Parents’ racist normalization and views often precede a son’s radicalization

Evidence

Family Extremism There is limited research on the link between radicalization and having a family history of extremism. Seven former white supremacists described some relationship between their own radicalization and family roots. Only one case described direct family involvement in radical organizations, a former white supremacist who suggested that their father might have been a member of the KKK: “As far as I know, while I was younger he was never part of any kind of, like, organized radical groups, but at the same time, he would make comments like he either had been involved in or was friends with people that were in the Klan back in the day and made it sound like it was an OK thing.” During their own radicalization, three former white supremacists described becoming increasingly interested in their German family history, including one grandparent with German heritage whose “racist tendencies” influenced the family who are “still racially motivated by things that they do and say.” Additionally, three former white supremacists noted that racism was acceptable in their households; one had a father they described as an “armchair racist,” while another described their father’s racists comments going unquestioned in the family, and the third described both of their parents encouraging violence against Muslims after the events of September 11, 2001: “Especially right after it, it was just like, ‘We should bomb ‘em, annihilate them all. Like, this is ridiculous what they’re doing,’ just typical kind of Fox News talking points, I would say, more or less. Because my parents didn’t start watching Fox News until 9/11 happened and then as soon as that happened, it’s been Fox News.” — Ryan Andrew Brown, Todd C. Helmus, Rajeev Ramchand, Alina I. Palimaru, Sarah Weilant, Ashley L. Rhoades, and Liisa Hiatt (RAND Corporation), Violent Extremism in America, 310

Categorization

• XREF: Directly tests the withdrawal-of-conflict deradicalization hypothesis: these family racists stayed planted in their views, so family influence seems to seed initial sympathy rather than to be the mechanism that requires withdrawal. — connects to: Family discord and weak parental support are the most cited radicalization factors — Ryan Andrew Brown, Todd C. Helmus, Rajeev Ramchand, Alina I. Palimaru, Sarah Weilant, Ashley L. Rhoades, and Liisa Hiatt (RAND Corporation), Violent Extremism in America:…, 35; White supremacist signs were often visible but ignored by parents — Ryan Andrew Brown, Todd C. Helmus, Rajeev Ramchand, Alina I. Palimaru, Sarah Weilant, Ashley L. Rhoades, and Liisa Hiatt (RAND Corporation), Violent Extremism in America:…, 381; Parental loss or absence linked weakly and inconsistently to radicalization in this sample — Ryan Andrew Brown, Todd C. Helmus, Rajeev Ramchand, Alina I. Palimaru, Sarah Weilant, Ashley L. Rhoades, and Liisa Hiatt (RAND Corporation), Violent Extremism in America:…, 307 (+10 more)

Broader Connections

• Prejudice transmits across generations mostly through parents’ unintended influence #expands (0.86)
• Children adopt prejudice via parental identification and status comparison. #corroborates (0.84)
• Racial habits are learned dispositions passed from parent to child #corroborates (0.83) — Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Democracy in Black, 232
• Parental status anxiety drives children’s prejudice through class-distinction grooming #expands (0.81) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 559
• Children infer prejudice from observed social regularities even without overt parental bias #qualifies (0.79) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2016
• Parental attitudes poorly predict children’s prejudice levels #complicates (0.78)
• Economic conservatism among parents predicts prejudice through social dominance orientation #expands (0.78) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 1025
• Childhood experiences with parents can predict later political behavior #corroborates (0.76) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 342
• Prejudice does not track smoothly with age or parent attitudes #complicates (0.75)
• Minority children develop racial attitudes between parental shaping and individual variation #qualifies (0.74) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1996