1 00:00:01,480 --> 00:00:04,280 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Should Know, a production of I 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark. 3 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:16,239 Speaker 1: There's Charles W Chuck Brian over there, and this is 4 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: stuff you should know about vile racist jerks. Boo meis jerk. Yeah, so, Chuck. 5 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:33,920 Speaker 1: Do you remember when we did our two part episode 6 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:36,720 Speaker 1: on The Simpsons and one of the first things I 7 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: said was like, I didn't want to record because all 8 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:42,360 Speaker 1: I wanted to do is sit around and research the 9 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:46,200 Speaker 1: Simpsons for the rest of my life. I felt basically 10 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: the opposite way about researching the Clan, like I didn't 11 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: want to record because I didn't want to research the 12 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:59,200 Speaker 1: clan anymore. Yeah, that wasn't a fun one. Well, here's 13 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 1: my personal history here in regards to the clan is 14 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,080 Speaker 1: and and now I'll this will be peppered throughout a 15 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: little bit because I grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia. 16 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 1: Oh that sounds familiar, which is very uh uh. You 17 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: know some of the early days of the second wave 18 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:18,960 Speaker 1: of the Clan, which you know, we'll get to all 19 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: this garbage in this episode. But um, some Mountain was 20 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 1: kind of one of the larger national seats and one 21 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:31,479 Speaker 1: of the leaders of the clan in Stone Mountain had kids, 22 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:34,560 Speaker 1: or it was either kids or grandkids that went. I 23 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 1: guess I had to be grandkids that went to my 24 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: elementary school. Then the Venables, and I was like, you know, 25 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 1: I heard about the Venables, and I knew about their 26 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,960 Speaker 1: story and that his granddad was the grand Wizard, and like, 27 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 1: it scared the crap out of me. I was scared. 28 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 1: And then I got older and I was like, these 29 00:01:54,520 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 1: are just dumb cosplaying rednecks. And then I got a 30 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: little older still and I was like, well, that's not 31 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: fair either, and I tried to start in my life 32 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:10,440 Speaker 1: look at things to the lens of minority people's even 33 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 1: though you can't you know, as a as a white man, 34 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 1: but you can do your best to walk a mile 35 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 1: and someone choose and see what it might be like. 36 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: And then I was like, I can't dismiss it as 37 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 1: rednecks cosplaying, because they killed people and lynched people, and 38 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 1: it was a fear of feared group two black people, 39 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: and you know, all kinds of other minorities. As we'll 40 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: see as they as they kind of progressed. But I 41 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 1: felt it was dismissive to say they're just a bunch 42 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: of dumb rednecks and don't give them that power. Uh So, 43 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:45,240 Speaker 1: you know, it's just interesting to sort of go through 44 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 1: that evolution as a kid growing up in the South who, 45 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: no doubt in my lineage and ancestry have horrible things 46 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:56,080 Speaker 1: that happened in the Deep South that I had to 47 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:59,360 Speaker 1: rectify as like, you know, just because I'm related to 48 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 1: great great great grandparents who probably did awful things, doesn't 49 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: mean that I'm that person or you know, no, not 50 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 1: at all, not at all. You certainly aren't that person 51 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: at all, I can attest, but you have to come 52 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 1: to terms with it as someone who is the opposite 53 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: of those people, for sure. And I think it is 54 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: wise of you and very thoughtful of you to be like, no, 55 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:22,079 Speaker 1: I can't just you know, use I guess white privilege 56 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: to dismiss the clan because it does kind of infringe 57 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 1: on like the impacts that they've had on people of 58 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:30,960 Speaker 1: color in the United States. For sure. I think that's 59 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:34,680 Speaker 1: very insightful. At the same time, yes, the Clan are dumb, 60 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 1: redneck cous players. They're just ones who will also get 61 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: whipped up into into violence and carry out horrific acts. 62 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 1: So they're dumb redneck cause players who you really have 63 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 1: to keep an eye on and then break the backup 64 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: as an organization by putting them in prison whenever they 65 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 1: do something like that or start to Yeah, and as 66 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 1: we see through their history, depending on when it was 67 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: and which sort of iteration, because there's there's been at 68 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 1: least three, uh, some were more violent and dangerous than others, 69 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:08,720 Speaker 1: and some were sort of like cosplaying rednecks. Um not 70 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: to you know, of course that doesn't excuse it. It's 71 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 1: just like a fun social club or anything like that. 72 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:17,880 Speaker 1: But um, it is fairly interesting. But I'm ready to 73 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:20,480 Speaker 1: be done with this as well, so let's let's do it. Yeah. Well, 74 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 1: the thing that kind of strikes me about the clan 75 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:27,440 Speaker 1: the most is they the clan enjoys its largest popularity 76 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 1: when America is feeling it's most racist. And usually America 77 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 1: feels it's most racist at times when um, the rights 78 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 1: of minorities or anybody who's not basically white Protestants are 79 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:46,040 Speaker 1: being advanced in society. It's not an accident, right, Um, 80 00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 1: but then the clan always always oversteps because America maybe 81 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:53,560 Speaker 1: racist in America might be I can't even say why, 82 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 1: America is definitely based on white supremacism um or white 83 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 1: supremacy and enforcing that the but the the taste for 84 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:07,040 Speaker 1: violence and the willingness to like kill people of color 85 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:10,479 Speaker 1: just for being people of color is not a mainstream 86 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:13,599 Speaker 1: thing fortunately, So the Clan has always been on the 87 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:15,840 Speaker 1: fringe and always will be on the fringes. It's just 88 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 1: hopefully eventually society will learn it's less and like, you know, 89 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:23,480 Speaker 1: advancing the rights of people of color doesn't mean that 90 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:27,680 Speaker 1: there has to be some spasm of anti minority sentiment 91 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:31,440 Speaker 1: that inevitably leads to violence carried out by groups like 92 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:34,560 Speaker 1: the Clan. I really hope we get to that point, um, 93 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 1: rather than just keep existing trapped in this cycle, you know, 94 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:40,520 Speaker 1: And I think we will. I think we are approaching 95 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:43,359 Speaker 1: that eventually. I don't know when it will be, but 96 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:47,680 Speaker 1: I I feel like with each of these cycles that 97 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:51,120 Speaker 1: we go through, there's less and less people who react 98 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: horribly the next time or the next time or the 99 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:57,440 Speaker 1: next time, so that eventually that reaction will just kind 100 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:00,520 Speaker 1: of fizzle out. That's my hope. Yeah. Uh. And it's 101 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:03,640 Speaker 1: also interesting, Uh, I watched a documentary that wasn't really 102 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 1: do it's sort of like a uh, several part news 103 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:10,479 Speaker 1: show from this British um might have been a BBC 104 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:12,839 Speaker 1: crew that about the modern clan just from a couple 105 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:16,120 Speaker 1: of years ago during like the ferguson Upper or Missouri. 106 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:19,760 Speaker 1: And he went not undercover because he was um, a 107 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 1: British guy. He was interviewing him. He went he went 108 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 1: in deep uh with the clan there for seven months 109 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: and it's interesting to see the just the scattered ideology 110 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:34,040 Speaker 1: and that kind of is a bit of a hallmark 111 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:38,040 Speaker 1: of the clan period through their history. Is it seems 112 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:41,920 Speaker 1: like there's never been a very codified thing of this 113 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:44,120 Speaker 1: is who we are, because there's people in this documentary 114 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:46,600 Speaker 1: that are like, you know, three of the members were 115 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:49,960 Speaker 1: arrested for plotting to kill a black man, and the 116 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 1: people they talked to and they're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, 117 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:54,279 Speaker 1: they're out man. We're not into that. We don't want 118 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:57,800 Speaker 1: to commit violence against black people. And we're not even bigoted. 