We have all heard of the recent White Supremacist marches in Charlottesville, VA. Young white males took to the streets this hot day, flashing swastika arm bands, burning swastikas, confederate flags, and multiple forms of KKK garments/symbols. Along with the swastikas and confederate flags being waved, American flags were common among the froth of the march. And this raises these questions: What is considered American in these times? What makes you American? Should White Supremacy/Neo-Nazis be supported under the first amendment, or be accounted for as hate-mongers? Below you can see what our community has to say.

Americans and people all around the world were shocked or even surprised when they first heard of the events that had occurred in Charlottesville, with the recurrence of White Supremacy and Neo-Nazis. Some people were not only shocked but flat-out disgusted by this recurrence:

“…how were these protests allowed to get to this point?” Mr. Nance

“I was disgusted that people really thought that those actions were okay, and I felt ashamed of what America, a historical nation of immigrants, has become.” Aliya Getchell

While there are those who support it, it is safe to see there is a much larger opposing side.

Now while many people turn their heads in disgust, some may turn their heads because it simply doesn’t affect them, or they don’t want to get involved. But just because it doesn’t affect someone doesn’t mean that they are in agreement with what happened, they still acknowledge how it may affect others, and they are still willing to take action:

“It hasn’t affected me much because I have such an accepting group of friends and family and we share a lot of the same beliefs, but if I didn’t I certainly would be affected. Others could be affected by being scared and that’s something I never want. If someone is with me they should know I will always accept them as them….I would definitely take action against this (White Supremacy).” noted Getchell.

As for those who it does affect, the prejudices that White Supremacists/Neo-Nazis believe in could potentially put a multitude of people in danger, including different ethnic groups, Jewish people, and practically anyone who doesn’t see eye-to-eye with their policies and ideology. Some may feel unsafe or unwelcome because of these actions, and some may find it hard to take action due to the violence that could follow suit. For example, when the truck drove through the opposing crowd at the Charlottesville march. These hateful and prejudiced actions and thoughts have raised the question of constitutionality.

Some people agree that White Supremacists should “…be allowed to say what they want…” due to first amendment rights, but they also believe that “If they are hurting others and forcing their opinion…” said Madison Morgan, it should definitely be deemed unconstitutional. If the actions of one person/ or a group of people puts another’s constitutional rights in danger, it is unconstitutional. And Mr. Nance clarified “…you have a limitless right to free speech until it interferes with someone else’s rights.  We also must remember that just because you may not agree with someone’s statement or even if it is offensive, it is still protected by the 1st amendment.” Now while those who stand neutral say first amendment rights deem it okay as long as they aren’t putting anyone or their rights in harm’s way, some believe this hate and prejudice shouldn’t be allowed to be said or done, “ They’re being unconstitutional. They’re infringing on basic human rights and it’s not okay” stated Getchell.

It is true that the Neo-Nazis/White Supremacists have represented and chanted about quite a few prejudiced ideas, and the very fact that they are White Supremacists/Neo-Nazis are a group of people who believe certain people shouldn’t have rights. Yet among all the beliefs that people shouldn’t have rights, among all of their prejudices, some of them think waving a confederate flag is patriotic, and maybe that even waving a flag with a swastika on it is patriotic. It should ring a bell for people that the Confederacy had wished to form their own country, to not be a part of America. They wanted to split from the Union in order to keep slavery and govern as a separate body from the US. They wanted to dissociate themselves from America, so the connection that these hate groups are trying to make between the Confederacy and America has no correlation. And the symbol of the Nazis and their regime, the swastika, was a culture that Americans themselves fought against, and has nothing whatsoever to do with patriotism.

Because of the fact that such a hate-filled group would consider themselves patriotic, this raises the question: How does one define America, and what it means to be American, in times like these? Many define America in a similar way, because it is usually taught from an early age:

“America is opportunities that no other country provides. To be American you have to work hard and truly believe that a democratic society can work,” stated Getchell.

“It means to be free of oppression. It means that I can say what I want without going to jail. It means that I can have say in what I think is okay and not okay. America means the land of opportunity and freedom,” commented Morgan.

The basic definition of America is commonly thought of as a land where there is no discrimination, freedoms of many sorts, opportunity, no oppression, etc. So it seems clear that what White Supremacists/Neo-Nazis define as America and what it means to be American does not fit the common perception of what being American truly is, and what it means to be one.

The people of America have been quite involved in these controversial events and recurrences. But some wish the government was more involved. And some people wish the government would not compare the peaceful opposers/the ones who are being affected by the prejudices being promoted by these hate groups, to a more aggressive grouping of White Supremacists/Neo-Nazis:

“I think they can be equally dangerous, but so far we have seen White Supremacists have (more) violent tendencies than people opposing them…I wish they were more involved (government) with what is happening today and be more honest with us,” said Getchell.

“I think any group that is willing to take a protest to the level of violence that was seen in Charlottesville should be considered dangerous,” Mr. Nance.

A lot of people believe it is unfair of the government to compare a peaceful group to a prejudiced, violent, and hateful grouping of people. They even think that the government is doing it to distract us from the actual intensity we have from facing the recurrence of White Supremacists. They wish the government would do more to stop the hate, and be completely truthful with the American people.

Clearly, there is room for improvement when it comes to diminishing this hate culture, while maybe not completely, to a much smaller number of supporters. Millennials have much more progressive beliefs than those who associate themselves with these hate groups, and this brings hope to ridding the nation of White Supremacists/Neo-Nazis. Getchell thinks that, “…this generation is much more accepting than older generations, but it may take a long time to get to that point” Getchell. Further, Morgan points out that “…we see a strong opposing reaction, more and more people will start to believe that a person is a person…” Morgan continues “…people will always believe what they want to believe.”

So while the belief of hate and prejudice will always be present in some minds, there will almost always be more that oppose that, and stand up for the greater good of people.

Although White Supremacy has risen up from the ashes again, it never was completely gone. There have been gangs packed full of these hateful people, but until now, they haven’t had an official figure turning the other cheek to their behavior like Trump has, especially when he validated their actions by saying the opposing group was equally as dangerous. But there are plenty of opposers who defy these hateful ideas, including many students at our school. It is believed that someday this hate will be diminished to a minimum, but in the meantime, you should consider some of these questions: How can our generation make a difference in the future of our country when it comes to diminishing hate? What is your ideal America? How can I stand up to hate? All of these questions could lead you down a path towards the improvement of our nation.

“America has always dealt with hate.  We have seen instances in our past that well exceed the level of hate and violence that was witnessed recently, and we have persevered,” Mr. Nance.