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A book about KKK-related music found at library raises interesting question

K

Kraftwerk

Member
Someone found this book at the Berkley library among other books;

Mod abuse:

Some context on what the book is about. In summary, presenting music by or related to the Klan, and the context of how it and the attitude regarding such music and ideas evolved over time
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786415134/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Google book preview and author's note/introduction.

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This work presents, chronologically, the music associated with the Klan from 1867 to 2002, thus enabling readers to sense the arguments and attitudes of the Klan as they developed and changed over time. Because of the relative scarcity of Klan-related music, non-Klan music that mentions the word "Klan" is included. These obscure references help place the Klan in a larger social perspective and are very important in documenting anti-Klan musical reaction. In instances where a song merely mentions the Klan, usually in only one verse or in the chorus, then only that verse containing the Klan reference, plus appropriate context, is included.
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Danny O. Crew has been collecting political memorabilia since 1975, specializing in political music. His personal collection exceeds 11,000 pieces. He has written a number of articles on the subject and has been featured on ABCs Good Morning America. He is also the author of Suffragist Sheet Music (2002) and Presidential Sheet Music (2001). He currently serves as City Manager for the City of Miami Gardens, Florida.
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People are debating whether something such as this should be even at a public library? Others asking for it to be burned. Some other individuals defending it by stating that no matter how much you hate it, books shouldn't be banned because we need to study them and also have them as a reminder of things that happened.

Reminds of this clip I saw where a Holocaust survivor defended preservation of nazi artifacts instead of destroying them, so that future generations don't forget about what happened and so that it isn't repeated.

What are your thoughts on this matter? Remove it? Burn it? Leave it be?
 
I think I'd keep it from being checked out at anyway. Seems more like a museum piece and something to keep as a cautionary tale (or just to go WTF at) but not something anyone can just check out.
 
I don't think it should be banned but something like a fuckin KKK book (where it's not so much a point in history as it is a blatant hate group) should probably not be lying out in the open

People should have access to that sort of thing but maybe put it in the "shit is fucked" section of the library
 
There's already enough evidence of the KKK's existence.

Destroying one book isn't going to make us forget about the Richard Spencers' roaming the streets. Or the Trump administration...

That said, I think it should be just put in a basement. It will be away from the public eye so no one can get radicalized by it.
 
Just take it out of circulation and archive it. Nothing wrong with keeping the material for research while making sure it isn't either destroyed or checked out by kids.

As a librarian, that's what I'd do.
 
It's reasonable to keep the book and it's also reasonable not to have it on the general stacks. There are any number of reasons why someone might want the book -- being a university, there is no doubt an ethnomusicology program, there is probably a folklore program or at least people in other programs doing folklore writing, there are probably American historians who focus on cultural history, etc. It's also obvious why this isn't something the library would want to have in the public eye. Every library has special collection works that are not on the general stacks, many of which are locked away not because of content but because of the physical condition of the work. Seems like that would be the move here.
 
Leave it. It's disgusting and horrible, but years from now when they do a movie on the KKK this way they'll get the music right.
 
It should stay. Its not as if some child is going to be indoctrinated into racism by learning to play their theme song or whatever.
 
Outside of required study, it doesn't need to be left out in the open. Put it in a section of the library that is out of the way.
 
I'm unreservedly for music preservation, the book isn't exactly spreading ideology. I think the ideology spreading would be the bigger issue, in that case preserve it the but don't shove it in the public's face at easy-to-access libraries.
 
It's a reference item. We don't burn those. The patrons do.

Along with mold, water damage, tearing, rending, mutilating, etc.
 
TimeEffect said:
It belongs in a museum
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This. Or just left in the library. People think that as a progressive, I simply want shit like this to be destroyed. I don't. I just want it to stop being A) popular and B) portrayed as "just another side of an argument". Needs to be presented with the appropriate context and those who embrace it despite the context need to be pushed back against.
 
I can certainly see both sides of the argument. I'd have no issue with the library keeping it as research material, but I'd also understand a library removing it.

I'd probably keep the book in the library, though.
 
Looking at the author's work, he also published books on:
- Suffragist (Suffragette) sheet music
- Presidential sheet music
- American political music
- A collection for the Teddy Roosevelt library on songs and music related to TR
- He is currently working on a book of historical music from Florida

So it's pretty obvious the author's angle is that he is an ethnomusicologist of American political music. Although his PhD is in Public Admin, but he's apparently working on a separate PhD in Music.
 
I'm always against book burning. I think if the head of that library wants it gone they could give it to another proper source for safe keeping. Read up on the author and he specializes in political music and keeping track of these types of things. It has a ISBN number so it's no that much of a rarity in the grand scheme of things.
 
Yeah, at this point it's for research or those especially interested. But you can order the damn thing off amazon, so burn it who cares.

Everything the author has to say before the catalogue is interesting, but also no mystery to anyone.
 
Guys, just have a read of it. It's mostly a catalogue of political songs that mention the klan.
It's not a pro-klan songbook. It's actually quite fascinating.
 
Seems like a book that could be useful if you're doing a historical study of the Klan in particular, or (as the author says) if you're looking at how hate movements present themselves to the public.

I have no problem with that book being in a library. In concept it's really no different than any other historical study of racist movements.
 
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