# Report Says "Klansman Spotted on Your Local College Campus" - You Believe It? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 16, 2016, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348 "2016-04-16T13:08:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/21 "2016-04-16T18:07:00Z")
> [@Sahirrnee](#): > > This [You are being redirected...](http://www.adl.org/combating-hate/hate-on-display/c/ku-klux-klan-robes.html) > > looks nothing like this [pictures of dominican priest - Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=pictures+of+dominican+priest&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8) You ain’t just whistling Dixie… ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/22 "2016-04-16T18:10:54Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > … > Now, personally, I think organized racism is all but dead in the USA, but mine is a minority view on the SDMB… I’ve lived in the USA for a long time and I have to agree with you. There is still quite a bit of _unorganized_ racism and de-facto discrimination happening, but groups like the KKK and Neo-Nazis have almost completely disappeared. What remains is mostly bored teenagers, illiterate country bumpkins angry over the fact that they can’t find a minimum-wage job anymore, and sociopaths. They tend to meet in barns in the middle of nowhere, because that’s all they can afford. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/23 "2016-04-16T18:15:27Z")
> [@Arcite](#): > > I agree with **astorian**. Given how all of these supposed “hate crimes” in recent years have turned out to be hoaxes by the supposed victim, I’d assume it was a hoax. Apparently blacks like to hang nooses and scrawl “NIGGER” on walls a lot more than whites do. I guess Treyvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Walter Scott, Eric Harris, Rumain Brisbon, Ezell Ford, Dontre Hamilton, and hundreds of others are just really willing to commit to their hoaxes. Or maybe it’s just that blacks like to be killed more than whites do. Or maybe it’s that some people choose to ignore all the hundreds of real hate crimes which occur in order to focus on the handful of faked ones. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/24 "2016-04-16T18:23:08Z")
> [@Sahirrnee](#): > > looks nothing like this [https://www.google.com/search?q=pictures+of+dominican+priest&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8](https://www.google.com/search?q=pictures+of+dominican+priest&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8) Not like that, no. The Dominican vestments have a [hood](http://www.standrewschurchsupply.com/images/040-1988.jpg) but most Dominicans choose to keep it down because they realize what it looks like. But when they go full on, it can be [disconcerting](https://losthunderlads.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/129849480-1680x1050.jpg?w=600). ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/25 "2016-04-16T18:26:58Z")
I just Googled what Dominican’s look like. Their insignia features an equilateral cross, and so does the Klan’s. Not an excuse, but does make the mistake maybe a little more understandable. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/26 "2016-04-16T18:52:34Z")
… ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/27 "2016-04-16T18:56:59Z")
2015 was a long time ago, but I remember the Charleston church shooting, the rallies over the Confederate flag and the KKK members who showed up. I’d be surprised by the report, but not because I don’t think Klansmen exist anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/28 "2016-04-16T19:15:48Z")
Living on the West Coast, I’d think it was a hoax. Skinheads, maybe. KKK? Never. ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/29 "2016-04-16T19:28:57Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I guess Treyvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Walter Scott, Eric Harris, Rumain Brisbon, Ezell Ford, Dontre Hamilton, and hundreds of others are just really willing to commit to their hoaxes. Or maybe it’s just that blacks like to be killed more than whites do. > > Or maybe it’s that some people choose to ignore all the hundreds of real hate crimes which occur in order to focus on the handful of faked ones. Accidental death resulting from overreacting police officers, while a shame, is not a “hate crime.” Nor is an act of self-defense. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/30 "2016-04-16T19:56:08Z")
The FBI documents [thousands of hate crime incidents reported to law enforcement per year](https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2015/november/latest-hate-crime-statistics-available/latest-hate-crime-statistics-available#disablemobile). ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/31 "2016-04-16T19:59:36Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Living on the West Coast, I’d think it was a hoax. Skinheads, maybe. KKK? Never. I grew up in the Deep South and I have never seen anyone dressed up in a Klan costume. It would be incredibly strange if I did and I would assume that it is some type of tone-deaf joke or satirical political statement. \*\*\*I have heard rumors of active KKK chapters and I even have a much older adopted cousin that was supposedly a high-ranking member but I have never seen any evidence of it in person. Then again, I also heard a wide-spread rumor that several employees at the local supermarket were into Satanic worship in the late 1980’s and it was so insidious that some people refused to shop there. Then, I got my first job at the same store and quickly learned that such rumors were, how do we say, complete bullshit. Maybe Oberlin needs to add some classes in critical thinking and another about how rumors and urban legends spread (the latter was a great class that I took in college). ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/32 "2016-04-16T20:29:48Z")
I’m no dummy nor delicate flower :rolleyes: but if I saw that pointed hood, white robe, and equilateral cross, then KKK would be my first thought too and it would seem pretty damn scary. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/33 "2016-04-16T21:05:37Z")
Sure. But not the guy in costume. The Klan isn’t that stupid. Given the numbers around here, it’s probably one of the administrators, just going about his job. They can’t come from nowhere, and somebody is making black people feel too uncomfortable to live here. Anyone in costume is just someone trying to stir up trouble, and isn’t too bright. You don’t wear them when you are alone. And the one place that isn’t going to fly is around a bunch of young adults–they will be de-hooded. Especially since it’s one of the few places where there will be black people in this area–if only because they were recruited for the sports team. (No, that’s not a comment about black people being better at sports. It’s a comment about how the recruiters are more colorblind–a good player is a good player) Or, yes, it could be someone in a different outfit that superficially looks like the KKK one. I’d suggest anyone like that wear a sign–or, better yet, if they can, just wear something else. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/34 "2016-04-16T21:08:00Z")
Uh, that’s their clerical uniform, **BigT** – they don’t wear anything else, nor should they. (To paraphrase Michael Bolton in _Office Space_, why should they change? The Klans’ the one that sucks.) Nor should they have to carry a sign. They have a right to dress how they do, and they’re not Klansmen. Sikhs often get harassed by dumbass Islamophobes – should they change? I wouldn’t have recognized him as a Dominican specifically, but I’d probably be able to tell that the dude was a priest of some kind. Then again, I went to a Catholic college, so seeing someone dressed like that wouldn’t be a big deal. The Dominicans seem to have a [sense of humor](https://twitter.com/OPDomCentral/status/717757027309776896) over the whole mix-up, too. Also, I don’t think most whips are beaded. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/35 "2016-04-16T21:13:26Z")
And no, I’m not comparing Muslims to the KKK. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/36 "2016-04-16T22:20:52Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Uh, that’s their clerical uniform, **BigT** – they don’t wear anything else, nor should they. (To paraphrase Michael Bolton in _Office Space_, why should they change? The Klans’ the one that sucks.) Nor should they have to carry a sign. They have a right to dress how they do, and they’re not Klansmen. Sikhs often get harassed by dumbass Islamophobes – should they change? > > I wouldn’t have recognized him as a Dominican specifically, but I’d probably be able to tell that the dude was a priest of some kind. Then again, I went to a Catholic college, so seeing someone dressed like that wouldn’t be a big deal. The Dominicans seem to have a [sense of humor](https://twitter.com/OPDomCentral/status/717757027309776896) over the whole mix-up, too. > > Also, I don’t think most whips are beaded. Dominicans priests already do what I said. They usually don’t wear their hoods. So they don’t look like Klansmen, and don’t distress others. Acting like that’s some horrible burden is ridiculous. And they already willingly do it. Because they aren’t like those bigots who whine about their right to say or do whatever the hell they want. Sure, you have that right. It still makes you an asshole to do it when you know it causes unnecessary distress to others, when you have another choice. In fact, as Christians, they have a biblical requirement to do so. Romans 12:18: " f possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." If they put their tradition in front of that, they are putting man in front of God. I assume this priest just didn’t know about the KKK history, or just didn’t realize how big a deal it was. I fully expect he will no longer wear the hood when he visits college campuses. Sure, he has a right to do otherwise. I doubt he’ll argue it, though. He’s a priest, not someone on 4chan. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/37 "2016-04-16T22:25:57Z")
He wasn’t wearing a hood – he was wearing his clerical garb. And what the hell, “never heard of KKK history?” You do know that Catholics were targetted by the Klan back in the 20s, right? So I’m sure he’s aware of it. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/38 "2016-04-16T22:47:53Z")
> [@eclectic\_wench](#): > > The KKK plays a WAY bigger role in US cultural history than the Dominican order… Um, St Thomas Aquinas? [del]Tomás de Torquemada?[/del] :o The Singing Nun? ALL of my nuns in grammar school? Shit, I wouldn’t be surprised if more people attend the several Dominican colleges and universities than were ever in the KKK. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/39 "2016-04-16T23:08:28Z")
Klan membership in the 1920s is believed to have peaked at about 2 1/2 million. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348/40 "2016-04-16T23:09:39Z")
Okay, make it “have attended.” I’m easy. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-says-klansman-spotted-on-your-local-college-campus-you-believe-it/752348.md?page=3)