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The White Flight Of Derek Black Analysis

Decent Essays

The White Flight of Derek Black is easily one of the most heartening and hopeful articles assigned this semester. This was surprising, given the subject matter and the fraught nature of the current political landscape (particularly relating to white nationalism) that a story like this was published, which is equal parts astonishing and timely. I have heard my entire life that it is impossible to change people's minds, especially in the realm of politics and ingrained values, but the story of Derek Black has changed that belief in a very tangible way for me personally.
My Reactions and the Shabbat Dinners:
The primary aspect of this story that makes the eventual outcome so surprising is the environment that Derek Black was raised in. A world where bigotry and hatred were the norm, with no opportunities for exposure to differing opinions, political or otherwise. For a time he was the heir apparent to the future of the movement, encouraged by his father and other people in his family to nurture and evolve the ideology of white nationalism for the twenty-first century. His father chose to use Derek as a tool, the culmination of his life’s work, even admitting that Derek had all of the qualities he possessed, while also exhibiting the qualities that he did not have, making him the perfect continuation of his “legacy”. Given the environment in which Derek was raised, as well as his seemingly ironclad dedication to a hateful belief system like white nationalism, it is truly

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