The New
York Times recently published Richard’s Fausset’s article, A Voice of Hate in America’s Heartland, a piece that tells the story
and thought process of Nazi sympathizer, Tony Hovater. While this article is
not wrong for acknowledging the existence of Nazi thought, it is at fault for
the tone of normalcy and acceptance used to convey the views and beliefs of a
neo-Nazi. Fausset starts by talking about Hovater as a newly married man with
an ordinary life. Hovater is almost portrayed as a victim who sometimes struggles
to “identify as a far-right extremist” but has found comfort and acceptance
since the election of President Trump.[1] The journalist goes on to
describe Hovater’s rationale, his likes and dislikes, and his forms of involvement
with the radical right as if they are accomplishments to be proud of. This
portrayal of Hovater expands beyond the story of one man and normalizes the
existence of the alt right movement. That’s not to say that the very real presence
of Nazism should be ignored, but it should be addressed in a way that
challenges the oppressor and condemns the beliefs that threaten the lives of so
many.
I found
this article very difficult to read as it profiles someone with radical and
dangerous beliefs as being ordinary and curious while failing to address the
larger issue of white nationalism. It denounces the historical implications of Nazism
and white supremacy and fails to condemn a belief system that openly targets non-Christians
and non-whites. According to this article, Hovater is just an ordinary man unsatisfied
with the government, looking for ways to improve white America. It normalizes Nazism
and white supremacy and makes their thought process appear moral and
acceptable. Writing about Hovater and modern Nazism with relaxed judgement,
blinded by the detrimental implications of his radical beliefs, makes it seem
as though white nationalism, white supremacy, and fascism are acceptable solutions
to America’s problems. This article is not wrong for telling the story of a
Nazi, it is wrong for failing to challenge and question the oppressor and ignores
the violence and dangers of this movement with a complete disregard for the
people who are put in danger by such beliefs. It overshadows the extremism Hovater’s
endangering views of non-whites and non-Christians with descriptions of an
everyday life and to normalize such thinking is to accept it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/25/us/ohio-hovater-white-nationalist.html
[1]
Fausset, A Voice of Hate in America’s
Heartland
It seems that since the election of Trump WHITE journalists have painstakingly attempted to rationalize the beliefs of the the alt-right, rather than expose the bigotry and evil interwoven into all aspects of white-supremacists ideological beliefs. Following Trumps victory there were multiple opinion pieces produced by white liberals arguing for a transformation in the Democratic party's platform to deemphasize identity politics and appeal more to white voters who feel "culturally alienated" in a changing world, i.e. one that is quickly becoming less white .In this vein New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote "My hometown, Yamhill, Ore., a farming community, is Trump country, and I have many friends who voted for Trump. I think they’re profoundly wrong, but please don’t dismiss them as hateful bigots." Kristof, Fausset, and other white commentators completely neglect to grapple with the dangerous implications of portraying neo-Nazis and supporters of a President who ran on a platform of white suprmeacy as innocent victims, enabling the proliferation of rhetoric supporting the problematic "it's not about race" thesis. As you pointed out, we must work instead to challenge oppressive beliefs and prevent white supremacy from re-emerging into the mainstream of American life.
ReplyDeleteThis article has been met with a lot of ridicule. Whether it's on twitter or other news outlets, people are calling out The Times for its failures and misrepresentations. You might find these two articles from The Atlantic and The Washington Post interesting.
Deletehttps://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/11/a-nazi-cooks-pasta/546737/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2017/11/26/new-york-times-faces-backlash-over-half-baked-profile-of-white-nationalist/?utm_term=.70c9de1bc83c
It was easy to be a liberal and to support racial equality when Obama was in office, but now that the whitelash has emerged, gathered behind Donald Trump’s campaign long enough for him to get elected and with them increasingly outraged by the changing country, its a little more taxing. In this presidency, its ok for disillusioned and disgruntled whites to rear their ugly heads about racist and bigoted ideas that they didn’t feel comfortable voicing in the past, and now they come with a tone of righteous indignation. Along with those whites speaking out, you have lots and lots of “silent majority” whites who voted Republican as they have been doing for a long time. As my uncle from Georgia said, he had to “plug his nose and vote for Trump” because the “Hildabeast” wasn’t trustworthy. There’s a gang of white Americans who don’t go out and practice hateful acts themselves but drink up conservative propaganda with no issue. As the hateful views of groups like neonazis get portrayed as more and more mainstream, those groups attain approval in the eyes of more and more of the silent majority.
ReplyDeleteJust an update, Hovater, his wife, and her brother got fired (duh) from the restaurant they worked at because the restaurant was getting a lot of threats. I feel like many people are quick to direct hate at a specific person / event and not at the structural issues which have brought us to this moment. This man and his wife are not trolls in the mountain and they clearly felt comfortable enough in their views to have a NYT article written about them which is very disconcerting. I think it is very telling of the climate we are living in today. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/29/us/nazi-sympathizer-profiled-by-the-times-loses-his-job.html
ReplyDelete