AntiFash Gordon

What if the National Socialist Movement has been described as a “fraternity” here? The KKK? Substitute any other hate group, and this would be a wildly softball description. But instead asking that the media get it right, you want to accuse me of sexism and tone police me?

I think the 1920s Klan was framed as a fraternal organization almost exactly like the PBs and afaik historians often keep that framing bc it's possible to be a fraternity and all the other evil things at the same time...

Wow, I wonder what helped the Klan grow? Could it have been the framing of it as an anodyne fraternal organization rather than a violent hate group? Words matter. That was my only point in raising this issue.

In some ways the Klan was less violent than the PBs. Some chapters openly renounced violence and wanted to just become the secret orchestrators of the US. it's not just the framing but the content, that's all I'm saying - they can be both a fraternal org and hate group.

like, here's PRA writing about the Klan in the 1920s: "The Klan of the 1920s was a mainstream, national fraternal organization which openly espoused White supremacy... The KKK functioned in many ways as an ordinary fraternal order, with special social events..."

and i'm not saying, "their self-description should always be used." obv Volksfront called themselves "fraternal organization" but r literally a nazi gang. similar w vinlanders. but PBs i think are (or have been) somewhat diff in that 1920s Klan way.

yeah, i think it's the most important work in the world exposing those ties and how these different containers function, and i respect the work y'all do in exposing it and getting those urls out there.