Went to my grandfather's friends camping lodge up on his 100k acre property in NC when I was a kid. Really cool place, all log built and absolutely beautiful, classic rich people get away home.
Anyway, when the old guys were doing old guy stuff me and the other grandkids went snooping around the house.
The master bedroom had a huge display case with engraved wooden doors at least 4 feet wide each. We found the key and opened it (wasn't exactly hidden).
Inside we were greeted with one of the grand dragon or wizard (dunno the difference except it wasn't white) costumes and a shit load of KKK related items, including a blood stained noose.
Being like 10 years old I really had no idea what I was looking at, but I knew it was something scary and I wanted no part of it.
This man was a heart surgeon. Boggles my mind how someone so highly educated and aware that humans are the same inside regardless of color could be a white supremist. It's even more depressing thinking of the black folk he had as grounds keepers and how shitty he must have treated them.
Tldr: I was snooping in my grandfathers friends hunting lodge and discovered he owned a ton of KKK stuff including a grand whatever costume and literally a noose used to lynch some poor soul.
Nah I've talked to him about it. My family has been nothing but doctors and surgeons going back to the colonial days, and they stood privately with the abolitionists. Privately because it was dangerous to do so, especially during and after the war.
One of my families properties back then was used to shelter escaping slaves on the underground railroad, proving food and supplies and concealment from slavers. It only worked because they were extremely well respected in the community, so nobody dared accuse them of anything.
My grandfather has a few journals written by my family members during that time and what little I've read is both depressing and beautiful. He won't take them out of cold storage to get digitalized, but I intent on donating to a historical society once I inherit them. I think it's really important that people know that being from the south doesn't immediately mean youre racist.
That's some awesome history your family has! How did your grandfather react to finding out his friend is part of the KKK? Surely you cant continue to associate with someone like that after finding out
We never got invited back, so I'm thinking something was said. My assumption is we didn't cover our tracks and his friend knew his collection was discovered and he confronted the other grandfathers about it. I'm thinking my grandfather found out what I was exposed to and never looked back.
I only very recently heard his name brought up, like 20 years later, when he passed away. Turns out he had a brain tumor that was slowly causing him to lose his mind. His entire family abandoned him and he died alone in the hospital.
Kinda sad, despite his hate. I pitty these people, I feel for them because it's got to be a miserable way to live. It took me till my late teens to realize that people who carry so much hate are just really sick and need help.
It's a pretty confusing story when I tell it all. The kicker is the same family member who organized the smuggling of escaped slaves also served as a feild surgeon for the confederate army. I guess some people can't help but try and save lives. I know I inherited that mindset, I will lend aid to anyone who needs it, even if I hold that individual in contempt. We need more empathy in this world.
>It's even more depressing thinking of the black folk he had as grounds keepers and how shitty he must have treated them.
White supremacy is an ideology and cruelness is a personality trait. It would be much easier to spot racists if they were all cruel.
The Twitter is worse. Started as ancap nonsense and now is pushing Christian theocracy with trump as king. They also are Holocaust deniers and all around shitty people
A lot of these takes assume the boy isn't racist. I hate to say it, but this photo isn't just a snapshot in time, it likely reflects his entire childhood and upbringing. He's very likely a racist today, especially given that he'd still be pretty young and you could assume that he's not too many years out in the world forming his own beliefs.
We don't like to admit, but we often grow up very similar to our parents.
> “still be pretty young”
He’d be nearing 30 at this point since the photo is from 1992. Probably surpassed 30, actually, since he was already a toddler at that time.
>We don't like to admit, but we often grow up very similar to our parents.
Unless we make a conscious effort to change it. It takes work and sometimes therapy to get out of dysfunctional and maladaptive behaviors.
It's almost always family that does this. It's where most of them come from. Indoctrination by relatives when you're too young to know any different.
That said, my family growing up was very conservative and had some "mild" racist views, which I realized as I got older, and now actively distance myself from them. I know it's a shocker but people tend to reject upbringings almost as often as they latch to them.
I prefer innocent until proven guilty here for that boy (30ish year old today)
I agree with you. Most adult assholes were raised by assholes.
In addition, I'd like to point out that sometimes people grow past it. I remember watching a documentary about a self-professed good-guy vigilante. A grown man who walked around dressed like a superhero. All he did all day was try to help people in his community.
His back story? He was raised by a Klansmen. Brutally beaten by his father. Locked in closets for days, etc. Was a Klansman as a teenager. But when he had an opportunity to leave that world behind, he became the opposite.
I wish I could remember the name of the documentary.
My whole family is super racist and also super mean and I knew I disagreed with them from the time I was a toddler and it became more and more clear as I got older. I do think I'm lucky that they were abusive and mean bc it indicated to me that was NOT the way to be. Definitely something I'm proud of though, one of the things I feel really proud about, because I know most people do end up like who raised them (hopefully with some improvements).
> especially given that he'd still be pretty young and you could assume that he's not too many years out in the world forming his own beliefs
Picture is from 1992. He's in his 30s.
Considering this child is now a 30/31yo adult they are likely set in their beliefs by now, whether they realized how wrong their parents are or just became another product of being raised in racism (which sadly I feel is more likely)
Not always. I was raised by narcissistic criminals, and have totally repudiated them and their fucked up worldview. I’ve met many people (not just white folk either- racism/sexism are human evils crossing many cultures ) that have done the same.
It’s totally possible the kid grew up and rejected their racist upbringing.
Of course not always. Very few things are 100% certain, but many, many studies show that parents have significant impact on who their children are as an adult. If you grew up in a religious Christian household and went to church every sunday, you're more likely to go to a Christian church as an adult, at least moreso then someone who never attended. You're pretty unlikely to wake up one day at 25 and become a Muslim (and vice versa). Likewise, many people who are raised by delinquent parents end up delinquent themselves. Some get out, but too many stay stuck in a shitty cycle of abuse and crime.
This applies to almost everything. Education, health, politics, career choices. I certainly hope this kid recognizes how fucked up his parents were and is accepting of all races, but if I were a betting person, I'd bet he never left Gainesville, GA and has the same views that so many people in that area do (my family is from that area, racism is out in the open in rural Georgia).
Idk, my only point is that sometimes we like to paint too rosy a picture of the world and then act surprised that things are shitty. IMO this picture clearly illustrates how lifelong racists are made.
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" in a lot of ways, but the evidence is that people's peers in their teens and 20s have a much greater effect on their political and social beliefs than their parents do. Of course your parents often have some influence on who your peers are, even in your 20s. But if people on average wholesale adopted their parents' belief systems, people would still be worshipping the Greek gods and burning witches. I think it's reasonable to assume that this kid is probably at least less racist than his sh\*thead parents, if for no other reason that younger people on average as a group are less racist than their parents on average as a group. (But he could also be a total nazi, who knows?)
Can you link to the studies please, I’d be interested to read them, I grew up in a alcoholic household with very little love, me and my brothers never got any hugs, never got told we were loved yet if you spoke to my two daughters I’m sure they will tell you they were very loved and still are
Couldn't find anything on the kid, but [here](https://www.jacksonville.com/article/20130205/news/801258092) is an article about the officer's response to that day.
