Political Violence

To truly understand why political violence exists, one must first examine its roots, goals, and means. In America today, there exists several underground groups or factions that relate themselves to the Neo-Nazi movement. These organizations, although for the most part are not mainstream, present a serious threat to the American way of life.
According to Elinor Langer, author of The Nation article “The American Neo-Nazi Movement Today,� the term Neo-Nazi refers to five distinct groups prevalent in American society (83). This group includes such anti-Semitics such as the Nazis, the skinheads, the Klu Klux Klan, the Posse Comitatus, and the Christian Identity Movement. These groups are blatantly racist, and use the race issue to determine what actions they take. These actions usually include, but are not limited to rallies and boycotts. Sometimes they are peaceful, but sometimes they turn violent, as demonstrated by the KKK and various hate crimes committed during the last century.
To justify the use of violence on the grounds of one’s race is absurd. These groups honestly believe that different shades of skin define individuals and their capacity to reason. Ironically, it is these groups that appear to be ignorant and inca

To defeat fanaticism, we must first understand where the terror stems from. Fanatics are usually lonely, insecure people who like to feel like they are needed. They do not need to think, as the party does this for them. The fanatic also tends to oversimplify matters. He is stubborn, and only sees things as black or white. His goal is to win oppression by fear and terror, and tries to reduce everybody to his size. By presuming he is capable of altering history, he feels important. We saw this all too clearly on the morning of September 11.

The fact that blacks have been stereotyped as ignorant or barbaric in the past is horrible. Yes, slavery was wrong, and the racial tension that exists today stems from it. However, by both peaceful and violent political movements, blacks in the USA have been able to achieve an almost equal status. I say almost equal, because while our government and laws treat blacks as equals, and sometime superiors, (affirmative action) some people still refuse to give up the old racial ideologies. This usually occurs in the South, where echoes of the Civil War can still be heard. They proudly wave their confederate flags and sing songs such as “The South Will Rise Again.” I say we live under one flag and one song: the American flag and the National Anthem.

In the wake of the aftermath of September 11, I believe it is also appropriate to mention another form of political violence – that of fanaticism. In the recent past, we have witnessed the fall of communism, fascism, and Nazism. The only “ism” that is still prevalent in the USA today is that of fanaticism.

As I have shown, people have always been at odds with each other, for centuries, if not millennia. But is political violence really necessary? As long as people disagree, or agree to disagree, there will be conflicts. Sometimes these conflicts turn violent, and whether or not they are justified ultimately depends on the situation.

Fortunately, the USA, the leader of the free world, is a democracy where popular sovereignty is prevalent. While minority