C.P. Ellis
I will never feel any drop of remorse or sympathy for a person that was once a member of the KKK. I understand that C.P. Ellis just joined for a sense of belonging. He described, "Here's a guy who's worked all his life and struggled all his life to be something, ande here's the moment to be something". He wanted to be part of something because it gave him a sense of entitlement and importance that he was so desperately missing in life. He went through terrible hardships growing up: feelings of inferiority, the premature death of his father, and poverty. C.P. Ellis wanted a scapegoat for these problems. He wanted to hate as much as he wanted to belong. The Klan provided for both these wants. But, by joining the Klan he became an extreme racist and bigot. He was not only a member, but worked his way up to president. I cannot sympathize or forgive anyone who was president of the KKK. The want to belong does not suffice for his wretched acts. Blacks were natural for him to hate because they were up and coming while he was supposed to be superior. I believe that he blamed the Blacks for his personal flaws and struggles.
C.P. ended up making a complete 360 in life, but for me, he committed an act that is forever unforgivable. His perceptions completely cahnged, "I was beginnin' to look at a black person, shake hands with him, and see him as a human bein'". C.P. Ellis's life turned: he worked with blacks, went back to school, and eventually worked for the International Union of Operating Engineers. He realized that him and Blacks were actually in the exact same boat in life. C.P Ellis turned out to be an honorable man, but I still cannot forgive him. If I were in his shoes I cannot say that I would not have joined the Klan. Looking back, no matter what I did in the rest of my life, I would never be able to forgive myself just like I cannot forgive C.P. Ellis.
Andy Johnson
At a young age, Andy Johnson experienced the typical early 1900s immigration experience. Coming from Finland, America was a drastic change. He explained, "Coming to America was like being transferred from one century to another". The change was so severe that Andy saw his first Black person and thought he just had a dirty face. Andy came to America with only his mother and his sister because his father had come two years earlier for work. I believe that Andy's father prevented him from seeing the grand benefits of this change. His perceptions of America later in life were greatly altered by his father. I think that his father's struggle and lack of happiness combined with one other event to become the driving forces behind his political views. Andy declared, "You got a terrible-looking hole dowin in the ground where we used to live once. A person's first home is so sacred and especially in a foregin country. Having that home turned into a hole must be traumatic. Andy was a hardworker but never saw the rewards. He was blackballed for his opinoins and use of independence. America caused Andy to believe that humanity was going to end itself. A struggling immigrant will only see negativity so all they believe is negativity. I am almost positive that his ideas of humainty's self-termination were not unique to a child that immigrated to America in the early 1900s.
You clearly have strong feelings about both of these stories. I'm struck by the term "forgive." Is forgiveness necessary to understanding? Are you suggesting that once someone has done something hurtful that future actions have no consequence? What does that suggest about the ability of individuals or societies to change? I think you raise a very significant question here about the weight of the past--for individuals and for larger groups. What are the possibilites for reconciliation? What does Johnson's story suggest about the existence of hope in the face of failure and humiliation? What role does humiliation of the individuals and groups play in our collective history? Lots of really important things to think about!
ReplyDeleteI believe there are acts that are so terrible that they cannot be forgiven. All people have a different definition of these acts, but for me, being president of a sector of the KKK qualifies as one of these horrible acts. Future actions can still have a consequence but also will always have an invisible permanent asterisk. Society as a whole and individuals can change, but their past must always be remembered. I guess I am saying more that certain acts should never be forgotten and always accounted for rather than never forgiven. Reconciliation can exist, as C.P. Ellis portrayed, but some atrocities can never be fully reconciled. Humiliation and failure are usually to blame for these actions, yet do not solidify them. Most individuals easily lose hope in the face of humiliation. Weakness to humiliation is a central aspect in all of history.
ReplyDeleteYour distinction here between remembrance forgiveness is important. It's really interesting to think about what it means to "have accounted for" something means. I certainly don't have an answer. It would be very illuminating to hear an interview with some of the African Americans that Ellis worked with later to see what their experience was.
ReplyDeleteThere is a way of approaching history--and personal stories--that only examines accomplishments and those things worthy of praise, or only looks at things through one viewpoint (the old version of "the West" for example). That's obviously incomplete, and as such inaccurate. The difficulty of having a more complete story is, of course, what to do with those parts that are painful, hurtful, and humiliating. How does a society--or a person--move forward? Difficult questions, and I'm glad to see you thinking about them.