If you know me, you know that. I am a political creature. I always have been. I make no apologies for it. But I am always willing to change my mind if you present me the facts for me to do so – I am not absolutely loyal to any political party or any political figure or any ideology. I’m a registered Democrat – and am I am happy to provide you with a detailed list of all that I hate about the Democratic Party. I find flaws with every political candidate I have ever voted for. I regularly have my heart broken by politicians I support – and that’s how it should be. They are human, with human flaws, and just like any other human, they will, eventually, disappoint you.
I love history, and one of the periods of history I read about whenever I can is the Red Scare in the USA of the 30s, 40s and 50s, especially the hunt by Congress for Communist sympathizers in Hollywood. I feel tremendous sympathy for those whose careers were ruined by the Hollywood Blacklist, and I am horrified by the actions of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). There’s no question that, had I been in Hollywood in that time, I would have been on that list.
That said, I also think Communist sympathizers in the 30s, 40s, and 50s were played by the Soviet Union. They were fooled into believing that the Soviet Union was a worker’s utopia, a place of equality. It wasn’t. To read the words of people who, at the time, denied the mass murder by Stalin across the Soviet Union, including the Holodomor in Ukraine, is so painful. Some of these folks later realized they had been played, and denounced the murders and the Communist regime. Some doubled down. I watched a repeat by leftist Hollywood folks supporting Hugo Chávez – ya’ll should be embarrassed!
I cannot deny that I identify so so much with Barbara Streisand’s character in The Way We Were. SO MUCH. But I also see her behavior as a cautionary tale about dogma and political loyalty (and date rape by a woman, but that’s another blog). I agree with so much of what she says – but, wow, there’s a time and a place for everything, and she never gets that, plus has a complete lack of a sense of humor. I do try to dial it back when it comes to political talk (I often fail, but I do try), and if I couldn’t laugh, I’d fall apart.
I’ve read Capital: A Critique of Political Economy by Marx. I believe what is happening to workers now by the billionaire class is exactly what Marx warned about. I have been called a Communist because I believe in public education and absolutely NO government money for private schools, believe passionately in government funding for public television, public radio, the arts and state universities, and believe in a robust public land system – city, state and national parks and forests and national monuments and all the rest.
But I am always wary of getting played like so many people were in the 30s, 40s and 50s regarding Communist sympathies. And I know it’s happened: I now know that some of the memes I liked during the 2016 Presidential election, ones that criticized Hillary Clinton, were probably produced by Russia. I know that the claims of worry about President Joe Biden’s age are, in part, planted by Russia. I don’t want to spread misinformation, and I know that I could – ANYONE could. So before I rage post, I try to hunt down more sources for the info that is making me so angry. And sometimes, I find that I was about to post about isn’t quite what I thought it was.
In other words, I accept that my passions can make me an excellent target for manipulation and I try to be careful in being absolutely for or against anything. And I’m asking you to do the same. I’m asking you to take a deep breath and also accept that “my side is right no matter what” is never a good strategy.
Protesters in support of the people of Gaza are angry at those that will not say that what the Israelis are doing to the people of Gaza is genocide. They claim the October 11, 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israel weren’t anything more than what Jews did in the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. They reject any evidence showing the horrors of what was done.
Protesters in support of Israelis are angry at those that will not say that what Hamas is doing to Israelis is genocide. They claim their invasion of Gaza and resulting mass deaths and mass destruction isn’t anything more than defending their homeland. They reject any evidence showing the horrors of what they are doing.
I’ve got friends in both of those camps posting to social media and demanding that their friends take a stand with them – and if they don’t, they therefore stand against them.
And they will all hate me for saying it, but I see both sides being played.
Oh, and, yes, I see that I am posting this on May Day, comrade.
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