By
Alan Smithee
, Anonymous
In Defense of KKK
I have recently started an amazing
track record for writing about the most offensive of subjects. And I am now
writing in defense of the Ku Klux Klan. Recently, the KKK has been in the news
as the United States Supreme Court allowed this white supremacy group to adopt a
highway in Missouri. They joined the ranks of Bette Midler and Cosmo Kramer as
highway surrogate parents.
To be quite honest, I applaud the US
Supreme Court decision. I am shocked about why this was an issue in the first
place. While some may argue that hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan should not
exist and individuals like David Duke should not have a place in politics, I
fully embrace their existence. No, I am not saying that the KKK is like your
local Boy Scout club or a Little League team.
Let's revisit the history of the KKK.
It was started in the South during the middle of the 19th century. On some
levels, it was a fraternal organization designed to help Americans of European
origin maintain its historical place in America. Okay, so they overlook the fact
that Europeans had settled into America just a few centuries before and stolen
the land from the Native Americans. And as the group evolved, it became a white
supremacy group. I don't know what they do during their meetings. I do know that
they don't have to separate whites and colors when they do laundry.
I am tolerant of the KKK and all
other hate groups because this is part of the American fabric. We all like to
believe that America is the epicenter of change and social liberalism. While
this may be true, the KKK has been an unwitting part of this reform. A group
that is as horrible as the KKK had to come about to make us realize that we
needed to make sweeping reforms. For example, how long would the segregation
have continued in America had it not been for the horrific images of brutality
and insensitivity that occurred during the sixties by members of the KKK? Never
mind that these acts have been occurring for decades and centuries before. Until
the Holocaust, no one really cared about the plight of the Jews in this country
or any other country. In fact, FDR and the Allies knew of the atrocities that
were occurring in Eastern Europe long before they intervened. The lessons of the
Holocaust made us realize that the recent atrocities in Serbia could no longer
be tolerated. The atrocities at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory raised awareness
on the horrible conditions of sweatshops and of abusive slumlords.
Now, let's say that the government
says that hate groups such as the KKK should not exist. What then? How can we
justify the existence of the NAACP, which promotes the welfare of blacks and
other people of color, when we refuse to tolerate the existence of the KKK? Then
what happens? Soon, we won't tolerate gay rights groups, women's right groups,
etc. Being a resident of a nation that embodies freedom means that this right
must often be abused by certain groups. If not, are we truly free? I don't
support women's rights, gay rights, black rights, or white rights. I don't
believe that there needs to be special organizations to provide rights because I
like to believe that everyone should be entitled to the same rights. But we have
to provide these organizations to have a forum to voice their views and
opinions, for denying them this freedom is ultimately denying our freedom. So
here's hoping that the KKK will spend its treasure chest on highway maintenance
rather than hording all the fine white sheets from Bed, Bath and Beyond.
