A World of Hate

The Southern Poverty Law Center (www.splcenter.org) does an annual survey of groups in America that preach hate toward others. They recently issued their analysis for the year 2007. I realize that some folks look askance at Morris Dees - one of the founders of SPLC - and the work of the center, but I tend to give the group a lot of credibility.

The report was not very encouraging. In 2000, SPLC identified 602 such groups in America. In 2007, there were 888. That, as you can tell, is a substantial increase. These groups include the KKK and the Black Separatists as well as NeoNazis and NeoConfederates.

SPLC also provides a map showing the number of such groups on a state by state basis. California has the most with 80, and Texas is second on the list with 67 such groups. Some of the next states may not surprise you, but a few will. Following the two leaders are Florida (49), South Carolina (45), Georgia (42), Tennessee (38), New Jersey (34), Virginia (34), Pennsylvania (33), Missouri (29), Ohio (28), North Carolina (28), Michigan (26), New York (26), Alabama (24), Illinois (23), Louisiana (22) and Washington (20).

I always think of Virginia as a bastion of civilization and gentility. Why do so many groups find a hospitable home in Virginia? Why so many on the east coast, from among the original 13 colonies? Why so many from the heartland of our country?

The New York Times, I believe (though I cannot find it again), provided a graphic showing areas of concentration of particular hate groups in the United States. I found it interesting, for example, to note that Texas (20), Mississippi (11), and Tennessee (12) had the largest number of KKK groups with California, Oklahoma, Georgia, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio each having 6-10 KKK organizations. I can understand the KKK being plentiful in California - I suspect a researcher could find a lot of anything in California - and in the Southern States. Why, though, are there that many KKK groups in Indiana and Ohio?

This report was particularly sobering to me. We Americans are quick to identify and castigate groups world-wide that preach hate against Jews, for instance, but seem to be willing to ignore the reality that such groups - and more - exist here as well. I realize the principles of freedom in our country allow the opportunity for many groups with different perspectives to exist, but what does the presence of such groups that call for the elimination of people on the basis of religion or ethnic background in our country say about us as a nation? Why is the number of such groups increasing every year?

In a world of hate, what does it say about us as a people that many in our communities are part of it?