Anthony Lappe at GNN gets it right in this article on why Ward Churchill is wrong.
Had a discussion with a well known right-wing blogger who is convinced that people such as Churchill are respresentative of the entire Liberal movement in the US. Which is nonsense of course. The right-wing blogger believes that such entrenched old school belief systems as represented by Churchill and failed groups such as the SDS are still the norm. To which I have to respond.
Personally, I have a certain amount of contempt for the failed liberal movements of the past. I’ve always felt that way. That movemnt was divisive, unorganized, unfocused, and anti-everything. And, ultimately, they failed in so many ways. They helped stop a war, then they pretty much sat down and decided to make money. There’s nothing wrong with making money, if you do it properly, but, the dream seemed to get lost along the way, and the moral focus became clouded.
My feelings in this regard were cemented in 1987 when I went to a concert that was to raise money for Gerde’s Folk City which at that time was on West 4th Street. The landlord had raised the rent and the place was going to shut down unless some money could be raised. (Money was procured, but the bar still closed. That’s another story.)
So, a concert was held, and it was pretty impressive. The lineup included the Violent Femmes, Suzanne Vega, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens, The Roches, Odetta, Frank Christian and a bunch of others. Some old, some new. I was interested in seeing the Femmes, the Roches and Baez, who were all really tight, relevent, and current in their songs and in their politics. And, although the event was to help “Save Folk City”, there was also an attempt to supercharge the atmosphere with politics. It was the mid 80′s, Reagan was at his zenith. But, most of the audience seemed really indifferent and uninterested.
Baez does her usual stellar set, and seemingly sensing the apolitical vibes, decides to close it with a rendition of U2′s “Bad”. Well, the crowd booed. It was rather embarrassing, especially to anyone who knows the lyrics to the song, which obviously, none of the old folkies did. I realized right then and there that all those old Liberals were indeed “asleep” and not “wide awake”.
Then, as if to cement that perspective into my meatmass, Peter Yarrow (of Peter Paul and Mary) did his set and concluded with “Puff the Magic Dragon”. It was one of my favorite songs as a child, The audience went apeshit. Considering how they had greeted the previous numbers of a political nature with a bit of disinterest, it was a bit odd to say the least. They were all swaying with their arms in the air, like it was an anthem.
I thought I was going to be sick. It was entirely sad and so very very lost. It was as if all the meaning had been stripped from the struggles of the past. They were steeped in denial and forgetfullness and a certain amount of bitterness.
And, ultimately, Ward Churchill is part of that lost tribe. And, I know that is not the Liberal ideal that I believe in, nor do I think most Liberals believe in those failed movements either.
Times have changed. Change is coming.
