White supremacy: Encyclopedia - White supremacy

White supremacy

White supremacy is a racist ideology which holds that the white race is superior to other races. White supremacy is most often thought of in connection with anti-black racism and anti-Semitism, though it has also been used to justify discrimination against Native Americans, Chinese, Irish, Roman Catholics, Southeast Asians, Arabs and others.

For example, politically, socially and economically, white supremacy was by and large the law of the land in the United States before and for decades after Reconstruction; the same is true of apartheid-era South Africa, and of parts of Europe at various periods of time, most notably under the Third Reich. The extent and nature of white supremacy's continuing influence in Western culture is a subject of ongoing debate. White supremacy is sometimes used in a more limited sense to indicate a philosophical belief that whites are not only superior to others, but should rule over them. White separatist and white nationalist groups often use this more limited definition in order to distinguish themselves from white supremacists.

White supremacy, as with supremacism in general, is rooted in ethnocentrism and a desire for hegemony. It contains varying degrees of racism and xenophobia. Associations of white supremacy with ethnic cleansing and racial separation are common, but not necessarily intrinsic.

White supremacy - White supremacy in the United States

In many parts of the United States, non-whites were effectively disenfranchised and prevented from holding government office (or even serving in most government jobs) well into the second half of the 20th century; Native Americans in the U.S. and Canada and Aborigines in Australia were often viewed as little more than obstacles to white settlement, rather than human beings in their own right; many European-settled countries bordering the Pacific Ocean at times severely limited immigration and naturalization from the Asian Pacific countries, usually on an overtly white supremacist basis; the United States allowed individual states to ban interracial marriage as late as 1967 (see Loving v. Virginia); Rhodesia held out as an overtly white supremacist regime until 1979 and South Africa into the 1990s.

In the United States, white supremacy was, along with notions of democracy and manifest destiny, among the most formative ideologies of the young nation. At the time of the nation's founding, there were many African slaves even in such northern states as New York, and Native Americans were being displaced from their lands and massacred. Both Native Americans and blacks commonly were considered by whites to be "savages", even subhuman, and routinely subjected to discrimination, oppression and brutality. The U.S. South until the Civil War sustained a plantation economy based on black slaves. Even in those parts of the South where African Americans constituted the majority, except for the brief period of the Reconstruction (1866-1877), they were routinely disenfranchised; resistance was successfully held down by state and local governments and by organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan who, as late as the early 1960s practiced lynching—extra-judicial execution—with impunity.

In the rest of the United States, the regime was generally milder, but—again, at least into the second half of the 20th century—non-whites were generally expected to "know their place". For example, few of the country's leading colleges and universities admitted non-white students, or if they did, they admitted them under very restrictive quotas. These restrictions applied to not only African Americans, but also, during much of the 19th and 20th centuries, to Asians, Native Americans, and Jews. Those African Americans who received a higher education mostly did so in what are now known as the Historically Black colleges and universities. Few African Americans held public office: after Reconstruction, no African American served in the United States Senate until Edward W. Brooke in 1966. There has never been a non-white United States president. George Ariyoshi of Hawaii became, in 1974, the first Asian American governor of a state.

Charles W. Mills argues (Racial Contract, 1997) that 'White supermacy' remains a functioning political system, or at least forms a part of most of today's political systems.

White supremacy - Ideology in contemporary White Supremacy

While white supremacists share with white separatists a general opposition to racial mixing, especially interracial relationships and marriages, a distinguishing feature of modern Nazi-influenced white supremacy is the claim that Whites who are Nordic or Germanic should rule over Blacks, Jews, Muslims, Hispanics, Asians, Southern Europeans, Eastern Europeans, Middle Easterners, North Africans, non-Protestants, atheists, agnostics, deists, pagans, witches, homosexuals, bisexuals, cross-dressers, persons in wheelchairs, and other so-called undesirables by virtue of the supposed innate superiority of so-called "pure" whites, upon which white supremacy is posited. (See also: Race and intelligence, The Bell Curve.)

