In 1972, Ron Stallworth became the first African American to join the Colorado Springs Police Department. As an undercover agent, he posed as a racist white man on the phone and infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan. Stallworth chronicled his experience in a 2014 memoir, which director Spike Lee adapted for his film BlacKkKlansman.
In perhaps the most chilling scene in the 2018 movie, Felix, a KKK member played by Jasper Paakkonen, confronts Flip (Adam Driver). Felix feels that Flip, a white undercover policeman working with Stallworth, may be Jewish. He tests his theory by questioning Flip's opinion of the Holocaust.
Adam Driver (Flip) and John David Washington (Ron Stallworth) in BlacKkKlansman
"This Holocaust stuff never happened," Felix angrily contends. "That's the biggest Jewish conspiracy ever. Eight million Jews killed? Concentration camps? Never happened. Where's the proof?"
Flip replies, "I'd say the Holocaust is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. It just makes sense to me. You have a whole race of leeches that you have to get rid of. So, what do you do? You starve 'em, you burn 'em, you get rid of 'em. It's like weeding out roots for the better people. Haven't you seen the footage?"
The exchange between the despicable bigot and the police officer is fascinating. Flip, who is Jewish, pretends that he is even more anti-Semitic than a Holocaust denier. And his argument is quite compelling. He successfully paints himself as pure evil, more extreme than a conspiracy theorist.
Felix is a horrible human being. He is an anti-Semite and presumably admires Hitler. But, Felix has his limits. Even this awful bigot does not condone murdering eight million Jews. So he has to make a choice. He can question his allegiance to Hitler and anti-semitic causes in general. Or he can simply deny the Holocaust ever happened. And by doing so, he is a slightly better human being than the person Flip pretends to be, someone who believes genocide was a great idea.
Spike Lee's assessment of conspiracy theorists is relevant to many current situations. When the truth is so horrific, some may choose to believe that it's a lie rather than condemn it. On the other hand, those who are perfectly fine with the unsavory facts may be worse than those who deny it.
Take climate change deniers, for instance. To believe that climate change does not exist requires rejecting the entire scientific community in favor of a conspiracy theory. Who's worse than that? Maybe those who believe in science but still don't care. They know that future generations will suffer due to their inaction but are too selfish to make any sacrifices. Are these uncaring individuals any better than those who just don't want to believe there is a problem? At least some climate change deniers may realize that not caring about the future is shameful.
And what about the racist birtherism promoters? They claim that Barack Obama was an illegitimate President because he was born in Africa. These pathetic individuals cling to a false premise despite undeniable evidence proving otherwise. But they may be better than those who unabashedly proclaim that no black man should ever be President. Although birtherism is rooted in racism, those who proudly promote an unambiguous hateful message are perhaps even worse.
Felix and Flip are fictional characters based on real individuals depicted in Stallworth's book. On the other hand, David Duke is an actual person and a central character in the film. To the general audience, he is perhaps the only recognizable figure in the movie. Unless, of course, you are Donald Trump.
Topher Grace as David Duke in BlacKkKlansman
During the 2016 Presidential campaign, Duke, the former KKK grand wizard, said voting against Trump would be treason to his heritage. Following Duke's glowing endorsement, Trump was asked if he would publicly condemn him. Trump responded, "I don't know anything about David Duke. OK? I don't know anything about what you're even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacist. So I don't know."
David Duke ran for governor of Louisiana in 1991. He lost but received the majority of the white vote. At that time, Trump said George H.W. Bush was justified "to come out against" the Republican Duke. And in 2000, Trump refused to represent the Reform Party for President because it was supported by David Duke, who he considered "a bigot, racist, a problem."
After the narrative's conclusion, Spike Lee shows actual footage from the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville. Of the many disturbing images, David Duke is on a podium proclaiming, "I believe that today in Charlottesville, this is the first step toward making a realization of something that Trump alluded to earlier in the campaign, which is: This is the first step toward taking America back."
David Duke at the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville (splcenter.org)
The self-proclaimed genius with an excellent memory conveniently forgot who David Duke is. His memory seemed to get fuzzy when the most heralded racist in the nation is giving him love. Perhaps this form of racism is even worse than a "Holocaust denier" or "Holocaust lover." He's a lover who pretends to be a denier.
Americans should never forget David Duke. And no one should ever forget the KKK and all the other hate groups that occupy its space today. Tying the movie's narrative to Charlottesville shows that the worst forms of racism are still alive and well in this country.
BlacKkKlansman is highly entertaining, with comedic elements supporting a suspenseful plot. Along with other notable works by Spike Lee, including Malcolm X and Do the Right Thing, BlacKkKlansman examines the African American experience during the latter half of the 20th century. And by tying the narratives to the current societal condition, Lee shows that the times have changed, but systemic racism remains.
Andrew’s Grade: A
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