Thursday, June 26, 2008

The politics of fear

As Obama starts to pull away in the polls, a desperate new McCarthyism is rearing its ugly head once again. This time around, it's the network of Swiftboat bloggers that are leading the attack on Barack, using their reliable arsenal (especially in tough economic times) of anti-communism (now fear of terrorism) and racism to spread fear and disunity. The new witch-hunters are combing the Obama campaign especially for '60s radicals (yes, there are some of us left, especially in the field of education).

How to respond? Ignore them? Take them head on? Tough choices for Obama campaigners and for those of us who are targeted orwho are collateral damage.

*****

Brings back memories of similar dark times in the '50s. This new film about blacklisted screenwriter and '60's friend, the late Dalton Trumbo, may shed some light.

This from reviewer Andrew O'hehir in Salon.Com:
The real target of the Red Scare was not the handful of prominent lefties like Trumbo who had their livelihoods destroyed and their reputations ruined but rather the rest of society, which proved by and large to be craven, suggestible, and downright eager to hew to a new standard of patriotic conformity.

5 comments:

  1. Yeah, "patriotic conformity" -- as opposed to the conformity to the Communist Party line that Trumbo and his fellow Communists were seeking to impose upon other screenwriters.

    Let me ask you -- would you want to watch movies written by active members of the KKK? Or would you prefer that studios refuse to buy their work and advertisers refuse to sponsor their films out of moral repugnance for their malignant views?

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  2. Fear, fear, & more fear...

    Thanks for nothin', loyal NeoConrads...

    The Red Scare was (& seemingly continues to be) the swiftboating of its day. Just as truthful, & just as dangerous...

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  3. Are you pals with bill Ayers and Barry Obama too? the world wants to know
    rick554

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  4. Greg shows his ignorance about Trumbo. He had no desire to, nor would he have the power, to "impose" the line of the Communist Party on other screenwriters.

    As to watching movies written by active members of the KKK (talk about straw men) can you give me one example, Greg. In general, I am against banning films or "investigating" writers and artists. How about judging films on their merit, rather than party affiliation of the writer?

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  5. Now Rick wants to know who I'm friends with? Ayers? Obama? Actually, me and John McCain have been know to shoot a few rounds of golf together. Blog that, Rick.

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Agree? Disagree? Let me hear from you.