FREE ESSAY ON AMERICAN SKINHEADS

AMERICAN SKINHEADS

The closely shaved scalp and spouting white-supremacist beliefs are difficult to miss.
Indeed, American skinheads have carved out a niche for their radical and very violent
approach to what they deem as social and racial injustice, much the same way the Ku Klux
Klan has achieved for its members throughout the twentieth century. As the world
continues to spiral toward complete and utter eradication, there exists a select sector
of the population that refuses to allow this to happen without at least a good fight.
American skinheads have long been at the forefront of controversy in their indignation
toward racial intolerance. These ordinary citizens believe the very social bureaucracy
that it is supposed to protect is deceiving the entire country ? and even the world. They
staunchly support the idea of running headlong into the alleged racial problem, wheeling
firearms and taking control, just as much as they believe this to be the only way that
white supremacy will ever dominate social thought. Skinheads have a view of the world; it
may be coarse, but it is not empty (Mousavideh 70). I. LEGAL PERSPECTIVE While their
efforts are born out of a desire to protect their particular race, American skinheads
have been credited with scores of violent offenses, often inappropriately representing
their ultimate cause. It is with great respect and dedication to their race that these
militants work toward defending the world from negative impact of racial integration;
however, in spite of their underlying desire to clean up the social wrongdoing, their
actions oftentimes prove detrimental to their quest. Indeed, it can readily be argued
that American skinheads are no different than any other militia group when it comes to
attempting to assert its myopic opinion upon the general population. The US states should
pass and enforce laws banning private militias, and the federal government should enact
backup legislation, to protect us all from unaccountable private armies. The Second
Amendment protects state militias acting in the name of, and accountable to, the entire
people. Private armies may act in the public good, but there is no way other than
violence to enforce this. Democracy means that differences are settled and problems
resolved by public debate and discussion, not armed force (Dees et al A19). Because they
believe they are doing right by the white race, they also believe that they are exempt
from the laws and regulations (Freeh PG) that all others have to follow. This defiance to
abide by accepted principles is a primary reason why they are often regarded as
trouble-making societal fringe desiring nothing more than to cause problems and wreak
havoc. Therein lies the decisive factor of the matter: that these American skinheads
truly endorse their questionable activities as being in the best interest of the entire
white race. In spite of the fact that their intentions may certainly be honorable in
their eyes, the execution is what has led them to acquire less than admirable reputations
with the law, other ethnic groups and the general public. One of the many legal issues at
hand is such that those who partake in violent demonstrations do not readily perceive of
their activities as being socially or racially unacceptable; instead, they truly believe
that they are doing the white race justice by protecting them from the infiltration of
other races. As the influx of skinheads has steadily increased over the recent years, the
inherent threat associated with their existence has become even more of a grave concern.
Not only are ethnic groups paying close attention to their activities, but average
citizens have also grown cautious of the militant attitudes that supposedly protect white
supremacy. One of the primary focal points of concern with regard to skinhead activity is
the intrinsic connection to extremism and terrorist agendas. Radicals like the skinheads
who engage in criminal acts commit a wide variety of criminal activities. The overriding
concern now facing law enforcement is how rapidly the threats from terrorists and
criminals are changing, particularly in terms of technology, and the resulting challenge
to law enforcement's ability to keep pace with those who wish to do harm to our nation
and our nation's citizens (Freeh PG). II. RACIAL PERSPECTIVE American skinheads formed as
a means by which to voice their opposition to any racial infiltration. In their quest to
separate the white race from all others, such assemblages were formed so that Caucasian
society may reap the benefits of their assertive actions. Espousing the praises of white
supremacy, the core group of such American skinheads is most assuredly Caucasian; just as
much as they believe that their duty is to save people from racial infiltration, they
view themselves as sovereign citizens (Freeh PG) who have the inherent right to engage in
the various -- and sometimes violent -- activities in which they participate. Their
belief is that fire must be matched with fire, giving license for their use of military
force and other violent applications. Local governments are also feeling the pressure of
American skinheads that attempt to impose physical violence as a means by which to prove
their point. It has become quite obviously that the one-time small majority of violent
mongers have, indeed, taken over in earnest with regard to how American skinheads
operate. Why do American skinheads feel that the only way to address the perceived
problem at hand is to take a violent approach? For the most part, it is due to the fact
that they are convinced that without such a show of force, no one would listen to and
truly hear their white supremacist message. Being that their overall mission is supposed
to protect the white citizenry rather than do it harm, they have convinced themselves
that the only way to be noticed and to have everyone recognize them as a force to be
reckoned with is through a strong show of violence. While this approach might have had
merit in theory, the reality has brought American skinheads anything but support. Indeed,
the ongoing and escalating violent tendencies have proven to be the potential
manifestation of dangerous events. Without question, not all American skinheads pose a
dangerous threat to society, given the fact that all demonstrations are not necessarily
of a violent nature. However, those who indulge in violent activity cast a wide brush
over the entire American skinhead movement, branding all races as a potential threat to
the future of white supremacy. As evidence that more and more skinheads are geared toward
the violent approach to address racial intolerance, multiple situations have been
recorded to demonstrate this allegation. The inherent and underlying threat that
inherently accompanies American skinhead activities has been instrumental in stipulating
the ongoing presence of threatening racially intolerant activity. One day soon, one of
these groups is going to declare war (Anonymous 62). Indeed, an individual who espouses
racial intolerance as part and parcel of being a human being is not an individual many
others would appreciate being around, that is unless the other person shares the same
inclination toward white supremacy. The challenge of living among diversity is to
construe morality in such a way that it is flexible enough to accommodate very diverse
circumstances and life-styles, but not yet to give up on a vision of a shared conception
of the good life. An ethic of responsibility challenges us to recognize that there are
alternative visions of the good life that can coexist within a social web of
relationships (Davis 240). Racial tolerance is at an all-time low in the United States.