There are different types of white supremacy; groups that would generally be classified as White supremacist may vary greatly in their ideology of race. White supremacists who follow the ideology of Nordicism and Germanicism only consider Northern European people who are Nordic or Germanic to be white, shunning Southern and Eastern Europe. According to the Nazis, German's Italian allies were not really white. Same with the Japanese. These beliefs were the basis for Nazism. Some white supremacist groups, particularly in German-speaking countries, actively proclaim themselves Nazis; and, collectively, the groups commonly are labeled neo-Nazi. Pan Europeanism is a White supremacist belief that accepts all native Europeans as White, a population that ranges from fair skinned Swedes to dark skinned Italians. Then there is Pan Aryanism, which accepts native Europeans from all of continental Europe and extends its definition to non-European Caucasoids such as some Middle Easterners, North Africans, and Central/West Asians. Yet not all Middle Easterners, North Africans and Central/West Asians are accepted by Pan-Aryanists as white. With regard to the acceptance of Middle Easterners from Pan Aryan White supremacists, Syrians, Lebanese, Turks (not as often as the other two), and Iranians are accepted as White, but Saudis and Yemenites are not.

Many who adhere to racialist doctrines do not use the term 'supremacist' because of the connotations it has with the desire to rule over those of other races. However, many of them do believe that the white race is superior to other races.

In the United States, some claim white supremacist movements are linked to fundamentalist Christianity or Christian Identity; but most Christians denounce the movement as fundamentally non-Christian. Some white supremacists such as Matthew F. Hale, even whilst claiming to follow a religion bearing the name "christian", consider violence to be a legitimate way to further their cause and dismiss mainstream Christianity as a mongrel or "suicidal" faith.

Other white supremacist groups identify themselves as Odinists. The white supremacist version of Odinism has little to do with Christian Identity, but there is one key similarity: their version of Odinism provides dualism - as does Christian Identity - with regard to the universe being composed of 'worlds of light' (white people) and 'worlds of dark' (non-white people). The most fundamental difference between the two ideologies is that Odinists believe in the old Norse gods and do not believe in the divinity of Jesus. Some groups, such as the South African Boeremag, even conflate elements of Christianity and Odinism.

Many white supremacist groups do not necessarily adhere to Christian Identity or other religious doctrines. Groups such as the American Nazi Party are largely politically, rather than religiously, motivated. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK), one of the most recognized white supremacist groups in the United States, proposes racial segregation that generally is not based on religious ideals, although some klan groups may be openly Christian Identity but accepting to other Protestants.

White supremacy - Distribution and prominence of contemporary white supremacist groups

White supremacist groups can be found in most countries with a significant white population, including the United States, Australia, South Africa, and in the nations of Europe and parts of Latin America. In all of these places, their views represent a relatively small minority of the population, and active membership of the groups is quite small. However, a backlash to the influx of non-white immigrants into various European nations in the last 25 years has spurred a rise in membership in such organizations, as well as an escalation in white supremacist demonstrations and hate crimes.

The militant approach taken by some groups has caused them to be watched closely by law enforcement officials. In some European countries, which have more recent experience with the effects of such beliefs in World War II, white supremacist groups are banned by various laws. These include laws which forbid "hate speech" in addition to laws which forbid organizations deemed to be fundamentally opposed to any multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and democratic society.

White supremacy - Violent activism by contemporary white supremacist groups

The World Church of the Creator, now called the Creativity Movement, presents a recent example of violence perpetrated by a white supremacist in order to bring about a race war. Ben Klassen, the sect's founder, believed that one's race is his religion. Aside from this central belief, its ideology is similar to many Christian Identity groups in the conviction that there is a Jewish conspiracy in control of the federal government, international banking, and the media. They also dictate that RAHOWA, a Racial Holy War, is destined to ensue to rid the world of Jews and “mud races”. In the early 1990s, there was a dramatic increase in membership due to the growing belief in the Apocalypse and that RAHOWA was imminent. In 1996, Matthew F. Hale, who came upon recent fame by being denied a license to practice law in Illinois, was appointed the new leader of the Church of the Creator. Hale made a number of changes to the group, including changing the name of the organization to the World Church of the Creator, to give it the feel of a widespread movement.

Recent incidents have demonstrated the willingness of members to take part in violent action. WCOTC members in Southern Florida are thought to be tied to several racially motivated beatings. Within the last year, four Florida members were convicted for the pistol-whipping and robbery of a Jewish video store owner. They were supposedly trying to raise money for "the revolution."

Many believe in the necessity of becoming martyrs for their cause. For example, Bob Mathews, the leader of The Order, died in a confrontation with law enforcement. Also, William King relished the fact that he would receive the death penalty for his act of murdering James Byrd, Jr.

White supremacy - Fragmentation and formation of groupuscules

Many racist organizations seem to have shown a tendency to splinter easily, and modern-day racist movements existing on the Internet show a great deal of strife within "The Movement", in a similar way to that observed in movements at the opposite extreme of the political spectrum.

