States And Europe Struggle To Preserve Freedom And Combat Racism. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print. Recker, Christine. Varieties of Literary Interpretations of Jazz in American Writings of the 1950s and 1960s. Germany: GRIN Verlag, 2008. Print. Read More