By: Daniel Nardini
In a study done at Brock University in Ontario, Canada, one of the lead researchers, Gordon Hodson, stated that people who are racist and hold extremely conservative (actually, more like right wing) views have generally low I.Q.’s and tend to have poor education. The study concluded that such people are the most likely to become racist and extremists. Well, while I would emotionally like to agree with this, I sadly cannot agree with it because extremely conservative people (and yes, racists), are a very mixed bag. It all sounds like another case of a study by people with too much time on their hands and a large research grant. But this study in truth really has little to do with reality. I remember one guy I used to know in college (and for the sake of the college I will not mention its name) who was unbelievably smart and graduated with full honors. He would always wear his college class ring wherever he went, and because of his knowledge and specialized skills he landed a good job. However, he did not like anyone whom he saw as “non-white,” and he later joined the National Socialist White People’s (Nazi) Party.
During my days as a student at my alma mater (Lord have mercy on it!), many students openly expressed hate and scorn at Native Americans—calling them “lazy,” “drunks,” and “vermin.” They said that the Native Americans “tried to steal white land,” and that they did nothing but receive welfare. The racial hate I heard coming out during my college days was just frightening. And yes, they all graduated (some with high honors) from my alma mater. It makes me want to cry! As I said before right wing extremists and racists are a very mixed group, and certainly far from being the redneck, low class hillbillies they may be portrayed as. I can give three examples of very well known extremists who are far from stupid. One is Don Black. Black, a white racist and neo-nazi, is the website creator of the neo-nazi website Stormfront . Black attended the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, and attended and finished ROTC. Then there is Willis Carto. Called the greatest anti-Jewish bigot in the last 50 years and a Holocaust denier, he is responsible for creating the well-known extreme rightist publishing house Noontide Press. He attended college at Dennison University in Granville, Ohio. The best known racist is David Duke. A former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, a vehement racist and Holocaust denier, he was also a former Louisiana state representative. He graduated from Louisiana State University in 1974.
These are just a few examples of “smart” racists—people who simply do not fit into the low I.Q. category. The sad truth about racist bigots is this: as long as there are followers there will be leaders. There will always be people out there who will write, speak and sell their racist, extremist views to those willing to listen and pay for such trash. Fortunately, if there is one major change over the last 50 years that can be truly called positive, it is that most people no longer see race as a factor. Interracial marriage, once seen as a taboo, is largely no longer a problem for people in love nor for society as a whole. Hiring someone for their skills and not their race is a major step from what hiring practices were over 50 years before. Nevertheless, we as a people and society are less than two generations away from when race and racism played a major part of how our society, politics and economy functioned. Because of this racism and racists were the norm than the exception. And an educated person back then had to “really know the differences between the races.” Nowadays such people are seen as kooks—a throwback to a bad time. However “educated” they may be, this does not change the fact that they foment hatred, division, brutality, and repression. In my book, no racist is truly educated.
The Educated Racists
By: Daniel Nardini
During my days as a student at my alma mater (Lord have mercy on it!), many students openly expressed hate and scorn at Native Americans—calling them “lazy,” “drunks,” and “vermin.” They said that the Native Americans “tried to steal white land,” and that they did nothing but receive welfare. The racial hate I heard coming out during my college days was just frightening. And yes, they all graduated (some with high honors) from my alma mater. It makes me want to cry! As I said before right wing extremists and racists are a very mixed group, and certainly far from being the redneck, low class hillbillies they may be portrayed as. I can give three examples of very well known extremists who are far from stupid. One is Don Black. Black, a white racist and neo-nazi, is the website creator of the neo-nazi website Stormfront . Black attended the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, and attended and finished ROTC. Then there is Willis Carto. Called the greatest anti-Jewish bigot in the last 50 years and a Holocaust denier, he is responsible for creating the well-known extreme rightist publishing house Noontide Press. He attended college at Dennison University in Granville, Ohio. The best known racist is David Duke. A former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, a vehement racist and Holocaust denier, he was also a former Louisiana state representative. He graduated from Louisiana State University in 1974.
These are just a few examples of “smart” racists—people who simply do not fit into the low I.Q. category. The sad truth about racist bigots is this: as long as there are followers there will be leaders. There will always be people out there who will write, speak and sell their racist, extremist views to those willing to listen and pay for such trash. Fortunately, if there is one major change over the last 50 years that can be truly called positive, it is that most people no longer see race as a factor. Interracial marriage, once seen as a taboo, is largely no longer a problem for people in love nor for society as a whole. Hiring someone for their skills and not their race is a major step from what hiring practices were over 50 years before. Nevertheless, we as a people and society are less than two generations away from when race and racism played a major part of how our society, politics and economy functioned. Because of this racism and racists were the norm than the exception. And an educated person back then had to “really know the differences between the races.” Nowadays such people are seen as kooks—a throwback to a bad time. However “educated” they may be, this does not change the fact that they foment hatred, division, brutality, and repression. In my book, no racist is truly educated.