119 00:06:57,839 --> 00:07:02,039 Speaker 1: We're just a superior race who who are white separatists, 120 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:04,680 Speaker 1: but we don't want to you know, we might burn 121 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:08,719 Speaker 1: across for our ceremonies, but we're not doing bombings and lynchings. 122 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 1: And we're not down with that at all. Uh, But 123 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: you also get the feeling that behind closed doors, they're 124 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 1: probably like, hey, I wish those guys would have been 125 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 1: able to carry that murder out right, and that that 126 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 1: seems to have been a transition that kind of went 127 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:26,760 Speaker 1: in the seventies. Started in the seventies, I believe, where 128 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:30,280 Speaker 1: there's like a a different public face to the clan 129 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:33,480 Speaker 1: where they tried different like okay, well that everybody hates 130 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:35,360 Speaker 1: the clan, what if we what if we explain it 131 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:38,000 Speaker 1: like this? What if we put it like this in 132 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:42,440 Speaker 1: society is like, no, that's nice. Try it's not gonna work, 133 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:46,120 Speaker 1: all right? Should we get into this in the origins? Yeah, 134 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: so so, like you said, there's been three iterations of 135 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:52,480 Speaker 1: the clan, and this the first iteration of the clan 136 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:57,200 Speaker 1: started out is they think basically a social club made 137 00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:01,880 Speaker 1: up of UM disgruntled Confederate veterans in Pulaski, Tennessee in 138 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: eighteen sixties six. And this group of veterans got together 139 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: at a time where um, there was a real trend, 140 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 1: a craze basically for secret societies in the nineteenth century. UM, 141 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 1: apparently in the the eighteen nineties up to the nineteen 142 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:22,320 Speaker 1: thirties is called the Golden Age of fraternalism, where something 143 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:25,880 Speaker 1: like a third of American men were members of a 144 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 1: secret society or something based on like actual, real ancient 145 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:33,160 Speaker 1: secret societies like the Knights Templar, the Rosicrucians. These are 146 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:35,199 Speaker 1: just kind of fake ones that gave you a reason 147 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:38,400 Speaker 1: to like leave the house on Tuesdays and Thursdays and go, like, 148 00:08:38,800 --> 00:08:41,480 Speaker 1: you know, have whiskey down at the Moose Lodge, and 149 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:45,679 Speaker 1: groups like the Moose and the Elks and the Knights 150 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:48,600 Speaker 1: of Columbus Um, they all grew out of that. And 151 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 1: in fact, Woodmen of the World Insurance UM, it's called that. 152 00:08:52,559 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 1: It's kind of a weird name if you think about it, 153 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 1: but Woodmen of the World UM was a secret society 154 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:00,439 Speaker 1: from the nineteenth century and they would sell their members 155 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:04,000 Speaker 1: insurance policies. And that's where that insurance came from. So 156 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:06,000 Speaker 1: this is kind of like the context of where the 157 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,760 Speaker 1: ku Klux klan of originally came from in the nineteenth century, 158 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:14,880 Speaker 1: this crazer trend for secret societies. Yeah, and by all accounts, 159 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:17,920 Speaker 1: it was started on Christmas Eve, like you said in 160 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 1: Pulaski in eighteen sixty five by six men Calvin Jones, 161 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:30,079 Speaker 1: Richard Reid, Frank McCord, uh, John Kennedy, and John uh 162 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:32,880 Speaker 1: Kessler I think, and then I believe it or not. 163 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:39,640 Speaker 1: The final guy's name was Jim crow No James crow No, Yeah, 164 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:46,120 Speaker 1: in Pulaski, Tennessee. And um, they they were sort of 165 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:48,400 Speaker 1: based on this one of those secret groups called the 166 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:50,679 Speaker 1: Sons of Malta, but it seems like it was more 167 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:53,680 Speaker 1: inspired by because they weren't around by the time the 168 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:58,440 Speaker 1: Civil War ended. But they definitely sort of, um, kind 169 00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:01,960 Speaker 1: of cribbed some stuff from from the Malton's as far 170 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:04,200 Speaker 1: as uh. And this is the whole thing with the 171 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:09,760 Speaker 1: secret societies, like outfits and costumes and rights and initiations 172 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:13,040 Speaker 1: and dumb names of leadership that you make up. It's 173 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 1: all a big part of it. I have never understood 174 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:22,040 Speaker 1: the desire, and not just obviously the clan because UH 175 00:10:22,280 --> 00:10:26,760 Speaker 1: clearly not interested in that, but any fraternal group like that, 176 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:30,880 Speaker 1: I just including fraternities in college. I just I never 177 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:34,680 Speaker 1: got it. Yeah. Um, that Sons of Malta you mentioned 178 00:10:34,679 --> 00:10:38,560 Speaker 1: seemed to have been directly impactful. Um. I don't know 179 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:40,960 Speaker 1: if there were members who were who were from the 180 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:42,520 Speaker 1: Sons of Malta or how they heard of it. But 181 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:44,720 Speaker 1: the Sons of Malta and then another group called the 182 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:47,760 Speaker 1: Ku Close Adelphin and both of them seemed to have 183 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:51,920 Speaker 1: been party cruise or cruise from Marti Gras in New Orleans. 184 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:54,360 Speaker 1: And then this all Sons of Malta somehow made their 185 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:56,720 Speaker 1: way up to Boston, and that's where they really kind 186 00:10:56,720 --> 00:11:00,880 Speaker 1: of got hold or got pop ler, I guess, but 187 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:03,800 Speaker 1: neither one of those were racist groups from what I 188 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:07,280 Speaker 1: could tell, UM, and from also what I could tell, 189 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:11,280 Speaker 1: the Ku Klux Klan wasn't necessarily intended to be a 190 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:17,160 Speaker 1: racist terrorist political organization, at least at first. But UM 191 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:23,000 Speaker 1: shortly after they formed in eighteen sixty five sixty six UM, 192 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:28,559 Speaker 1: the federal government passed the Reconstruction Acts UM, and reconstruction 193 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:33,079 Speaker 1: definitely deserves its own episode. Really want to do one 194 00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:36,640 Speaker 1: or two on reconstruction at some point. But when they 195 00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:42,720 Speaker 1: passed that act, that UM that kind of changed or 196 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:45,920 Speaker 1: gave focus to this what may have been like just 197 00:11:46,040 --> 00:11:50,320 Speaker 1: kind of a UM A group of racist people, and 198 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:55,000 Speaker 1: turned them into a racist political terrorist organization. Now they 199 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:58,760 Speaker 1: had something to do besides meat at the moose lodge 200 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:01,520 Speaker 1: and that was to a forced white supremacy in the 201 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:07,160 Speaker 1: Deep South through acts of violence and intimidation and terror techniques. Um. 202 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:09,400 Speaker 1: And that was the first incarnation of the clan, and 203 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:13,520 Speaker 1: they spread really quick from Tennessee down to um Georgia 204 00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:17,280 Speaker 1: and other neighboring states, thanks in part to personal visits 205 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:21,360 Speaker 1: for organizing by a guy named Nathan Bedford Forrest Uh, 206 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:24,920 Speaker 1: a Confederate general who is not a great guy. Yeah 207 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:27,440 Speaker 1: he was. Uh, there are a lot of complications with 208 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:28,920 Speaker 1: that guy. We'll we'll get to him in a sec. 209 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:34,360 Speaker 1: But um the name KKK or ku klux Klan um 210 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:37,040 Speaker 1: they think might have and there's no again. It's it's 211 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:39,800 Speaker 1: been such a sort of willy nilly organization as far 212 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:44,040 Speaker 1: as having a national, sort of codified presence that there's 213 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:47,080 Speaker 1: not even like a website that I saw that you 214 00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:49,960 Speaker 1: can go to. It's all regional. Man, those are some 215 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:54,800 Speaker 1: terrible websites. They're pretty bad. Comics sands everywhere. Yeah, they're 216 00:12:54,840 --> 00:12:57,800 Speaker 1: they're pretty bad. When this like a black background and 217 00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:02,400 Speaker 1: like pink fonts and stuff that spewing racist bigotry and 218 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:05,720 Speaker 1: ideology and oh my god, it's pretty bad. I wanted 219 00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:07,200 Speaker 1: to like throw my laptop out in the window at 220 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:10,000 Speaker 1: one point. UM. But they think it might have derived 221 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:14,600 Speaker 1: from the Greek word uh key close k y k 222 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:20,000 Speaker 1: l o s, which was basically denotes um what people 223 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:23,160 Speaker 1: thought were like the natural cycles of government or types 224 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:26,559 Speaker 1: of government that a civilization could have, which is pretty 225 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:28,559 Speaker 1: haughty if you think about it. For the k k 226 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:32,440 Speaker 1: k I mean of political philosophy that dates back to 227 00:13:32,559 --> 00:13:37,319 Speaker 1: the third century PC. That's it's really something. But ku 228 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:40,280 Speaker 1: close is what it um k u k l os 229 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:43,559 Speaker 1: is what it was sort of translated as and and 230 00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:46,400 Speaker 1: modern and well not the modern era, but back then 231 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:51,000 Speaker 1: and uh clan with a K, Like what I saw 232 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:54,880 Speaker 1: was it was originally ku klux one word and then 233 00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:58,079 Speaker 1: clan with a c uh. And they think that may 234 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:01,400 Speaker 1: have come from maybe um Scottish clans. They play Scottish 235 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:05,360 Speaker 1: music sometimes at their rallies, but that's not affirmed either. 