KKK, Then and Now

I'm often amused how journalists get wrapped up on the KKK-topic and they want you to put this topic in your top hundred things to worry about.  So this is one of those historical essays I write....to establish some true basis of understanding.

First, the original KKK-concept occurred in the Pulaski, Tenn area, and probably was more tied to a local group of guys (six total), who wanted to make up a Greek 'club' like organization after the Civil War.  In some ways, it was like lodge-group....with secrecy tied to it, and some likey hardcore drinking.  The first group could be regarded as a weird collection of folks who had a dislike of the Democratic-style politics going on, and influences perceived in 'change'.   Their chief problem in that original couple of years, was no central authority and no ability to kick out the rift-raft.   Most tend to agree...evolution 1.0 of the KKK ended by 1870.

For the next forty years....KKK-like groups come and go, but none use the name.  In some ways, they resemble more the Brown Shirts of Germany or the Black Shirts of Italy, in that period.

So you come to 1915, and version 2 of the KKK, which centered itself around Stone Mountain, Georgia.  This group went back to the Greek-like club thrills, the secrecy, and this time....had a central authority. 

This second group last for almost thirty years and probably reached near 6-million members toward the end.  But their enthusiasm and problems, led onto KKK evolution number three.

For the third era, I tend to argue that this core group went through a massive recruitment spiral, and probably peaked out by the early 1970s.  There might have been 10k to 20k members in that era.

So  you come to today.  You can review various estimations and people put the real number of 'paying members' (with membership) at 3,000 to 8,000 nationally.  Proof?  There simply isn't a reliable way to suggest the numbers. 

Some might still be attracted to the anti-black theme or anti-Jew message.  Some might simply see it as some mysterious Greek-like club (especially those who didn't do the college club membership deal).

If you went and tried to get full-up members to show up for some march?  I doubt if you'd get more than a quarter of folks to go that far.  They like the secrecy, but beyond that.....they don't want the extra thrills.

I think if you went into various communities today, and offered up a modern-day version of the 'Sons of Malta' (another secrecy group but not really into the KKK-type themes), then you'd have a fair number of folks interested and pursuing something like that.  People just have a fascination with secret stuff (like the Freemasons).

Fake KKK thugs around?  Last week, I was reading a piece of news and the news item seemed to have some suggestion of a fake KKK group.  I would take a guess that maybe several fraudulent and fake groups exist....purely for political gathering purposes. 

A threat to the nation?  The 1915 group might have been a threat.  But the original crew and the current existing crew are just not much of a threat.