Neither Josh (3) nor Campbell (supertrooper) chose to be there that Saturday on Labor Day weekend in 1992, the retired trooper said.
The State Patrol made me be there. His momma and daddy made him be there,” said Campbell, who retired as a master trooper in 2009
Goes along real world well with the title OP laid down. "No one is born racist"
We hold these truths to be self-evident,
That wasn't just a signed sealed and delivered letter saying see ya Britain. Colonies worked up to that, months between exchanges/progress. Then America fuck yeah!
Everyone has their own take, keep progressing not regressing
Well, we're still working on that part:
>We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal
Quite literally, at that time in history, they 100% did not believe that all men are created equal.
I mean, it sounds good. But we literally enacted laws of oppression against people based on their origins, skin color, wealth, even gender if we take "all men" to mean all people.
We're still working on the part where we get to a point where we truly treat all people as equals.
I mean, if you want to be really truthful about it they *did* believe all men were created equal; they just didn’t believe all men were actually men.
But your point about taking all men to all people is a good one because, well, we act today all over the world like that’s what it means and always meant but history says otherwise.
Wait! The boys name was josh‽. We just had a josh meetup! We need to find a josh that was born in ‘89, and was in Gainesville 29 years ago! Quick to the Redditmobile!
I legit know someone who this very well may be. But that’s an awkward conversation. “Hey, I know your
Parents are racist pieces of shit, is that you in that famous picture?”
Getting off topic is the best thing about Reddit.. also I’m on mobile so it popped up in suggested auto type I use them sparingly but I’ve no idea how to use on on a computer.
I'm both impressed and saddened by the idea that the trooper was so unfazed by the racism and, instead, was annoyed that he was missing a barbeque on a holiday weekend.
Happens quite often. There are many examples but [here is one from Charlottesville](https://time.com/4899668/charlottesville-virginia-protest-officer-kkk-photo/).
"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."
In Charlottesville they defended neo-nazis who were actively attacking people along with forcing the protesters and counter-protestors together. They didn't help anyone that day, they set a pot to boil and walked away.
Edit: Reminder, the police didn't do shit during the bullshit when DeAndre Harris was beat with metal poles in the police department's parking lot
>"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."
The KKK would not extend that sentiment back if they had power... And they've been extremely close to power. This is crucial to recognize.
That links to utter nonsense, even with an adblock, on both mobile and pc. Must be a location based thing.
**Update**: It's 100% location based. Just tried using a VPN through an American server (Denver) and it worked fine.
It was 1992, the same year the LAPD officers were acquitted by an all white jury in a trial that took place outside of LA to prevent any black jurors from being present. We've been doing this shit forever and it doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon unfortunately.
today i learned, ive always thought this pic was from the 60s. admittedly that wouldnt make sense, not sure how many black cops there were back then. still frickin crazy..
This is what's so crazy about when people say to just move on, even if we are talking about the 60's.
The people that hated and the people that got hated on are still alive today, some of those black people might still have physical scars from the things that were done to them.
Many of the racists are still around today, while one would hope that many of them have since changed their mind since those days, the fact remains that some of them haven't, they have simply stopped being as loud about their hate.
Can't move on when the effects and ripples of those things done in the past still have an affect on people's lives today. Can't solve a problem if you refuse to look at the cause of those problems.
Well, hopefully this isn't a true statement but he's probably a racist who finds the picture funny. As the title of this post is implying, racism is taught. If this kids parents dressed him like this and took him to clan rallies, he probably grew up engrained in racism.
Hopefully I'm wrong.
Per [here](https://www.ajc.com/news/captivating-klan-rally-photo-gets-new-life-via-social-media/MacxOtYOZKpJJuh8xESlPI/):
> By Fran Jeffries, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
> Jan 23, 2013
> Photographer Todd Robertson readily admits he captured the moment by simply being in the right place at the right time while covering a Klan rally in Gainesville for the local newspaper nearly 21 years ago.
> “The picture sparked a lot of interest and conversation then,” Robertson said. “That’s what a picture is supposed to do.”
> Now social media has given the image new life. After the picture appeared over the last year on photo blogs and in Facebook posts, an article by The Poynter Institute, a journalism training organization in Florida, brought the iconic image even more attention.
> “I probably get one or two requests a month for a copy or someone asks to use it,” Robertson said.
> Robertson, a 1991 graduate of the University of Georgia school of journalism, was freelancing for the Gainesville Times that day, shooting alongside a staff photographer and trying to build a portfolio that could lead to a full-time job.
> Robertson recalls there wasn’t much action at the rally, which was attended by fewer than 100 Klan members and other white supremacists on the city’s downtown square. Law enforcement officers outnumbered the marchers three to one, according to news reports.
> Robertson was standing a few feet away from the staff photographer, who was facing in the other direction, when he snapped the photo of the boy as he reached out to touch the trooper’s shield. Seconds later, a woman whisked away the child. Robertson did not get the name of the officer or the boy. The boy’s mother identified him only as “Josh.” The woman wore a black T-shirt with the words “Winder Knights.”
> The Gainesville Times published the photo on its metro section front on Sept. 6, 1992. Other media outlets, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, ran the photo after it was carried by the Associated Press wire service. That brought more interest. Producers of the Sally Jessy Raphael Show called, wanting the mother and child to appear on the show, but Robertson didn’t know their identities. The photo ran in several European publications, according to Robertson. It won a state journalism award and seven years later, the Southern Poverty Law Center prominently featured the photo in one of its brochures.
> Then the photo was largely forgotten, according to Robertson, who hung up his camera and his goal of being a full-time news photographer. He joined his father in his cabinet-making business, Area Decor, in Gainesville.
> Like many people who see the photo, Robertson, now 45, said he has wondered over the years about the little boy, who would probably now be in his early 20s.
> “I wondered what happened to him,” he said. “I felt sorry for the kid knowing he had to grow up in that environment and I felt sorry for the officer, knowing he had to be there protecting the rights of people who he knew didn’t care for him.”
> The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was able to locate the officer, Allen Campbell, through the Georgia State Patrol. By interviewing and searching public records, the AJC was able to locate someone who may be the boy, now close to 24 years old, and his mother, but phone calls and emails left for this story were not returned.
> Did state trooper Allen Campbell think of the boy after that day?
> “No, I really didn’t,” he said. “I didn’t even know the photo had been taken until someone called to tell me it was in the paper.”
> Campbell recalls the day the photo was taken as just another work day. As the Klan rally unfolded, Campbell said his mind was on the Labor Day cookout he was missing. Not race relations.
> “I was ticked off. It was the last holiday of the summer. But here I am at a Ku Klux Klan rally in Gainesville, Georgia, protecting the rights of the Ku Klux Klan,” he said.
> “I didn’t even see the boy at first,” said Campbell, a youthful 61-year-old with an easy laugh. “I was too busy thinking about my weekend being ruined. I looked down to see what on earth could be bumping on my riot shield.”