236 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:08,880 Speaker 1: But eventually I think that C was replaced with a K. 237 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:15,360 Speaker 1: It became kkk and these lodges started popping up um 238 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:17,800 Speaker 1: all over right after the Civil War because kind of 239 00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:20,240 Speaker 1: like you said, once um of my adority gets a 240 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:23,200 Speaker 1: little bit of freedom. Uh, there's a bit of an 241 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:26,160 Speaker 1: uprising and clan membership. And that's what happened from the 242 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:28,720 Speaker 1: first iteration is like, there we have these enslaved people 243 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:32,280 Speaker 1: that are now free. We need to basically intimidate them 244 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:35,840 Speaker 1: into feeling like they still have no freedoms even though 245 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:39,160 Speaker 1: the loss as different. Right. So one of the first 246 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:43,600 Speaker 1: things they did was, Um, you know when when reconstruction 247 00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:45,960 Speaker 1: came along and all of a sudden there were you know, 248 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:48,920 Speaker 1: black people in the South could hold political office or 249 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:51,840 Speaker 1: be judges or all this Like this was like flipping 250 00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:55,120 Speaker 1: a switch as far as the South is concerned, um. 251 00:14:55,680 --> 00:14:59,320 Speaker 1: And it's like I said, it laser focused like the 252 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:02,600 Speaker 1: a times of the Ku Klux Klan, and that they 253 00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:07,320 Speaker 1: now took up an intimidation and terrorism campaign against black 254 00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:11,040 Speaker 1: people in South, against Republicans in the South. The Republicans 255 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:12,840 Speaker 1: at the time were a much different party than they 256 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:15,560 Speaker 1: are today, and that they were into the idea of 257 00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:20,240 Speaker 1: big government to support and enforce social justice. Um. And 258 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:22,840 Speaker 1: then years later around the turn of the last century, 259 00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:27,160 Speaker 1: UM Williams Jenning Bryant was a candidate who was a 260 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:30,840 Speaker 1: Democrat who basically ran on the Republican platform a big 261 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:33,760 Speaker 1: government to enforce social justice. And then later on it 262 00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:36,600 Speaker 1: was cemented by FDR is a big kind of transition 263 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:43,800 Speaker 1: or um um switch basically of ideologies between the parties. UM. 264 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:46,840 Speaker 1: But at the time, if you were a Republican, you 265 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:49,320 Speaker 1: were probably if you're in the South, you were probably 266 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:54,560 Speaker 1: for UM equal rights for black citizens, and you were 267 00:15:54,560 --> 00:15:58,080 Speaker 1: a target of their intimidation campaigns as well, big time, 268 00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:01,440 Speaker 1: because not only were they of battling these politicians, but 269 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:05,120 Speaker 1: UM voter intimidation was a very real thing, UH and 270 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:09,320 Speaker 1: voter suppression, and they would UM, they would murder people, 271 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:13,280 Speaker 1: UM like hundreds, maybe thousands of people in the South, 272 00:16:13,360 --> 00:16:16,760 Speaker 1: especially Louisiana. UM reports ahead of the eighteen sixty eight 273 00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:20,240 Speaker 1: election UM where that they murdered people for intimidation and 274 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:22,840 Speaker 1: literally to keep them from voting. Yeah, dude. There was 275 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:27,080 Speaker 1: one town called opal Loosis, UM, Louisiana, a town of 276 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:29,320 Speaker 1: twenty five thousand, so it was pretty big. UM. It 277 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 1: was the county seat of the parish. You can't remember 278 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:35,280 Speaker 1: what parish. But in two weeks, two hundred people were 279 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:38,560 Speaker 1: murdered around the eighteen sixty eight election. Two hundred. That's 280 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:41,400 Speaker 1: fourteen people a day in this town of twenty five 281 00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:45,000 Speaker 1: thousand people, UM, all because of terrorism. Carried out by 282 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:49,280 Speaker 1: the KKK. Yeah, and Ed helped us put this together. 283 00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:50,760 Speaker 1: And Ed is keen to point out and I think 284 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:54,640 Speaker 1: we should too, is that a lot of what the 285 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:57,520 Speaker 1: Clan has always tried to do is is lead their 286 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:00,240 Speaker 1: groups by fear. And you still see that to day, 287 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:02,320 Speaker 1: not only through the Clan but other groups, like fear 288 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:04,680 Speaker 1: of you know, that the immigrants gonna take your job, 289 00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:07,040 Speaker 1: or fear of this, fear of that, And back then 290 00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:10,120 Speaker 1: it was fear of um these enslaved people that are 291 00:17:10,119 --> 00:17:13,520 Speaker 1: now free rising up, you know, and and getting revenge, 292 00:17:14,119 --> 00:17:18,840 Speaker 1: and that didn't happen, like even though slavery happened, Like 293 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:23,600 Speaker 1: once black Americans earned their freedom, they did not all 294 00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:27,240 Speaker 1: of a sudden say, oh yeah, well payback time, we're angry, 295 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:29,840 Speaker 1: we're gonna come after you. They were happy to be 296 00:17:30,119 --> 00:17:34,399 Speaker 1: freed and just to try and live as regular people 297 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:38,800 Speaker 1: with rights and society. And that wasn't the message that 298 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:41,239 Speaker 1: the Clan was putting out. They were like, you need 299 00:17:41,280 --> 00:17:43,359 Speaker 1: to be afraid of them, even though there are no 300 00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:46,320 Speaker 1: accounts of that happening. It was just black people trying 301 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:50,320 Speaker 1: to be regular, normal people, right. And the other problem 302 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:52,800 Speaker 1: with that kind of thing is is like when somebody 303 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:56,680 Speaker 1: does stuff like this, when they carry out a terror campaign, um, 304 00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:59,080 Speaker 1: it makes people wonder like, geez, well, what did the 305 00:17:59,119 --> 00:18:01,800 Speaker 1: other people do to deserve this? Well, the other people 306 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:04,480 Speaker 1: didn't do anything to deserve this. And that's that's what's 307 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:08,720 Speaker 1: called the false balance or balance fallacy, where there the 308 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:12,600 Speaker 1: idea that there's you know, there's problems on both sides, 309 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:15,240 Speaker 1: or there's good people on both sides. It's it's like no, 310 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:20,880 Speaker 1: sometimes one side is the problem basically of the problem. 311 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:23,720 Speaker 1: And I think that was really important of to point 312 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:25,440 Speaker 1: out and for us to point out too, that there 313 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:31,120 Speaker 1: was nothing that the the Clan was defending against except 314 00:18:32,080 --> 00:18:37,280 Speaker 1: white supremacy and black black suppression, the suppression of rights 315 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:40,879 Speaker 1: among black people. That was it. It's as despicable as 316 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:44,359 Speaker 1: it sounds. There was nothing gallant or good about it. 317 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:47,479 Speaker 1: There was nothing honorable bull about it. And in fact, 318 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:51,840 Speaker 1: they were so violent and so criminal and so despicable 319 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:56,080 Speaker 1: that within three years of their founding, the Grand Wizard 320 00:18:56,359 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 1: of the KKK, Nathan Bedford Forrest, who we Um mentioned earlier, 321 00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:05,600 Speaker 1: issued his one and only basically executive orders Grand Wizard, saying, 322 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:08,760 Speaker 1: we have to disband and burn all of our stuff 323 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:11,960 Speaker 1: because this has gotten out of hand. That's how violent 324 00:19:12,119 --> 00:19:15,639 Speaker 1: they had become and how despicable their acts had been. Yeah, 325 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:20,560 Speaker 1: Forrest Gump's namesake. Yeah, Um, he was, like I said, 326 00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:25,080 Speaker 1: he was a pretty controversial remains a controversial dude. Uh. 327 00:19:25,119 --> 00:19:27,720 Speaker 1: And that he was one of the generals of the Confederacy. 328 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:31,000 Speaker 1: And um, he was in charge when the Fort Pillow 329 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:33,920 Speaker 1: massacre happened, which was, uh, something we can get into 330 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:37,720 Speaker 1: in detail, maybe in a short stuff maybe, but um, essentially, 331 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:40,280 Speaker 1: you know, hundreds of largely black soldiers who had given 332 00:19:40,359 --> 00:19:44,040 Speaker 1: up and surrendered were just massacred on this day at 333 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:48,320 Speaker 1: Fort Pillow. And Um, he was known as a brilliant general, 334 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:51,040 Speaker 1: the Wizard of the Saddle, which is what he was 335 00:19:51,119 --> 00:19:53,679 Speaker 1: called because he was a cavalry guy. Uh. And that 336 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:56,439 Speaker 1: later became you know, they kind of gang that for 337 00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:58,320 Speaker 1: the clan as far as the Grand Wizard, they kind 338 00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:03,480 Speaker 1: of stole that from there. Um. But he uh, he 339 00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:05,960 Speaker 1: seemed to be a vile man. But then later in life, 340 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:09,800 Speaker 1: like you said, um became disillusioned with the clan. Some 341 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:11,679 Speaker 1: people said it was just because he didn't think they 342 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:14,199 Speaker 1: were organized enough. Some people said it was because he 343 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:17,240 Speaker 1: thought they got too violent. But in Memphis late in life, 344 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:21,639 Speaker 1: he gave this big speech about um, you know, basically 345 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,120 Speaker 1: trying to hold up the black man and give them 346 00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:28,159 Speaker 1: jobs and put them in positions of important positions in 347 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:31,239 Speaker 1: our government, and to make them doctors and lawyers. So 348 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:33,080 Speaker 1: I don't know if it was a change of heart. 