The KKK rallied in front of Fulton Chapel to protest Chancellor Dan Jones's decision to ban the song "From Dixie with Love" where some fans append by saying "The South shall rise again".
Personally, it may have been a knee-jerk reaction. I don't shout "The South will rise again" because I live in 2009, not 1869. Was it a good move by Dan Jones only from a PR standpoint? I understand the message that Jones wanted to install, but did it draw some attention that was not needed? You can agree or disagree with the move, but not only did the KKK make asses out of themselves and basically confirm every stereotype of the South on a national stage, but I believe the students and fans basically did not better the situation by mocking them and shouting derogatory slurs. Which leaves me to ask, what would Orko think of all of this?
The KKK wanted their attention, and they got it. You can make the argument that it's about Southern heritage. I'm sorry, let's call it what it is. These guys found out a Chancellor, who happens to be black, banned a song because students and fans ignored his request to stop "The South will rise again" chant, and decided to make it a fight for free speech. Is it really a fight for free speech???? I'm not buying that cop-out.
Adding to that, the KKK's appearance at Ole Miss may have effected recruiting according to an article by David Brandt of The Clarion Ledger.
What I also find interesting is the message board comments for this article. Some bash the KKK, and there's a comment or two saying the Chancellor basically made it a PR nightmare. I believe Dan Jones mismanaged this issue, and the arrival of the KKK only made Ole Miss and the rest of the South look like idiots to everyone else. No one wins in this situation. The south gets another blow to it's reputation as the backwoods trailer park that never evolved. Can we let the pain and errors of ancestry be what they are...the past???
Here's my message to all parties involved.....
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