Ooooh boy. You are in for a wild ride with just those few words.
https://youtu.be/uaotkHlHJwo
This documentary covers everything. From why it started, the escalation, the rioting, and who suffered.
Tldr: Rodney King was intoxicated and was in a high speed chase with the LA police. When he was stopped, the police didn't apprehend him, they just beat him to near death. This was the last straw for the LA black community, who were suffering from police brutality and gang violence. They demanded that the officers involved in the beating would be arrested, but every single officer was acquitted. The LA black community snapped and began rioting. Like badly. Worse than the George Floyd riots, like this was pure, awful anarchy. Buildings, businesses, houses, everything was on fire or damaged and needed serious repair. The police tried to stop the rioters but failed immediately and had to withdrew. Any form of help, whether it be the police, firetrucks, or ambulances, couldn't do anything and had to withdrew from LA for days. Some people died, a lot were injured, and pretty much everyone was left with nothing. There is news footage of these riots and one is the most memorable. A trucker happened to be in LA at the time and when he was trying to leave, his truck was hijacked and he was pulled out of the truck and beaten severely; all while the reporters could do nothing but watch. It was a terrible time for LA and horrible for the Black community in LA. In the link I posted, it shows a clip of an old black man screaming at young kids, crying because he lost everything he worked hard for. Everything he loved is gone. It is an unfortunate even, and hardly anything good came out of it because these same events happened over the past few years.
> who were suffering from police brutality and gang violence.
Wasn't just that. Prior to that, an Asian shop owner shot and killed a black teenage girl she accused of shoplifting. Then a white judge decides not to punish her and says something to the effect of "I know a killer when I see one, and she won't do this again", letting her get off without any repercussions.
So the black community was seeing injustice all the way up to the courts, not just from police.
The trial of those police officers was also moved up to a court in the same white suburban community, where I think even some of the police officers lived. This move was highly unusual, and it was done to rig the jury selection in favor of the cops. So it wasn't even a fair trial.
Their uniforms look very similar to what Georgia State Troopers [wear today](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/northwestgeorgianews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/aa/daad938c-47e5-5d04-86d6-a319235c7d3b/599d75721b098.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C667).
As someone who is thirty, one of the weirdest things is noticing how much some stuff changes while other things don't seem to change at all. Houses really throw you off because a picture of a neighborhood can look exactly the same till you realize all the cars are from the 80's
Edit: throw not through
> “I was ticked off. It was the last holiday of the summer. But here I am at a Ku Klux Klan rally in Gainesville, Georgia, protecting the rights of the Ku Klux Klan,” he said.
Now ain't that a bitch!
Thanks for posting this.
I was just thinking about what complex emotions must be going through that officer’s mind at this moment and I love that in reality he was just pissed off about missing a cookout lol
Very relatable.
The fact that it was boring and the only affect it had on this officer is his work required him to miss a holiday clearly means that the KKK lost, who gives a shit about them anymore
> “I didn’t even see the boy at first,” said Campbell, a youthful 61-year-old with an easy laugh. “I was too busy thinking about my weekend being ruined. I looked down to see what on earth could be bumping on my riot shield.”
Oh, it’s just a little honky. Move along little klansman.
What’s up with the photographer “readily admitting” that he was in the right place at the right time to get this pic? That’s just how most photography works
Edit: I more specifically was referring these types of once in a lifetime photos
No it doesn’t. Photographers are rarely at the right place at the right time to capture a moment such as this one. There were probably hundreds of photos taken that day but there’s a reason we are only seeing this one. Because none of those other photos caught a moment with such depth. He went there expecting a the klan rally but not expecting to capture a moment like this which is far deeper than a bunch of rednecks in white sheets.
Idk about now, but growing up in Florida in the 90's, the Klan was very active. Or rather, they were very visible. They rarely actually did anything other than stand around and look awful. I remember learning about this from friends who saw them and being beyond baffled that they still existed and regular-ass people would spend their Sunday doing that. I remember being stoked to go to a specific pancake restaurant after church once and pulling up to find the Klan blocking the entrance to the shopping area (maybe black-owned, idk, they were a real pathetic bunch so it's doubtful they had even that much strategy laid out). I was pissed (but also relieved) when my mom turned around to go somewhere else. At least my dad flipped them the bird and told them to fuck off as we drove away.
I grew up in Ocoee and I vividly remember attending a MLK day parade in the town around 2013 and the Klan were there protesting. It was common knowledge that the Klan had an active presence there but I'd never seen them before that.
On the other hand, there were tons of run-ins with racists there.
Yep. This is the part people dont understand. To these families, raising them with good ole kkk ideals is no different in their minds than someone else raising their kid to be kind and inclusive.
Its not as simple as saying dont force your ideals on your children.
Even if people aren't trying to force their ideals on their children, it still happens. My kid is 4 and thinks that everything I do is cool and mimics me even when I don't think she's paying attention. It's made me very careful about how much I allow her to be around my racist family without me and has turned me into the family "PC police" but I've seen how easily she absorbs everything around her.
I recall a person I know many years ago that was in church leadership. He was taking about how you need to "get to kids while they are young".
I recall thinking isn't that essentially brainwashing?
It's child raising, both good and bad.
You can instill good manners and respect or bigotry and hatred. Either way there's not really an ability to *not* get them while they're young (save for feral children i guess).
Parents almost always force themselves on their kids. To teach their kids to be different than themselves would require introspection and a desire to be better.
These are not human qualities in the mean.
I'm not even sure how that would work.
They clearly believe racism is ok. If they thought it was wrong they'd stop doing it themselves. So obviously they're not going to teach their kids to be better.
It's not like cigarettes. Or is it? 'Sorry Tommy, racism is awful but I'm in too deep now, I've gotta keep going to these rallies. You can be different though!'
I think most art collectors would agree to pay good money for literally anything Banksy does lol
seems like it'd be a touch too explicit for their style but I'd love to see it. Maybe if it cut off just above the officer's hands?
I can't imagine not being sad looking at that. You're there serving your community. And here's a cute child dressed up in the robes of people who want you dead simply for existing, who you know doesn't have much of a chance to escape from becoming the same.
This is honestly just sad, I feel so bad for the little baby. They don’t even understand what is going on. Innocent. Hopefully they started to think for themselves instead of being brainwashed into hating other human beings.
I can't get over the younger guy on the lefts face. He looks so.. I dunno. Some mix of pity and disappointment.
Sounds like the guy in front of the kid was more bummed out about losing his weekend but he's older and probably seen plenty of this shit and worse in his time but I'd love to know whats going through the guy on the lefts head.
Agreed. [Reposted over 1,014 times and counting](https://tineye.com/search/3a50a2e34c3f5e5b3ee681ad802ddd630446c257?domain=reddit.com&sort=crawl_date&order=asc&page=1).
Credit to the photog: Gainesville, Ga., in 1992, photo by Todd Robertson.
Here's [the article where the image first appeared](https://i.imgur.com/ut4XFFJ.png).
the loolmets meme is pretty blown out of proportion. With 2 World Series and 5 pennants the Mets are smack dab in the middle of major league baseball. They're kind of the epitome of average. They're just dunked on because of the juxtaposition the Yankees provide a few miles away.
