Ghost skin (short for 'ghost

skinhead A skinhead or skin is a member of a subculture that originated among working-class youth in London, England, in the 1960s. It soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working-class skinhead movement emerging worldwide i ...

') is a term used by

white supremacist White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...

s to describe those who adhere to such beliefs or are members of such groups, but who also refrain from openly displaying their racist beliefs for the purpose of blending into wider society and surreptitiously furthering their agenda. The term has been used in particular to refer to covert white supremacists who seek to work in

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...

. The term "hiding your power levels", originating from the anime ''

Dragon Ball Z ''Dragon Ball Z'' (''DBZ'') is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. Part of the ''Dragon Ball'' media franchise, it is the sequel to the 1986 ''Dragon Ball'' television series and adapts the latter 325 chapters ...

'', is alternatively used by the online

alt-right The alt-right (abbreviated from alternative right) is a Far-right politics, far-right, White nationalism, white nationalist movement. A largely Internet activism, online phenomenon, the alt-right originated in the United States during the late ...

to reflect a similar concept.

History of the term

In an FBI Intelligence Assessment from 2006, the

FBI Counterterrorism Division The Counterterrorism Division (CTD) is a division of the National Security Branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. CTD investigates terrorist threats inside the United States, provides information on terrorists outside the country, and ...

provided an overview of white supremacist infiltration of law enforcement and mentions that use of the term came to the agency's attention in late 2004. In 2001, two law enforcement officers in

Williamson County, Texas Williamson County (sometimes abbreviated as "Wilco") is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 609,017. The 2024 population estimate was 727,480. Its c ...

, were fired after it was discovered that they were members of the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

History of the term

See also

References

Further reading