Rising Out of Hatred: Chapter 8 Summary & Analysis

Allison grew up learning how to debate; Julie encouraged her to think critically about rules. Now, Allison feels more prepared than ever to begin debating Derek in earnest, with science and theory. She enrolls in a course called Stigma and Prejudice that fall, a class that addresses how stereotypes can be assessed and changed. As part of the class’s introduction, the professor shows a 2000 HBO documentary called Hate.Com, which is about the rise of bigotry on the internet. Derek and Don appear early in the documentary.

Allison takes copious notes in the class, arming herself for her next conversation with Derek. They’ve been spending more time than ever together, both thinking that they are most comfortable with each other. And the more they spend time together, the more Allison thinks that Derek can make a full transformation. They argue online as she questions what he’s so afraid of about the changing demographics in the U.S. When he explains that he’s afraid white people will become a minority, she states that in the future, people will be more accepting of differences because there will be more diversity. Derek counters that “diversity typically means strife.”

Allison also explains that race is a modern concept that is impossible to define, citing myriad studies. When Derek asserts that white people generally have higher IQ tests, Allison sends him research about the shortcomings of IQ tests and more recent studies based on better data. These studies show that nominal differences in IQ can be explained by cultural bias in IQ tests and outside factors like educational and health discrepancies, which are more likely to affect non-white people. She sends Derek information on systemic oppression—how non-white people face more obstacles and have fewer opportunities.

Derek counters that white people are oppressed by policies like immigration and affirmative action, but Allison shows that the opposite is true: white people are overrepresented in government and are more likely to be promoted over similarly qualified non-white candidates. White people enjoy advantages ranging from lower prices at car dealerships to better fruit in grocery stores. Even if Derek rarely agrees with her points, she’s glad he’s reading her links.

While Allison and Derek usually stick to logic, sometimes Allison wants their conversations to be emotionally charged. White nationalism isn’t just a thought experiment: it’s also a harmful ideology that causes real damage to people’s lives. Non-white victims of prejudice are more likely to suffer from heart disease, depression, and suppressed immunity. White people in the same studies did not show a physical response to prejudice, which starts to make Derek wonder if he is wrong about white people experiencing prejudice. He starts to do research on his own.

Allison brings up Juan, Moshe, and Matthew, asking about how they would fit into Derek’s idea of an all-white society. She asks about how he would feel if the situation were reversed—if people didn’t think he should be a full member of society. Derek explains that he doesn’t want white nationalism to hurt people he knows, and that he doesn’t actually expect the U.S. to become an all-white country. When Allison presses him, however, he gets vague about what he truly means or wants.

Allison and Derek’s conversation often ends in frustration or tears, especially because their friendship has gradually evolved into a romantic relationship—and a serious one. Allison cares deeply about Derek, and she tries to explain to her mother that he’s kind, that they enjoy doing things together, that he’s supportive, and that she feels comfortable with him. Allison is happy—except for the glaring disagreements at the core of who they are as people. Sometimes Allison can forget about Derek’s white nationalism, until she’s reminded and becomes resentful of him and herself for liking him.

Once, late in the fall, Derek and Allison are driving back from a trip when Allison posits what would happen if he ended up having a child with a Black woman—why that would be so wrong. He says that the child would be cursed to a life of a confused identity, but Allison counters that they have several multiracial friends on campus who do not seem unhappy or confused. She tells him that people are afraid of him because he promotes an ideology predicated on deporting Africans, Jews, and Indians, uprooting their lives. He says that he doesn’t believe in forced deportation, but maybe gradual self-deportation—eventually, in concept. Allison says that if he doesn’t want people to be afraid of what he advocates, then he shouldn’t be advocating it.

Don, on the other hand, is starting to realize that Derek’s behavior is changing. Derek logs onto Stormfront less, despite the 2012 election heating up. Don created Stormfront in 1995 and watched it and Derek grow side by side. He watched the site’s message spread and relied on Derek to keep it going. He always assumed that Derek would take it over, but he realizes that Derek might be going through a phase of fatigue with the movement—especially when he avoids coming onto the radio show for weeks at a time. Don makes excuses on the show, saying that Derek is just busy with school.

Derek, meanwhile, is wondering what he truly believes and wants to do. He’s digesting research that suggests white nationalism is dangerous and flawed. And if he returns to the radio show, his friends will be parsing every word. He and Allison take a trip with his family to Key West for three nights. Allison has fun exploring with Derek during the day. But in the evening, they get dinner with Don, Chloe, and a family friend, a noted white nationalist named Sam Dickson. Derek grew up admiring Dickson’s speeches, but because of Allison, he now realizes that Dickson’s views are cruel and extreme. Allison, meanwhile, sits in silence, disgusted. Later, Derek agrees that parts of what Dickson said were “borderline crazy.”

Allison later travels with Derek’s family during Thanksgiving, just after Romney’s defeat in the presidential election. Despite this loss, Don thinks that white nationalism is taking hold. Romney gets the white vote by a 20 percent margin, the largest white support for a single candidate in almost 30 years—a sign that the country is segregating. Meanwhile, Donald Trump and Bill O’Reilly lament that white people are now the minority, trying to drum up anger over this development.

At Thanksgiving dinner, Don and Chloe ask Derek about what he thinks of the election. Part of Derek still thinks the U.S. is slipping into an abyss, but another part is personally relieved that Romney’s immigration policies won’t unravel the lives of his friends on campus. His sister asks if he’s even a white nationalist anymore. At the same time, another forum post goes around discussing Derek and saying that he’s still not welcome on campus. Derek is hurt, while Allison is both protective of him and angry with him for sticking to white nationalism.

The next morning, Allison sits in a coffee shop and reads through the thread, deciding that she wants to write a public response. She knows that Derek is reconsidering at least some of his views, and she worries that the thread will simply hold those views in place. She lists some of the things that Derek has been doing: hanging out with Jewish and Hispanic friends, not posting on Stormfront or getting on the radio. And, she notes, he’s never fought back, and attacking him isn’t productive. What is productive is meaningful dialogue about how to change oppressive structures, but not in a hostile or violent way.

Later, Derek thanks Allison for defending him, but he feels guilty about dragging her into things. Some people support Allison, but others simply add to the original thread, calling Derek “disgusting” and “pure hate.” The moderator announces that he is closing the thread, but before he does, Derek decides to finally speak up. He realizes, after reading Allison’s research and his own, that he no longer believes the white nationalist myths about “Jewish manipulation,” “testosterone-fueled black aggression,” or the theory about IQ discrepancies. He no longer thinks that segregation is necessary, though he’s still concerned about the demographic decline of white Americans. He doesn’t support neo-Nazism, nor is he a part of the KKK. He doesn’t outline all of his beliefs, but he hopes it helps slightly.

After Derek sends his message, he starts to worry about it getting onto Stormfront. But privately, students start to write to him, commending him, thanking him, and apologizing. Rose writes to him for the first time in months, saying that she thought his post was good. Meanwhile, Allison contacts the SPLC anonymously, hoping that they will delete his “extremist file” on their website. She attaches the full email, and they reply saying that they want to publish the email. Allison panics and says no, but it is too late. Several days later, the SPLC contacts Derek, explaining that they are planning to write a story about his “changing ideology” and asks if he’d like to comment—they’re posting something that day.