American Dreamers

[midcan5]

A look at another time, a time that influences the present, but is hardly known today, a time that could return in some dark future. Worth sharing.

Pete Seeger, William F. Buckley, Jr., and public history by William Hogeland

"Buckley and Seeger share, along with fake-sounding accents and preppie backgrounds, a problem that inspires forgetfulness, falsification, and denial in their supporters. Fired by opposed and equally fervent political passions, both men once took actions that their cultural progeny find untenable."

http://bostonreview.net/BR33.3/hogeland.php

[avatar4321]

okay... what's your point? i see little value in praising a communist, which is what most of the article does.

[Psychoblues]

Communist? Is that your only line of defense? Have you ever met a communist? I didn't think so.

[midcan5]

okay... what's your point? i see little value in praising a communist, which is what most of the article does.

You seem to know no history at all? Communism is not some bad thing on its face, it is only people who make any ism bad. Communism is utopia, as is socialism as is libertarianism as are most ideologies. Read about those times and then come back and criticize Seeger - in my opinion one of the truly great Americans of all time.

[avatar4321]

You seem to know no history at all? Communism is not some bad thing on its face, it is only people who make any ism bad. Communism is utopia, as is socialism as is libertarianism as are most ideologies. Read about those times and then come back and criticize Seeger - in my opinion one of the truly great Americans of all time.

im an avid student of history. That is why i hate communism so much. There is nothing utopic about mass death count communism causes. There is nothing utopic about poor production, starvations, etc

How many times does communism have to result in more deaths than the nazis before you realize how evil they are?

[diuretic]

It's a very interesting review, well written and pulling together a couple of very different people who had more in common than either would have admitted. The comments from readers are also illuminating, lots of gems there. The "Industrial/International" side debate is instructive, heck everyone gets the full name of the IWW wrong anyway, it doesn't take away from the thrust of the piece.

If you think it's just about Seeger's communism then go back and read every paragraph where the name "Buckley" appears.

Anway, it was well and clearly (thankfully) written, thanks for bring it up midcan, I wouldn't have seen it otherwise.

[manu1959]

Communist? Is that your only line of defense? Have you ever met a communist? I didn't think so.

yes several.......you.......

[Kathianne]

I'm not sure how we meet, but we do, given your title for the thread. Today in my 8th grade social studies class, one of my students, a Belgian in this country for a year said this, in reaction to our discussion of the 1920's, "While I spent 5th grade in the US, then 6th-7th grades in South Africa and Australia, I must say that I now understand the differences between the United States and Europe. Where I used to see the homes with flags as weird, I now see patriotism unknown in Belgium or France or most of Europe or anywhere else. Yet, Americans, at least those I know, don't think they are better than others, just they want to make both the US and world better. They don't trust the International Courts or the UN, which they should listen to more, though they are often wrong, they know better.

Americans have hope, while the rest of the world knows that bad things will continue to happen, the US people think it can get better."

Couldn't say it better myself.