.
I don't think they do. I think they cause nothing but harm.
You would have to offer something to support your premise before we can discuss it. And even then it might be hard to take it seriously.
Rosie is strongly against racism, always has been. She's just been shocked by an article in Time Magazine about racism. She has plenty of experience, but the world is changing around her (us) in some terrible ways. At times it seems incomprehensible. Her question is designed to provoke discussion - not to promote a particular position. She wants to see how people think and why they hold the positions they do.
((hugs)) Merci, gracias, danke schoen, mahalo, thank you and shot shunuryagalyem (that last one is Armenian hartfire):0 ((hugs))
Thank you fo
r your reply HarryD! :)
shot shunuryagalyem! :D
I shall try to remember that one. :)
That is phonetically speaking honey. My "baby" sis and I actually attended Armenian school when we were younger. I was 14 and she was 7. It lasted a month or so. Learning Armenian, how to write it and read it, is not for the faint of heart. I only remember how to write "grandfather". It looks like a lower case p with the top cut off then a u then another p with the top cut off. It is pronounced "bob"
though it looks like pup in Armenian writing. Why I remember that I have no idea hartfire. :)
I suppose they could act as an example Rosie.
Imagine a film in which an actor says, 'I know the way and I'm ANGRY! Follow me!' and then disappears slowly into quicksand within 20 paces, watched by a doubtful group who quickly decide that the swamp is not the way forward. In the modern world such groups are similar. They don't often hold many of their members for long (until they grow up, mostly) so the actual 'support' for such groups is often thin on the ground.
Such groups feed off dissatisfaction within society. Sometimes this can lead to beliefs that become embedded in a way that takes a long time to leave us. I still see attempted justifications of prejudice based on thoroughly disproven 19th century ideas and it is possible to resurrect ancient nonsense to justify almost anything. As examples, I give you the Islamic 'civil war' that is ongoing, the occasional attempt to justify 'trickledown' by economists or political types and the now discredited idea that homosexuality is 'unnatural'. So it's not just hate groups that experience this isolation of belief from reality.
The more I think about it the more interesting this question becomes. It occurs to me that nobody has any clear idea of the future, and no clear idea if the actions we take today may limit that future or expand it. So as a species, we're constantly rolling the dice and seeing what happens. We have developed our own form of artificial evolution - cultural evolution - and although we may wish some things to be staples of our societies, we cannot guarantee their existence unless we are prepared to fight for them.
Like the standard type of evolution, our cultural evolution is to some extent random, so somewhere these groups will always pop up, especially now communication is so much easier. There's a type of political theory (I forget the name and annoyingly, can't find it) that states that, while politicians may seek to give an impression of being in control, actually, they're just as much a victim of political tides and winds as are the rest of us.
If I'm going to fight, I like to know what I'm fighting against. So yes, I think such groups can provide a lesson. We can learn how to avoid their creation (more fairness and security in society), how to limit their message (better education) and how to effectively criticise them and reduce their effect when they arise (a viable verbal weed killer).
This is one very good reason why I think such groups should not be barred from mainstream media. I would encourage their participation, if for no other reason than to be given an opportunity to thoroughly discredit whatever idiot ideology they propose. The problem with this of course, is that a hate group may, to some extent, have a legitimate argument (though it's sometimes next to impossible to find). This raises the possibility that politicians may have to admit error, which unfortunately is contrary to all politician's idea of 'good government'.
Thank you for your very thoughtful and thorough analysis in response to my question MrWitch. I have heard that everything/everyone
serves a purpose. Even if it is only to serve as a bad example. So these groups serve as examples of the worst in us but they do not realize that. Does "bad" ever recognize itself? If it did would "bad" ever admit it? I think not! :)
WOW!
That's one of the best posts I've read.
I confess I feel a little dubious about the idea of giving hate groups air time - but a lot depends on how it's done.
I've seen documentaries on the KKK and similar - and there is no question that they serve as flagrant warnings that that is no way any society should go.
