Читать книгу An Introduction to Intercultural Communication - Fred E. Jandt - Страница 96

You are on the town council for a small township. A local television station posted a photo of a young boy dressed in Ku Klux Klan regalia—floor-length white robe with a white hood—for Halloween trick-or-treating on its Facebook page. In an interview, the boy’s mother said that the costume was a family tradition—her brother had worn the costume when he was a young boy. Some Facebook users thought it was racism; one wrote that it is possible the boy thought it was a ghost costume. Later the boy’s mother defended the costume: “It’s supposed to be white with white, black with black, man with woman and all of that. That’s what the KKK stands for. The KKK every year raises money to donate to the St. Jude’s.” The story immediately went viral and was picked up by media across the United States. Most media reports included the mother’s statement without the last phrase about donations to St. Jude’s.

At a town council meeting, citizens demand the town council take a position against racism. Among those who speak are several who argue for free speech. One individual, who identifies himself as an Imperial Wizard of the United Klans of America, says that today the KKK is unfairly ostracized.

1 You have studied the literature on communication and racism. What position would you take?

2 How would you explain your position?

Source: Gayle (2013).