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xx Introduction that satirizes “post-racial” America. The debate over the history and symbols of the Confederacy. The aggression and appeal of white nationalism, with its newest men- acing chant: “You will not replace us.” (Norris) Thus, hate arises “as an essential survival strategy.” Indeed, as human beings our basic reaction is to “assign blame for misfortune,” “protect our self-esteem,” pro- tect and strengthen our community, and “alleviate our fears” (Beaumont). Accord- ing to Leland R. Beaumont—the creator and webmaster of the websites “Emotional Competency” and “Wise Path”—our “ability to quickly separate friend from foe” is essential to our survival. Moreover, “[b]ecause mistaking an enemy for a friend can be deadly, mental processes are biased toward doubt, caution, mistrust, and dismissal in evaluating others” (Beaumont). Fortunately, an unbiased consideration of the evidence, correct thinking, thoughtful dialogue, and empathy can overcome the primitive urges of hatred and the cognitive errors that sustain it. Today many threats are psychological rather than physical, but the same primitive impulse to destroy the offender often takes hold. (Beaumont) As pointed out by Beaumont, hate is a “biased” mental process that arises from ignorance, mistrust, lack of information, and lack of empathy. Yet these deficien- cies can be overcome by “unbiased” observations, “correct” thinking, thoughtful dialogue, and an increased capacity for empathy—all things that are rarely exhib- ited when someone is steeped in hate. WHAT DEFINES A “HATE GROUP”? The SPLC defines a hate group as “an organization that—based on its official statements or principles, the statements of its leaders, or its activities—has beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics” (Southern Poverty Law Center, Frequently Asked Questions). According to the SPLC, the organizations that they identify as hate groups “vilify others because of their race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity—prejudices that strike at the heart of our democratic values and fracture society along its most fragile fault lines” (Southern Poverty Law Center, Frequently Asked Questions). The FBI uses similar criteria when defining a hate crime: “[A] criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity” (Federal Bureau of Investiga- tion, Hate Crimes). The SPLC further defines a group as an entity that has a process through which followers identify themselves as being part of the group. This may involve donating, paying membership dues or partici- pating in activities such as meetings and rallies. Individual chapters of a larger organization are each counted separately, because the number indicates reach and organizing activity. (Southern Poverty Law Center, Frequently Asked Questions) Of course very few groups will self-identify as hate groups, and virtually all of the organizations covered within this text would probably claim that they do not hate