The Weaponization of Labels
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), once known for targeting actual hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan, has further exposed its partisan agenda by adding Turning Point USA (TPUSA) and PragerU to its infamous “hate map” — a list that increasingly functions as a blacklist for conservative organizations.
This marks the first appearance of TPUSA on the list, now designated as an “anti-government extremist group.” The SPLC’s rationale? They accuse the youth-oriented conservative group of promoting “white Christian supremacy” and of “manufacturing rage” by highlighting threats to traditional values, family, and faith. In essence, the SPLC now equates mainstream conservative advocacy with extremism.
PragerU, a nonprofit educational media outlet that produces conservative-leaning video content, has also been lumped into the same dangerous category. Their content focuses on traditional American principles, limited government, and Judeo-Christian values — now deemed extremist under SPLC’s rapidly shifting ideological goalposts.
Manufacturing Hate to Justify Power
The SPLC’s 2024 “Year in Hate and Extremism” report shows a 5% drop in listed hate groups — from 1,430 to 1,371. But instead of a sign of progress, the SPLC warns it’s because “white nationalist ideas have gone mainstream.” In other words, they claim conservative principles have successfully infiltrated American life, so they must move the goalposts again.
The Guardian, in lockstep with the SPLC, parroted this justification, suggesting that the normalization of conservative ideals in education, politics, and society is inherently threatening.
By redefining extremism to include any challenge to progressive orthodoxy, the SPLC is no longer fighting hate — it is manufacturing it to keep its fundraising machine alive and its enemies list growing.
Targeting the Conservative Movement
This is not the SPLC’s first assault on conservative institutions. They’ve previously smeared Moms for Liberty, a parental rights group, with the same hateful label. These slanders come with real-world consequences — from censorship and deplatforming to threats and violence.
The SPLC’s descent from a civil rights watchdog into a partisan enforcer has been widely criticized. Even liberal journalists and former employees have blown the whistle on the group’s internal corruption, racial discrimination, and financial motivations.
The Bottom Line
What was once a respected anti-hate group is now a blunt weapon against political opposition. TPUSA and PragerU aren’t spreading hate — they’re challenging a radical worldview. That’s what makes them dangerous to the SPLC.
But make no mistake: labeling mainstream conservative voices as extremist is not just disingenuous — it’s dangerous.
It’s not hate they’re mapping.
It’s dissent.