With all the immigrants who have made America their home, it has now become difficult to
travel any part of the country without seeing evidence of a multi-cultural nation. This
fact has not set well with American skinheads who feel their country has become nothing
more than a dumping ground for the rest of the world. The people drawn to American
skinhead groups represent an ever-growing population of angry youths undergoing an
identity crisis as a direct result of empty school and family lives. It wasn't his mother
who made him bad. It was the men in his life. Those who failed to provide him with an
image of what a good man could be are just as much to blame as those who waded in to take
advantage of his weakness. Perhaps it is here, in male culture, not in mothering, that we
should look for the seeds of violence and crime (Phillips 32). That society is
responsible for giving birth to such aspects of disillusionment and anger, it only stands
to reason that groups like the American skinheads represent a means by which to attempt
to escape such unmitigated social discontentment. The simple solutions offered by this
and other supposedly 'radical Left' organizations provide a quick-fix for their identity
problems as well as an outlet for their anger and aggression. The success of these
organizations is the distressing result of the Left's failure to build an effective
alternative to the hateful and victim-blaming ideology of the Right. If the politics of
meaning could reach this constituency, I sincerely believe that it could provide a viable
alternative. The failure to fill the political, educational, and social void of America's
angry and leaderless youth could have disastrous consequences for the country's future (P
62). Even today, there is still a considerable amount of white privilege permeating
throughout the country on account of American skinheads; one would have thought that by
this time on the evolutionary timeline that human beings would have come to accept one
another as the individuals they are, without branding one race as better or worse than
the other. However, that is far from reality as skinheads continue to spit out their
racial hatred toward all other races. After all this time of seeing how racism and white
privilege drives such a cultural wedge among and between societies, what is the answer to
effectively stop its unceasing continuation? Will there ever come a point when the white
race will step down from its self-constructed cultural tower and acknowledge the
worthiness of all other races? Characteristic of humanity's constant quest for the
concept of meaning, the journey of understanding has come to represent countless things
to multiple people, ultimately rendering any universal explanation virtually impossible.
The problem with meaning as it applies to racial intolerance is attempting to
successfully pinpoint a single yet comprehensive implied meaning to its concept; however,
this cannot be achieved as long as any two individuals harbor decidedly different
interpretations. Establishing values is an integral component of personhood. Indeed, it
can readily be argued that the concepts of valuing and values are the fundamental basis
of humanity's duty and obligation to accept all racial sectors. The American skinheads
are void of any social conscience, just as much as their primary objective is to further
segregate the already isolated race relations. III. CONCLUSION It is nearly impossible to
escape racial stereotypes, for they exist all throughout society. From where do such
harmful and often distorted images originate, and why have they not decreased over the
past several decades? If one considers the fact that each person is a product of his own
environment, it is easy to see that the influence of his surroundings is critical to
forming his racial image. Overcoming stereotypical racial images is not an easy
accomplishment; indeed, to achieve this goal and ultimately bring harmony among American
skinheads will require a great deal of personal soul searching. Generations upon
generations have -- for lack of a better word ? been brainwashed into believing that the
white race is far superior to all others. Reprogramming such intrinsic concepts is not
something that will be carried through in any short amount of time. In fact, each step
forward toward a smidgen of cultural harmony is often met with a significant force of
resistance from those like American skinheads who believe that white privilege is the
manner by which the world was constructed. It is the considerable ignorance of the legacy
of racism (Bivins ARC) that continues to drive the wedge even further. However, it is
essential to recognize the misgivings of the past in order to effect positive growth in
the future. The moral and political commitments that arise from this application are
essential to the continued growth of humanity, in general, and the individual races, in
particular. Some contend that by removing the negative influence that such organizations
as the American skinheads bring to society, it would be the same as removing a
significantly important process of life. Indeed, there are innumerable negative aspects
to society's existence, but each and every one is instrumental in molding subsequent
generations. It will make as much sense to deny young learners access to the darker
chapters of our history as to banish most of the literature that we treasure as part of
our cultural achievements (Nash 39). Indeed, to mask such somber episodes (Nash 39) as
being an important part of global history is to deny that there exists white supremacy or
racism. In order for the next generation of children to impart a fair and unbiased view
of all race, class and gender, history must then be allowed to emerge from the depths of
tragic consequence in order to benefit them a more tolerant perspective than what has
been reflected by the American skinheads. Those who adopt such stringent convictions must
also understand that if people are never to know the horrors of the past, ultimately they
will not be successful at defending themselves against those who would abuse or
annihilate them (Nash 39). 
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