After viewing the HBO documentary - "Skinheads USA" - how and why can people like
Bill Riccio influence young people to think like he does?
Should his 1st Amendment rights be protected just like everyone else's?
Bill Riccio influence young people to think like he does?
Should his 1st Amendment rights be protected just like everyone else's?
13 comments:
People like Bill Riccio are able to do what they are doing, because they target people of a certain age-group and who have had a troubled childhood. According to some of the young men who were living with Bill, he was a father figure to the boys who hadn't had a very good home life and was someone who "cared" about them. Bill is able to manipulate their minds and to basically say that they will be happier and have a better life with him and that believing in what the skinheads do will help them and it is sociologically correct. It also gives the boys a sense of empowerment because of their race being white.
People like Bill Riccio influence young people because most of the time they are looking for an escape. They need someone to look up to, and someone o admire in a time of need, much like the Nazis did to Hitler. They succumb to praise and attention because they aren't getting it from anywhere else. When they feel included as a unit they are more easily molded. It also goes back tot hat thing where you are more like the people you hang out with. If everyday you are hanging out with skinheads you are more likely to start their practices. Technically his 1st amendment rights are protected by the law, but it is hard to accept. In the movie when there are African policemen and he is chanting for white power you want to say no. The problem is, is that there are always people who agree with one idea and not the other, so the law has to hold true for each case. I think that in instances like this every action is being monitored and the person is caught and given a punishment for their behavior. Unfortunately the law isn't black and white, but it's the system that works the best overall.
I think that Bill Riccio is able to influence young people because most if not all of the teens that lived with Bill come form troubled homes. Throughout their lives they may not have ever felt cared about of taking care of and Bill gave that to the boys. By Bill caring for the boys I felt he brain washed them to follow his beliefs. The teens believed him because he was the first person that ever cared for them.
While I watch the movie it seemed that everything the boys did, talked about and had was about “white supremacy”. The walls had Nazi swastikas and even a cake they ate was a “Nazi cake.” I think that since the boys were young and surrounded by all the hate and beliefs they begin to believe these thing. This is just one other reason why the boys were so easily influenced by Bill Riccio.
People get influenced by Bill Riccio and like what he does because; he gets young people to join him and what he does. He cares about them and he gets them to look up to him. A lot of kids don't have someone who cares about them, or someone to look up to.
I think that his 1st Amendment rights should be protected just like everyone else's. I think this because, if he wants to believe and something and share it to the world he should be allowed to. Even though most people won't like what he has to say, he should still have the right to say it. We have t he right to say what we want despite what people think and I think his 1st Amendment rights should be protected just like everyone else's.
Bill Riccio has been successful when it has come to influence the youth of a society. In the documentary it showed Bill as a "father" figure to these boys, only later to find that he is being federally investigated due to cases of sexual abuse. He has convinced these young boys that he has the capabilities of mending things that were broken in their homes, or lives, which seems very appealing to these young kids. He basically lives in a cabin and lets these boys drink, smoke cigerettes and do as they please as long as they honor being white. He has gatherings at schools and has these boys handing out flyers, which almost in a sense brainwashing these young minds into thinking they're better off with Bill then at home. I think the biggest influnece he has is the fact that hes fooling these boys into believing that being white is better, but also his way of life is home to many of them.
After watching that film my already strong feelings against skinheads increased even more. Young people that Bill Riccio recruits in his words are "broken toys" and he takes them in and cares for them like no one else has. He goes for the weak minded kids that can easily be manipulated. I feel wrong saying it but he's actually smart for doing that, because he knows he can gain there trust if hes the only person the kids depend on. so the kids fall into his trap and thats how I feel he does it. About what their doing and if it should be protected by the 1st amendment i think it shouldnt be, i think none of the hate groups should be. Hate groups should be the only thing that should be protected be it cause eventually it will lead to harm or death like it has already. But i dont think whatever i say can count anyway because of the fact I very strongly dislike all hate groups.
Bill Riccio influences the people he does because they are young and impressionable. He takes young people who have had rough past we they felt exluded, neglected, or mistreated and offer them praise and "love" if they decided to join the skinhead movement. Our choices and perspective on what is right and wrong can ultimately be formed from positive and nagative experiences. For example, when we are rewarded for things (in this case maybe using derogatory names to describe black people) we associate those actions as being "good." This is how and why Bill Riccio was able to change people and motivate them into thinking the way he does and having the same beliefs and values. This is probably the same way Bill Riccio turned out the way he did.
Targeting youth is a quick and effective way to win over more people. The kids that Bill Riccio would look to recruit were troubled boys who had complicated pasts and lacked a feeling of belonging in their lives. Bill manipulated their vulnerability and used his racial views to connect all of the group members and make them feel like they were working towards something important, something to fill the void and make them less angry. However, the complicated part is that no matter what crazy things he fills these kids heads with is perfectly legal. Although i certainly don't agree with his practices Bill's 1st amendment rights should be protected. These are the kinds of things that Bill was smart about. He knew how to get followers and how to protect himself.
People like Bill Riccio target mostly youth that are lost and confused. Those kids who were at the Warhouse with him had parents that did not agree with them and gave them ultimatums. Bill Riccio gave them the attention and care that they desired, and while he was doing this, he preached his own opinions which of course they believed completely. The followers needed someone to look up to and a group of people they belong to. If your in a group long enough, you're most likely going to pick up on their opinions and habits. His first amendment rights do have to be upheld because the law can't bend one way for a particular case. Even if his thoughts are wrong, everyone still has their freedom to say and believe what they want. However, I do think that the police would be watching him very carefully, trying to find a way to arrest Riccio so he can't preach much longer.
Bill Riccio is able to influence young impressionable adults who are from broken homes and have no roel model in their lives. The need guidance and a place to feel accepted. Bill riccico offers this to them,a dn therefore they look up to him and trust him. He does this beacuse these young adults are easily manipulated and controlled, they are the perfect target of followers for his white power group. They are given a sense of pride and power because of their race.
Riccio's first amendment right should not be protected because he his polluting young minds with hate and racism, which is causing them to harm others.
People like Bill can influence kids for one reason. he tells them what they want to hear. kids grow up hearing you cant do this and you cant do that. whats your face things like that. kids obviously do not liked to be bossed around so they are frustrated and fed up. so guys like bill come along and take them under their wing and give them the freedom that they want or let them express themselves. however i do believe that his rights should be protected here is why. if we were to take away his first amendment right just because of his ideas against other people then wouldn't we just be doing the same thing that he is just on a different level? we would be taking a group of people I.E. the hate group leaders/members and categorizing them because of what they believe in. and not all of these people are like that. so if we were to do that then that would not only be stereotypical but it would also be discrimination.
He is able to influence young peopel simply beacuse he goes after the voulnerable ones. Those boys weren't talking about how Bill's views were awesome or how they knew the things they were doing were right. No. these boys were talking about how much they loved Bill. They talked about how bill had given them a home and how he had loved them unlike their parents. He looks for the weak voulnerable kids and preys on them. They think they are getting love they don't know they are getting brain washed.
No i do not think Bill's 1st amedment rights should be taken away because that would go against what this country is about. However i think children need to be more educated on this topic. They need to know teh harsh realities and that there are other more effective ways to acuire the love they desire.
Bill also needs to be taken aside and talked to. He needs to be shown that what he is doing is wrong. Maybe he should even be comited. I know the likelyhood of something like i am sujesting actually working is slim but at least we would have tryed.
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