Was The Ku Klux Klan Bad? These Days, Opinions Differ.

For decades, it has been a common talking point among the left that the Republican Party had a certain undertone of white supremacy to it. Not all Republicans are racist, of course — and nobody has ever claimed such — but there’s certainly a much larger willingness to look the other way regarding racism among Republicans than among Democrats.

With that said, Republicans are usually careful to always have plausible deniability. When a Republican cross a line and, say, call Martin Luther King Jr. day “Hate Whitey Day” (as Ron Paul did) or, hypothetically, says he wishes a man who campaigned almost exclusively on federal segregation won the presidency (as Trent Lott did), they are generally ostracized by their fellow Republicans. (The second controversy is what cost Lott his position as Senate Republican leader, he was replaced with Bill Frist.)

With that said, some have viewed the above condemnation not as a result of Republicans disagreeing with their beliefs, but as a result of those people saying the quiet part out loud. This is the same political party that spent decades electing Strom Thurmond — who ran for President in 1948 on a mostly single-issue platform of federal segregation and against Civil Rights — to the United States Senate. This is the same party that spent three decades electing Jesse Helms to the Senate, the creator of the infamous “hand” ad against Affirmative Action. This is the party that, in 1991, nearly gave David Duke the position of governor in Lousiana. And while I’m not going to say this view is the correct one, the actions of certain Republicans recently have given this view much more credibility.

As The Huffington Post reported on 7/19/2021:

In a new political low in Texas, the Republican-dominated state Senate has passed a bill to eliminate a requirement that public schools teach that the Ku Klux Klan and its white supremacist campaign of terror are “morally wrong.” The cut is among some two dozen curriculum requirements dropped from the new measure, along with studying Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, the works of United Farm Workers leader Cesar Chavez, Susan B. Anthony’s writings about the women’s suffragist movement, and Native American history.

While praising the bill, Texas Lutentent Governor Dan Patrick said parents “want their students to learn how to think critically, not be indoctrinated.” Mind you, Patrick is on record saying that the children of Texas should be indoctrinated with the idea of creationism — even arguing such as recently as a 2015 debate among Texas Lutentent Governor candidates.

Of course, what is not said is often just as important as what is said. As such, it’s important to note that the state of Texas is dropping all teachings of various Civil Rights movements — from abolition (documents confirm this would also prohibit teaching on slavery) to the Civil Rights movement — that have existed throughout United States history. Why do Republicans not want students to know about the great Civil Rights fights throughout United States history?

To put it simply, because they understand that, as George Orwell understood, whoever controls the past controls the future. If students are not taught that the Ku Klux Klan is evil, they are much more likely to sympathize, or even find themselves in agreement, with their ideas. If bad ideas are put on the same platform as good ideas, it’s much easier for bad ideas to gain traction.

The war is not against “Critical Race Theory,” Critical Race Theory does not mean anything, it’s a smear term Republicans use against anything that mentions the idea that racism still exists in the United States. “Critical Race Theory,” could be replaced with “Howard Zinn” (as it was for many decades) and nothing would change. The war is against teaching students that racism, sexism, and all other forms of bigotry were any major part of United States history. To put it simply, “Critical Race Theory” is a smear term for what they’re actually fighting against.

This is not to say that “Critical Race Theory,” doesn’t exist in an academic sense. However, as has been pointed out time and time again, Critical Race Theory in the academic sense is not being taught outside of universities. Banning “Critical Race Theory” in schools before college is pointless at best and a sleight-of-hand at worse. (Right now, we are seeing “worse” in action.)

To put it simply, this was always part of the plan, and they will only continue to get bolder if they are not stopped.

Like my articles? Donate to my Patreon or give me a one-time donation through CashApp.