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Saknussem · 12-09-2010, 08:19 PM

Well, this is actually sort of an involved question, and the real answer follows:

The klan started right after the end of the civil war. The south was beaten down, and some southern gentlemen, and I use that term seriously, decided it would be fun to form a club and have social events, scare their girlfriends, and engage in other truly innocent games. These men were all of Scottish descent, hence the clan. They were all educated men, and one suggested that kuklos be in the name -- kuklos being Greek for "circle", and he thought that this would engender feelings of comradeship in a time of great hardship. Remember, Lincoln had been assassinated, and the comradery that was felt between the winner (North) and the loser (South) had evaporated over night for all intents and purposes. Instead of TONS of Federal aid pouring into the reconstruction, carpet baggers and other shit heels came down south in order to make as much money by as many illegal, indecent, unscrupulous, and downright dirty ways as possible.
Okay, back to the klan. The klan was undergoing a transformation, rapidly -- from a fun-loving bunch of guys who rode around at night dressed in sheets to scare their girlfriends to the vicious racist band of evil things we know today. Unfortunately, they were well aware of their Scottish heritage, and utilized one element of it.
Going back to the 1600s, when Scottish clans would go to war, the clan priest along with the clan elders would take a LARGE wooden cross to the highest point in their lands and set it ablaze. This had a twofold purpose -- one was to summon the whole clan to the keep, the second was to break the pact with God that all men were supposed to hold. This cross burning carried down through the ages to the post-bellum South, and a horrible and evil tradition was born.
I hope that answers your question. I used to teach a class in college about countercultures in America, and believe me, the Klan was WAY up there. If you want to see a GREAT (if dated) video of the modern Klan, try to find "Blood in the Face".

On a better and mentally healthier note -- Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Yule, and Merry Christmas to one and all!

12-09-2010, 08:19 PM	#29
Saknussem Coronation Incarnate Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 93	Why does the Klan burn crosses? Well, this is actually sort of an involved question, and the real answer follows: The klan started right after the end of the civil war. The south was beaten down, and some southern gentlemen, and I use that term seriously, decided it would be fun to form a club and have social events, scare their girlfriends, and engage in other truly innocent games. These men were all of Scottish descent, hence the clan. They were all educated men, and one suggested that kuklos be in the name -- kuklos being Greek for "circle", and he thought that this would engender feelings of comradeship in a time of great hardship. Remember, Lincoln had been assassinated, and the comradery that was felt between the winner (North) and the loser (South) had evaporated over night for all intents and purposes. Instead of TONS of Federal aid pouring into the reconstruction, carpet baggers and other shit heels came down south in order to make as much money by as many illegal, indecent, unscrupulous, and downright dirty ways as possible. Okay, back to the klan. The klan was undergoing a transformation, rapidly -- from a fun-loving bunch of guys who rode around at night dressed in sheets to scare their girlfriends to the vicious racist band of evil things we know today. Unfortunately, they were well aware of their Scottish heritage, and utilized one element of it. Going back to the 1600s, when Scottish clans would go to war, the clan priest along with the clan elders would take a LARGE wooden cross to the highest point in their lands and set it ablaze. This had a twofold purpose -- one was to summon the whole clan to the keep, the second was to break the pact with God that all men were supposed to hold. This cross burning carried down through the ages to the post-bellum South, and a horrible and evil tradition was born. I hope that answers your question. I used to teach a class in college about countercultures in America, and believe me, the Klan was WAY up there. If you want to see a GREAT (if dated) video of the modern Klan, try to find "Blood in the Face". On a better and mentally healthier note -- Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Yule, and Merry Christmas to one and all!