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IndoctriNation

Analyzing Extremism w/ Mark Potok

IndoctriNation

IndoctriNation

Religion & Spirituality

4.8566 Ratings

🗓️ 12 January 2022

⏱️ 43 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Mark Potok is an internationally renowned expert on the American radical right, who, for 20 years helped lead the legendary Southern Poverty Law Center in exposing hate groups, right-wing terrorism, and the rapidly increasing infiltration of extremist ideas into the political mainstream. In that role, Potok faced numerous death threats from white supremacists and constant vilification by leaders of the far-right media — a remarkable measure of just how effective his work was. Potok has been described in one book on social justice activists as having “a reputation as the preeminent editorial commentator who follows the American radical right.” In 2018, a year after leaving SPLC, he joined the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right as a Senior Fellow. As the director of the SPLC’s Intelligence Project and, later, Senior Fellow at the SPLC and Editor in Chief of its award-winning Intelligence Report investigative magazine, Potok was a key spokesman for the SPLC, a civil rights organization based in Alabama. He has testified before the U.S. Senate, the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights, the Helsinki Commission, and in other key venues. In this second half of Rachel's conversation with Mark, he shares more of his perspective on the past, present, and future of the radical right, delving into his decades of experience with the Southern Poverty Law Center. Rachel and Mark exchange their ideas about how and why people are drawn to extremist groups and explore the commonalities behind a variety of far-right hate groups. Together they discuss the possible steps of action both individually and societally that may help to quell the increase in political violence and hate crimes. Before You Go: Rachel explores the idea of hereditary hate, explaining how the impressionable nature of children makes them uniquely susceptible to indoctrination into hateful ideology. For more info on Mark's work visit: https://markpotok.net/ For more info on SPLC visit: https://www.splcenter.org/ For more info on CARR visit: https://www.radicalrightanalysis.com/ Hear Rachel's thought on the U.S. Capitol insurrection: youtu.be/9srCmRMoXnQ Thanks to all of our newest Patreon supporters! To help support the show monthly and sign up for cool Indoctrination shirts and tote bags, please visit: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Want to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link: www.paypal.me/indoctriNATION You can help the show for free by leaving a rating or review on Spotify or Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to indoctrination, a weekly conversation series about protecting yourself from systems of control. I'm your host, Rachel Bernstein.

0:13.5

Hi, everybody. I'm so happy that you get to hear part two of my conversation with Mark Potock.

0:18.7

It has been a pleasure having him on the show. He does

0:22.4

incredible work, and he's a really good person. And it was so nice to be able to speak with him and

0:28.9

learn from him. Mark Potock for 20 years helped lead the Southern Poverty Law Center's

0:35.1

premier operation monitoring the extreme right in the United

0:38.5

States. He served as the director of their intelligence project and later a senior fellow,

0:45.1

an editor-in-chief of their award-winning intelligence report investigative magazine.

0:50.9

He is an expert in the clan, neo-Nazism, the militia movement, Holocaust deniers, and other

0:56.5

aspects of the radical right.

0:58.9

He is also well-known civil rights champion and was at the Southern Poverty Law Center until

1:07.8

2017.

1:09.4

He has testified before Senate, the Helsinki Commission, the United Nations

1:13.4

High Commission on Human Rights, and other important venues. He has been an award-winning

1:19.7

reporter, many newspapers and magazines, and has been quoted all over and radio and television.

1:30.0

In 1996, his editors nominated him for a Pulitzer Prize for a series of stories on racism

1:37.1

in Texas public housing.

1:39.8

Mark Potock has been the recipient of numerous journalism and other awards, including the 2010

1:46.9

first place Green Eye Shade Award for Best Investigative Magazine article from the Society

1:52.8

of Professional Journalists. Mark, in 2018, joined the Center for the Analysis of the Radical

1:59.6

Rights as a senior fellow.

2:02.2

He has so much information to share, so much information that I think you need to know.

...

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