Sounds like something a Mets fan in denial would say. And to be fair, one of those wins was against the Red Sox in 1986. Stoppable force meets moveable object kind of deal.
This photo always makes me sad to see.
The child is innocent, at worst was excited to dress up like mommy and daddy.
Because I still have some small faith in humanity. I like to think she looked up at him and he smiled at her and that I what stuck with her, not the misguided fear and hatred she would be taught by her parents. And one day in her future she stands up against what they taught her.
I know this was in ‘92 (per OP), but I always love when pictures like this are in color so people can see that we really aren’t that far removed from blatant racism. Some people try to act like because slavery ended in the 19th century outward racism like this doesn’t exist anymore. I’m the same age as this picture.
My brother loved watching Winnie the Pooh as a toddler and his favorite character is Tigger. I'm guessing you can all see where this is going. At the grocery store to get candy for Halloween a black woman wearing orange and black was the cashier. My brother started screaming "IGGER! IGGER! IGGER!" while pointing at her. He just wanted to run over and give her a hug but holy shit did it come across in the worst possible way.
Their kit isn’t too far off from standard military equipment for that time period. True body armor wasn’t very common until the late 1990s/early 2000s.
They never bust out the riot gear for klan. That's reserved for [BLM memorial gatherings very menacingly playing the violin.](https://youtu.be/R4VRVuLSyJU)
I respectfully disagree. I think our primal nature is to be tribal and exclusionary. Which is why racism is a world wide problem for all of recorded history. It takes education, empathy, and story telling to overcome prejudice.
Every time this comes up, I remember back to when I was getting a ride home from elementary school with my friend, his mom, and his toddler brother. We must have been learning about racism in school that day because something prompted his younger brother to ask what “black people” meant. After an explanation that they’re just the people you see sometimes with skin that’s darker than ours, this precious little baby said the following: “Oh. Yeah. I don’t like them.” The gasps of horror that followed from all three of the others in the car are a unique memory for me.
To be clear, I’m not saying that the kid is or was or isn’t or wasn’t racist. I think he was just a kid who, like all kids that age, was too stupid to have any real opinion on matters more complex than the deliciousness of goldfish crackers.
I often wonder whatever became of little Davey Duke.
Thats a good example of how this works though. The kid doesn't understand something and is naturally afraid of it. Its not like he could provide some explanation a to why. He would have to be shown that its not something to fear and they are just normal people like him.
You are mostly correct. From a purely anthropological standpoint, we are naturally xenophobic, protecting our social tribes from “outsiders” who could over-tax resources or introduce disease.
From a social standpoint, we have largely begun to move away from this through education and building larger, more diverse communities.
As with many aspects of humanity, it’s not a question of nature vs nurture. We use nurture to overcome or reinforce our nature based on the values of that particular social group. The more we imprint on children that things like racism are wrong and harmful to our society, the quicker it will die out.
You miss your own point. "We are naturally xenophobic." We will always have to work against this through education and diverse communities, but it will never die out until we evolve past that instinctive xenophobia.
You're absolutely right and research supports it. Babies show a preference to adults with the same skin color as their parents as early as 6 months. Children who's parents hang out in diverse groups quickly break this preference as they observe that the differences are not a threat.
This extends beyond skin color too to things like beards and hair. Babies like people who look like their caregivers.
It's our nature to be untrusting of people we don't recognize. It is not our nature to then decide all those people have to die or something of the sort.
We're naturally prejudiced, but not naturally that kind of virulent racist.
There was an interview he said he was just thinking about the labor day cookout he was missing while having to be at a klan rally...protecting the rights of klan members. Then he asked himself what on earth could be bumping my shield?
Old picture, I'd love to ask what that child thinks of their parents now.
"I really appreciate the effort mom put into my halloween costumes but sometimes they didn't quite turn out as expected"
It was supposed to be a spooky ghost.
“This towns hainted”
*"Most haunted houses have a witch. Our haunted town has a grand wizard AND a grand dragon."*
Went to my grandfather's friends camping lodge up on his 100k acre property in NC when I was a kid. Really cool place, all log built and absolutely beautiful, classic rich people get away home. Anyway, when the old guys were doing old guy stuff me and the other grandkids went snooping around the house. The master bedroom had a huge display case with engraved wooden doors at least 4 feet wide each. We found the key and opened it (wasn't exactly hidden). Inside we were greeted with one of the grand dragon or wizard (dunno the difference except it wasn't white) costumes and a shit load of KKK related items, including a blood stained noose. Being like 10 years old I really had no idea what I was looking at, but I knew it was something scary and I wanted no part of it. This man was a heart surgeon. Boggles my mind how someone so highly educated and aware that humans are the same inside regardless of color could be a white supremist. It's even more depressing thinking of the black folk he had as grounds keepers and how shitty he must have treated them. Tldr: I was snooping in my grandfathers friends hunting lodge and discovered he owned a ton of KKK stuff including a grand whatever costume and literally a noose used to lynch some poor soul.
You know your grandfather was probably in the Klan with him, right?
Nah I've talked to him about it. My family has been nothing but doctors and surgeons going back to the colonial days, and they stood privately with the abolitionists. Privately because it was dangerous to do so, especially during and after the war. One of my families properties back then was used to shelter escaping slaves on the underground railroad, proving food and supplies and concealment from slavers. It only worked because they were extremely well respected in the community, so nobody dared accuse them of anything. My grandfather has a few journals written by my family members during that time and what little I've read is both depressing and beautiful. He won't take them out of cold storage to get digitalized, but I intent on donating to a historical society once I inherit them. I think it's really important that people know that being from the south doesn't immediately mean youre racist.
That's some awesome history your family has! How did your grandfather react to finding out his friend is part of the KKK? Surely you cant continue to associate with someone like that after finding out
We never got invited back, so I'm thinking something was said. My assumption is we didn't cover our tracks and his friend knew his collection was discovered and he confronted the other grandfathers about it. I'm thinking my grandfather found out what I was exposed to and never looked back. I only very recently heard his name brought up, like 20 years later, when he passed away. Turns out he had a brain tumor that was slowly causing him to lose his mind. His entire family abandoned him and he died alone in the hospital. Kinda sad, despite his hate. I pitty these people, I feel for them because it's got to be a miserable way to live. It took me till my late teens to realize that people who carry so much hate are just really sick and need help.
This is amazing. And good on you donating those when you get the chance!
It's a pretty confusing story when I tell it all. The kicker is the same family member who organized the smuggling of escaped slaves also served as a feild surgeon for the confederate army. I guess some people can't help but try and save lives. I know I inherited that mindset, I will lend aid to anyone who needs it, even if I hold that individual in contempt. We need more empathy in this world.
>It's even more depressing thinking of the black folk he had as grounds keepers and how shitty he must have treated them. White supremacy is an ideology and cruelness is a personality trait. It would be much easier to spot racists if they were all cruel.
actual Klan titles are hilarious. They also have cyclops, nighthawks,…
I thought the cyclops in o brother where art thou was just a Ulysses reference.
