For centuries misunderstandings surrounding genetics, history and whiteness have bred racism and been used for violence; be it in the colonial era or the modern world. While our understanding of genetics and history has since grown, old misconceptions, grounded in bigotry, still threaten racial unity. These misconceptions feed into one another, taking on a life of their own, until, like a cancer, they grow and poison society.
Feeding much of this bigotry is the misinterpretation and twisting of Roman history, especially by fascists and white supremacists. Jamie Mackay covers this in his essay, “The Whitewashing of Rome,” published by “Aeon Essays.” Mackay discusses how colonialism, fascism and white supremacy were based on a version of Rome that never existed. For example, he details how the British justified their imperialism through the myth of a white Rome conquering and civilizing non-white “savages.”
Mackay also discusses how Mussolini and Italian fascists of the 1920s twisted Roman history for their gain, and wanting a claim to racial purity, invented the myth of an “Aryan master race,” or a superior race of Roman descendants, genetically, physically and spiritually higher than all others. The Aryan myth was adopted by Hitler and the Nazis with religious fervor and played a large role in the Holocaust, WWII and the death of nearly 100 million people.
Time and time again, the Romans were also falsely believed to be white and to have had an understanding of what it is to be “white” in the first place. As Mackay explains, Romans had no concept of race as we know it today, and they weren’t white in the modern sense, likely sharing skin colors similar to modern Arabs and Levantine peoples. Romans also had no concept of racial superiority; even having an African emperor, Septimius Severus.
By all means, whiteness as a concept was founded to justify imperialism and colonialism, based on faulty genetics and a misappropriation of Roman history. This understanding of whiteness, born in colonialism and surviving into the modern day, has real-world, tragic consequences. In 2019, a white supremacist and fascist gunman murdered 51 and injured 89 Muslim worshippers in Christchurch, New Zealand. His weapons were painted with fascist and Roman symbols. In his manifesto, he cited fascism, concepts of white supremacy steeped in faulty genetics and a false understanding of Rome, whiteness and Western values as his motives.
It’s becoming increasingly common, especially online, for these ideas to spread. For example, racist commentary is often excused or veiled behind the cover of it being “ironic,” funny or a meme in places like Instagram, X and Discord, as “When Hate Memes Teach History,” published by “Pharos,” explains. Malicious in nature, exposure to this kind of content leaves students susceptible to indoctrination or misinformation, especially when “ironic” posts are shared as factual. “Pharos” highlights ‘wojak’ and ‘soy’ memes, which often compare cultures or people as inferior and superior, especially with Romans. These memes, while veiled behind the irony of their intentionally poor quality, originate in alt-right or white supremacist corners online and are designed to promote a sense of superiority. These memes are easy to find and easily taken as fact—especially when their viewer is young, influenceable and not well versed in history, as is often the case.
Geneticist Amy Reese similarly discusses this in her paper, “Addressing Scientific Racism and Eugenics in the Classroom,” referencing the historical example of Carl Linnaeus, who, based on his genetic research, classified humans into racial groups based on appearance and personality traits, with non-white races being lesser. Though wrong, Linnaeus’ groupings were internalized in society by the time they were disproven, leaving a harmful mark on racial relations.
Hate speech has always been fueled by misinformation. It affects the balance of power and quality of life worldwide through its influences on perception and colonization. It’s played a role in the death of millions, directly or indirectly. In a world seemingly more polarized by the day, this hate speech based on misinterpretation and lies is becoming more and more common, again being tied into politics as it was before WWII. White supremacy is again dividing America and much of the world today, seen through atrocities like the Christchurch Massacre or the Charlottesville alt-right rally in 2017. Without education on the origins of racism and the division we face today, it’s sure that our division will worsen in the future.
Sources:
Mackay, Jamie. “Colonialism Is Built on the Rubble of a False Idea of Ancient Rome | Aeon Essays.” Aeon, aeon.co/essays/colonialism-is-built-on-the-rubble-of-a-false-idea-of-ancient-rome.
Reese, Amy. “Addressing Scientific Racism and Eugenics in the Classroom.” ASM.org, asm.org/Articles/2023/May/Addressing-Scientific-Racism-and-Eugenics-in-the-C.
“When Hate Memes Teach History.” Vassarspaces.net, 3 Apr. 2024, pharos.vassarspaces.net/2024/04/03/classics-memes-white-supremacy-virgin-yes-chad-soy/.