349 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:37,639 Speaker 1: There's been a lot of controversy since since then about 350 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:42,119 Speaker 1: like should we honor this guy or you know, or 351 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:45,399 Speaker 1: talk about like his entire life up until that moment. No, 352 00:20:45,560 --> 00:20:49,399 Speaker 1: I think it's it's like he he deserves to have 353 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:52,159 Speaker 1: like his like it all spread out on the table. 354 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:55,480 Speaker 1: But I feel like once you oversee like a massacre 355 00:20:55,600 --> 00:21:00,159 Speaker 1: of of unarmed black soldiers came home, oversee like at 356 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:03,760 Speaker 1: in a white supremacist terrorist group, that's pretty tough to 357 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:06,400 Speaker 1: come back from. Even though I mean, it is definitely 358 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:08,560 Speaker 1: worth noting and I think fair to note that he 359 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:11,400 Speaker 1: did have at least something of a change of heart, 360 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:14,600 Speaker 1: at least publicly. I saw that he wrote to uh, 361 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:18,000 Speaker 1: I think the governor of Tennessee or somewhere and offered 362 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:23,760 Speaker 1: to help destroy um white vigilantes who were harassing UM 363 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:28,160 Speaker 1: black citizens because he thought it was uncalled for. So yeah, 364 00:21:28,240 --> 00:21:33,520 Speaker 1: he was a a unusual person over the span of 365 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:35,680 Speaker 1: his life, but he still did some pretty horrible stuff 366 00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:37,800 Speaker 1: of course. And this, you know, this pops up anytime 367 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:41,199 Speaker 1: there's um a debate over whether they should strip the 368 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:44,240 Speaker 1: name from this or that, you know, because there's plenty, 369 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:46,679 Speaker 1: plenty of stuff named for him. There's a high school 370 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:51,480 Speaker 1: in Jacksonville, Florida that was named Nathan F. Nathan B. 371 00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:58,320 Speaker 1: Forest High School until two thousand fourteen. Yeah, two thousand fourteen, 372 00:21:58,359 --> 00:22:01,080 Speaker 1: there was a high school named after the basically the 373 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:04,919 Speaker 1: founder of the Ku Klux Klan in Jacksonville, Florida. They 374 00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:07,120 Speaker 1: should just name all the high schools in Florida, Tom 375 00:22:07,119 --> 00:22:10,400 Speaker 1: Petty High School. It's he from Florida. He's from Gainesville. 376 00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:13,560 Speaker 1: I didn't know that. Yeah, big, big time music scene 377 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:18,399 Speaker 1: down there back then. Okay, what happened to the music scene? Yeah, 378 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:21,080 Speaker 1: I don't know. Maybe there're still this one. Who else 379 00:22:21,119 --> 00:22:24,959 Speaker 1: came out of Gainesville at that time? The Don Felder, 380 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:29,760 Speaker 1: the guitar player for the Eagles, was Tom Petty's guitar teacher. Uh. 381 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:33,240 Speaker 1: And then um like Leonard skinnerd hung out in Jacksonville, 382 00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:35,960 Speaker 1: and I think the Almond Brothers they were making guys, 383 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:39,600 Speaker 1: but they hung out down there too. Okay, should we 384 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:42,400 Speaker 1: take a break? Sure, all right, let's take a break. 385 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:44,600 Speaker 1: I didn't think Tom Petty and the Almond brothers would 386 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:48,080 Speaker 1: make a appearance in the Clan episode, but they did. 387 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:49,920 Speaker 1: And we'll be back right after it to talk about 388 00:22:50,000 --> 00:23:22,760 Speaker 1: the enforcement x all right. The enforcement x uh. This 389 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:26,280 Speaker 1: is basically when the federal government stepped up starting in 390 00:23:26,359 --> 00:23:29,680 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy and said, you know what, we can't count 391 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:34,200 Speaker 1: on these states, especially in the South, and we should 392 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:36,760 Speaker 1: point out and ed Ed makes a good point of 393 00:23:36,840 --> 00:23:39,359 Speaker 1: pointing out that like there was racism all over the country, 394 00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:41,600 Speaker 1: always has been. There have been claim groups all over 395 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:45,320 Speaker 1: the country, but in the South, it was in the government, 396 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:48,440 Speaker 1: it was in the courts, it was in the school systems, 397 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:52,720 Speaker 1: like it was nowhere else in the country. So the 398 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:55,879 Speaker 1: federal government said, we can't count on the Southern states 399 00:23:56,280 --> 00:23:59,200 Speaker 1: to do the right thing and to have real investigations 400 00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:04,040 Speaker 1: and prosecute people and to protect black citizens. So we're 401 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:07,240 Speaker 1: gonna pass the Enforcement Acts that basically says, uh, we 402 00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:08,920 Speaker 1: can go in there and we can kind of take 403 00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:12,080 Speaker 1: care of business on our own if we have to. Yeah, 404 00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:16,600 Speaker 1: and take care of business. They did. Um, General Grant 405 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:20,560 Speaker 1: Ulysses Grant, who was then President. Grant had an Attorney 406 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:24,639 Speaker 1: general named Amos Ackerman Disguss Awesome is awesome. It's one 407 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:26,720 Speaker 1: of the heroes of this story. He doesn't even have 408 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:32,000 Speaker 1: a Wikipedia page. He doesn't know. That's pretty lame Wikipedia. 409 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:34,960 Speaker 1: It's bad. He's a Georgia boy too. Yeah, yeah, he 410 00:24:35,119 --> 00:24:38,440 Speaker 1: is so. UM. This guy ended up the attorney general 411 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:42,199 Speaker 1: under Grant, and he basically used everything at his disposal, 412 00:24:42,280 --> 00:24:47,400 Speaker 1: from forming UM like basically the prototype of the FBI 413 00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:52,280 Speaker 1: to UM to getting federal troops and getting martial law 414 00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:56,280 Speaker 1: declared down in South Carolina to oversee the presidential election 415 00:24:56,359 --> 00:25:00,719 Speaker 1: down there. UM like all sorts of different stuff. Everything 416 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:03,399 Speaker 1: he had he would throw at the clan and ultimately 417 00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:06,520 Speaker 1: kind of broke the back of that first clan. That 418 00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:12,120 Speaker 1: combined with um Bedford Forrest UM. I don't know why 419 00:25:12,160 --> 00:25:13,760 Speaker 1: you have to say both of those names, but you 420 00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:18,359 Speaker 1: just kind of do UM. That combined with his executive 421 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:21,640 Speaker 1: order disband like the clan, the first clan went away 422 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:25,040 Speaker 1: very very quickly. Actually, yeah, and it's hard to tell 423 00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:28,520 Speaker 1: how big it was at its first peak. Uh. Some 424 00:25:28,560 --> 00:25:32,000 Speaker 1: people say maybe a half million people, But like you said, 425 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:37,720 Speaker 1: it faded out pretty quickly. Um, and you know, we'll 426 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:40,199 Speaker 1: talk about when the clan fades out. You know, it 427 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:42,800 Speaker 1: doesn't really go anywhere as far as these people go. 428 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:45,760 Speaker 1: It's not like everyone all of a sudden was awesome 429 00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:50,679 Speaker 1: and not racist. It just means the formal clan just 430 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:54,800 Speaker 1: lacks membership basically. I don't know. I think I think 431 00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:58,919 Speaker 1: when when suddenly, like the four the federal government and 432 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:03,199 Speaker 1: like you know, maybe your senator or your representative, or 433 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:06,640 Speaker 1: you hear the President talking smack about this group that 434 00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:08,520 Speaker 1: you know, you used to think was pretty cool, but 435 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:10,040 Speaker 1: now all of a sudden you realize that the rest 436 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:13,080 Speaker 1: of the country thinks you're a backward dummy for looking 437 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:16,240 Speaker 1: up to these clan members. It can kind of it 438 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:19,480 Speaker 1: can kind of make people self reflect a little bit, 439 00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:22,640 Speaker 1: you know. So I wonder how many people do change 440 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:26,680 Speaker 1: their minds or have historically over over the course of this, 441 00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:29,800 Speaker 1: not necessarily like, well, I'm not racist anymore, but I 442 00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:33,040 Speaker 1: think that that's that's a possibility that somebody can reflect 443 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:34,920 Speaker 1: like that, or at the very least the next time 444 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:38,920 Speaker 1: they're not going to participate or agitate or join in. 445 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:41,880 Speaker 1: You know, I don't know, I saw, did you see 446 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:47,040 Speaker 1: that mem of the dude in I think Indiana, Illinois, 447 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:50,320 Speaker 1: I can't remember. He's I believe, in a wheelchair and 448 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:53,199 Speaker 1: he's had a Black Lives Matter rally. He's holding a 449 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:55,919 Speaker 1: sign that says, I'm sorry, I'm late. I had a 450 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:58,840 Speaker 1: lot to learn, and he apparently was. I don't know 451 00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:00,639 Speaker 1: if he was racist, but he was certainly not in 452 00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:04,200 Speaker 1: favor of Black Lives Matter, and I guess started reading 453 00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:06,760 Speaker 1: about it and looking into it and doing his research 454 00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:09,639 Speaker 1: and had a complete change of heart and showed up 455 00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:11,640 Speaker 1: at one of their rallies and support of them, which 456 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:13,240 Speaker 1: was pretty cool. Have you seen that? I have not 457 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:15,680 Speaker 1: seen that. So it is. I mean, it can't happen. 