If you ask people to give an example of a “hate group,” the first thing that will pop into many of their minds is “The KKK.” Even white nationalists sometimes like to pick on the KKK. Writing about a recent incident involving some Citadel students who wore costumes reminiscent of KKK outfits, a recent AFT article reports:
Washington (AFP) – A prestigious military college in the United States suspended eight students and launched an investigation after photos emerged of cadets posing in all-white outfits reminiscent of the Ku Klux Klan, an official said.
Hillary Clinton also weighed in on The Citadel college, where the Confederate battle flag flies, tweeting: “Symbols of hate create more hate. It’s time for the Confederate flag to come down at The Citadel.”
The flag was the focus of renewed impassioned debate in June after a suspected white supremacist shot dead nine black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina — the same city where The Citadel is based.
The cadets were pictured dressed in white and with white pillow cases over their heads with two holes for the eyes, in haunting similarities to the infamous Ku Klux Klan, a white hate group.
Is the KKK a “hate group?”
The answer is clearly “No.” Firstly, the KKK is not even a group, let alone a “hate group.” According to kkk.bz:
The name Ku Klux Klan is in the public domain. This means anyone can use the name Ku Klux Klan. They can use it for good reasons or they can use it for bad reasons. There are around 200 different Klan groups in the nation. They are all locally based or at the most regionally based. Most of these groups remain local because they want to do things their own way. They all use the terminology and ceremony of the twenties and are fraternity styled. They are not politically focused and resemble a club. The average size of the Klan clubs are 6-15. There are a couple of regional Klan groups with an average membership of 50-75. Usually they are led by sincerely motivated individuals, however because they have no national affiliation, their growth, activities, and goals are limited.
Of those 200 KKK groups, there can be little doubt that many have hateful members. This is to be expected. Since the very term “KKK” is now synonymous with “Hate,” many angry and hateful people will naturally be drawn to such groups. They’ll say to themselves, “I was mugged by niggers. I was cheated by kikes. Those Mexicans stole my lawnmower again! I’m sick and tired of this; I’m gonna join THE KLAN!”
When you demonize a name, groups that call themselves by that name will attract a lot of demons. Charitable people are not encouraged to “join the KKK and make a difference.” For this reason alone, it’s prudent to be wary of people who affiliate themselves with the KKK.
What about the crimes of the past, such as the lynchings, committed by the KKK?
If we’re going to blame today’s KKK groups for crimes of the past, then we might as well blame today’s USA for its past crimes. While we’re at it, let’s hold the Democrat Party responsible for slavery and the Catholic Church culpable for the Inquisition.
The vast majority of crimes attributed to KKK organizations date from decades ago, typically from the turbulent “civil rights era.” It seems to me that more recent incidents are “second-generation” phenomena. In other words, the Left establishment has so built up the name “KKK” that crazy and violent individuals are attracted to it. This artificial bogeyman has taken on a life of its own. At the same time, Establishment pro-crime policies (such as subsidizing fatherless households, feeding black anger and entitlement, forced integration and the emasculation of whites) have enraged enough people that some of them seek out groups they consider to be the most extreme: The KKK and neo-Nazi groups.
Looking over kkk.bz, I didn’t find anything hateful. So it would appear that the official positions of that particular KKK group are not hateful.
