IF MEDIA TREATED THE KKK AND NAZIS THE WAY THEY DO ISLAMIST AND OTHER TERROR GROUPS
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
In recent weeks major western media outlets have given a platform to terror. A convicted terrorist got an oped without any mention of his crimes and a columnist called for working with ISIS, while a Hamas leader got a major interview and his extremist views and crimes were whitewashed as if he was just another political leader. It is part of the general trend in media in the West to give a platform to Islamist terror, excuse it and mainstream or sanitize it.
What if the same media talked about the KKK and Nazis the way they do about giving a platform to every Islamist or terrorist group? Let’s imagine the editorial staff meeting
“Well, welcome everyone to this week’s editorial meeting, what is everyone working on?”
“Bob, I’ve got great news, I’ve scored an interview with a moderate militant voice in the KKK, he’s just out of prison for a militant direct action, and he’s willing to speak to us!”
“George, that sounds great, so he was just in prison, like real prison?”
“Yes, it’s quite extraordinary. I mean he was convicted of burning two black churches and ordering the lynching of 30 people, but he’s been released because of a minor police error in collecting evidence. And I’m just so thrilled he’s going to come here to meet with us.”
“That’s terrific. What a score. But listen, we need to show how he’s moderated his stance. Can he illustrate to us how he’s changed in prison. I mean let’s not focus on those people he may or may not have killed, what’s important is to give him a voice. We need to show the human behind the white sheets.”
“I quite agree. In fact his KKK spokespeople have told me that he has moderated. He used to believe that as a force of Christian white pride Aryan nationhood he was fighting ‘sub-humans’, but he has now moderated and actually liberalized to believe that the sub-humans may contain some human characteristics.”
“Wonderful, so let’s focus on that. It sounds like he’s really into human rights. And make sure to focus on the social welfare aspects of the KKK, I mean it’s not just militants, it also offers social services, right?
“Yes, Bob, precisely. People often mischaracterize and demonize the KKK, but they don’t realize it’s offering math and science education for pre-high school students and if you’re a life-long member you get health care.”
“Really, universal health care?”
“Yes, well, if you’re white.”
“Well, let’s not mention the racial aspect, I mean we don’t want to dwell on race. We need to show how it’s progressive and open to peace. And coexistence.”
“Yes, well I’ve also got the Grand Dragon lined up and he’s willing to speak to that. When they say coexistence, they mean of course slavery and a return to what they call the ‘glory days’ of pre-1860, but I think we can show that to be a form of coexistence.”
“Yes, don’t mention the whole slavery thing, call it something that sounds less sinister.”
“Contract labor without pay?”
“Or mass internship?”
“Excellent.”
“Now, let’s move on to you Charlotte, I understand you’ve got us some exclusive Nazi moderates for an oped?”
“Yes, Bob, it’s really amazing, I’ve been networking with these Nazis for a while, learning their culture, and we have one of their leaders willing to write an oped sketching out their policies. They want to present a new development and justice platform.”
“That sounds great. I feel like we don’t have enough Nazi voices, and we need to humanize them, because they are often presented as intolerant racists, but they have their own views.”
“Hopefully this oped will give them the platform they need. What they say is that they are the political wing of the Nazi party, and we shouldn’t confuse them with the armed wing. And they are seeking peace.”
“Do you think we should mention their role in genocide and war crimes?”
“Well we don’t want the public to be turned off. People tend to think quite negatively about genocide and it leads them to stereotype Nazis, when these people have a very clear and moderate political program. In contrast to the militants, they believe in democracy through the ballot box.”
“Ok, so don’t mention any of this genocide stuff. After all, our country also commits war crimes, its subjective.”