458 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:18,160 Speaker 1: Like people, sentiments about this kind of stuff can change. 459 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:20,959 Speaker 1: And I feel like when people are like, oh, oh, 460 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:24,120 Speaker 1: I'm in favor of of keeping other human beings down 461 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:27,399 Speaker 1: for really no reason whatsoever except they don't look like me, 462 00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:30,440 Speaker 1: I feel like that that's like a there's a lot 463 00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:33,840 Speaker 1: of room for improvement that can happen. Um in in 464 00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:37,040 Speaker 1: that in that sense, you know, yeah, I mean, I'm 465 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:39,800 Speaker 1: I'm sure individuals have changed like that. I wish it 466 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:44,760 Speaker 1: was on mass Um. There were other violent racist groups 467 00:27:45,119 --> 00:27:49,200 Speaker 1: when the clan was not as popular during that period. Um, 468 00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:52,160 Speaker 1: they just didn't have uh, they didn't have that sort 469 00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:59,280 Speaker 1: of unified Um. Look, well so let's talk Yeah, let's 470 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:01,320 Speaker 1: talk about that. Look if you're if you're ready to 471 00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:04,840 Speaker 1: want to Yeah, I mean you can thank you d W. 472 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:08,840 Speaker 1: Griffith and Thomas Dixon Jr. For that, Yeah, because prior 473 00:28:08,880 --> 00:28:12,919 Speaker 1: to this, the clan um did not really look like 474 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:16,640 Speaker 1: what you would think. They they wore masks and hoods 475 00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:20,000 Speaker 1: and um, you know, disguises, and they tried to disguise 476 00:28:20,080 --> 00:28:22,560 Speaker 1: their voice. Apparently sometimes they would pretend that they were 477 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:27,879 Speaker 1: the ghosts of Confederate soldiers coming to terrorize black families. Um, 478 00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:32,840 Speaker 1: fooling absolutely no one. But they they didn't wear necessarily 479 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:35,359 Speaker 1: what you would think of as like the clan today. 480 00:28:35,359 --> 00:28:39,120 Speaker 1: And like you said, that strictly came from d. W. Griffith, 481 00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:42,360 Speaker 1: and I guess Dixon Thomas Dixon do a lesser extent, 482 00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:45,080 Speaker 1: but Griffith like really put it up there for everybody 483 00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:47,400 Speaker 1: to see. With the Birth of a Nation. Yeah, Birth 484 00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:50,640 Speaker 1: of a Nation was a movie based on play that 485 00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:52,920 Speaker 1: was based on a book from Thomas Dixon Jr. He 486 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:58,440 Speaker 1: published The Klansmen with a C. Colon h historical romance 487 00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:01,960 Speaker 1: of the Ku Klux Klan and where they were depicted 488 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:06,760 Speaker 1: as heroic, heroic sort of noble Christian warriors, and that 489 00:29:06,840 --> 00:29:09,440 Speaker 1: became a play that had was a little bit more popular, 490 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:14,680 Speaker 1: and then d W. Griffith based the movie on that play. Um, 491 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:17,200 Speaker 1: and it was you know, this is where you saw 492 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:19,640 Speaker 1: crosses burning, and this is where you saw those white 493 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:23,600 Speaker 1: pointed hoods and horses with robes on them. Those poor 494 00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:26,560 Speaker 1: poor horses. They have no idea what they're doing. It 495 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:29,520 Speaker 1: makes me feel the horses into this show. I wish 496 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:33,120 Speaker 1: they wouldn't, but you know what we know as sort 497 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:36,640 Speaker 1: of the look of the clan was fully put forth 498 00:29:36,680 --> 00:29:39,959 Speaker 1: by d W. Griffith on screen. Um. I was kind 499 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:42,760 Speaker 1: of curious because I know he was a huge, huge 500 00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:45,160 Speaker 1: name in Hollywood and a pioneer in Hollywood and was 501 00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:49,560 Speaker 1: a founding partner of United Artists with Chaplain and Mary 502 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:54,040 Speaker 1: Pickford and I think Douglas Fairbanks maybe, um, but I 503 00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:56,320 Speaker 1: was curious about both those guys, like were they super 504 00:29:56,400 --> 00:30:00,000 Speaker 1: racist or was this just a movie to them? And uh, 505 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:04,600 Speaker 1: Dixon was supposedly really racist. Um, although he supposedly denounced 506 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:07,240 Speaker 1: bigotry in the wake of this sort of new clan 507 00:30:07,360 --> 00:30:09,920 Speaker 1: that was created. I had a harder time finding out 508 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:13,760 Speaker 1: what d. W. Griffith was all about. He never apologized 509 00:30:13,760 --> 00:30:18,800 Speaker 1: for anything, and he seems to have sort of escaped scrutiny, 510 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:22,400 Speaker 1: uh in some ways, so in his lifetime I think so, 511 00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:24,479 Speaker 1: but I'm not really sure because it didn't have time 512 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:26,800 Speaker 1: to really do a deep dive into whether or not, 513 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:28,800 Speaker 1: like he believed the stuff or he was like, I'm 514 00:30:28,840 --> 00:30:31,400 Speaker 1: gonna make a salacious movie that's going to be super 515 00:30:31,440 --> 00:30:34,160 Speaker 1: controversial and get banned and get me a lot of attention. 516 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:37,560 Speaker 1: But the the you know, whether his heart was in 517 00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:41,320 Speaker 1: it or not, the impact that his movie had was astounding. 518 00:30:42,080 --> 00:30:44,960 Speaker 1: It was like, imagine if when Star Wars came out, 519 00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:49,840 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, like, um, Jedi schools popped up 520 00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:52,040 Speaker 1: in real life, and like they would form together and 521 00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:56,400 Speaker 1: go out and run for office as like Jedies. Basically, sweet, 522 00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:59,760 Speaker 1: we need a third party, right, yeah, the Jedi party. 523 00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:03,760 Speaker 1: But imagine if those Jedis were like virulent racists who 524 00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:08,040 Speaker 1: were um dedicated to suppressing the rights of minorities. What 525 00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:10,320 Speaker 1: do you think about that? It's much less good. It's 526 00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:12,920 Speaker 1: much less good, and um, that's yeah, that's kind of 527 00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:14,959 Speaker 1: what happened. It's a good point. Yeah, but based on 528 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:17,760 Speaker 1: this movie. It was a popular movie that kicked off 529 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:21,720 Speaker 1: what's what's considered the second wave or second incarnation of 530 00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:23,840 Speaker 1: the Ku Klux Klan and gave us all of that, 531 00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:29,840 Speaker 1: the symbolism, the grandiose um look and feel, and just 532 00:31:29,920 --> 00:31:33,400 Speaker 1: kind of like gave it this almost legend that really 533 00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:36,640 Speaker 1: didn't exist because the first claim was never like that. 534 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:41,200 Speaker 1: They were a bunch of hooded um, murderous thugs who 535 00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:44,080 Speaker 1: would ride around on horseback at night and set people's 536 00:31:44,120 --> 00:31:47,320 Speaker 1: houses on fire. They didn't look anything like that. Um. 537 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:50,360 Speaker 1: So yeah, you can lay you know, the resurgence and 538 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:54,080 Speaker 1: interests of the clan almost squarely at the feet of 539 00:31:54,160 --> 00:31:57,600 Speaker 1: d W. Griffith, and then only because it wasn't as 540 00:31:57,600 --> 00:32:01,440 Speaker 1: popular to a lesser extent, Tom Dixon's eat. Not Tom Dixon, 541 00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:06,040 Speaker 1: the great great lighting designer, Tom Dixon, the racist author. Yes, 542 00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:09,560 Speaker 1: Thomas Dixon Jr. I think right, uh. And in fact, 543 00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:11,920 Speaker 1: the Birth of a Nation part of it was filmed 544 00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:14,080 Speaker 1: in the neighborhood I lived in l a and lous 545 00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:17,600 Speaker 1: felis right there where I remember where we shot the 546 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:20,800 Speaker 1: driving around stuff for the Toyota commercial. Yeah. Can I 547 00:32:20,880 --> 00:32:24,560 Speaker 1: just say one of my favorite gonna say is, well, 548 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:27,600 Speaker 1: we were talking, Yes, you didn't look to the right, 549 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:30,040 Speaker 1: and you started to pull through a crosswalk and this 550 00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:32,760 Speaker 1: lady with her husband and like three kids started like, 551 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:35,120 Speaker 1: I think, smack the hood of the priest that we 552 00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:37,360 Speaker 1: were filming in and like yelled at you, and you 553 00:32:37,520 --> 00:32:40,080 Speaker 1: like yelled back at her and shook your fists. Like 554 00:32:40,120 --> 00:32:43,360 Speaker 1: you you got in there like a match. You did. 555 00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:47,320 Speaker 1: You did in every way except physically shaking your fist. 556 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:49,440 Speaker 1: But you've got in like a shouting match with some 557 00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:52,840 Speaker 1: pedestrian while we were filming a Toyota commercial. Beautiful. It 558 00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:54,840 Speaker 1: wasn't quite a shouting match. It was very brief. She 559 00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:58,240 Speaker 1: she way overreacted totally. I don't know. I'm not saying 560 00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:00,480 Speaker 1: you were in the wrong, but it was just reminded 561 00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:02,440 Speaker 1: me of everything I hated about living in l A. 562 00:33:02,520 --> 00:33:05,160 Speaker 1: I think in that one moment was like, how bad 563 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:08,240 Speaker 1: this lady overreacted? Yeah, it was fun though. That was 564 00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:11,480 Speaker 1: a great, great memory. Yeah, but Birth of a Nation 565 00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:14,120 Speaker 1: was filmed like right down the street from