Unraveling the Roots of Racial Superiority

Racial superiority is a concept created to rationalize social inequality and though we live in a country with much diversity, why is racism still a prevailing problem? How are beliefs of superiority ingrained and maintained in people’s minds? What leads certain cultural groups to believe they are “biologically” superior to others? What live style do people with these mentality have? How is racial discrimination a continuing problem if, throughout the years, movements have been created to fight this very same social issue? In the book, American Swastika, Pete Simi and Robert Futrell answer these questions by exploring the white power movement through extensive fieldwork. They examine the factors that drive white supremacist to form their beliefs

Children can be taught to view the world in specific ways even if these ways are not appropriate. Young minds can be taught to see the world positively or negatively, but the question we must ask ourselves next is, can we blame children for their beliefs and ideologies? How can we hold young minds responsible for how they see the word if they see it through that specific lens because it was presented as such? All, especially children, are socialized in many ways; ways that might not acceptable, but what exactly is socialization? How does it occur? The book, American Swastika, defines and explains socialization and the way in which Aryan parents shape their children’s minds and lives.

To begin, “socialization refers to the process by which humans learn the norms, values, and ideals of a culture and community” (22). In Aryan cultures, children are taught Aryan ideologies in numerous way and at a very young age. Parents cultivate hate and “use the home as a place to raise children as tomorrow’s warriors who will defend the white race against genocide” (21). But how can children really defy beliefs they are taught to be right when from a very young age they are told racism is right and they way to protect white culture and supremacy is through

In environments like home, “Aryans transform [some] of the most common family rituals into deeply racist experiences” (22). These can consist of birthday parties, cookouts and even bible studies. “Birthday celebrations [are used as] ritual initiations for the children to embrace white power culture,” and things as simple as gifts are transformed and filled with racial themes to teach children Aryan ideologies (27). These can consist of “clothing with racist symbols, Aryan comics, white power coloring books, neo-Nazi video games, Aryan music, and SS knives among other weapons