Different groups have feuds and rivalries, different figures have personal feuds with different figures, etc. It could be observed that too many people within the movement want to be leaders as opposed to followers. Less extreme white supremacists or white supremacist groups, along with followers of and groups associated with white nationalism and paleo-conservatism are considered to be cowards and traitors by a lot of white supremacists, the latter two groups reciprocate with a conviction that white supremacists and neo-Nazis especially make them all look bad.

White supremacy - Contemporary White Supremacists

A list of famous white supremacists would be far too long to include in this article. What follows, therefore, is merely a list of contemporary figures who are primarily known for their support of white supremacy. The majority of people who are part of the "White Power" movement denounce any type of association with Racial Supremacism. They characterize the label as a misconceived epithet or a pejorative stereotype, and consider themselves advocates of racial separatism or nationalism, which they see as opposed to racial supremacism. Most "White Power" activists are opposed to living in a multi-racial society, whereas racial supremacism demands a multi-racial society.

• Don Andrews
• John Bean
• Don Black
• Andrew Brons
• George Burdi
• Dan Burros
• Richard Girnt Butler
• Willis Carto
• Else Christensen
• Mark Collett
• Frank Collin
• David Copeland
• Mark Cotterill
• Nicky Crane
• Mark Albert Clapp
• Françoise Dior
• Ian Stuart Donaldson
• Wolfgang Droege
• David Duke
• Leo Felton
• Roberto Fiore
• Andrew Fountaine
• Paul Fromm
• Nick Griffin
• Matthew F. Hale
• Wolf Rüdiger Hess
• Ray Hill
• Derek Holland
• Tom Holmes
• David Irving
• Alan Jones
• Colin Jordan
• David Kerr
• Ben Klassen
• David Lane
• Arnold Leese
• Marc Lemire

• Alex Linder
• Martin Lindstedt
• James H. Madole
• Horst Mahler
• James Mason
• Robert Jay Mathews
• Michael McLaughlin
• Tom Metzger
• Frazier Glenn Miller
• Savitri Devi Mukherji
• David Myatt
• Fred Phelps
• William Luther Pierce
• John Kingsley Read
• Otto Ernst Remer
• Ingrid Rimland
• George Lincoln Rockwell
• Charlie Sargent
• Benjamin Nathaniel Smith
• John Ross Taylor
• Eugène Terre'Blanche
• Jean-François Thiriart
• Joseph Tommasi
• John Tyndall
• Donna Upson
• Richard Verrall
• Robert Vesterlund
• Varg Vikernes
• Martin Webster
• Bill White
• Martin Wingfield
• Francis Parker Yockey
• Ernst Zündel

White supremacy - Organizations

• Afrikanerweerstandsbeweging (AWB) (South Africa)
• American Front
• American Nazi Party
• Aryan Brotherhood
• Aryan Nations
• Aryan Revolutionary Front
• British National Party
• Central Oregon Skinheads
• Christian Conservative Church
• Combat 18 (British Group)
• Council of Conservative Citizens
• Confederate Hammer Skins
• European-American Unity and Rights Organisation (EURO)
• Forsyth County Defense League
• Hammerskin Nation (HSN)
• Heritage Front
• Ku Klux Klan (KKK), there are many groups of the Ku Klux Klan

• Legion of Aryan Warriors
• Libertarian National Socialist Green Party
• National Alliance
• National Association for the Advancement of White People
• National Socialist Movement (NSM)
• National Socialist Skinheads
• Nationalist Party of Canada
• National Front
• Odinist Fellowship
• Pagan Front
• The Order
• The Posse Comitatus
• Volksfront
• Westboro Baptist Church
• White Aryan Resistance (WAR)
• White Citizens' Council
• White Patriot Party
• White Revolution: a recent group to emerge, led by Billy Roper
• World Church of the Creator/Creativity Movement (WCOTC)

White supremacy - Related topics

• American History X
• Apartheid
• Dixiecrat
• Eugenics
• Forsyth County, Georgia v. The Nationalist Movement
• Institutional racism
• Jim Crow law
• Lynchings
• Master race
• nadir of American race relations
• Neo-Nazi groups of the United States
• Oz
• Racial segregation
• Zionist Occupation Government

White supremacy - Compare

• Black supremacy
• Racism and anti-racism
• Black power and White Power
• White pride and Black pride
• White nationalism and Black nationalism
• White separatism and Black separatism

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "White supremacy", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki