A Black Man’s Odyssey in the Ku Klux Klan

My daughters tell me that I’m one of the last of the dinosaurs who actually listen to the radio, but that’s another story.

I heard an intriguing interview on the way home from work yesterday: the interview was on the CBC’s  DNTO (definitely not the opera) program, and Daryl Davis, author of Klan-Destine Relationships, A Black Man’s Odyssey in the Ku Klux Klan, was the guest.

After Daryl had suffered through his first racial incident, his parents sat him down and explained that some people didn’t like him, and believed him to be inferior, because his skin was dark. He didn’t believe them at first; but, as his experience grew, it slowly dawned on him that his parents were right. He didn’t understand: he couldn’t comprehend why a stranger would dislike and even hate him because of his skin color. He felt sorry for these people; he likened their twisted beliefs to a disease (and the disease traveled both ways: whites against blacks, and vice-versa). So he started studying books on the Ku Klux Klan. He read books filled with interviews, but the interviews were all done by white journalists, and didn’t provide the answers he was searching for.

He decided to write his own book and do his own research: he  interviewed Ku Klux Klan members, without telling them in advance that he wasn’t white. He even attended KKK rallies; cross-burnings.

While he was attempting to understand racial prejudice and gather information for his book, an astounding phenomena occurred: many of the Klan members became familiar with Daryl, changed their views, and rescinded their beliefs.

People can change.

I’m not aware of all the details, but Daryl is thought to be politically incorrect by some white groups, and is called an Uncle Tom by some black groups; however, to me, he sounds like a brave man who is making a difference.

 

75 years of CBC

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) is celebrating its 75^th anniversary today. I’ve never watched much CBC TV (except for Hockey Night in Canada, of course), but their FM radio programs (now referred to as CBC Radio 2) were my companions for twenty years while commuting to work and back; in fact, I garnered a fair comprehension of classical and jazz music during the commutes. I don’t listen to CBC radio as much as I used to (the programming has changed, I suppose to appeal to a younger audience), but I fully appreciate the music I was exposed to for those lonely trips to work and back.

Congratulations to the CBC on 75 years of quality programming!

Click on the Logo to see CBC’s Logo retrospective…

 

The Toaster Project

So. A guy named Thomas Thwaites decided to build his own toaster. From scratch. At first he was going to use nothing but pre-industrial tools, but he discovered that it was impossible (or, at best, highly improbable).

He required the following materials:

• Copper, for the electric plug, cord, and wiring.
• Iron, for the steel grilling device and the ‘pop-up’ spring.
• Nickel, for the heating element.
• Mica (the heating element is wound around it)
• And plastic, for the plug and cord, “and for the all important sleek looking casing.”

He even, for example, mined his own iron-ore to make his steel.

He has a book documenting the project (coming out this fall).

For more information, visit the website: http://www.thetoasterproject.org/

I first heard about this on CBC Radio’s Spark program