Comments on TJ Leyden's talk on hate-speech and neo-Nazi brainwashing

Well, in the course of my business in college, the other day I attended an amazing, yet somewhat terrifying, lecture. It was called “StrHate Talk: Turning Away from Hate”, and the person speaking was TJ Leyden, a former Neo-Nazi turned anti-hate speaker.
He spoke about his life, journey through the ranks, and then his realization that this life was not a good one and he had to get out. This realization came when his 5-year-old son and he were watching a TV program, which happened to have some black people in it, and then his 3-year-old son came up to them, turned off the TV, and said “We don’t watch shows about Niggers.” At first, he was proud of his son, but then he began to think about it and realized that his son was on the path to becoming a second-generation neo-Nazi, a life that he did not want for his sons. So he got out, and then began to realize how destructive that culture he had been in was, and how outside that bubble, things were a lot different. Thus he eventually went to law enforcement to explain some of the neo-Nazi culture- being cautious, since a fair amount of neo-Nazis are police- and began to teach about the culture and how addicting it was, how bad it was, in order to educate people and show them that it is the wrong path. His story was interesting and eye-opening, yet terrifying. The way the culture blinds you to everything, and fosters so much hate, is unbelievable, as well as the fact that there are neo-Nazi factions in the military, even as lieutenants- and it is perfectly legal! As long as one isn’t doing outright criminal acts, there is nothing saying one cannot be in a hate group, which is scary, especially since the numbers of people in it are so high… A video-game was mentioned, called “Ethnic Cleansing,” that came out in the 90s. It sold over 8 million copies. Since then, many other games have been made, all become high-sellers. That in itself proves how prominent the hate culture really is, far more than I had ever realized.
Oh, and he also mentioned that Toms River, where I live, is apparently the headquarters of one of the main neo-Nazi gangs (Hammerheads, I believe they were called)? I had no clue! That would explain a lot though, since there are a lot of gang members there, and have been increasing in numbers lately. Plus my mom would tell me to avoid certain areas because there were lots of gang activity there, and now that I think of it I don’t recall a single teacher in my area who wasn’t white- the whole board of education is white, they are known for being very political and corrupt, and according to TJ, many neo-Nazis end up infiltrating the military, police force, and politics. It is very scary. NJ has over 40 hate groups, ranking in at 5th most in the country. Many of them are neo-Nazi run. How could I have been oblivious to all of this, going on right under my nose? A term that is used is “Separatist,” another name for racist, and the belief of that is that all races should be divided. Thus, there are races other than white who are neo-Nazis too- which would explain the huge groups of blacks in my high school who refused to associate anyone who wasn’t black, why specific parts of South Toms River are places whites should avoid at all cost, and why my town of Beachwood is almost entirely white. I grew up with this dynamic, which is why it felt so strange to me when I got to college, and all of a sudden races were intertwined. I suddenly hear of mixed-race couples, which would have been a rarity in my school- under threat of harassment and bullying. Why did I not notice this at all? It really is scary, how growing up with something like that can cause one to think it is normal, which is what TJ was saying- he became immersed in the culture, and before he knew it he was recruiting others, dedicated to the cause, and thinking that it was essentially the norm and that people who weren’t like them were wrong. You don’t even notice how far gone you are or how blind you are, until you’re out. My town is racist, and thus, grew up with slightly racist views, without even being aware of them. Until I got to college, and then took this class, I had not realized this at all, except for the occasional surprise where a black person would completely defy all stereotypes. Although, come to think of it, when that happened at first, I remember myself actually classifying them as being “white inside,” or something along those lines. The amounts of racist jokes in my high school were much higher than I hear now, too, as well as the amounts of hate speech. Why did I never realize this before now, is all I can think about. I am still in shock over it!
TJ told us that every time we laugh at something racist, or turn away, we are in fact telling the racist that it is okay, and that we must speak out and tell them it is wrong. Which makes sense; but I don’t think I can do this. I still laugh at racist things, despite knowing it is wrong. I still look away when someone is being bullied, out of fear of being hurt or bullied myself. I am not strong enough yet to do this. Perhaps if it is a child I can, but someone my own age? I doubt I could, sadly. This program was definitely a real-eye opener, though, and I still absolutely cannot believe how this culture could have existed right under my nose without me knowing hardly anything about it! I no longer think that racism is getting better, at all. In fact, it is more powerful than ever, and terrifying.