C.P. Ellis

I believe C.P. Ellis's reasoning for overcoming his prejudice was valid, but i don't know if it is possible in every case. I am a believer in that prejudice springs from fear of the unknown, and usually nothing else can really cause such a hatred for no good reason. Groups like the KKK, in the time period that C.P. Ellis was in it, could be very persuasive, and often times, these groups will make it seem like they very personally want to get to know you and appreciate the joining of a new member, as C.P. Ellis describes. He talks about how it felt like an out for him, and how he needed something to blame and through them he found it. This is how many hate groups function. I don't believe that his way of overcoming it is nessecarily always effective, but it is really the only way that it can happen. The only way to overcome a fear of the unknown is to get to know the unknown, and that is exactly what he does. As soon as he realized that the people that he had directed hate at were just people like everyone else, he realized the danger of such hate groups. However, this can't be possible on a large scale, because it is impossible for everyone to be brought up in accepting families. Many families shelter their children from people whom they deem "unworthy" or even "dangerous", and the child grows up witht these notions. The child will not overcome the notions unless an intercepting force steps in, such as one of the very people that the child is taught to hate. If the hatred is not intercepted, the child will grow up, raise their own children, and the cycle will go on.