Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Hearts Don't Twist
An email from a US student requested information I am posting here. He wrote: ".... I'm working on thesis exploring the migration of former lefties...to the right. There seems to be a number of people who have made a huge leap from the extreme left to the extreme right. If you know of any prominent people who have made such a leap in their lives, .... "
The answer is a simple "No, I know of none and doubt if any exist".
Filling that out depends on probable differing definitions, those assigned to "extreme", "left", "right", and "prominent".
Does "prominent" refer to those noted by public media, audio, visual or written? If so, I doubt we give it the same significance. Media pundits by nature of position cannot conceive of a leaderless movement more dedicated to cause than person. So, they create what they need. It is usually someone of willing acceptance for the wrong reasons, who fits erroneous media concept, and whose value lies in making believable but off the mark stories for media devotees.
The US is a nation of many subcultures mostly unaware of the others except in negative connotation. Media employees are usually from and always controlled by those of the dominant one. Most activists I've known shunned approaches by the media like the plague and let those who accepted media leadership crowns to do their thing just as long as they didn't get in the way, which they almost always did.
We probably also diverge on meaning of "extreme". People of the dominant US culture are easily characterized by extreme stupidity of wilful ignorance. All one has to do is consider knowledge they lack, how they act, what they allow, and what they are. Most of them would probably consider as extreme anyone advocating and advancing overthrow of that government by any means necessary. That such should be categorized as extreme is far from a universally held view.
Concepts of "left" and "right" are vaguely defined and vary between societies. The United States, champion land of propagandized dolts, is hardly the arbiter of labeling propriety. Here in Mexico for example, Ronald Reagan might be called "liberal" and Osama bin Laden "conservative". One would have to get beyond US borders to understand why, but it has to do with literal meaning rather than US distortion. My own view of such words are probably best illustrated by posts on this Forum, material in the Further Left Library, and in particular there, its section titled Radical Activism.
We have a saying in Mexico: "Hay mucho trecho entre dicho y hecho". It is recognition of a long distance between saying and doing. It applies to those who talk a big game of what is thought left and right while remaining in personal security high on the hill tops while expounding on the wounded in battles below. Most of those involved in what I considered "left" paid little attention to such word smiths. Immersion in activity prevented wasting concern talking about it to those who didn't matter.
It is thought by some who never were that the movement is a thing of the past. Not so. It existed long before us and will continue long after. Activity teaches it is not enough to understand the beast fought, to write and yell about it, raise temporary hell in the streets, disrupt establishment meetings, picket businesses, organize in bars and churches, leaflet on sidewalks and front doors, or even fight in fields. There is realization the price of change is devotion of lives to what is espoused. Many I've known determined to direct personal skills more intimately to that end throughout the time they had left. Strategies and tactics shifted in tune with time, situations, and individuals but never did they make the 180 degree turn postulated in the question at hand. Hearts don't twist.
There were some who weaseled into the system to subvert from inside. Others migrated to employment where they’d be more in touch with people most hurting.
Several workers I’d known with SNCC and SCLC rose to begrudging US national prominence and still fight for beliefs while occupying positions as large city mayors and councilmen, members of congress, international emissaries, and even a presidential candidate. Those might be called "prominent" for position but not out of understanding their base dedication.
Though residing in Mexico, I maintain contact with US friends of old still as involved as before with issues of the day. From those I can offer examples. A minister in the civil rights movement becomes an attorney, retires after heading a poverty law center, and now organizes neighborhoods to oppose bank discriminatory lending practices. A publisher of an underground newspaper goes to school after serving prison time, becomes an attorney, heads a large state ACLU office, and vacations in Latin America monitoring rightist response to guerilla struggles. He last visited us in Mexico after escaping as a prisoner of a right wing private army. A professor of English retires to write articles supporting social action and publishes a book to that end.
A NAACP past president once arrested for being a black Santa Claus still fights discriminatory hiring. An SDS militant becomes a nationally known drug rehabilitation consultant. A college student moves to union organizer and now sits on a city council. Another is a social worker who works fighting his bosses rather than clients, knowing the struggle is about power of the people. A black activist and organizer becomes a physician and presses for socialized medicine. Another couple become peace corp volunteers dancing with its CIA sponsor on company time and agitating revolution between the lines. My own twist was to apply a technical background toward agitating in what became computer communication.
The Further Left Chat Room is visited by several from around the world who have and still risk themselves regularly in dedication to the cause of its purpose. You won't hear much about that though. Those who talk are often by nature not those who do and those who do are often by necessity not those who talk.
