Again this is one of those posts that I feel needs a disclaimer. I in no way, shape, or form endorse, support, or acknowledge the KKK as anything but a terrorist group. My personal opinion is that they are shitty, misguided group of people, that instead of being a positive force for good, continue to perpetuate evil. Regardless of what it’s members claim, they have used fear and violence to spread their message. This was taken from the FBI’s website:
Domestic terrorism: Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.
Now, I recently came across A documentary about the KKK on YouTube called Inside the Ku Klux Klan- Meeting the Imperial Wizard from Reel Truth Documentaries. I do tend to watch quite a bit documentaries and behind the scenes stuff because, well, free knowledge. I didn’t expect this to show up on my recommendations list, but I decided to watch it because I also watched a Ted Talk about the KKK by Daryl Davis, which I highly recommend.
During the documentary you hear members saying “we aren’t racist”, and “I’ve never killed anyone” but they are still part of a group that killed black people for being black basically. If you were white and trying to help your black friend, they got you too. There is a part toward the middle-end where one of the members says ”It’s been a white man’s country for 300 years, so why should someone come in and change it” {around the 28:22-24 mark} and I was blown away! There were people on this land before Europeans came to settle here but you have so many white supremacy groups saying things like, “If you don’t like how we do things here go back to your own country.” The Irony being the majority of white residents here can probably trace their own heritage to European nations. What’s even funnier, is that some people don’t do their research and now what we’re seeing is that some of the white American “purists” have black relatives. People thinking they were masters and they find out they were on both sides of the slavery equation. They claim to be a peaceful Christian group, but what they did in the past was anything but, so much can be blamed on their mindset and views and too few prominent people connect those dots and bring it to the masses.
Let me snowball some “conspiracy” theories for a moment.
So regardless of how you believe the earth was created, at some point the land that would become the United States had native peoples living here, that much we all can agree on. It is a statement of fact. Another statement of fact, the Europeans that came to “settle” the land were clearly not from here, an obvious statement of fact, yes? Ok now we know through various means land was taken from the native inhabitants, through battle, trades, etc. the native people were displaced from their homelands. That is also a factual statement. In some settlements the colonists grew various crops for various uses, so much so they needed to get a larger labor force to work the land-enter slaves. Slaves were bought, traded, given, or captured so the plantation owners had folks to work the land, given the times this was fairly normal around the world and even today slavery has fully been erased, it’s just not as visible as it used to be.
At some point, some of the plantation owners, we’ll say treated “their” slaves more as property and almost lower than animals in some cases and some people thought that was wrong so they fought about it. The north won and people in power started to put in motion plans to free the slaves. Meanwhile as some of the above was going on slaves tried to gain freedom on their own by fleeing the plantation owners, and to counteract that groups were formed to track down slaves and return them to their “owners’ ‘ or kill them, there are documents to support this. These groups would become predecessors to later hate groups and gangs, yes gangs. The KKK started from former confederate soldiers.
Now let’s jump forward a little bit, but not that far to the beginning of Minstrel shows, these were shows where usually white men donned black face and portrayed blacks as ignorant, lazy, etc. Eventually these shows got so popular that the people that were being ridiculed joined in, as it was a money making venture. So at this time people are reinforcing really negative stereotypes that continue to today. In Darryl Dixon’s Ted talk he met with a Grand Wizard and interviewed him. He asked basically why do you hate me/black people, and those old stereotypes came up.
Let’s jump yet again to modernity, with a general look at some groups. So whites (usually French, English, Spaniards, and the Dutch) were majority power holders in early America. Everyone else that came in later were treated like second class or less than. There are many accounts of people coming from other parts of Europe, Asia, Latin & South America, and so on. They wanted to come here in search of a better life, better opportunities, escape persecution, a myriad of reasons, same as today. Just like today birds of a feather flock together so many neighborhoods were racially segregated. And if you ended up in the wrong area you were made aware of that very quickly. Gangs, every neighborhood had them and they were bad, if you weren’t part of the group, but some of these gangs formed to keep their people safe. But some formed just for trouble. Eventually white was white and everything else was other, so as long as you were white you were alright. In the 1900’s after The film the birth of a nation the KKK reformed and adopted new practices. So one of the Biggest gangs in American history was started by confederate soldiers already had the mentality that white people were supreme, but now they add new scare tactics with the uniform and burning crosses and what have you. From the KKK sprang other hate groups, of course, but what’s truly scary, according to the documentary, one in three white males were a part of the KKK in its heyday. So more than likely police, politicians, your neighbor, doctors, soldiers, etc. were part of a group that felt they were above all others.
Today they claim to not be as bad as their ancestors, but they still have the same views. And in the documentary one has a “Freudian slip” when she says “there are good people and black people,” {44:23-26}. And the governmental powers that be won’t characterize them as a terrorist group. JUGGALOS ARE ON THE FBI WATCH LIST, fans of a musical group, but the KKK? Not really they’re just a hate group, a group that still holds events, marches, and all sorts of other crap and gets away with so much. Makes you wonder how many active members are still in our government.
To me all these hate groups are interesting and at the same time disgusting, like most people they don’t like what they don’t understand. I find it interesting because it seems like they’d rather be ignorant than knowledgeable. They are ignorant and they pass that ignorance to future generations and the cycle of hate continues. I don’t understand how someone can stand in front of a crowd, wave a banner of hate, stupidity, and bigotry and have other people wave back.
I’m not religious, but Christ taught to love thy neighbor, where is the love? Are there any active old world religions that openly say, “hate everyone that isn’t you?”. The clan ranges from 3rd grade dropouts to presidents, (Warren G Harding) was inducted apparently in the White House. It’s crazy someone could be so educated and not seem the KKK as anything but a poison.
Don’t let fear keep you ignorant. Spread proper knowledge, teach against those hurtful/harmful isms, and don’t let hate win. I know this was a bit of a rant and maybe a little bit all over the place, but that’s how the mind is sometimes, but I wanted to get this out while I remembered. Also the biggest clan anyone should support is the Wu-tang clan, but seriously if you are going to be associated with any clans or groups, make sure you are doing your best to help others, and make sure the group is aligned with your ideals. Be a positive change people can admire.
Later days
~Owl
The World Through My Eyes 