THE COST OF ARROGANCE: I submit that arrogance is a major contributor to gun violence, the rise of White Nationalism and the election of Donald Trump.
In his confession after killing nine African-Americans, with a .45 calibre handgun at the Mother Immanuel AME Church in Charleston, Dylann Roof (a youth with ELCA roots), said: “What I did is minuscule to what they are doing to White people everyday.” According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Dylann “…credited the CCC website as being his gateway into white nationalism….”
The CCC, in its statement of of principles, says “We… oppose all efforts to mix the races of mankind,… to destroy or denigrate the European-American heritage, including the heritage of Southern people and [anything that would] force the integration of the races.” (Source: THE ATLANTIC-22 June 2015)
The CCC is one of many tributaries of the Alt-Right Movement. Some call the Alt-Right Neo-Nazis, others White Ethno-Nationalism, White Identitarianism, preservers of Western civilization, anti-semitic. The SPLC says “Alt-Right adherents stridently reject egalitarianism and universalism.” The SPLC also reports the Nazi THE DAILY STORMER website is “The World’s Most Visited Alt-Right WebSite.” Andrew Anglin of the neo-Nazi THE DAILY STORMER wrote: “The goal is to ethnically cleanse White nations of non-Whites and establish an authoritarian government. Many people also believe that the Jews should be exterminated.”
It is significant that the ALT-RIGHT as well as the KKK supported Donald Trump. Furthermore, Trump’s Senior advisor is Steve Bannon, Executive Chairman of Breitbart News. BN has always given a platform to anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant movements, nativist speakers and racist diatribes. Finally, we know of Donald Trump’s diatribes against Blacks, Muslims, Mexicans and immigrants.
The root of the above described actions is ARROGANCE. Psalm 119:69 says: “The arrogant smear me with lies.” Psalm 140:5 says “The arrogant have hidden a trap for me.” Proverbs 8:13 says, “Pride and arrogance are the way of evil.” Ezekial 7:24 says, “I will put an end to the arrogance of the strong.” Paul says in I Corinthians 13:4, “Love is not boastful or arrogant.”
The recent elections have watered the seeds of ARROGANCE which will sprout increased racism, division, injustice and gun violence.