US racial tensions reveal divided society

Social issues demand immediate resolution

Two aspects of the Charlottesville riots are especially disturbing. First is the extensive participation of white supremacists, neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klan members and "alternative right" activists in the Charlottesville rally. The second disturbing fact is that many of the white nationalists were young men. In fact, many of the protestors were University of Virginia students. And James Alex Fields Jr, the white supremacist who drove his car into the crowd of counter-protestors killing a woman and injuring 34 people, is only 20 years old.

Racial conflicts have intensified in the US in recent years. According to a Gallup poll in mid-March, 42 percent of the respondents said they were worried about racial relations, while the figure was only 13 percent in 2010. There are several reasons for this.

To begin with, the US' demographic structure is changing. In 1980, whites comprised about 80 percent of US population－by 2010, the figure had dropped to 63 percent, and it is expected to fall below 50 percent in the future. Even though whites hold most of the wealth and political power in the US, some of them are not prepared to be a minority, leading to discontent and anger.

Second, the ethnic minorities in the US have become increasingly dissatisfied with the current state of affairs. African-Americans expected a lot more from the US' first black president, but not much seem to have changed despite eight years of Barack Obama's presidency. The unemployment rate among African-Americans is twice as high as that among whites. Worse, 25 percent of blacks live in poverty. In addition, many blacks have fallen to police officers' bullets in recent years, raising social tensions.

Third, many whites assume unemployment is rising because of the influx of immigrants. That's why they supported Trump during his campaign trail, especially after he promised to get back their jobs.

If the US government's economic policies don't work and are unable to address social issues such as immigration, racial conflicts could worsen.

Ji Hong is a researcher at the Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.