Confronting Hate

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit organization founded in 1971 to enact the ideals of the civil rights movement, has become "internationally known for tracking and exposing the activities of hate groups" (SPLC, 2010). According to the SPLC, 932 hate groups were active in the United States in 2009, a 54% increase since 2000. Although not all of these groups engage in criminal or violent activity, many use the Internet to spread malicious information about categories of people, making their influence deceptively pervasive.

For this week's Discussion, you will consider how to identify and confront the messages spread by hate groups. Prepare for the Discussion by completing the following:

Locate a hate group on the Internet. The Southern Poverty Law Center's "hate map" (http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/hate-map) provides a useful starting point.

Analyze the site using the following questions:

What appear to be the goals of this hate group?

How does this group try to rationalize and "market" hate?

What prejudices, stereotypes, and "isms" are revealed in this Web site?

Post the URL of the hate group you investigated and a written summary of your responses to the questions above. Suggest at least one response to confront the hate group's position through proactive methods. Cite ideas from your readings as appropriate, particularly the section "Overcoming Diversity Barriers" on pages 83-89 of your text.