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CNN Live Saturday
Interview With Devin Burghart
Aired May 11, 2002 - 12:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: We've seen pictures of accused mailbox bomber Luke Helder smiling as he faces very serious charges. We look behind that smile to find out who is Luke Helder, and what would make any young person commit such an act. With us now is Devin Burghart from the Center for New Community in Chicago. Thanks a lot for joining us.
DEVIN BURGHART, CENTER FOR NEW COMMUNITY: Thank you for having me.
MESERVE: First, Luke Helder. Is there any indication that this was a hate crime?
BURGHART: No, not at this point, certainly not.
MESERVE: Any idea what might have motivated him at this point?
BURGHART: Well, in the Helder case, it's interesting because it doesn't fit the traditional definition of domestic terrorism. And there's no specific targets, nor any specific ideological motive involved in the instance, which makes this case even more perplexing to those of us who study such things.
MESERVE: Now, Luke Helder was a fan of music. He had a band that's been described as a grunge band, or a thrash rock band. What can you tell us about music and its possible impact on people of his age?
BURGHART: Well, music plays a very important role in the lives of young people. And while Helder's band in particular, his band Apathy, wasn't one of those that we would classify as a hate rock band, there are over 150 different hate rock bands which provide the ideological ammunition for thousands of young people here in the United States today to go out and carry out acts of violence, like that which Helder did.
MESERVE: Are those rock bands widely heard, widely followed?
BURGHART: The numbers of followers continues to grow, though the medium and the avenue for those bands still remains underground, outside the mainstream. As these organizations professionalize their image with glossy fanzines and new compact discs with a variety of musical genres, they're trying to move the ideas of hatred and bigotry from the margins right into the heart of the mainstream. MESERVE: Is music the primary vehicle for that, or are there other things transmitting that message as well to the young people of the country?
BURGHART: Well, today music is clearly the most powerful medium in terms of spreading that message and recruiting young people into hate movements. It's, however, only one of many different propaganda mediums. Everything from the use of the Internet to satellite radio to a variety of other mediums -- in any way they can use technology to reach out to young people, they're going to attempt to use and exploit that.
Another avenue that they've used now is video games, packaging racist and anti-Semitic video games in a violent context to attract new young people into the movement.
MESERVE: In the wake of 9/11, there was a great surge of patriotic feeling. What have you seen in terms of anti-government sentiment since that date and those events?
BURGHART: Well, there has not been a massive surge in anti- government sentiment over the past nine months. What we have noticed, however, is that there are those hate movements out there who seek to blame others for the tragedy, either blaming Jews or Muslims or Arab Americans or immigrants for the tragedy, hoping to use the fears that occurred after that to stir up additional anger and resentment across the American heartland.
MESERVE: Do they also underline curtailments of certain civil liberties for certain groups in American society?
BURGHART: Well, certainly there are those who have concerns about the curtailments of civil liberties and are using the fear around that to hopefully reach out and attract new members into their particular movements, yes.
MESERVE: If you were going to say there was a lesson to learn from the case of Luke Helder, what would that lesson be?
BURGHART: I think the most important lesson is that there is no one stereotype out there of young people who could be attracted to these kinds of violence. Now, we need to be vigilant and work with young people to help them unite and build effective moral barriers against hatred and violence.
MESERVE: Devin Burghart, from the Center for New Community in Chicago, thanks so much for joining us.
BURGHART: Thank you.
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