Rebuking A Culture of Hatred

“Hate will not prevail. White supremacy will not have the last word.”- President Joe Biden. The recent mass killing of 10 individuals at the Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue in East Buffalo, New York on May 14 has once again raised the matters of racism and gun control. According to officials the white teenage gunman, 18 year old Payton Gendron drove some three hours to commit this racially-motivated hate crime in the predominantly black neighbourhood. The news reported that eleven of the thirteen victims were black. As reported by authorities, the suspect who lives about 200 miles away in Conklin, N.Y. drove to the Tops store on May 14 and around 2:30 p.m. opened fire in the parking lot, killing three people and wounding a fourth. Armed with an assault-style rifle, he then entered the store and shot customers and workers before surrendering near the lobby, where he was met by law enforcement. One has to ask the question what if the Buffalo gunman was black, would law enforcement officers allow him to surrender or would law enforcement have engaged him in a gunfight? Police said he live- streamed the shooting from a camera atop a helmet he wore as part of his armored gear. Tops Friendly Market was the only accessible supermarket on the east side of Main Street, where more than 80 percent of the residents are Black and the median household income is less than $20,000. Tops Friendly Market operates about 150 supermarkets in New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont. The shooting at Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York comes seven years after the horrific shooting at a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina which took the lives of 9 African Americans. The shooter was 21 year old Dylann Roof. The Charleston massacre was a clear act of white supremacist violence and hatred. African Americans continue to be hunted down by white supremacists and this is problematic. The Great Replacement Theory The Great Replacement Theory (GRT) has its roots in early 20th century French nationalism and books by French nationalist and author Maurice Barres. However, it was French writer and critic Renaud Camus who popularized the phrase for today’s audiences when he published an essay titled "Le Grand Remplacement," or "the great replacement," in 2011. Camus himself alluded to the “great replacement theory” in his earlier works and was apparently influenced by Jean Raspail’s racist novel in 1973, “The Camp of the Saints”. Camus believes that native white Europeans are being replaced in their countries by non-white immigrants from Africa and the Middle East, and the end result will be the extinction of the white race. Camus focused on Muslim immigration to Europe and the theory that Muslims and other non-white populations had a much higher birth rate than whites. It is clear this Camus’ racist theory of white supremacy has gained traction and a wide appeal not only in some European countries but in North America and as far away as Australia and New Zealand. Camus’ initial concept did not focus on Jews and was not anti-Semitic. The great replacement” philosophy was quickly adopted and encouraged by the white supremacist movement, as it fits into their conspiracy theory about the impending destruction of the white race. In March 2019, white supremacist Brenton Tarrant live streamed himself killing 51 people at two mosques in New Zealand. Tarrant also released a manifesto online called “The Great Replacement,” as homage to Camus’ work. Hate Crimes We live in a time and age where hate, discrimination, prejudice are the hallmarks of many societies. The virtual space has become poisoned and many individuals have become radicalized via the internet. We must be guarded regarding what we allow our minds to entertain. In October 2018, white supremacist Robert Bowers killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA, after writing a Gab post blaming Jews for bringing non-white immigrants and refugees to the U.S.A. In August 2019, white supremacist Patrick Crusius opened fire at a Walmart in El Paso, TX, killing 23 people and wounding almost two dozen. In a manifesto, Crusius talked about a “Hispanic invasion” and made reference to the great replacement. On October 27, 2018, 11 congregants in a Pittsburgh synagogue were killed in one of the deadliest attacks against the Jewish community in the U.S. The shooter’s belief in the “great replacement” theory precipitated the attack. Hate crime is defined by the Department of Justice as a crime motivated by bias against race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability. The term "hate" can be misleading. When used in a hate crime law, the word "hate" does not mean rage, anger, or general dislike. In this context “hate” means bias against people or groups with specific characteristics that are defined by the law. At the federal level, hate crime laws include crimes committed on the basis of the victim’s perceived or actual race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability. Mainstream Discourse Those of us who are privileged to have a social media platform space must be careful of the messages we expound as oftentimes we are influencers whether or not we like it. The Great Replacement Theory which was once relegated to white supremacist rhetoric has unfortunately found its way in the consciousness and discourse of mainstream society. Among the supporter of this racist discourse is Fox News where host Tucker Carlson complains repeatedly that the Democratic Party is attempting to “replace the current electorate” with “third-world voters. Since Carlson’s comments, numerous public figures on the far right have echoed or supported this “great replacement” theory which has also been called “white replacement theory” or simply “replacement theory”. In the United States of America there are sections of the Republican Party which has embraced The Great Replacement Theory. Unfortunately, this malignant theory has a stranglehold on the GOP and represents a clear and present danger to each and every person in the minority. Another proponent of this racist extremism is Hungary’s authoritarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban who lauded Tucker Carlson in a recent address. Undoubtedly, evil, hatred and violence have sprung from the ideas of the Great Replacement Theory. We have witnessed the rise of Xenophobia all across the United States