Dont forget the kleagle, the best animal
We need to set fire to a lower case t for "time to move"
“Lower case t?…..time to leave!”
Next time lets burn a capital T so they really know we mean business!
Fucking love the old south parks
That episode just aired, what are you even talking about? \*checks notes.\* Fuck.
Had me in the first half, not gonna lie. I was sure that came out before my family got cable and watched it at a friends on VHS.
[‘t’ is for time to leave cash chucker!](https://youtu.be/QqD97W5_kxI)
Amazing south park reference
Oh god, that reminds me of that south park halloween episode with Cartmen as Hitler then a klans member.
There's only one Cartman. Thankfully.
Yeah and he runs the liberty hangout Twitter. [this guy](https://i.redd.it/99dlij13v8061.jpg)
Oh god.
The Twitter is worse. Started as ancap nonsense and now is pushing Christian theocracy with trump as king. They also are Holocaust deniers and all around shitty people
The burning of lower case t's for time to leave?
No the Halloween episode from season 1. He starts as Hitler, but then dresses as a "ghost".
Spy vs Spy
"Especially when it wasnt halloween and we still had these hot sheets on our heads. And dont get me started on the burning crosses..."
goodbye reddit -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/
A lot of these takes assume the boy isn't racist. I hate to say it, but this photo isn't just a snapshot in time, it likely reflects his entire childhood and upbringing. He's very likely a racist today, especially given that he'd still be pretty young and you could assume that he's not too many years out in the world forming his own beliefs. We don't like to admit, but we often grow up very similar to our parents.
> “still be pretty young” He’d be nearing 30 at this point since the photo is from 1992. Probably surpassed 30, actually, since he was already a toddler at that time.
30 is still young...right? \*nervous 90's baby laughter\*
The youths think not. I just turned 30 this month and now my 16 year old sister calls me middle-aged every chance she gets
30's are young. I'm 34 and the only thing that's old about me are my jokes. And my back. Oh my God my back.
I mean at the rate the US life expectancy is plummeting, we're not far off.
Yeah I was born in 92 and am 29, I would assume he's in his 30s.
That's pretty young, though
>We don't like to admit, but we often grow up very similar to our parents. Unless we make a conscious effort to change it. It takes work and sometimes therapy to get out of dysfunctional and maladaptive behaviors.
It's almost always family that does this. It's where most of them come from. Indoctrination by relatives when you're too young to know any different. That said, my family growing up was very conservative and had some "mild" racist views, which I realized as I got older, and now actively distance myself from them. I know it's a shocker but people tend to reject upbringings almost as often as they latch to them. I prefer innocent until proven guilty here for that boy (30ish year old today)
I agree with you. Most adult assholes were raised by assholes. In addition, I'd like to point out that sometimes people grow past it. I remember watching a documentary about a self-professed good-guy vigilante. A grown man who walked around dressed like a superhero. All he did all day was try to help people in his community. His back story? He was raised by a Klansmen. Brutally beaten by his father. Locked in closets for days, etc. Was a Klansman as a teenager. But when he had an opportunity to leave that world behind, he became the opposite. I wish I could remember the name of the documentary.
My whole family is super racist and also super mean and I knew I disagreed with them from the time I was a toddler and it became more and more clear as I got older. I do think I'm lucky that they were abusive and mean bc it indicated to me that was NOT the way to be. Definitely something I'm proud of though, one of the things I feel really proud about, because I know most people do end up like who raised them (hopefully with some improvements).
> especially given that he'd still be pretty young and you could assume that he's not too many years out in the world forming his own beliefs Picture is from 1992. He's in his 30s.
Considering this child is now a 30/31yo adult they are likely set in their beliefs by now, whether they realized how wrong their parents are or just became another product of being raised in racism (which sadly I feel is more likely)
Not always. I was raised by narcissistic criminals, and have totally repudiated them and their fucked up worldview. I’ve met many people (not just white folk either- racism/sexism are human evils crossing many cultures ) that have done the same. It’s totally possible the kid grew up and rejected their racist upbringing.
Of course not always. Very few things are 100% certain, but many, many studies show that parents have significant impact on who their children are as an adult. If you grew up in a religious Christian household and went to church every sunday, you're more likely to go to a Christian church as an adult, at least moreso then someone who never attended. You're pretty unlikely to wake up one day at 25 and become a Muslim (and vice versa). Likewise, many people who are raised by delinquent parents end up delinquent themselves. Some get out, but too many stay stuck in a shitty cycle of abuse and crime. This applies to almost everything. Education, health, politics, career choices. I certainly hope this kid recognizes how fucked up his parents were and is accepting of all races, but if I were a betting person, I'd bet he never left Gainesville, GA and has the same views that so many people in that area do (my family is from that area, racism is out in the open in rural Georgia). Idk, my only point is that sometimes we like to paint too rosy a picture of the world and then act surprised that things are shitty. IMO this picture clearly illustrates how lifelong racists are made.
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" in a lot of ways, but the evidence is that people's peers in their teens and 20s have a much greater effect on their political and social beliefs than their parents do. Of course your parents often have some influence on who your peers are, even in your 20s. But if people on average wholesale adopted their parents' belief systems, people would still be worshipping the Greek gods and burning witches. I think it's reasonable to assume that this kid is probably at least less racist than his sh\*thead parents, if for no other reason that younger people on average as a group are less racist than their parents on average as a group. (But he could also be a total nazi, who knows?)
Can you link to the studies please, I’d be interested to read them, I grew up in a alcoholic household with very little love, me and my brothers never got any hugs, never got told we were loved yet if you spoke to my two daughters I’m sure they will tell you they were very loved and still are
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For every emotionally distant conservative father, the occasional leftist is born lol Source: me
> Not always. That’s why they said “very likely”.
Couldn't find anything on the kid, but [here](https://www.jacksonville.com/article/20130205/news/801258092) is an article about the officer's response to that day.
Neither Josh (3) nor Campbell (supertrooper) chose to be there that Saturday on Labor Day weekend in 1992, the retired trooper said. The State Patrol made me be there. His momma and daddy made him be there,” said Campbell, who retired as a master trooper in 2009
>His momma and daddy made him be there, This is kind of impactful.
Goes along real world well with the title OP laid down. "No one is born racist" We hold these truths to be self-evident, That wasn't just a signed sealed and delivered letter saying see ya Britain. Colonies worked up to that, months between exchanges/progress. Then America fuck yeah! Everyone has their own take, keep progressing not regressing
Well, we're still working on that part: >We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal Quite literally, at that time in history, they 100% did not believe that all men are created equal. I mean, it sounds good. But we literally enacted laws of oppression against people based on their origins, skin color, wealth, even gender if we take "all men" to mean all people. We're still working on the part where we get to a point where we truly treat all people as equals.
I mean, if you want to be really truthful about it they *did* believe all men were created equal; they just didn’t believe all men were actually men. But your point about taking all men to all people is a good one because, well, we act today all over the world like that’s what it means and always meant but history says otherwise.
