Nazis do not belong in the public, so lets make them hide again.
If you have used social media in the last few weeks, you have undoubtedly seen multiple news articles, status updates, tweets and memes about tiki-torch-toting white nationalists marching through the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia.
Those who participated in the march represent many of the most detestable people this country has to offer. As patriotic Americans, we owe it to the fundamental principle of equality to not sit idly by and allow progression of a movement that, at its very core, preaches hatred, intolerance and racism. The white nationalist movement does not deserve to have a place outside of the shadows.
Throughout my lifetime, the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis and other white nationalist movements have mostly held their beliefs behind closed doors. They did not feel so emboldened that they marched without masks through a college campus. This newfound sense of security that drew them out of the shadows absolutely must be struck down. These groups should be made to feel as though they cannot openly share their hateful beliefs and that they once again can only do so behind closed doors.
I find it important at this point that I express how I am in no way against free speech. I believe these people have the right to say and believe whatever they want, no matter how horrible and backwards it may be. However, I also strongly believe that they should be publicly shamed for their actions.
While driving them into hiding does not make the problem of racism and white supremacy disappear, it does let those who support racism and intolerance know that they and their belief system are not welcome here.
The Internet, in all of its glory, saw to the public shaming of many of the white supremacists in Charlottesville by sharing photos of those who marched, accompanied by their name, the city they are from and their place of employment. It is rumored that after the exposure photos went viral, many of the marchers were subsequently fired from their jobs.
If you find that unfair, imagine a Nazi working for a bank deciding who gets approved for a loan or as your own boss deciding who gets hired and who gets let go. As far as I am concerned, their joblessness is only the beginning of justice and we cannot step down until white supremacists are once again afraid to admit their views.