I keep wanting to join the Klan, I don't mean really join them, and become initiated into their cult-and that is what it is-but I guess what I'm getting at is, I feel since I am writing a novel based on the life story of a fictitous Klansman, I should go out of my way to be fair to these people. And the only way I can think of that would come close to accomplishing this, is by associating with them. On the other hand, to be as honest as I can possibly be, I'm afraid of them. And I don't mean only that I'm afraid of what they might do to me, although this is indeed a part of it. But I am also afraid of what damage might be done to me due to any association with them, insofar as how that might be perceived by the general public. It's a nagging, gnawing fear, and one not really based on reality. Now, the fear that I might wake up one morning with a cross burning in my yard-that's a fear based on reality. And from what little I know of these people, that would be a mild rebuke.
Still, I keep telling myself, these people do maintain a web site, several in fact, related to nearly every state. Moreover, on this web-site there is a Forums section. This is the area I'm most interested in. But I don't want to be dishonest with them, by coming across as something I'm not. Still, if I posted on their Forums, and identified myself as a Hellenic Wiccan who was researching the Klan for the purposes of writing a novel-even if I assurred them that I intended to be fair to them-I wonder what their reaction would be? Not good, I would imagine.
But at least I can visit their web-site, which contains much information as to their beliefs on about every subject. Their views on Martin Luther King, Jr., for example, are pretty much what you would expect. On the other hand, there is much of interest there. For example, I always wondered exactly what their problem is with Jews. I expected it to be a lot of nonsense about them being "Christ Killers". But there is more-a whole lot more-to it than that. In fact, their fairly extravagant beliefs about the Jewish race are very, very enlightening. In fact, they are very complicated, and apparently drawn from the Bible itself, or at least their interpretation of the Bible.
So I have learned quite a bit about the Ku Klux Klan, without having asociated with them. And I am sure that I will learn a great deal more. Still, I feel as though I am cheating not so much them, as myself, by avoiding direct contact with them. I feel as though I could gauge much from their mind-sets, and perhaps even get honest answers to questions that I have, that they are not forthcoming about. But I'm not very likely to accomplish this by identifying myself as a Wiccan or Pagan. I keep telling myself, the best news reporters, investigative reporters, have to engage in subterfuge, hypocrisy. And why should I worry anyway about deceiving a bunch like this to begin with?
And then it occurred to me. They are likely, to some extent, to welcome any such opportunity for outreach. After all, we do have one thing, possibly only one thing, in common. We both have an appreciation for, and a love and respect for, our mutual European traditions and heritiage. And, yes, that includes racial heritage. So that does give us the one common bond. After all, this respect and love for my heritage is one of the main reasons I am a pagan to begin with. The Middle East holds no attraction for me at all, with it's constant strife, warfare, bitterness, hatred, all a result, in my opinion, of their monotheistic mind-set, with it's "My way is the only way attitude".
It's ironic as hell that the things the Klan are most well known for, bigotry and intolerance, and cultural hatred, and religous intolerance, originated from the Middle East, from those Jews they purport so much to dispise. Maybe, if I ever do get around to initiating a dialoque with them, I just might point that out to them.