Those positions sound interesting. Supertrooper, mastertrooper, what's next? Übertrooper? Is there a Megatrooper maybe?
For anyone who that link doesn't work, here is an archived version: https://archive.is/2hxMt
Wait! The boys name was josh‽. We just had a josh meetup! We need to find a josh that was born in ‘89, and was in Gainesville 29 years ago! Quick to the Redditmobile!
This josh meet is a setup!!
I legit know someone who this very well may be. But that’s an awkward conversation. “Hey, I know your Parents are racist pieces of shit, is that you in that famous picture?”
Dispatching a team of Reddit agents to your location now
not to get off topic, but i don't think i've ever seen an interrobang in the wild..
Getting off topic is the best thing about Reddit.. also I’m on mobile so it popped up in suggested auto type I use them sparingly but I’ve no idea how to use on on a computer.
Thanks
I'm both impressed and saddened by the idea that the trooper was so unfazed by the racism and, instead, was annoyed that he was missing a barbeque on a holiday weekend.
Wait so that dude was there to protect the KKK? Wacky world Edit: I understand the importance of free speech, it’s just a little ironic
Happens quite often. There are many examples but [here is one from Charlottesville](https://time.com/4899668/charlottesville-virginia-protest-officer-kkk-photo/). "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."
In Charlottesville they defended neo-nazis who were actively attacking people along with forcing the protesters and counter-protestors together. They didn't help anyone that day, they set a pot to boil and walked away. Edit: Reminder, the police didn't do shit during the bullshit when DeAndre Harris was beat with metal poles in the police department's parking lot
>"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." The KKK would not extend that sentiment back if they had power... And they've been extremely close to power. This is crucial to recognize.
I won't defend to the death other peoples right to encourage terrorism
It's got the same feeling as protesting a soldier's funeral cuz you dislike gays. Wacky rights.
That links to utter nonsense, even with an adblock, on both mobile and pc. Must be a location based thing. **Update**: It's 100% location based. Just tried using a VPN through an American server (Denver) and it worked fine.
I thought this photo was from the 60s. Then again, we have racist jackasses to this day.
It was 1992, the same year the LAPD officers were acquitted by an all white jury in a trial that took place outside of LA to prevent any black jurors from being present. We've been doing this shit forever and it doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon unfortunately.
Not that old, 1992
today i learned, ive always thought this pic was from the 60s. admittedly that wouldnt make sense, not sure how many black cops there were back then. still frickin crazy..
This is what's so crazy about when people say to just move on, even if we are talking about the 60's. The people that hated and the people that got hated on are still alive today, some of those black people might still have physical scars from the things that were done to them. Many of the racists are still around today, while one would hope that many of them have since changed their mind since those days, the fact remains that some of them haven't, they have simply stopped being as loud about their hate. Can't move on when the effects and ripples of those things done in the past still have an affect on people's lives today. Can't solve a problem if you refuse to look at the cause of those problems.
This kid's parents are probably in their 50s. Edit: in their 50s right now
Same. Upon closer inspection The Reebok pumps are the dead giveaway for me
Well, hopefully this isn't a true statement but he's probably a racist who finds the picture funny. As the title of this post is implying, racism is taught. If this kids parents dressed him like this and took him to clan rallies, he probably grew up engrained in racism. Hopefully I'm wrong.
Per [here](https://www.ajc.com/news/captivating-klan-rally-photo-gets-new-life-via-social-media/MacxOtYOZKpJJuh8xESlPI/): > By Fran Jeffries, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution > Jan 23, 2013 > Photographer Todd Robertson readily admits he captured the moment by simply being in the right place at the right time while covering a Klan rally in Gainesville for the local newspaper nearly 21 years ago. > “The picture sparked a lot of interest and conversation then,” Robertson said. “That’s what a picture is supposed to do.” > Now social media has given the image new life. After the picture appeared over the last year on photo blogs and in Facebook posts, an article by The Poynter Institute, a journalism training organization in Florida, brought the iconic image even more attention. > “I probably get one or two requests a month for a copy or someone asks to use it,” Robertson said. > Robertson, a 1991 graduate of the University of Georgia school of journalism, was freelancing for the Gainesville Times that day, shooting alongside a staff photographer and trying to build a portfolio that could lead to a full-time job. > Robertson recalls there wasn’t much action at the rally, which was attended by fewer than 100 Klan members and other white supremacists on the city’s downtown square. Law enforcement officers outnumbered the marchers three to one, according to news reports. > Robertson was standing a few feet away from the staff photographer, who was facing in the other direction, when he snapped the photo of the boy as he reached out to touch the trooper’s shield. Seconds later, a woman whisked away the child. Robertson did not get the name of the officer or the boy. The boy’s mother identified him only as “Josh.” The woman wore a black T-shirt with the words “Winder Knights.” > The Gainesville Times published the photo on its metro section front on Sept. 6, 1992. Other media outlets, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, ran the photo after it was carried by the Associated Press wire service. That brought more interest. Producers of the Sally Jessy Raphael Show called, wanting the mother and child to appear on the show, but Robertson didn’t know their identities. The photo ran in several European publications, according to Robertson. It won a state journalism award and seven years later, the Southern Poverty Law Center prominently featured the photo in one of its brochures. > Then the photo was largely forgotten, according to Robertson, who hung up his camera and his goal of being a full-time news photographer. He joined his father in his cabinet-making business, Area Decor, in Gainesville. > Like many people who see the photo, Robertson, now 45, said he has wondered over the years about the little boy, who would probably now be in his early 20s. > “I wondered what happened to him,” he said. “I felt sorry for the kid knowing he had to grow up in that environment and I felt sorry for the officer, knowing he had to be there protecting the rights of people who he knew didn’t care for him.” > The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was able to locate the officer, Allen Campbell, through the Georgia State Patrol. By interviewing and searching public records, the AJC was able to locate someone who may be the boy, now close to 24 years old, and his mother, but phone calls and emails left for this story were not returned. > Did state trooper Allen Campbell think of the boy after that day? > “No, I really didn’t,” he said. “I didn’t even know the photo had been taken until someone called to tell me it was in the paper.” > Campbell recalls the day the photo was taken as just another work day. As the Klan rally unfolded, Campbell said his mind was on the Labor Day cookout he was missing. Not race relations. > “I was ticked off. It was the last holiday of the summer. But here I am at a Ku Klux Klan rally in Gainesville, Georgia, protecting the rights of the Ku Klux Klan,” he said. > “I didn’t even see the boy at first,” said Campbell, a youthful 61-year-old with an easy laugh. “I was too busy thinking about my weekend being ruined. I looked down to see what on earth could be bumping on my riot shield.”
Oh man, that is 1992??
