According to the Southern Poverty Law Center , of Montgomery, Ala., which tracks race-related issues, the number of U.S. hate groups has decreased, to the present total of about 457 organizations. While many of the more than 200 racially biased Web sites still look like dictionaries for racial slurs, the tone of hate on the Internet overall has become more insidious. These sites are careful not to turn off initiates with flashy Confederate flags or swastikas. They invite young members on weekend retreats and picnics. As always, the sites swab their deadpanned lunacy with a thin veneer.
Members speak of community and family values.
The words of love and understanding for disenfranchised new members sound better suited to a self-help group. The Bible is referenced often. Granted, these studies have been dismissed by the larger scientific community, but the ever-growing membership on the Aryan Nation's listserv is eating them raw. As the globalization of the U.S. economy takes away jobs from factory workers in Northern states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania, the need for a scapegoat is driving more and more workers toward racist groups. They make inroads wherever people fall onto hard times and need to blame someone.