The Inherent Aggression of The United States (Essay for Psych)
Though there are many forms of aggression that could be spoken about in relation to the United States, I will be speaking on two. The rise of White Supremacy and Nazism, and the purposeful creation of unlivable environments. Both are aggressive and violent systems that have been fostered lovingly in the United States, both the government and the society.
White Supremacy goes back in the United States roots. From the genocide of the Native Americans, the nearly two hundred years of chattel slavery, and the subsequent Jim Crow laws, which still echo today. In the past there have been outwardly white supremacist groups, such as the Klu Klux Klan and the Neo Nazis, who’s core values are to hurt and eradicate people different from themselves. They are undeniably organizations built on hate and fear. Though the KKK and Neo Nazis are still around today, there was a significant lapse in membership and activity. This is, of course, a positive, but it doesn't mean that things have necessarily gotten better. When Donald Trump began his second term in the presidential office, he immediately began attacking laws and policies that protect Black and brown individuals. Not only this, but he also unleashed the cruel and violent organization ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) on civilians, sending them to textbook examples of concentration camps, such as Alligator Alcatraz.
Just as of last week, ICE murdered a woman in cold blood (Renee Good), and they have consistently kidnapped and disappeared not just illegal citizens, but legal ones as well. They are caught on camera brutalizing and humiliating normal people. They wear masks to hide their identity, and they never show warrants for arrest. They are essentially a hate group, one akin to the KKK, the only difference being legality. What they are doing is under the Presidents orders and will not be challenged by the Federal Government. To accompany this, we have prominent government figures constantly blowing whistles to Nazism. A clear example of this is when Elon Musk, tech billionaire and former White House Staff, did a harsh Nazi salute at Donald Trump's inauguration. We see this Nazism in action when Michael Knowles, a Conservative figurehead, enthusiastically called for the “eradication” of transgender individuals. We see it when the President himself used the word “animals” on multiple occasions to describe immigrants. Dehumanizing and violent language is the first step to legitimizing White Supremacy, and people in power are using it without abandon. This aggression is one that breaks minorities at an alarming rate. It isn’t just the fear; it's the constant humiliation and degradation coming from our own government.
The next topic is almost impossible to separate from the former. The creation of poorer living situations was begun at the very beginning of the United States, intertwined with White Supremacy and violence. When African Americans were free from slavery, they were forced to live in poor and dilapidated settings, and because the system was never built for them, they historically struggled to gain financial independence. This was the same for workers when the Industrial Revolution hit. It was better that workers made less, so they would have to live in slums closer to their workplaces. Because they were so desperate for money, they had to continue to work in unsafe conditions, often leading to sickness and death.
Living conditions have not gotten much better, even in 2026. It is reported that 60-70 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck depending on location, and in 2024 it was reported that 771,480 people have or currently experience homelessness. The last time Federal Minimum Wage was raised was in 2009, which is incredibly nonresponsive to the severe inflation the US has experienced in the last 10 years. The system of Capital historically and currently pushes people down and is in itself a form of violence. It is aggressive to keep people on the streets; it is violent to not raise the minimum wage, and it is horrid to keep people in places predisposed to sickness and poverty.