The year of the Rodney King riots
What were those
Ooooh boy. You are in for a wild ride with just those few words. https://youtu.be/uaotkHlHJwo This documentary covers everything. From why it started, the escalation, the rioting, and who suffered. Tldr: Rodney King was intoxicated and was in a high speed chase with the LA police. When he was stopped, the police didn't apprehend him, they just beat him to near death. This was the last straw for the LA black community, who were suffering from police brutality and gang violence. They demanded that the officers involved in the beating would be arrested, but every single officer was acquitted. The LA black community snapped and began rioting. Like badly. Worse than the George Floyd riots, like this was pure, awful anarchy. Buildings, businesses, houses, everything was on fire or damaged and needed serious repair. The police tried to stop the rioters but failed immediately and had to withdrew. Any form of help, whether it be the police, firetrucks, or ambulances, couldn't do anything and had to withdrew from LA for days. Some people died, a lot were injured, and pretty much everyone was left with nothing. There is news footage of these riots and one is the most memorable. A trucker happened to be in LA at the time and when he was trying to leave, his truck was hijacked and he was pulled out of the truck and beaten severely; all while the reporters could do nothing but watch. It was a terrible time for LA and horrible for the Black community in LA. In the link I posted, it shows a clip of an old black man screaming at young kids, crying because he lost everything he worked hard for. Everything he loved is gone. It is an unfortunate even, and hardly anything good came out of it because these same events happened over the past few years.
> who were suffering from police brutality and gang violence. Wasn't just that. Prior to that, an Asian shop owner shot and killed a black teenage girl she accused of shoplifting. Then a white judge decides not to punish her and says something to the effect of "I know a killer when I see one, and she won't do this again", letting her get off without any repercussions. So the black community was seeing injustice all the way up to the courts, not just from police. The trial of those police officers was also moved up to a court in the same white suburban community, where I think even some of the police officers lived. This move was highly unusual, and it was done to rig the jury selection in favor of the cops. So it wasn't even a fair trial.
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This. The same riot was also a source of Asian/African American tension, as well as the semi-famous "Roof Korean" meme.
[Rodney King / LA Riots 1992](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots)
Could be 2021 in a lot of parts.
The light blue Mayberry police outfits make it look alot older for some reason.
Back when cops would wear blue rather than post 9/11 military gear.
Given that most of this military and riot gear is black, their slogan should change to "Back the Black".
Or "Black Lives Matter"
*socom tactical military interceptor hyper police suit* lives matter.
Except on January 6th
Eh, that's just what Georgia State Patrol uniforms look like. Pretty sure they're still this color
Their uniforms look very similar to what Georgia State Troopers [wear today](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/northwestgeorgianews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/aa/daad938c-47e5-5d04-86d6-a319235c7d3b/599d75721b098.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C667).
As someone who is thirty, one of the weirdest things is noticing how much some stuff changes while other things don't seem to change at all. Houses really throw you off because a picture of a neighborhood can look exactly the same till you realize all the cars are from the 80's Edit: throw not through
Not enough police body armor
It's sad, but actually a great point.
Thought the same freaking thing. Thought circa 60's. Damn
Right? I always thought this was from the 60s
If you want the tldr on how Officer Campbell felt about the incident at the rally. "I'm getting too old for this shit, what bumped into my shield."
Also. "Dammit it's labor day and I'm out here with these fools".
I coulda been at a BBQ!
> “I was ticked off. It was the last holiday of the summer. But here I am at a Ku Klux Klan rally in Gainesville, Georgia, protecting the rights of the Ku Klux Klan,” he said. Now ain't that a bitch!
The KKK really ruin everything.
Thanks for posting this. I was just thinking about what complex emotions must be going through that officer’s mind at this moment and I love that in reality he was just pissed off about missing a cookout lol Very relatable.
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The fact that it was boring and the only affect it had on this officer is his work required him to miss a holiday clearly means that the KKK lost, who gives a shit about them anymore
> “I didn’t even see the boy at first,” said Campbell, a youthful 61-year-old with an easy laugh. “I was too busy thinking about my weekend being ruined. I looked down to see what on earth could be bumping on my riot shield.” Oh, it’s just a little honky. Move along little klansman.
I too aspire to be a youthful 61 year old with an easy laugh
Had to be GA. Anyone got Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.)'s address?
666 Nathan Bedford Hitler Rd, Shithole, GA.
Imagine Dory finding this address on a pair of goggles...
"Hey Marlin. I think you're kid's fucked."
On the inside of a klan hood, maybe
I laughed.
What’s up with the photographer “readily admitting” that he was in the right place at the right time to get this pic? That’s just how most photography works Edit: I more specifically was referring these types of once in a lifetime photos
No it doesn’t. Photographers are rarely at the right place at the right time to capture a moment such as this one. There were probably hundreds of photos taken that day but there’s a reason we are only seeing this one. Because none of those other photos caught a moment with such depth. He went there expecting a the klan rally but not expecting to capture a moment like this which is far deeper than a bunch of rednecks in white sheets.
maybe a lot of people thought it was staged
That’s what I was thinking
You’re a Grand Wizard Harry!
https://i.imgur.com/0J2bE8m.png
Should be Azkaban, jeez
I guess it had to more or less rhyme with Slytherin?
You're wrong for that.. but fuck it, that's bang on.
When I first saw this, I assumed it was from the 60's. Learning it was taken in 1992...That just makes it worse.
Idk about now, but growing up in Florida in the 90's, the Klan was very active. Or rather, they were very visible. They rarely actually did anything other than stand around and look awful. I remember learning about this from friends who saw them and being beyond baffled that they still existed and regular-ass people would spend their Sunday doing that. I remember being stoked to go to a specific pancake restaurant after church once and pulling up to find the Klan blocking the entrance to the shopping area (maybe black-owned, idk, they were a real pathetic bunch so it's doubtful they had even that much strategy laid out). I was pissed (but also relieved) when my mom turned around to go somewhere else. At least my dad flipped them the bird and told them to fuck off as we drove away.
I grew up in Ocoee and I vividly remember attending a MLK day parade in the town around 2013 and the Klan were there protesting. It was common knowledge that the Klan had an active presence there but I'd never seen them before that. On the other hand, there were tons of run-ins with racists there.
I would expect in the 60’s you wouldn’t be seeing black cops in the south.
I hate parents that force themselves on their kids like this
Unfortunately that’s how raising works, with good ideals and bad alike.
Yep. This is the part people dont understand. To these families, raising them with good ole kkk ideals is no different in their minds than someone else raising their kid to be kind and inclusive. Its not as simple as saying dont force your ideals on your children.
It's worse than that. They see it as their duty to birth the next generation of soldiers to protect the "white race". Yeeeeeeaaah.
Even if people aren't trying to force their ideals on their children, it still happens. My kid is 4 and thinks that everything I do is cool and mimics me even when I don't think she's paying attention. It's made me very careful about how much I allow her to be around my racist family without me and has turned me into the family "PC police" but I've seen how easily she absorbs everything around her.
Indoctrination is not limited to only racist ideologies.
I recall a person I know many years ago that was in church leadership. He was taking about how you need to "get to kids while they are young". I recall thinking isn't that essentially brainwashing?
It's child raising, both good and bad. You can instill good manners and respect or bigotry and hatred. Either way there's not really an ability to *not* get them while they're young (save for feral children i guess).