there. Part 566 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:17,080 Speaker 1: of it. Um the my favorite movie theater in l A. 567 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:20,320 Speaker 1: The Vista was right on this corner, and also the 568 00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:24,440 Speaker 1: movie theater that doubled as Detroit for True Romance for 569 00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:28,440 Speaker 1: the Karate Kung Fu Theater at the beginning. Um, but yeah, 570 00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:30,360 Speaker 1: like right out there in front of that, it's this 571 00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:34,680 Speaker 1: big like convergence of five streets and apparently like some 572 00:33:34,720 --> 00:33:37,520 Speaker 1: of the huge like marching scenes from Birth of a Nation, 573 00:33:37,560 --> 00:33:42,320 Speaker 1: we're film right there anyway. Um, this second birth of 574 00:33:42,360 --> 00:33:45,000 Speaker 1: the clan, a lot of it can be credited also 575 00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:49,320 Speaker 1: to the actions of William J. Simmons, who was inspired 576 00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:51,440 Speaker 1: from the movie in in nineteen fifteen went to the 577 00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:54,280 Speaker 1: top of Stone Mountain here in Georgia and burned across 578 00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:59,840 Speaker 1: and inspired by a movie. Yeah, well and ass and 579 00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:02,720 Speaker 1: hate in the previous clan, like you know, it was 580 00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:06,960 Speaker 1: all still there. Um. But James Venable, who I mentioned earlier, 581 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:09,120 Speaker 1: who I went to school with his grandkids, he was 582 00:34:09,160 --> 00:34:12,520 Speaker 1: a kid on top of the mountain with William Simmons 583 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:15,360 Speaker 1: at the time, and he was up there and I 584 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:18,439 Speaker 1: think with his uncle and this was kind of looked 585 00:34:18,440 --> 00:34:20,880 Speaker 1: at it sort of one of the first meetings of 586 00:34:20,920 --> 00:34:26,000 Speaker 1: the newly reborn Ku Klux Klan and the nineteen fifteen 587 00:34:26,160 --> 00:34:29,480 Speaker 1: to twenties. Yeah, so in addition to having like a 588 00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:35,200 Speaker 1: much more unified look and um, I guess uh design 589 00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:39,200 Speaker 1: ethos um. The this version of the clan, the second 590 00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:43,040 Speaker 1: version of the clan, seemed more organized. At least they 591 00:34:43,040 --> 00:34:47,400 Speaker 1: were organized enough to actually become a political force, not 592 00:34:47,520 --> 00:34:51,560 Speaker 1: just in support of you know, um, say the Democrats 593 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:55,120 Speaker 1: at the time, or uh, in support of just whatever 594 00:34:55,239 --> 00:34:59,000 Speaker 1: local judge was known to be a racist and you 595 00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:01,920 Speaker 1: know they they would they would support him and intimidate 596 00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:05,359 Speaker 1: voters against him. They would actually put forth candidates who 597 00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:08,360 Speaker 1: were members of the clan and publicly members of the clan. 598 00:35:08,840 --> 00:35:13,799 Speaker 1: Um probably most famously Robert Bird, a senator from uh 599 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:18,440 Speaker 1: West Virginia, was a clan member and like never backed 600 00:35:18,440 --> 00:35:20,880 Speaker 1: away from the clan at at any point. There were 601 00:35:20,920 --> 00:35:25,799 Speaker 1: other Southerners like from Georgia who were senators, I mean, 602 00:35:26,400 --> 00:35:29,480 Speaker 1: who were also Southerners from Georgia who were from the clan, 603 00:35:29,920 --> 00:35:34,000 Speaker 1: some representatives, lots and lots of local officials, and like 604 00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:37,560 Speaker 1: the clan would actually they became something of a political 605 00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:40,360 Speaker 1: force as well. Yeah, I mean the local thing is 606 00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:43,319 Speaker 1: really um was a big deal because it could be 607 00:35:44,400 --> 00:35:46,759 Speaker 1: and you know politics, we all get worked up over 608 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:50,120 Speaker 1: national politics as well. We should but if you really 609 00:35:50,120 --> 00:35:52,160 Speaker 1: want to see a difference in your life day to day, 610 00:35:52,640 --> 00:35:56,400 Speaker 1: local politics is where it's at, and you know, county 611 00:35:56,440 --> 00:35:59,880 Speaker 1: commissions and school boards and boards of directors like that. 612 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:02,520 Speaker 1: The local level is really where the Clan could get 613 00:36:02,520 --> 00:36:05,960 Speaker 1: in there on a more low key basis and do 614 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:09,040 Speaker 1: a lot of damage. Um. So that you know, they 615 00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:13,879 Speaker 1: had official uniforms. Now, they had official ranks and titles, um. 616 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:16,440 Speaker 1: They were still sort of like, hey, we're just a 617 00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:20,240 Speaker 1: a fraternal order, um, and that's kind of all we are. 618 00:36:20,719 --> 00:36:25,400 Speaker 1: But at the same time they expanded there ethos and 619 00:36:25,440 --> 00:36:28,960 Speaker 1: it wasn't just black people anymore. It was they were 620 00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:33,359 Speaker 1: anti anti Semites, they were anti Catholic, they were against communists, 621 00:36:33,400 --> 00:36:36,560 Speaker 1: they were against anything that wasn't white. And all of 622 00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:40,360 Speaker 1: this was sort of under the banner of hey, what 623 00:36:40,480 --> 00:36:43,719 Speaker 1: we really are, uh, because you know they would also 624 00:36:43,880 --> 00:36:47,279 Speaker 1: like trying out pedophiles and stuff like that. What they 625 00:36:47,480 --> 00:36:51,279 Speaker 1: said they really were were patriots and heroes and good Americans, 626 00:36:52,080 --> 00:36:55,319 Speaker 1: which sounds very familiar these days. It really does. This, 627 00:36:55,440 --> 00:36:59,239 Speaker 1: This this version of the clan very much um reflects 628 00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:03,640 Speaker 1: the kind of supremacist bs that you see today in America, 629 00:37:04,239 --> 00:37:09,480 Speaker 1: where it's it's UM very much spread across different groups 630 00:37:09,520 --> 00:37:11,960 Speaker 1: that that are kind of held together by this thread 631 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:15,640 Speaker 1: that you know, white people are losing ground and they 632 00:37:15,680 --> 00:37:18,319 Speaker 1: need to make it back up through whatever whatever we 633 00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:22,520 Speaker 1: need to do. UM. That that really seems to reflect 634 00:37:22,719 --> 00:37:25,319 Speaker 1: a bit. Also the fact that there are crazy nut 635 00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:30,800 Speaker 1: jobs in Congress today who hold white supremacists values basically 636 00:37:30,840 --> 00:37:34,640 Speaker 1: publicly really bears a striking resemblance to the second resurgence 637 00:37:34,680 --> 00:37:37,279 Speaker 1: of the clan. Yeah, who I mean we should point 638 00:37:37,280 --> 00:37:42,080 Speaker 1: out again at like white Christian, white Protestant Christian, right, 639 00:37:42,200 --> 00:37:45,319 Speaker 1: that's important. Seemed to be the only thing that was 640 00:37:46,239 --> 00:37:50,280 Speaker 1: that was okay, like anything else, like anti Catholic, anti Jew, 641 00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:54,920 Speaker 1: anti everything except white Protestant Christian and so like the 642 00:37:54,920 --> 00:37:58,640 Speaker 1: the This was the largest UH popularity of the widest 643 00:37:58,640 --> 00:38:02,400 Speaker 1: popularity of the clan. The Southern Poverty Law Center estimates 644 00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:06,040 Speaker 1: that they may have had around the mid nineteen twenties 645 00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:10,480 Speaker 1: as many as four million members spread across the US. 646 00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:12,600 Speaker 1: And it wasn't just in the South. I mean, there 647 00:38:12,600 --> 00:38:15,359 Speaker 1: were plenty in industrial cities in the North. There are 648 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:18,799 Speaker 1: plenty on the West coast, plenty in the midwest. UH. 649 00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:22,120 Speaker 1: Indiana UM was known as a stronghold of the clan, 650 00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:24,440 Speaker 1: and I read that as many as half a million. 651 00:38:24,840 --> 00:38:28,279 Speaker 1: UH had half a million members, which would have been 652 00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:31,400 Speaker 1: a third of the population of white men in Indiana 653 00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:35,560 Speaker 1: at the time in the nineteen twenties. So you might ask, like, 654 00:38:35,600 --> 00:38:38,640 Speaker 1: why was everybody in the clan just in the same 655 00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:44,600 Speaker 1: way that UM. The reconstruction gave I guess purpose to 656 00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:48,840 Speaker 1: the clan. UM. Massive waves of immigration that had started 657 00:38:48,840 --> 00:38:51,680 Speaker 1: in the late nineteenth century to the United States was 658 00:38:51,760 --> 00:38:55,000 Speaker 1: making America generally racist, and they were easily whipped up 659 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:57,279 Speaker 1: by things like you're gonna lose your job to all 660 00:38:57,280 --> 00:39:00,640 Speaker 1: these immigrants. Yeah, Like it was very much based on 661 00:39:00,719 --> 00:39:04,680 Speaker 1: local grievance, grievances like whatever the local fear was, and 662 00:39:04,719 --> 00:39:07,520 Speaker 1: a lot of times you're right, that was immigrants coming 663 00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:10,359 Speaker 1: into the town and taking your jobs, or black men 664 00:39:10,520 --> 00:39:13,839 Speaker 1: marrying white women, or whatever they felt the local thing 665 00:39:13,960 --> 00:39:16,799 Speaker 1: was that would be most effective at recruiting. Kind of 666 00:39:17,560 --> 00:39:20,080 Speaker 1: was what they kind of honed in on. UM. The 667 00:39:20,160 --> 00:39:23,160 Speaker 1: mystique of it all was very I think intoxicating to 668 00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:26,200 Speaker 1: a lot of these people, UH and still is in 669 00:39:26,239 --> 00:39:29,959 Speaker 1: that documentary. It's amazing to see these people two years 670 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:36,320 Speaker 1: ago talking about clearly that's an important thing for them, 671 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:39,839 Speaker 1: like getting dressed up, meeting together in the woods and 672 00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:43,399 Speaker 1: burning across, riding around at night on your night rides 673 00:39:43,480 --> 00:39:47,000 Speaker 1: or midnight rides in your car, putting up flyers under 674 00:39:47,040 --> 00:39:51,239 Speaker 1: the under the cloak of darkness. Um there, it's like cosplay, 675 00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:54,520 Speaker 1: it really is. They're they're playing like they're in some 676 00:39:54,680 --> 00:39:58,840 Speaker 1: important club. Um. It's interesting that the women, the women 677 00:39:58,840 --> 00:40:02,359 Speaker 1: in this documentary, all of them said, well, you know, 678 00:40:02,560 --> 00:40:04,200 Speaker 1: this isn't the kind of thing I probably would have 679 00:40:04,239 --> 00:40:07,719 Speaker 1: been into, but it really improved my marriage when I 680 00:40:07,760 --> 00:40:12,000 Speaker 1: got on board and uh and joined, and now my 681 00:40:12,080 --> 00:40:15,440 Speaker 1: husband and I have something to talk about. We have commonalities. 