“I can see where they’re coming from that they might be uncomfortable. I really hope they understand that I’m not going to hurt anyone. I’ve held these beliefs for a long time.” He said, “I just want a peaceful year. This is my senior year and the people who want me gone-- it’s only until May.”
“I’m not a nazi, I don’t advocate genocide. I just march with people who do, and I have had these beliefs a long time. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but practically everyone in my cause certainly does.”
I’m not surprised given what he appeared to have been writing there. I don’t have sympathy for him - it’d be one thing if he was doxxed and slinked away to the shadows, but he instead chose to give interviews and embrace his notoriety. That makes him fair game in my book.
Mostly true. No one is born a bigot; bigotry is learned behavior.
I acknowledge your point that the children of White nationalists are often indoctrinated into it; and that is a tragedy, but people like Derek Black give me hope - it is possible for people to change, if they really work at it.
I’m not American, so I didn’t grow up under the idea that all speech is protected, but I really can’t grasp why specifically removing protection from racist, bigoted hate speech is any sort of “slippery slope”. Sure someone could, I suppose, broaden the definitions in a negative way, but that’s the next fight.
But, since it is currently protected, why do so many seem to think that means “free from consequences”, too? Just because it’s legally protected speech, doesn’t mean you aren’t going to be judged for it!
It was originally meant so people could openly dissent against the government without fear of reprisal from the government… though that hasn’t even been applied all that well historically.
He was taught to be a white nationalist by his family. He wasn’t born as white nationalist. It’s true that he did not have a choice in how he was raised, but he learned and evolved and made the choice to abandon his family values. But some people do make the choice to embrace these views, even if their families do not hold these views and teach them these views.
He won a primary election but was later disqualified for not signing a party loyalty oath forbidding activities—such as white nationalism—that would make Republicans look bad.
So I’m guessing that specific loyalty oath isn’t party-wide?
I have to agree. I was raised in a very conservative family. Military conservative. Never overtly racist, but I should mention the complete monotone of my family’s friends. Sometime around my reading of the Fountainhead - I was maybe 17-18 - I realized heyyyy… this worldview is rather convenient and self-congratulatory for a white guy from privilege to hold