Hate Prejudice and Racism

Book excerpt: Hate Prejudice and Racism provides a comprehensive overview of the problems created by prejudiced attitudes, racist beliefs, and acts of discrimination, from the casual racial or ethnic joke to the unrestrained violence of a lynch mob. It addresses such topics as the nature of ethnicity, stereotyping, aggression, and hate groups and individuals who promote ethnic and racial hatred. Kleg's discussion of ethnicity and ethnic groups challenges us to reexamine the meaning of a multicultural society. He traces the history of race as a scientific concept and its use as a social concept designed to stigmatize and subordinate members of minority racial and ethnic groups. Chapters on prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination scapegoating provide a foundation for the chapter on hate groups and haters, which includes in-depth descriptions of beliefs and activities of white-supremacist groups and individuals who promote racism and anti-Semitism. Finally, Kleg outlines implications of hate prejudice and racism for educators and all cultural workers, outlining suggestions on how to approach and study this important and controversial topic.