682 00:40:16,040 --> 00:40:18,719 Speaker 1: And you hear this and you're just like crawling out 683 00:40:18,719 --> 00:40:21,880 Speaker 1: of your skin at at seeing this marriage which is 684 00:40:21,920 --> 00:40:26,520 Speaker 1: clearly just you know, a male dominant marriage. And uh, 685 00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:28,120 Speaker 1: you know, but if you, if you, if you join 686 00:40:28,160 --> 00:40:30,080 Speaker 1: my clan, or if you like my football team, we'll 687 00:40:30,120 --> 00:40:33,960 Speaker 1: finally have something common. Right, And I love football, so 688 00:40:33,960 --> 00:40:35,360 Speaker 1: I don't want to throw a football into the but 689 00:40:35,480 --> 00:40:37,520 Speaker 1: but but so yeah, so I mean it makes sense 690 00:40:37,560 --> 00:40:40,080 Speaker 1: like if you don't have much of an identity, or 691 00:40:40,320 --> 00:40:43,720 Speaker 1: you are looking for something to give your life purpose, 692 00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:47,799 Speaker 1: like a group or a club, especially one that's you know, 693 00:40:48,520 --> 00:40:51,879 Speaker 1: and some looked up to it by some people. I 694 00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:55,120 Speaker 1: can really give your life a real shot in the arm, 695 00:40:55,200 --> 00:40:56,719 Speaker 1: you know, I guess in good ways. I mean those 696 00:40:56,719 --> 00:40:59,640 Speaker 1: there are so many great clubs where people that feel 697 00:40:59,680 --> 00:41:03,320 Speaker 1: like they brother, big sister. Yeah. But I mean it 698 00:41:03,680 --> 00:41:06,120 Speaker 1: is interesting that so much of it in this documentary 699 00:41:06,200 --> 00:41:09,200 Speaker 1: ly seems to come from that mystique and that wanting 700 00:41:09,239 --> 00:41:12,400 Speaker 1: to belong to a group. And I'm just a uh. 701 00:41:12,440 --> 00:41:13,960 Speaker 1: This one guy, he was like, you know, I'm just 702 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:16,560 Speaker 1: a landscaper and I was just out partying and now 703 00:41:16,760 --> 00:41:21,680 Speaker 1: now I have focused, now have something to do these brothers. 704 00:41:22,239 --> 00:41:25,319 Speaker 1: So um. One of the one of the things you 705 00:41:25,360 --> 00:41:28,120 Speaker 1: mentioned was the midnight rides and going on at midnight, 706 00:41:28,160 --> 00:41:29,520 Speaker 1: and one of the one of the reasons they do 707 00:41:29,600 --> 00:41:34,280 Speaker 1: that is because the clan has always thrived on anonymity. 708 00:41:34,320 --> 00:41:37,040 Speaker 1: Like they they don't. I mean, that's that's not to 709 00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:39,400 Speaker 1: say that they don't show their face in public. Some 710 00:41:39,520 --> 00:41:42,919 Speaker 1: of them do, but plenty of them don't, and that 711 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:46,799 Speaker 1: there's strengthen that. Um. And one of the reasons that 712 00:41:46,880 --> 00:41:50,160 Speaker 1: they would ride at night was because it afforded that 713 00:41:50,239 --> 00:41:55,000 Speaker 1: much more anonymity even if they're they weren't particularly anonymous, 714 00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:58,160 Speaker 1: and that you know, their neighbor who they were terrorizing 715 00:41:58,239 --> 00:42:02,759 Speaker 1: probably recognized their voice, but the fact that they their 716 00:42:02,800 --> 00:42:06,640 Speaker 1: face wasn't shown, there was plausible deniability to that. Well. 717 00:42:06,840 --> 00:42:11,359 Speaker 1: Speaking of anonymous though, in this documentary, Anonymous outed this 718 00:42:11,400 --> 00:42:15,160 Speaker 1: one group in Missouri. They got shut down and they 719 00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:18,040 Speaker 1: put their all their information on the web. And it 720 00:42:18,040 --> 00:42:19,560 Speaker 1: showed a little bit of the video with the guy 721 00:42:19,640 --> 00:42:23,319 Speaker 1: and the guy fox mask and the uh, the the 722 00:42:23,360 --> 00:42:26,279 Speaker 1: computerized voice or whatever saying that you know we're coming 723 00:42:26,320 --> 00:42:28,960 Speaker 1: after you, We're going to put your names online. Uh, 724 00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:31,479 Speaker 1: And it was it was fairly interesting doing doing God's work. 725 00:42:31,800 --> 00:42:33,880 Speaker 1: That's actually yeah, for real, And that's actually like a 726 00:42:33,920 --> 00:42:37,759 Speaker 1: traditional anti clan tactic that groups like the Double A 727 00:42:37,760 --> 00:42:43,080 Speaker 1: c P or the Anti Defamation League UM used back 728 00:42:43,200 --> 00:42:45,279 Speaker 1: during this time when the clan was at its peak 729 00:42:45,320 --> 00:42:49,000 Speaker 1: popularity in the nwies. They would bribe people to get 730 00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:51,640 Speaker 1: their hands on a membership list. They would send in 731 00:42:51,760 --> 00:42:54,279 Speaker 1: people to infiltrate to get their hands on a membership list, 732 00:42:54,320 --> 00:42:55,800 Speaker 1: and then they would publish it. And now all of 733 00:42:55,840 --> 00:42:58,759 Speaker 1: a sudden, that anonymity and the strength that's afforded by 734 00:42:58,760 --> 00:43:01,560 Speaker 1: the anonymity is gone, and you just broke up a 735 00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:05,400 Speaker 1: clan chapter in your local area because nobody wants to 736 00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:07,680 Speaker 1: be associated with anymore, and they probably have to make 737 00:43:07,719 --> 00:43:10,040 Speaker 1: some sort of public statement about how they left, you 738 00:43:10,040 --> 00:43:13,319 Speaker 1: know where they It's all just a misunderstanding, they were 739 00:43:13,360 --> 00:43:15,479 Speaker 1: never part of it. Or you're in fear of losing 740 00:43:15,520 --> 00:43:18,920 Speaker 1: your job maybe, but that really helped break up this 741 00:43:18,920 --> 00:43:21,880 Speaker 1: this version of the clan in the nineteen twenties and 742 00:43:21,920 --> 00:43:25,120 Speaker 1: then um, the federal government again. If you look at 743 00:43:25,160 --> 00:43:28,759 Speaker 1: these these successive waves of the Ku Klux Klan, the 744 00:43:28,800 --> 00:43:31,279 Speaker 1: federal government is the one who steps in to break 745 00:43:31,320 --> 00:43:33,320 Speaker 1: the back of the clan. And they did it again 746 00:43:33,640 --> 00:43:37,440 Speaker 1: basically using the same playbook from the enforcement Acts the 747 00:43:37,480 --> 00:43:40,919 Speaker 1: I R S and the nineteen forties. Somehow the clan 748 00:43:40,960 --> 00:43:44,080 Speaker 1: had gotten a tax exempt status and the I R 749 00:43:44,160 --> 00:43:46,600 Speaker 1: S removed it and then sued him for back taxes 750 00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:50,200 Speaker 1: equal to about ten million dollars in today's dollars um. 751 00:43:50,280 --> 00:43:52,719 Speaker 1: And the clan broke up real quick after that. So 752 00:43:54,760 --> 00:43:58,200 Speaker 1: exactly so, the federal government has used a bunch of 753 00:43:58,200 --> 00:44:00,359 Speaker 1: tactics to basically get rid of the clan and again 754 00:44:00,400 --> 00:44:02,520 Speaker 1: and then the clan went away, and that was that 755 00:44:03,080 --> 00:44:06,560 Speaker 1: for a while. Alright, so should we take another break here? Yes? 756 00:44:06,680 --> 00:44:08,680 Speaker 1: All right, what sucks man? Where this is gonna be 757 00:44:08,680 --> 00:44:11,560 Speaker 1: a long episode? Hey, giving the clan a long episode. 758 00:44:11,880 --> 00:44:14,600 Speaker 1: We'll take a break and maybe we'll just come back 759 00:44:14,600 --> 00:44:18,480 Speaker 1: and sing protest songs and then all right, we'll be 760 00:44:18,560 --> 00:44:50,560 Speaker 1: right back. If I had a hammer at hammer in 761 00:44:50,600 --> 00:44:55,279 Speaker 1: the morning, I had hammer in the evening, hell over 762 00:44:55,360 --> 00:45:02,399 Speaker 1: this ad hammer out Dange danger had him or out 763 00:45:02,440 --> 00:45:10,120 Speaker 1: the clan, the clan boo outer space? What you get 764 00:45:10,160 --> 00:45:15,240 Speaker 1: that reference? Is that from Hold On, Hold On Best? No? Uh? Uh? 765 00:45:15,320 --> 00:45:20,440 Speaker 1: Which one was that one? Coen Brothers? Oh no, I 766 00:45:20,520 --> 00:45:25,359 Speaker 1: was thinking of the one, um the Christopher guest movie. 767 00:45:25,760 --> 00:45:31,040 Speaker 1: It was from the Cohen Brothers. The folk music movie 768 00:45:31,480 --> 00:45:35,239 Speaker 1: that is Escaping mar right now, Isaac, Yeah, yeah. Adam 769 00:45:35,320 --> 00:45:37,279 Speaker 1: Driver has a really funny part where they're recording in 770 00:45:37,320 --> 00:45:41,640 Speaker 1: there and he's just doing background speaking like that, and uh, 771 00:45:41,840 --> 00:45:44,759 Speaker 1: timber Lake is singing about remember our space and he 772 00:45:44,760 --> 00:45:49,439 Speaker 1: goes outer space. What's the one where Harry Shear ends 773 00:45:49,480 --> 00:45:52,600 Speaker 1: up joining like a folk group at the end? Oh yeah, 774 00:45:53,239 --> 00:45:57,040 Speaker 1: uh that was Mighty Wind, Mighty Wind. Yeah, that was 775 00:45:57,080 --> 00:46:00,200 Speaker 1: a good one, A good movie alright, And for sad 776 00:46:00,280 --> 00:46:02,360 Speaker 1: we have to wind this up and talk about the 777 00:46:02,400 --> 00:46:06,880 Speaker 1: third wave of the clan, which was the Civil Rights era. UM. 778 00:46:07,000 --> 00:46:09,120 Speaker 1: You would think that the Civil Rights era clan would 779 00:46:09,200 --> 00:46:14,359 Speaker 1: be the biggest iteration, but it actually wasn't. UM. They 780 00:46:14,360 --> 00:46:17,799 Speaker 1: were one of the more dangerous eras because they were 781 00:46:17,920 --> 00:46:21,880 Speaker 1: very famous for carrying out bombings UM all over the South, 782 00:46:22,000 --> 00:46:27,520 Speaker 1: mainly including very sadly the bombing UH in Birmingham. I 783 00:46:27,520 --> 00:46:29,799 Speaker 1: think there were a hundred and thirty eight bombings over 784 00:46:29,880 --> 00:46:33,840 Speaker 1: like a seven year period. But the bombing in Birmingham 785 00:46:33,880 --> 00:46:37,960 Speaker 1: where they bombed the church and Addie May Collins, Cynthia Wesley, 786 00:46:38,080 --> 00:46:41,319 Speaker 1: Carol Robertson and Carol Denise McNair UM, four young black 787 00:46:41,360 --> 00:46:44,560 Speaker 1: girls were killed. UH. And if you don't know this story, 788 00:46:44,719 --> 00:46:47,640 Speaker 1: just go watch the Spike Lee documentary Four Little Girls, 789 00:46:47,680 --> 00:46:50,879 Speaker 1: because it it really does a great job of kind 790 00:46:50,880 --> 00:46:54,560 Speaker 1: of retelling what's an awful thing that was? Yeah, and 791 00:46:54,680 --> 00:46:57,680 Speaker 1: that definitely was the most famous UM and most despicable. 792 00:46:57,719 --> 00:47:00,200 Speaker 1: But they bombed a lot of other people, murderle lot 793 00:47:00,200 --> 00:47:03,480 Speaker 1: of other people. There's UM a couple that lived not 794 00:47:03,600 --> 00:47:06,200 Speaker 1: too far from UM where my place in Florida is 795 00:47:06,800 --> 00:47:10,120 Speaker 1: UM named Harry and Harriet Moore, whose house was bombed 796 00:47:10,160 --> 00:47:12,920 Speaker 1: by the clan on Christmas Eve. They chose Christmas Eve 797 00:47:12,960 --> 00:47:15,600 Speaker 1: because they knew that there I think they're older children 798 00:47:15,640 --> 00:47:17,880 Speaker 1: would come home. They wanted to kill as many of 799 00:47:17,880 --> 00:47:21,080 Speaker 1: them as possible. So there there was a real reign 800 00:47:21,120 --> 00:47:24,319 Speaker 1: of terror that the clan was carrying out during the 801 00:47:24,320 --> 00:47:29,240 Speaker 1: Civil rights era, and Birmingham apparently was UM called Bombingham 802 00:47:29,400 --> 00:47:32,840 Speaker 1: for a while because it was just UM so prone 803 00:47:32,840 --> 00:47:36,160 Speaker 1: to being bombed like where the church was bombed, but 804 00:47:36,239 --> 00:47:39,480 Speaker 1: also UM because it was where the clan was the 805 00:47:39,520 --> 00:47:43,320 Speaker 1: strongest and most politically backed up, which to the civil 806 00:47:43,400 --> 00:47:45,920 Speaker 1: rights UM leaders credit, they said, well then we're going 807 00:47:45,960 --> 00:47:48,160 Speaker 1: to Birmingham. That's where we're gonna set up shop, which 808 00:47:48,600 --> 00:47:53,040 Speaker 1: made UM is what brought Birmingham to basically the forefront 809 00:47:53,040 --> 00:47:57,600 Speaker 1: of the Civil rights War. Yeah. You know, there were 810 00:47:57,640 --> 00:48:00,800 Speaker 1: some other high profile events, the accession, they assassination with 811 00:48:00,880 --> 00:48:04,680 Speaker 1: Medgar Evers, obviously the Mississippi burning case. If you saw 812 00:48:04,719 --> 00:48:06,800 Speaker 1: that movie again, it did a really good job of 813 00:48:06,840 --> 00:48:09,480 Speaker 1: the case of those three civil rights workers uh in 814 00:48:09,560 --> 00:48:12,759 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty four who were killed. Uh. And you know 815 00:48:12,920 --> 00:48:17,200 Speaker 1: there were still lynchings going on and and uh there 816 00:48:17,200 --> 00:48:21,880 Speaker 1: were still people in seats of power, attorneys and people 817 00:48:21,880 --> 00:48:24,879 Speaker 1: on juries and it was it was a a very 818 00:48:25,080 --> 00:48:28,840 Speaker 1: uh it's very mixed up time in this country because 819 00:48:29,040 --> 00:48:32,759 Speaker 1: rights were being achieved, uh while all this bloodshed was 820 00:48:32,800 --> 00:48:35,319 Speaker 1: going on. And like you mentioned before, it's like they're 821 00:48:35,360 --> 00:48:39,160 Speaker 1: trying to hold onto this thing that is, um, not 822 00:48:39,400 --> 00:48:43,240 Speaker 1: what America is anymore. No, it's like t s America 823 00:48:43,320 --> 00:48:46,200 Speaker 1: is a multicultural society and it's better off for it. 824 00:48:46,320 --> 00:48:49,120 Speaker 1: Like let's just all get on the trolley, shall we. Yeah? 825 00:48:50,040 --> 00:48:54,000 Speaker 1: So um. The FBI, it's worth mentioning, played a dual role. 826 00:48:54,040 --> 00:48:57,320 Speaker 1: Apparently Jaeger Hoover knew all the way back in nineteen 827 00:48:57,360 --> 00:49:02,040 Speaker 1: sixty five who carried out the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing, 828 00:49:02,239 --> 00:49:04,080 Speaker 1: but just sat on it because he wasn't like a 829 00:49:04,120 --> 00:49:07,600 Speaker 1: really big fan of civil rights um or the civil 830 00:49:07,640 --> 00:49:10,040 Speaker 1: rights movement. But at the same time, the FBI actually 831 00:49:10,080 --> 00:49:13,439 Speaker 1: did have an integral role in breaking up local clan 832 00:49:13,520 --> 00:49:17,480 Speaker 1: groups by using like co intel pro Um that program 833 00:49:17,560 --> 00:49:20,680 Speaker 1: where they would basically infiltrate and start getting people to 834 00:49:20,800 --> 00:49:23,959 Speaker 1: question the leaders or start accusing each other of disloyalty 835 00:49:24,080 --> 00:49:26,000 Speaker 1: and just turn a group on each other, like what 836 00:49:26,040 --> 00:49:28,719 Speaker 1: they did the Black Panthers they did to the KKK 837 00:49:29,239 --> 00:49:32,680 Speaker 1: to far less frequently, but they did have an impact 838 00:49:32,760 --> 00:49:36,320 Speaker 1: on helping to to break up the KKK in the 839 00:49:36,360 --> 00:49:39,520 Speaker 1: Civil rights era as well. Yeah, and since the Civil 840 00:49:39,640 --> 00:49:43,600 Speaker 1: Rights era kind of to today, UM, the clan has 841 00:49:43,719 --> 00:49:47,400 Speaker 1: really lost a lot of its membership. UM. It has 842 00:49:47,440 --> 00:49:49,839 Speaker 1: been and then again as not to say that any 843 00:49:49,880 --> 00:49:53,080 Speaker 1: of the racism went away, it's been fractured sometimes into 844 00:49:53,120 --> 00:49:58,480 Speaker 1: more dangerous groups. UM. Further all right, white white supremacist 845 00:49:58,480 --> 00:50:02,440 Speaker 1: groups and neo Nazis. UM. There have been people in power. 