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There Is a Better Way to Oppose White Supremacists
A black man has devoted his life to befriending KKK members. His friendship has persuaded many people to leave the organization. This is what effective resistance to white supremacy looks like. People who go at it with clubs and rocks are just looking to make violence.
Daryl Davis has a unique hobby.
In his spare time, he befriends white supremacists. Lots of them. Hundreds. He goes to where they live. Meets them at their rallies. Dines with them in their homes. He gets to know them because, in his words, “How can you hate me when you don’t even know me? Look at me and tell me to my face why you should lynch me.”
He also is a collector of KKK robes. He collects them as souvenirs when KKK members decide to give up on racism because of his friendship.
Davis, a Christian, has met with white supremacists for three decades. He never tries to convert the Klansmen. He simply becomes friends with them and they give up the KKK on their own.
Before they decided that it was okay to “punch Nazis,” the left used to claim that violence only begets violence, that using violence only perpetuated a “cycle of violence.” But now, they’re all like… “Violence, yeah man, violence. Far out.”
Published in Culture
Ah yes. I see the 9 dimensional chess Trump is playing now. He will befriend David Duke, and the Neo Nazis and through the power of him friendship will change their hearts. But, he won’t befriend the evil alt-left.
Great article. That Daryl Davis sounds like a super nice guy. It would be fun to meet him.
Boy, that’s humbling.
Seriously? You read this OP and the linked article, and your response is a snide remark about Trump? ??♀️
That is a fantastic story. While most of us don’t have courage and kindness at Davis’s level, his approach is the right one. Has anyone ever been shouted out of a prejudice? I doubt it. Engaging with an attempt at understanding would work so much better than placards and chants.
Very true and great post. Uh….wonder if it’d work if he were Jewish instead of black? Cuz in their present incarnation, these KKK guys seem focused on Jews.
I thought you might be going to conclude what I have: the best way to fight these guys would be for their marches to be ignored. A cordon of silent police officers shielding them from view. Nobody else watching, yelling–anything. Silence.
I wish there were a bajillion more people like Mr. Davis. I think the world would benefit immensely if there were. Thanks for sharing his inspirational story and giving me something to think about.
This guy is doing exactly what should be done to end the KKK.
However, the last thing in the world most prominent lefties want is an end to the KKK. They need demons to fight, not fellow human hearts to persuade.
Still, God bless this guy.
Yep. Got punched too.
I watched the documentary. It was interesting and entertaining. It’s on Netflix.
Thanks for mentioning this. I looked it up and have started watching it. I’m blown away by his opening story. He loaned his bus to a Klan group? He’s a much better person than I.
You and I clearly never sleep, Weeping. ;)
I found the interactions he has with some of the BLM people in Baltimore as interesting as the interactions he has with members of the KKK.
The dude is patient.
He has his point of view, and he really is just trying to build bridges.
It’s a hopeful narrative.
This is very humbling of you to say, Weeping. I would have to say that about myself also. I don’t think I’d have the courage to do it. Also, I have just grown very cynical about human nature. It’s sad. And it is a sin. But it comes from just reading and seeing all the stuff that people do today.
From the article linked above: ” I’ve been called Uncle Tom…”
I just finished reading the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin. It’s a shame that the modern vernacular has so distorted the image of the true Christian that was portrayed by Harriet Beecher Stowe in her novel. Uncle Tom was an evangelist and a martyr for his faith. We need more Uncle Toms today – black and white.
For some, it’s always about Trump. Their obsession is eating them up.
I know I don’t have the courage.In this regards, I think he’s a very special man indeed.
LOL! I’m such a night owl that it feels that way sometimes. And I agree, it is definitely hopeful. I know it’s a pipe dream, but I wish the mainstream media would spend more time sharing these kinds of stories with us rather than focusing what feels exclusively on violence and divisiveness.