of America. Simply Psychology an online source states that Xenophobia originates from the Greek word ‘xenos’, which means ‘foreign’ in the most standard definition, although it can also be interpreted as ‘guest’ depending on the context. It also originates from the word ‘phobos’, meaning phobia. Xenophobia is a general term which can be applied to any fear of someone who is different from the individual. Xenophobia can often intersect with a person’s race, ethnicity, nationality and any aspects that may be used to distinguish people as ‘others. Often, there are overlaps between xenophobia and forms of prejudice including racism and homophobia. There are two main types of xenophobia: Individuals who have culturally xenophobic views may reject objects, traditions, or symbols which are associated with another group. For instance, this could be clothing that is traditional of another culture, different languages, or traditional music of another culture. People who are culturally xenophobic may believe their own cultures and traditions are superior to those belonging to other groups. Individuals who express immigrant xenophobia may reject people or groups of people who they believe do not fit in with their in-group society. Individuals with this type of xenophobia may consider people in their own social or cultural group as being superior to others, avoid places heavily populated by immigrants, or make negative comments about people who belong to other cultures or countries. The cause of xenophobia can be complicated. Evolutionary psychologists may argue that xenophobia may be a part of genetic behavioural heritage in that being fearful of outside groups protected ancestral humans from threat. An Old Idea Great Replacement theory is the notion that people from minority populations, both here and in Europe, are replacing the existing white, largely Christian [population]," said Larry Rosenthal, chair and lead researcher of the Berkeley Center for Right-Wing Studies. Rosenthal told ABC News that there are various "manifestations" of this ideology across the spectrum of the right in the U.S., but that in recent years those expressions have become more "explicit" and have "assumed rhetorical predominance" in the Republican Party. According to Rosenthal the notion of "replacement theory" was prevalent in the U.S.A. as early as the 1920s and was embraced by the fringes of the far-right for decades. According to some experts the rise of former President Donald Trump in recent years propelled the theory into mainstream U.S. politics. Throughout his four years as president Donald Trump repeatedly used the word "invasion" to describe undocumented immigrants who are coming to the United States, used derogatory language to describe immigrants from Africa and Haiti and suggested that the U.S. should accept immigrants from countries like Norway, a largely white nation. However, this racist ideology could not have gained traction if a significant percentage of the US electorate especially among the Republic Party as well as the political class did not share similar sentiments. Crystal Fleming, a sociologist at Stony Brook University who studies white supremacy argues that Replacement Theory is a newer framework for an old idea. “The idea that people who are racially defined as white are entitled to displace other people, to enslave other people, to colonize other people and literally replace them has been a bedrock of modern racism.” Black Lives Matter Not surprisingly, a counter ideology is always in place to temper racist ideologies such as the Great Replacement Theory. In 2013, three female Black organizers Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi created a Black-centered political will and movement building project called Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter began with a social media hashtag, #BlackLivesMatter, after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin back in 2012. The movement grew nationally in 2014 after the deaths of Michael Brown in Missouri and Eric Garner in New York. Since then it has established itself as a worldwide movement, particularly after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, MN. Most recently, #Black Lives Matter has spearheaded demonstrations worldwide protesting police brutality and systematic racism that overwhelmingly affects the Black community. Race relations in the United States of America have always been contentious and combative. A significant number of controversial court rulings over the years have incensed the African American community as justice is often viewed as a two tiered system, one for the whites and one for blacks. Many minorities are of the belief that the justice system is seen through the lens of Anglo-Saxon and as such blacks are disproportionately incarcerated than whites for the similar crimes. Silence is a Pandemic The fact is we live in a pluralist democracy. Notwithstanding this fact we need to let our voices be heard. Unfortunately, too many of us are satisfied with being onlookers on the periphery of the plethora of social injustices meted out to people of colour. As people of colour we should not let our guards down for one moment as the intersection of race, gender and politics continue to shape and influence differing opinions some of which will be troubling and discriminatory. If ever there was a time for rebuke for a culture of hatred that time is now. Recently, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) in a tweet regarding predications for the French Open said, “2022 champion-- and Dark Horse pick—.” Obviously, the dark horse comment is quite inappropriate and has racist undertone. These sorts of comments have become rather pervasive and should be called out for what it is. As we continue this journey we must be vigilant and conscious of the evil around. We must redouble our efforts to find avenues to navigate this shared interconnected global environment which is often poisonous. The human race has many colours. In the words of Barack Obama, none of us can or should expect a transformation in race relations overnight. Every time something like this happens, somebody says we have to have a conversation about race. We talk a lot about race. There's no shortcut. And we don't need more talk. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #GreatReplacementTheory #Racism #Hatred #Antisemitism #BlackLivesMatter #Buffalo

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