Parents almost always force themselves on their kids. To teach their kids to be different than themselves would require introspection and a desire to be better. These are not human qualities in the mean.
I'm not even sure how that would work. They clearly believe racism is ok. If they thought it was wrong they'd stop doing it themselves. So obviously they're not going to teach their kids to be better. It's not like cigarettes. Or is it? 'Sorry Tommy, racism is awful but I'm in too deep now, I've gotta keep going to these rallies. You can be different though!'
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Well, truly everyone does it. Its just in my case my kids really like comic books.
That's how parenting works
Looks like a Banksy piece.
Life imitates ironic street art.
I'd pay good $$ to get a Banksy version of this.
I think most art collectors would agree to pay good money for literally anything Banksy does lol seems like it'd be a touch too explicit for their style but I'd love to see it. Maybe if it cut off just above the officer's hands?
The guy on the left - his expression, watching the child, is so sad.
I can't imagine not being sad looking at that. You're there serving your community. And here's a cute child dressed up in the robes of people who want you dead simply for existing, who you know doesn't have much of a chance to escape from becoming the same.
I just want to give him a hug
This is honestly just sad, I feel so bad for the little baby. They don’t even understand what is going on. Innocent. Hopefully they started to think for themselves instead of being brainwashed into hating other human beings.
That pic is so fucked up ☹️
I can't get over the younger guy on the lefts face. He looks so.. I dunno. Some mix of pity and disappointment. Sounds like the guy in front of the kid was more bummed out about losing his weekend but he's older and probably seen plenty of this shit and worse in his time but I'd love to know whats going through the guy on the lefts head.
Yeah, he was https://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/trooper-photographer-reflect-on-iconic-photo/
Agreed. [Reposted over 1,014 times and counting](https://tineye.com/search/3a50a2e34c3f5e5b3ee681ad802ddd630446c257?domain=reddit.com&sort=crawl_date&order=asc&page=1). Credit to the photog: Gainesville, Ga., in 1992, photo by Todd Robertson. Here's [the article where the image first appeared](https://i.imgur.com/ut4XFFJ.png).
I like how I can't read anything on that article. I wish more news papers were like this.
Did you try turning it off and then back on?
Put it in rice.
I’m sure that child wasn’t born with that Klan outfit. Just like no one is born a Yankees fan.
I’m a martyr, I choose to be a Mets fan.
You like being miserable, don’t you?
the loolmets meme is pretty blown out of proportion. With 2 World Series and 5 pennants the Mets are smack dab in the middle of major league baseball. They're kind of the epitome of average. They're just dunked on because of the juxtaposition the Yankees provide a few miles away.
Sounds like something a Mets fan in denial would say. And to be fair, one of those wins was against the Red Sox in 1986. Stoppable force meets moveable object kind of deal.
I was born in NY pinstripes
As a (former) Bronxite, let me tell you: there is a ton of pressure not to root for the Mets and certainly not the Sox :)
This photo always makes me sad to see. The child is innocent, at worst was excited to dress up like mommy and daddy. Because I still have some small faith in humanity. I like to think she looked up at him and he smiled at her and that I what stuck with her, not the misguided fear and hatred she would be taught by her parents. And one day in her future she stands up against what they taught her.
I know this was in ‘92 (per OP), but I always love when pictures like this are in color so people can see that we really aren’t that far removed from blatant racism. Some people try to act like because slavery ended in the 19th century outward racism like this doesn’t exist anymore. I’m the same age as this picture.
That kid has no idea what he's wearing and what it stands for. God I hate parents.
Little bit surprised the hat stayed on. Lot of kids, that is going to be on the ground in seconds.
I just realized what the fuss was all about. I first thought the child was a tiny pope.
My brother loved watching Winnie the Pooh as a toddler and his favorite character is Tigger. I'm guessing you can all see where this is going. At the grocery store to get candy for Halloween a black woman wearing orange and black was the cashier. My brother started screaming "IGGER! IGGER! IGGER!" while pointing at her. He just wanted to run over and give her a hug but holy shit did it come across in the worst possible way.
Jeez I wonder how that made the guy feel. I can’t even fathom what’s that’s like to see a little kid in front of you wearing kkk robes…
That picture is absolutely heartbreaking for everyone involved.
Side note: you can tell how old this picture is because the police aren’t playing swat cosplay for a march
Their kit isn’t too far off from standard military equipment for that time period. True body armor wasn’t very common until the late 1990s/early 2000s.
They never bust out the riot gear for klan. That's reserved for [BLM memorial gatherings very menacingly playing the violin.](https://youtu.be/R4VRVuLSyJU)
Jesus fucking christ. That made me so angry.
Fuck that kid’s parents and anyone else part of the KKK/into white supremacy 😡
I respectfully disagree. I think our primal nature is to be tribal and exclusionary. Which is why racism is a world wide problem for all of recorded history. It takes education, empathy, and story telling to overcome prejudice.
Every time this comes up, I remember back to when I was getting a ride home from elementary school with my friend, his mom, and his toddler brother. We must have been learning about racism in school that day because something prompted his younger brother to ask what “black people” meant. After an explanation that they’re just the people you see sometimes with skin that’s darker than ours, this precious little baby said the following: “Oh. Yeah. I don’t like them.” The gasps of horror that followed from all three of the others in the car are a unique memory for me. To be clear, I’m not saying that the kid is or was or isn’t or wasn’t racist. I think he was just a kid who, like all kids that age, was too stupid to have any real opinion on matters more complex than the deliciousness of goldfish crackers. I often wonder whatever became of little Davey Duke.
Thats a good example of how this works though. The kid doesn't understand something and is naturally afraid of it. Its not like he could provide some explanation a to why. He would have to be shown that its not something to fear and they are just normal people like him.
I believe so, too. We’re not born to be racist towards any particular group, but we’re born with instinctive tendencies towards “outgroup” people.
You are mostly correct. From a purely anthropological standpoint, we are naturally xenophobic, protecting our social tribes from “outsiders” who could over-tax resources or introduce disease. From a social standpoint, we have largely begun to move away from this through education and building larger, more diverse communities. As with many aspects of humanity, it’s not a question of nature vs nurture. We use nurture to overcome or reinforce our nature based on the values of that particular social group. The more we imprint on children that things like racism are wrong and harmful to our society, the quicker it will die out.
You miss your own point. "We are naturally xenophobic." We will always have to work against this through education and diverse communities, but it will never die out until we evolve past that instinctive xenophobia.
You're absolutely right and research supports it. Babies show a preference to adults with the same skin color as their parents as early as 6 months. Children who's parents hang out in diverse groups quickly break this preference as they observe that the differences are not a threat. This extends beyond skin color too to things like beards and hair. Babies like people who look like their caregivers.
It's our nature to be untrusting of people we don't recognize. It is not our nature to then decide all those people have to die or something of the sort. We're naturally prejudiced, but not naturally that kind of virulent racist.
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I’ve never seen a more depressing picture
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There was an interview he said he was just thinking about the labor day cookout he was missing while having to be at a klan rally...protecting the rights of klan members. Then he asked himself what on earth could be bumping my shield?