846 00:50:02,719 --> 00:50:05,279 Speaker 1: David Duke, you know, we have to mention him. He 847 00:50:05,360 --> 00:50:10,200 Speaker 1: was an actual House member, UM from the state of Louisiana. UM. 848 00:50:10,280 --> 00:50:13,320 Speaker 1: He was the Grand National Grand Wizard of the clan. 849 00:50:14,200 --> 00:50:18,799 Speaker 1: And I think they started to kind of push away 850 00:50:18,840 --> 00:50:23,960 Speaker 1: a little bit from the symbology of you know, these 851 00:50:24,040 --> 00:50:28,120 Speaker 1: kind of crazy symbols and the hoods and the cross burnings. 852 00:50:28,160 --> 00:50:29,920 Speaker 1: I mean that stuff still went on on local and 853 00:50:30,000 --> 00:50:34,000 Speaker 1: state level, but I think nationally they kind of tamp 854 00:50:34,120 --> 00:50:36,239 Speaker 1: that down a little bit and was like, I think 855 00:50:36,280 --> 00:50:39,239 Speaker 1: would be better if we could just hold office right 856 00:50:39,440 --> 00:50:43,240 Speaker 1: so lightly so, And that's basically there's a direct thread 857 00:50:43,280 --> 00:50:47,120 Speaker 1: to today, this idea where they're just trying to soft 858 00:50:47,239 --> 00:50:53,640 Speaker 1: sell UM racism and suppression of minority rights. UM, and 859 00:50:53,719 --> 00:50:56,160 Speaker 1: it just repackaged it in other ways. But it's all 860 00:50:56,200 --> 00:50:58,840 Speaker 1: the exact same thing. And it doesn't matter how you 861 00:50:58,920 --> 00:51:01,879 Speaker 1: dress it up. You're trying to UM deny the rights 862 00:51:01,920 --> 00:51:05,479 Speaker 1: of other human beings. So you say whatever you want 863 00:51:05,560 --> 00:51:08,960 Speaker 1: to hold with your ideology, you know, yeah, yeah, totally, 864 00:51:09,120 --> 00:51:11,480 Speaker 1: it's UM. There. There's never been a good handle on 865 00:51:11,520 --> 00:51:14,440 Speaker 1: the numbers because it hasn't been a superorganized national thing. 866 00:51:14,520 --> 00:51:18,239 Speaker 1: But UM they think it is down to like less 867 00:51:18,280 --> 00:51:21,840 Speaker 1: than thirty thousand now. And when they do these specials 868 00:51:21,880 --> 00:51:24,680 Speaker 1: and kind of go to these groups, the meetings you 869 00:51:24,719 --> 00:51:28,920 Speaker 1: know in these towns are a number in the single digits. 870 00:51:29,040 --> 00:51:33,879 Speaker 1: Sometimes it's not it's not like hundreds of guys getting together. Uh. 871 00:51:33,920 --> 00:51:35,560 Speaker 1: And of course there are women in there now. Keep 872 00:51:35,600 --> 00:51:38,239 Speaker 1: saying guys, but it's it's largely always been men because 873 00:51:38,280 --> 00:51:42,320 Speaker 1: they call them klansmen. But these wives are getting involved 874 00:51:42,320 --> 00:51:44,080 Speaker 1: as well so they can have something in common with 875 00:51:44,120 --> 00:51:46,680 Speaker 1: their husbands. Yeah. The The good thing is is the 876 00:51:46,760 --> 00:51:51,279 Speaker 1: numbers are small enough that UM basically local communities are 877 00:51:51,320 --> 00:51:54,560 Speaker 1: strong enough to come out and chase clan rallies break 878 00:51:54,600 --> 00:51:57,560 Speaker 1: them up UM, as was the case in Madison, Indiana 879 00:51:57,600 --> 00:52:00,600 Speaker 1: on Labor Day in two thousand nineteen. That land said 880 00:52:00,600 --> 00:52:02,920 Speaker 1: that they were going to have a cookout, and apparently 881 00:52:02,920 --> 00:52:06,640 Speaker 1: about ten of them showed up and the entire Madison, 882 00:52:06,680 --> 00:52:09,760 Speaker 1: Indiana community, or not the entire but a significant portion 883 00:52:09,760 --> 00:52:11,960 Speaker 1: of them, showed up and basically chased the clan out 884 00:52:11,960 --> 00:52:15,000 Speaker 1: of the public park um and broke up their rally 885 00:52:15,040 --> 00:52:17,520 Speaker 1: in ten to twenty minutes. From what I read, that's 886 00:52:17,600 --> 00:52:20,080 Speaker 1: that's usually par for the course. And then the clan 887 00:52:20,160 --> 00:52:23,959 Speaker 1: is relegated to basically spewing hate online or like you said, 888 00:52:24,040 --> 00:52:27,839 Speaker 1: leaving flyers on people's cars. So UM. Southern Poverty Law 889 00:52:27,880 --> 00:52:30,400 Speaker 1: Center says that they they have been tracking their decline 890 00:52:30,440 --> 00:52:34,239 Speaker 1: and they think they may have plateaued UM, which is 891 00:52:34,280 --> 00:52:37,280 Speaker 1: not good because you like to just keep seeing them decline, 892 00:52:37,280 --> 00:52:40,440 Speaker 1: but they they bottomed out. In other words, the problem 893 00:52:40,520 --> 00:52:44,160 Speaker 1: is is there's no lack of other racist groups um 894 00:52:44,200 --> 00:52:49,520 Speaker 1: that are that are equally problematic, if not more so. Yeah, 895 00:52:49,520 --> 00:52:51,960 Speaker 1: there's one part in this new special where this kid 896 00:52:52,360 --> 00:52:55,120 Speaker 1: they are these two guys dressed in their robes and 897 00:52:55,480 --> 00:52:57,840 Speaker 1: putting up a flag in their front yard or whatever, 898 00:52:58,040 --> 00:53:00,919 Speaker 1: a Confederate flag, and then one other um I guess 899 00:53:01,000 --> 00:53:04,440 Speaker 1: clan flag, and this teenager in St. Louis comes across 900 00:53:04,440 --> 00:53:08,480 Speaker 1: the street or whatever suburb they're in, and it's just like, hey, man, 901 00:53:08,560 --> 00:53:10,680 Speaker 1: white power. I just want to I just want to 902 00:53:10,680 --> 00:53:12,200 Speaker 1: see what you guys are all about. You know, I'm 903 00:53:12,239 --> 00:53:14,960 Speaker 1: really interested in joining up. And and these guys talk 904 00:53:15,000 --> 00:53:17,080 Speaker 1: to him for a minute, and it's just like, it's 905 00:53:17,160 --> 00:53:22,520 Speaker 1: so troubling to see this dumb kid, you know, reaching 906 00:53:22,520 --> 00:53:25,720 Speaker 1: out in all the wrong ways because he's been taught something, 907 00:53:26,600 --> 00:53:29,439 Speaker 1: you know, And when you see that this family, he's 908 00:53:29,440 --> 00:53:31,719 Speaker 1: in these people's homes and there's five six year old 909 00:53:31,760 --> 00:53:35,280 Speaker 1: kids sitting around and and the wife's got a cigarette 910 00:53:35,280 --> 00:53:36,839 Speaker 1: and she's taking a shot of bourbon and she got 911 00:53:36,840 --> 00:53:39,279 Speaker 1: her Mountain dew in her hand and spewing hate, and 912 00:53:39,280 --> 00:53:41,160 Speaker 1: these children are sitting there, and you just want to, like, 913 00:53:42,360 --> 00:53:44,440 Speaker 1: you want to run in there and steal these kids. 914 00:53:45,640 --> 00:53:49,000 Speaker 1: You know, you're not supposed to say that you just did, though, 915 00:53:49,160 --> 00:53:52,920 Speaker 1: but I just did. It's awful. Yeah, it is pretty awful. 916 00:53:53,000 --> 00:53:56,520 Speaker 1: Anytime you're talking about Hey, it's awful, and it should be. 917 00:53:56,560 --> 00:53:59,560 Speaker 1: It should turn your stomach. I hope and it has 918 00:53:59,640 --> 00:54:04,319 Speaker 1: learned stuff almost totally. That's how Yeah, that's how it. Yes, 919 00:54:04,480 --> 00:54:07,200 Speaker 1: for sure, we already did one on hate before it, 920 00:54:07,200 --> 00:54:08,840 Speaker 1: and we maybe we should do a redux on it. 921 00:54:08,880 --> 00:54:10,920 Speaker 1: I don't know. I got one more quick thing that's 922 00:54:10,960 --> 00:54:12,439 Speaker 1: kind of always always thought it was kind of fun 923 00:54:12,520 --> 00:54:15,880 Speaker 1: at on a lighter note, at baseball games. I'm not 924 00:54:15,880 --> 00:54:17,440 Speaker 1: sure the history. I should look that up, but a 925 00:54:17,480 --> 00:54:20,799 Speaker 1: strikeout when you're keeping log is known as a K, 926 00:54:21,800 --> 00:54:24,680 Speaker 1: and fans have bring K signs and they hang up 927 00:54:24,680 --> 00:54:27,120 Speaker 1: with a picture. Is known for a lot of strikeouts. Yeah, 928 00:54:27,160 --> 00:54:29,200 Speaker 1: one for each strikeout, one for each strikeout, and they 929 00:54:29,200 --> 00:54:30,719 Speaker 1: hang it up in the in the stands in front 930 00:54:30,719 --> 00:54:34,000 Speaker 1: of their seats, and they have always hung that third 931 00:54:34,080 --> 00:54:38,560 Speaker 1: K upside down as per tradition, so it never says KKK, 932 00:54:38,719 --> 00:54:41,319 Speaker 1: which I think is great. Yeah, it is great way 933 00:54:41,360 --> 00:54:43,319 Speaker 1: to go baseball fans, sticking it to the way to 934 00:54:43,320 --> 00:54:47,280 Speaker 1: go baseball fans. Well you got anything else? No, nothing else. 935 00:54:47,600 --> 00:54:49,880 Speaker 1: If you want to know more about the KKK, go 936 00:54:50,080 --> 00:54:52,399 Speaker 1: visit the Southern Poverty Law Center. They have some really 937 00:54:52,440 --> 00:54:55,440 Speaker 1: good research on it, including sum were just like this 938 00:54:55,520 --> 00:54:59,440 Speaker 1: is just just pathetic. Um, it's kind of reassuring in 939 00:54:59,480 --> 00:55:02,359 Speaker 1: some ways. If you're bothered by this, maybe that'll help. 940 00:55:02,640 --> 00:55:04,839 Speaker 1: And since I said that, it's time for a listener mail, 941 00:55:07,440 --> 00:55:11,600 Speaker 1: let me see here. I'm gonna call this Ezra the Podcaster. 942 00:55:12,160 --> 00:55:14,319 Speaker 1: Hey guys, my name is Ezra. I'm fourteen years old. 943 00:55:14,719 --> 00:55:16,880 Speaker 1: I've started a podcast on my own and it is 944 00:55:16,960 --> 00:55:20,920 Speaker 1: inspired by your show. I'm doing a school project on 945 00:55:20,960 --> 00:55:22,759 Speaker 1: my podcast and I would love it if you could 946 00:55:22,800 --> 00:55:25,160 Speaker 1: respond with a couple of year tips for beginners. My 947 00:55:25,239 --> 00:55:28,480 Speaker 1: podcast is called high School is a joke. Uh. I 948 00:55:28,600 --> 00:55:29,920 Speaker 1: listen to you every day and it would mean a 949 00:55:29,960 --> 00:55:32,400 Speaker 1: lot if you responded and even mentioned me in an episode. 950 00:55:32,400 --> 00:55:34,440 Speaker 1: Thank you for always making me laugh to be more 951 00:55:34,480 --> 00:55:37,080 Speaker 1: knowledgeable at the dinner table. You guys are really cool. 952 00:55:37,320 --> 00:55:38,720 Speaker 1: I don't want to let you know that you've inspired 953 00:55:38,760 --> 00:55:42,120 Speaker 1: me to start my own show. Sincerely. That's awesome, Ezra. 954 00:55:42,239 --> 00:55:47,800 Speaker 1: Congratulations got the advice, Well, I'll give you the advice 955 00:55:47,880 --> 00:55:50,960 Speaker 1: I found is the best of all time, and that 956 00:55:51,200 --> 00:55:54,080 Speaker 1: is just talk about stuff that you find interesting. Because 957 00:55:54,120 --> 00:55:57,440 Speaker 1: even if people aren't listening, um, you're still gonna enjoy 958 00:55:57,520 --> 00:55:59,200 Speaker 1: doing it and that will make you keep it up. 959 00:55:59,200 --> 00:56:01,239 Speaker 1: And if you keep it up, then other people start 960 00:56:01,280 --> 00:56:03,120 Speaker 1: to notice and come around and next thing you know, 961 00:56:03,200 --> 00:56:06,440 Speaker 1: you'll have an audience. That's great advice. Stay away from 962 00:56:06,440 --> 00:56:11,120 Speaker 1: the clan. It's even better advice. Chuck everybody, whether you're 963 00:56:11,120 --> 00:56:13,839 Speaker 1: a podcast or no, steer clear of the clan. Don't 964 00:56:13,840 --> 00:56:15,920 Speaker 1: even talk to him. Well, if you want to get 965 00:56:15,960 --> 00:56:18,359 Speaker 1: in touch with us, like Ezra did, you can send 966 00:56:18,440 --> 00:56:21,120 Speaker 1: us an email. Send it off to stuff podcast at 967 00:56:21,120 --> 00:56:27,000 Speaker 1: iHeart radio dot com. Stuff you Should Know is a 968 00:56:27,000 --> 00:56:29,759 Speaker 1: production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts for my 969 00:56:29,800 --> 00:56:32,600 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 970 00:56:32,600 --> 00:56:34,240 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.