Confronting White Nationalism In Schools
Classroom Resources 

Backlash and Scapegoating 

Grade Level: 9-12 

Introduction 

In this literacy-based activity, students will deepen their understanding of the concepts of backlash and scapegoating by exploring real-world examples often used by far-right or anti-democracy groups.  

Global Note: Before teaching about the sensitive topics covered in this activity, it is critical to lay a foundation of trust in your classroom. Have you established explicit community norms and agreement for engaging in emotionally charged conversations? Do your students have the language to discuss these issues? Have you done the internal work necessary to address identity, diversity and justice with students?  

For more information on preparing to engage emotionally charged topics in the classroom, see Let’s Talk: Facilitating Critical Conversations With Students from Learning for Justice.  

Prior Knowledge 

This lesson assumes that students understand: 1) the Confederacy fought to uphold slavery and white supremacy; and 2) white nationalism is a violent political movement animated by antisemitism and focused on creating an all-white ethnostate.  

Background Reading/Listening 

Procedure 

Step 1. Display the words scapegoat and backlash in a visible location. Ask students to pair up and write definitions for both terms.  

Step 2. Invite students to volunteer to report their definitions. Correct any that may be off base. As a class, refine the definition of each word together.  

Step 3: Invite students to write down an example from their own lives of people (or themselves) being blamed for something that isn’t their fault. 

Step 4. Explain to students that scapegoating and backlash can apply to ideas and individual people, but it can also apply to groups of people. Let them know that history is full of such examples, including the ones they will be learning about today. Offer a content warning, and explain that these particular examples reference harmful stereotypes and racial hostility used by groups seeking to maintain power to jeopardize the rights and safety of groups with less power. 

Step 5. In a visible location, display the following quotes about U.S. history one at a time. (Do not display the source as some articles titles will give the answer away.) Share the context for the quotes. Make it clear that they reference hateful ideologies that go against facts, democratic values and the school’s values. Ask students whether the example in each quote illustrates backlash, scapegoating, or both and why.  

EXAMPLE 1: “As the civil rights movement gained momentum in the 1950s, many white-controlled communities consciously named public buildings after (usually) men who held segregationist beliefs and ties to white supremacist groups. Due to the timing, the intent can be interpreted as both an effort to reassure white supremacists and remind African Americans of their ‘proper place’ in the social hierarchy.” 

CONTEXT: This quote is from an article about efforts to rename schools named for Confederate leaders.  

(Source: Sean McCollum, “Name Changers,” Teaching Tolerance magazine, Issue 50, Summer 2015, https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/summer-2015/name-changers) 

EXAMPLE 2: “[W]hite nationalist mythology blames Jews for a variety of social and economic changes in the U.S. Central to this mythology is the idea that white people are being replaced by people of color through immigration, and that this replacement is orchestrated by Jews.” 

CONTEXT: This quote is from an article about why white nationalists target Jews even though the majority of Jews are white.  

(Source: SJ Crasnow, “Can Jews Still Be White If They Are Reviled by White Supremacists?” Religion Dispatches, December 8, 2020, https://religiondispatches.org/can-white-jews-still-be-white-if-theyre-reviled-by-white-supremacists/) 

EXAMPLE 3: “In the 1990s, legislation about welfare seemed to make poor single mothers responsible for the problems of the American family. Continuing opposition to women's reproductive rights and decision-making authority regarding birth control and abortion has been described as a ‘war on women.’” 

CONTEXT: This quote is from an article by a scholar who studies the history of feminism and social attitudes toward women.  

(Source: Linda Napikoski, “Understanding the Backlash Against Feminism,” ThoughtCo., November 24, 2019, https://www.thoughtco.com/the-backlash-against-feminism-3528947) 

EXAMPLE 4: “The narrative ... starts with the assertion that society has only a fixed quantity of jobs, education, health care, and wealth. According to this narrative, society is like a big pie: if we let somebody else have a slice, there’s less for us. And the reason life is going downhill today is supposedly because we give too much of our pie to immigrants. Immigrants should stay away from our pie, or at least wait in line until we’ve eaten our fill.” 

CONTEXT: This quote is from a summary brief published by a civil rights law firm about immigrants and the economy. 

(Source: Jackson Heights Immigrant Solidarity Network, “The Psychology of Scapegoating Immigrants,” July 19, 2019, https://www.aclu.org/other/immigrants-and-economy) 

 

Note: Myths that scapegoat immigrants and Jews have a long history and are often exacerbated during times of economic uncertainty or national health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. To learn more about this history, see the Additional Resources listed at the end of this lesson. 

Step 6. For each quote, ask students to identify which group of people is being targeted and by whom.  

Step 7. Check for understanding by asking students why scapegoating and backlash occur. What function do these dynamics serve? Why might individuals or groups use scapegoating and backlash as tactics? To achieve what goals? For each quote, ask them to identify what goal might be served.  

Step 8: Ask students why they think it’s important to recognize backlash and scapegoating. (Because they are often used to fuel baseless rumors and conspiracy theories that pit groups of people against each other.) 

Step 9. Finally, ask students to think back on the example they wrote down in Step 3.  

Was the example something that happened to them or to someone else? 

If it happened to someone else, what could the student say or do in the future if they witness something similar?  

If it happened to them, what does the student wish the people around them would have done? 

 Invite students to share if they feel comfortable doing so. Model sharing your own story if you have one.  

Answer Key  

Dictionary Definitions (Source: Miriam Webster) 

Scapegoat: (noun) one that bears the blame for others or is the object of irrational hostility
(verb) to make a scapegoat of 

Backlash: (noun) a strong adverse reaction (as to a recent political or social development) 

Student-friendly Definitions 

 Scapegoat: (noun) someone who gets blamed for something that isn’t their fault, usually because they are disliked or are an easy target 
(verb) to put blame on someone who isn’t at fault, usually because they are disliked or are an easy target 

 Backlash: (noun) resistance to progress or change; a strong push to make the new way more like the old way 

Quotes 

 Example 1: backlash 

Example 2: scapegoating 

Example 3: backlash and scapegoating 

Example 4: scapegoating 

Additional Resources