US racial tensions reveal divided society
The Charlottesville riots have exposed the racial divide in the US. Two scholars share their views on the issue with China Daily. Excerpts follow:
The white nationalists’ rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Aug 11 to protest against the city administration’s plans to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general in the American Civil War, turned into violent riots when the protestors clashed with counter-protestors. One person was killed and 34 people were injured when a car driven by a white supremacist plowed into a crowd of counter-protestors.
The white nationalists’ rally brought together not only white supremacists but also neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members, raising people’s concern at the rapid rise of white nationalists in the United States.
White supremacy has been gaining ground in recent times for a number of reasons. Due to changes in the ethnic mix of the US population and the immigration pattern in the past years, whites will cease to be the majority in the future, and the cultural and religious diversity in the country will widen. And since many whites want to maintain their dominant role in the US, they seem rattled by the possibility of such changes in the future.
Complicating the matter is the decline of the US’ manufacturing industry, which has resulted in the loss of jobs and a relatively high unemployment rate. But many white people wrongly believe blacks and immigrants are stealing their jobs.
Besides, US President Donald Trump has something to do with the rise of white
supremacists. The white conservatism and anti-immigration stance he propounded during his campaign trail are but a form of white supremacy. As US president, too, his policies, such as banning Muslims from some countries from entering the US reflect white nationalistic beliefs. Worse, instead of condemning the white supremacists for the Charlottesville violence, Trump at first blamed “all sides”.
The Charlottesville riots indicate the US never enjoyed complete racial harmony. Systemic, comprehensive and persistent racial discrimination, which can be attributed to white supremacy, is at the root of the racial tensions in the US. If the US doesn’t check white supremacy, the Charlottesville riots could be the precursor to graver racial conflicts.
Hao Yaming is a researcher at the Center for the Study of Human Rights, Nankai University, Tianjin
Two aspects of the Charlottesville riots are especially disturbing. First is the extensive participation of white supremacists, neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klan members and “alternative right” activists in the Charlottesville rally. The second disturbing fact is that many of the white nationalists were young men. In fact, many of the protestors were University of Virginia students. And James Alex Fields Jr, the white supremacist who drove his car into the crowd of counter-protestors killing a woman and injuring 34 people, is only 20 years old.
Racial conflicts have intensified in the US in recent years. According to a Gallup poll in mid-March, 42 percent of the respondents said they were worried about racial relations, while the figure was only 13 percent in 2010. There are several reasons for this.
To begin with, the US’ demographic structure is changing. In 1980, whites comprised about 80 percent of US population — by 2010, the figure had dropped to 63 percent, and it is expected to fall below 50 percent in the future. Even though whites hold most of the wealth and political power in the US, some of them are not prepared to be a minority, leading to discontent and anger.
Second, the ethnic minorities in the US have become increasingly dissatisfied with the current state of affairs. African-Americans expected a lot more from the US’ first black president, but not much seem to have changed despite eight years of Barack Obama’s presidency. The unemployment rate among AfricanAmericans is twice as high as that among whites. Worse, 25 percent of blacks live in poverty. In addition, many blacks have fallen to police officers’ bullets in recent years, raising social tensions.
Third, many whites assume unemployment is rising because of the influx of immigrants. That’s why they supported Trump during his campaign trail, especially after he promised to get back their jobs.
If the US government’s economic policies don’t work and are unable to address social issues such as immigration, racial conflicts could worsen.
Ji Hong is a researcher at the Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.