On tonight's Glenn Beck Program, Glenn took an in-depth look at the 'anatomy of a racist.' Who are these people? And what do they all have in common? Using history as a guide, Glenn sought to find patterns that connect the likes of Adolf Hitler, Louis Farrakhan, David Duke, and others in their tremendous hate.
To begin, Glenn looked back at July 13, 2013 - the day George Zimmerman was acquitted of second degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, bringing an end to the year long battle that nearly split the country. He explained that when you read history, you will see that dividing the country is exactly what these people wanted to do. The media sensationalized the story and turned it into a clash of the races in an attempt to to stir up old animosities.
In addition to the media, "leaders" of the black community like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton tried to say the case was about of civil rights, that it was about racial justice, that it was about gun control. They said it was about everything except for what it should have been about: a tragic accident involving two men, one night in Florida. President Obama only added to this controversy when he first said that Trayvon Martin could have been his son, and then, in the aftermath of the verdict, said Trayvon Martin could have been him.
So why are racist allegations being thrown at anyone who dared to judge the case by its facts? Why was race made a central issue, when the jury, judge, defense, and others said that it was not? How do you identify a real racist? That is where history comes into play.
Adolf Hitler, Louis Farrakhan, and David Duke were three very different men, with three very different lives. But they do have three things in common:
- The collective: They don't see individuals. They only see groups.
- They are unable to judge a situation fairly or objectively
- They seek power by creating conflict and dividing people for personal gain.
It is these characteristics, Glenn contends, that define a racist. Listening to the countless soundbites Glenn compiled, it became abundantly clear that it is not who you hate that unites racists but how and why you hate.
Using the case studies of Hitler, Farrakhan, and Duke a clear pattern begins emerges. Glenn referred to this pattern as the "Cycle of Hate," which has four distinct parts:
- An event
- Planting the seeds of discord
- Crisis
- A race war/conflict
"Now you know the anatomy of a racist," Glenn said.
While it is easy to look at the Nazis, the Holocaust, or the KKK and think that something like that could never happen today, racism (as evidenced by the Zimmerman trial) persists in this country. If nothing else, Glenn sought to provide a historical context for what we witnessed in the aftermath of Zimmerman's acquittal and what it could lead to if we are not vigilant.