These reactions, after a year of burgeoning demonstrations in the park, are remarkable both in their alarm and their vagueness. Trump’s statements call out “many sides” for their contribution to violence. McAuliffe’s statement, especially, reads as if there’s something alien or novel about violent white pro-Confederate protest in Virginia—which, it can be said with confidence, is simply not true. Few notable statements from public officials put a name to the general “bigotry” that most leaders cited. Journalists have also struggled with categorizing what’s happening in Charlottesville. Ever since the alt-right leader Richard Spencer first led groups of protesters in Emancipation Park against the prospective removal of the Lee statue, outlets have adopted his “white nationalist” label—one often used by members of his particular portion of the alt-right movement as a way to avoid the negative connotations of “white supremacist”—as a descriptor for the protests. White supremacy can and will flourish when given fuel. But the protesters, which now boast the endorsement of Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and the participation of Klansmen and Neo-Nazis—some armed and chanting “Jews will not replace us”—appear to be exactly the kind of mob that the term “white supremacist” evokes in its most commonly used connotation. The disconnect in terms is understandable. It’s one thing to see the Red Shirts and Klansmen as bogeymen of the past and imagine their pogroms and mob clashes in the abstract. It’s another to see them manifest suddenly in violent strength, even if one subscribes to the idea that white supremacy runs deeper than caricatures of hooded rogues, and that its long tendrils have always animated politics and political violence in America.
Even for me, as my father has studied the violence of white supremacy for most of my life, it’s hard to square a group of men with Home Depot tiki torches, wrinkled khakis, bad haircuts, and a love of memes who came down to Emancipation Park with the blood-curdling menace of Klansmen in my mind’s eye. It’s easier to joke about losers camping out in a park than to consider them capable of the kinds of paradigm-shifting horror that destroyed countless black families. But that’s a trick of historical perspective—even the most feared white supremacists in the lore of Jim Crow were just regular white men, transformed from lives as politicians, mechanics, farmers, and layabouts by the sheer power of ideology. And often, their movements were considered “fringe” and marginal—until they weren’t. Where euphemism, newly-coined terms, and lack of historical perspective all leave the country confused as to just how the violence in Charlottesville came to be, the truth is there in plain sight. What happened there in Emancipation Park and what is happening not only in the streets of Charlottesville, but streets across the country, is that the rhetoric and policy of white supremacy, which is still fostered and abetted widely, is again being converted into the kinds of overt interpersonal violence by which most people recognize it. And for the people who stand to lose the most from that kind of violence, the question might be when—not if—it transforms from a political peripheral into a regime.
Even the most feared white supremacists in the lore of Jim Crow were just regular white men.
These reactions after a year of burgeoning demonstrations in the park are remarkable both in their alarm and their vagueness Trump’s statements call out many sides for their contribution to violence McAuliffe’s statement especially reads as if there’s something alien or novel about violent white pro-Confederate protest in Virginia which it can be said with confidence is simply not true Few notable statements from public officials put a name to the general bigotry that most leaders cited Journalists have also struggled with categorizing what’s happening in Charlottesville Ever since the alt-right leader Richard Spencer first led groups of protesters in Emancipation Park against the prospective removal of the Lee statue outlets have adopted his white nationalist label one often used by members of his particular portion of the alt-right movement as a way to avoid the negative connotations of white supremacist as a descriptor for the protests White supremacy can and will flourish when given fuel But the protesters which now boast the endorsement of Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and the participation of Klansmen and Neo-Nazis some armed and chanting Jews will not replace us appear to be exactly the kind of mob that the term white supremacist evokes in its most commonly used connotation The disconnect in terms is understandable It’s one thing to see the Red Shirts and Klansmen as bogeymen of the past and imagine their pogroms and mob clashes in the abstract It’s another to see them manifest suddenly in violent strength even if one subscribes to the idea that white supremacy runs deeper than caricatures of hooded rogues and that its long tendrils have always animated politics and political violence in America Even for me as my father has studied the violence of white supremacy for most of my life it’s hard to square a group of men with Home Depot tiki torches wrinkled khakis bad haircuts and a love of memes who came down to Emancipation Park with the blood-curdling menace of Klansmen in my mind’s eye It’s easier to joke about losers camping out in a park than to consider them capable of the kinds of paradigm-shifting horror that destroyed countless black families But that’s a trick of historical perspective even the most feared white supremacists in the lore of Jim Crow were just regular white men transformed from lives as politicians mechanics farmers and layabouts by the sheer power of ideology And often their movements were considered fringe and marginal until they weren’t Where euphemism newly-coined terms and lack of historical perspective all leave the country confused as to just how the violence in Charlottesville came to be the truth is there in plain sight What happened there in Emancipation Park and what is happening not only in the streets of Charlottesville but streets across the country is that the rhetoric and policy of white supremacy which is still fostered and abetted widely is again being converted into the kinds of overt interpersonal violence by which most people recognize it And for the people who stand to lose the most from that kind of violence the question might be when not if it transforms from a political peripheral into a regime