The Great Replacement Theory Amplified and Inciting Violence
/The U.S. is reeling from the latest act of gun violence and racist terrorism. On May 14, a white shooter attacked shoppers at the Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, NY, taking the lives of ten people. Of these victims, eight were Black and were targeted for this reason. The perpetrator live-streamed his attack and posted a lengthy manifesto that detailed his racist and antisemitic beliefs.
An important component of extremist and white supremacist ideology is the “replacement theory.” This is a racist and antisemitic conspiracy theory that posits that white Americans are being replaced by non-whites. In 2017, at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, VA, hundreds of demonstrators marched carrying torches and chanting, “You will not replace us.” The “replacement theory” used to be relegated to the fringes of society and espoused only by white nationalists and extremists. Today, mainstream news outlets promulgate the replacement theory. For example, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson frequently talks about the “great replacement”. What is even more troubling is that some of this racist rhetoric and ideas are being espoused by elected officials.
“We are being replaced and invaded,” Republican state Sen. Wendy Rogers (AZ) tweeted in July. […] “Tucker Carlson is CORRECT about Replacement Theory as he explains what is happening to America,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) tweeted in September. And Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters claimed that Democrats want to “change the demographics of this country” in a bid to “consolidate power so they can never lose another election.”[1]
What can we do to contextualize this horrific tragedy for our students? How do we reassure them and have candid and honest discussions about racism? About white nationalism?
Woven Teaching has compiled a few resources to teach about the replacement theory and extremism. Experts agree that unless the U.S. addresses the problem of domestic terrorism and racial animus, there will be other shootings and other acts of hate.
Resources
White Nationalism and Extremism
The Alt Right and White Supremacy | Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
Outsmarting Propaganda: Combatting the Lure of Extremist Recruitment Strategies | Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
The Buffalo Shooting is part of a global network of white nationalist terror | Patrick Smith, NBC News
Teaching in the Wake of Violence | Facing History and Ourselves
Replacement Theory
A Fringe Conspiracy Theory, Fostered Online, Is Refashioned by the G.O.P. | Nicholas Confessore and Karen Yourish, The New York Times
Letter from Senator Chuck Schumer to Fox News about Tucker Carlson and Replacement Theory | The New York Times
The Great Replacement: An Explainer | Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
Online Radicalization
Building Resilience & Confronting Risk: A Parents & Caregivers Guide to Online Radicalization | Southern Poverty Law Center and American University’s Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL)
Combating Youth Online Radicalization | Teaching for Justice
Notes
[1] Audra Heinrichs, “The Buffalo Shooting Is About More Than One 'Mentally Ill Teenager'",” Jezebel, May 17, 2022, https://jezebel.com/the-buffalo-shooting-is-about-more-than-one-mentally-il-1848932355.