Schomburg's KKK robe covers 1 1

[Robot Man]

4 hours ago, telerites said:

Not a comic but I saw this recently on an auction site.  I still cannot fathom why bigotry and racism exists and how items such as this were ever produced and today have a collectible market.   Sorry if my post shares too much emotion.

Bigotry and racism exist out of fear. A good explanation as to why our country is where it is right now. Black Americana objects were created mostly as humorous back in the day and were far less offensive to anyone at the time. This piece is a bit off the hook though. I routinely buy and sell these historical artifacts to willing buyers (mostly black) who take them for what they are. I have also bought and sold German WWII war relects as well. Again, historical items that many people want. I do so however, using good judgement and never deal in any item I find inappropriate. 

The same can be said for comic collecting. My favorite comics are pre-code horror, crime, bondage covers and WWII covers. Horrific or offensive to some, I find them fascinating and historical. I try to imagine how and why these were published and what kid plunked down a dime for them. I am grateful that so many have survived instead to destroyed due to ignorance or fear.

We have a colorful history in this country some good and some not so good. Rembering our past helps us prevent it from happening again.

[Robot Man]

By the way, I consider the title of this thread inaccurate. Very few comic book covers actually portray the KKK. We just assume that anybody wearing a pointed hat robe is the KKK. Outfits like this have been worn for hundreds of years by many "secret" organizations. 

And no, I am not a racist or bigot. Nor do I support the KKK or hatred. Far from it. I am also not a pervert, serial killer or criminal because I collect what I do.

And I have never even wanted to pour salt on a snail, kick a dog or pull the wings off a fly...