But come around anyhow and enjoy the company. We'll do our best to help you move toward what is best done away from a computer or a thesis.
The answer is a simple "No, I know of none and doubt if any exist".
Filling that out depends on probable differing definitions, those assigned to "extreme", "left", "right", and "prominent".
Does "prominent" refer to those noted by public media, audio, visual or written? If so, I doubt we give it the same significance. Media pundits by nature of position cannot conceive of a leaderless movement more dedicated to cause than person. So, they create what they need. It is usually someone of willing acceptance for the wrong reasons, who fits erroneous media concept, and whose value lies in making believable but off the mark stories for media devotees.
The US is a nation of many subcultures mostly unaware of the others except in negative connotation. Media employees are usually from and always controlled by those of the dominant one. Most activists I've known shunned approaches by the media like the plague and let those who accepted media leadership crowns to do their thing just as long as they didn't get in the way, which they almost always did.
We probably also diverge on meaning of "extreme". People of the dominant US culture are easily characterized by extreme stupidity of wilful ignorance. All one has to do is consider knowledge they lack, how they act, what they allow, and what they are. Most of them would probably consider as extreme anyone advocating and advancing overthrow of that government by any means necessary. That such should be categorized as extreme is far from a universally held view.
Concepts of "left" and "right" are vaguely defined and vary between societies. The United States, champion land of propagandized dolts, is hardly the arbiter of labeling propriety. Here in Mexico for example, Ronald Reagan might be called "liberal" and Osama bin Laden "conservative". One would have to get beyond US borders to understand why, but it has to do with literal meaning rather than US distortion. My own view of such words are probably best illustrated by posts on this Forum, material in the Further Left Library, and in particular there, its section titled Radical Activism.
We have a saying in Mexico: "Hay mucho trecho entre dicho y hecho". It is recognition of a long distance between saying and doing. It applies to those who talk a big game of what is thought left and right while remaining in personal security high on the hill tops while expounding on the wounded in battles below. Most of those involved in what I considered "left" paid little attention to such word smiths. Immersion in activity prevented wasting concern talking about it to those who didn't matter.
It is thought by some who never were that the movement is a thing of the past. Not so. It existed long before us and will continue long after. Activity teaches it is not enough to understand the beast fought, to write and yell about it, raise temporary hell in the streets, disrupt establishment meetings, picket businesses, organize in bars and churches, leaflet on sidewalks and front doors, or even fight in fields. There is realization the price of change is devotion of lives to what is espoused. Many I've known determined to direct personal skills more intimately to that end throughout the time they had left. Strategies and tactics shifted in tune with time, situations, and individuals but never did they make the 180 degree turn postulated in the question at hand. Hearts don't twist.
There were some who weaseled into the system to subvert from inside. Others migrated to employment where they’d be more in touch with people most hurting.
Several workers I’d known with SNCC and SCLC rose to begrudging US national prominence and still fight for beliefs while occupying positions as large city mayors and councilmen, members of congress, international emissaries, and even a presidential candidate. Those might be called "prominent" for position but not out of understanding their base dedication.
Though residing in Mexico, I maintain contact with US friends of old still as involved as before with issues of the day. From those I can offer examples. A minister in the civil rights movement becomes an attorney, retires after heading a poverty law center, and now organizes neighborhoods to oppose bank discriminatory lending practices. A publisher of an underground newspaper goes to school after serving prison time, becomes an attorney, heads a large state ACLU office, and vacations in Latin America monitoring rightist response to guerilla struggles. He last visited us in Mexico after escaping as a prisoner of a right wing private army. A professor of English retires to write articles supporting social action and publishes a book to that end.
A NAACP past president once arrested for being a black Santa Claus still fights discriminatory hiring. An SDS militant becomes a nationally known drug rehabilitation consultant. A college student moves to union organizer and now sits on a city council. Another is a social worker who works fighting his bosses rather than clients, knowing the struggle is about power of the people. A black activist and organizer becomes a physician and presses for socialized medicine. Another couple become peace corp volunteers dancing with its CIA sponsor on company time and agitating revolution between the lines. My own twist was to apply a technical background toward agitating in what became computer communication.
The Further Left Chat Room is visited by several from around the world who have and still risk themselves regularly in dedication to the cause of its purpose. You won't hear much about that though. Those who talk are often by nature not those who do and those who do are often by necessity not those who talk.
But come around anyhow and enjoy the company. We'll do our best to help you move toward what is best done away from a computer or a thesis.
