Final answer:
Growth in hate and extremist groups often occurs alongside changing demographics due to fear, misunderstanding, and reactionary efforts to preserve perceived societal norms. Events like the increase in hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic highlight how these groups capitalize on fear and misinformation. Additionally, conservative populist rhetoric may exacerbate these fears, leading to greater polarization and extremist actions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The changing demographic trend can cause growth in hate groups and extremist groups due to fear, misunderstanding, and the desire to protect perceived cultural or societal norms. Historical and recent events reflect this pattern. For example, in the 1980s, anti-immigration activists targeted these demographic changes, leading to greater military and border control and media sensationalism of immigrant-committed crimes, thereby stirring fear and potential hostility. Furthermore, the rise in hate crimes against specific groups, such as the violence against Asian Americans linked to the coronavirus pandemic beginning in 2020, illustrates how quickly motivation for such crimes can materialize from misguided associations.
Polarization plays a crucial role, where extremists propagate divisive propaganda and perhaps even commit acts of terrorism to silence moderate voices, thus exacerbating the division. Hate crimes frequently stem from bias against racial, religious, and LGBTQ groups. And while these actions are rooted in the absence of love and community values, they often flourish alongside political shifts and socialization agents that amplify fear-based rhetoric, which conservative populism may unintentionally or intentionally fuel, preying on insecurities about changing demographics.