Power-threat Hypothesis
Coined by Blalock in 1967, the power-threat hypothesis posits that with the increase in the size of the racial and ethnic minority groups, so does members of the majority group or race perceive the growth as a threat. The consequences of this threat are that the dominant group has increased mobilization of its resources. Looking at the history of the United States of America, especially during the last decades of the 19 th Century, the lynching of African-Americans was used to maintain white supremacy. Lynching was common in the Southern and where Negroes were shot, hang, and other brutal methods of physical torture used to gain social control. The whites believed that by inflicting fear, they would gain control over the African Americans.
Besides lynching, the power-threat hypothesis resulted in race rioting. The race riots were also a result of the whites' desire to maintain their superiority over the Blacks, vent their frustrations when they felt distressed, and attack those who were not capable of defending themselves. During these race riots, the whites would invade black neighborhoods, beat, kill them, and destroy their property. Blacks retaliated, and as a result, there were casualties though the blacks died in large numbers. For example, in 1919, there were numerous incidents of interracial violence in major cities such as Chicago, Carolina, Washington, and Texas, among others during summer. During these attacks, large numbers of blacks were wounded, others killed, and property destroyed.
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Through the power-hypothesis threat, one can comprehend the whites' reasons for lynching race riots against the blacks. Their core purpose was to gain social control. In my opinion, I see the negativity of the power-threat hypothesis. This is based on the negative implications of the lynching and riots on the lives of blacks. Besides, it is a violation of fundamental human rights such as the right to life, property ownership, freedom, and equality.
Black Lives Matter and Standing Rock Protests
At its core, Black Lives Matter is a movement that began in 2013 following the acquitting of George Zimmerman after the death Trayvon Martin. The movement popularized over the years as more men of African decency were killed and police officers involved never indicted. On the other hand, Standing Rock Protests refer to the protests organized to prevent the extension of the Dakota Access Pipeline across Lake Oahe that is found on the Missouri River.
The similarities between Black Lives Matter and Standing Rock are that both are not much of radical movements. The rationale is based on the notion that the movements are making pleas for radical ideology. Concerning the BLM movement, for example, even if the black lives would begin to matter, this would happen while there are still shootings for a few African Americans. White supremacy will continue to exist. Similarly, with the Standing Rock Movement, the protests are not opposed to industrialization or the extraction of fossil fuels. On the contrary, it is about the sovereignty of the native people and their opposition to the pipeline running across their property. Another similarity between the two is that they fight against their oppressors just as the racial protests in the 50s and 70s.
The differences between the two groups are that the Black Lives Matter Movement is fighting for the rights of African Americans while Standing Rock is fighting for the rights of their land ownership. Compared to the protests of the 50s and the 70s, the BLM movement is different in that it is fighting against the police brutality and mass shootings of the blacks. In contrast, back then, protests were mainly on the general segregation laws.
