The Turner Diaries made headlines when Timothy McVeigh, an American domestic terrorist, who was behind the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Many believed that the Turner Diaries took part in the attack. Timothy's attack was very violent, he killed 168 people using a truck bomb. Many said that the truck bomb that Timothy used in his attack was very much like the one described in the book. Later on, in Timothy's trial, it was revealed that he was very fascinated by the ideas described in the book.But other than having influenced many violent attacks, the Turner Diaries also had a big influence in white- nationalist ideology. Many white people believed that minorities were taking over what they called their country. So there was an increase of racist propaganda and racist groups like the Ku Klux Klan. Which became the main face of white nationalism.
Although, the Turner Diaries aren't fully to blame it still remains a great influence on white supremacy today.
This brings up the debate about whether it is ethical for society to hide certain opinions in books to shield these thoughts from being heard by people. Personally, I believe that if there is proof that a book/diary was one of the main reasons that someone committed a crime to kill 168 people, then it needs to be banned. We could argue whether it's ethical for us to hide certain views, but if hundreds of people are being killed due to these diaries, then something needs to happen. While it might be unfair to the author who may not have intended it to be brought to life, I would put the author's wants aside in this case and ban the book from being sold. However, if it is hidden, then it could apply to many others books that people may claim to be a threat to society. It's a very difficult decision to make, but I believe people's lives should always be above author's desires.
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