JaniceM
Well-known Member
- Location
- still lost between two shores..
I apologize for any confusion I've caused. This topic is very stressful for me to talk/write about- while misinformation bugs me in general, this particular topic is personal. Not only did a disgusting mess occur basically down the street from my childhood home, one individual who was smackdab in the middle of it was my uncle.
The celebrity I was referring to, his name was Paul Robeson. Despite endless attempts to portray the event as being about Civil Rights, it was not- it was about P. Robeson bringing communist and anti-American 'ideology' into a community that wanted no part of it. While a similar event may or may not be seen differently these days, bear in mind it occurred in the aftermath of WW II. And despite endless attempts to portray those who objected as racists and anti-semitic, it was nothing more than a convenient cover.
In any large group, especially when dealing with a controversial issue, there are usually rabble-rousers. It does not mean some "bad apples" mean the entire bunch is rotten. However, with the public's love of sensationalism, I guess it shouldn't be surprising that individuals with their home-movie cameras didn't bother with "average citizens" and focused on atrocious behaviors.
I do not approve of violence (unless it's in defense of oneself or someone else), and there is never any excuse for verbal violence- both of which occurred.
However, as I learned there was KKK involvement, it's "curious" as to why little to nothing was said about it- other than one "news commentary" I read that basically presented all of the objectors as KKK. Seriously?!? (It brought to mind incidents that occurred locally the year before last: individuals ranging from average citizens to community leaders were involved in "peaceful protests;" others were smashing store windows, looting, storming the police station, vandalizing cars, etc. A difference though, was these two "groups" weren't generally in the same places at the same time- so it was easy to see who was who.)
My first encounter with misinformation on the events I mentioned earlier was a novel and a t.v. movie called "The Book of Daniel," written by E.L. Doctorow. While I see no purpose in material that has a few facts and spins fabrication around it, I believe authors who write non-fiction should write the truth.
Around a decade ago, I saw a book advertised- never heard of the book, never heard of the author, but "had to" buy it based solely on the title. To say it was a load of garbage is an understatement. I did some research to find out who the author- his bio and other material he'd written. "An activist in the Communist Party."
The author's name was Howard Fast. The book was called "Peekskill USA." Considering when he wrote it, I'd not be surprised if all the misinformation about the event that's all over the place was based on his book.
First, the mess did not occur in Peekskill. Contrary to more modern accounts, it didn't occur in the town that's being blamed for it these days; when it occurred, that particular town didn't even exist.
However, it's the way citizens and especially veterans were portrayed that's worse. I wondered what veterans who'd served in WW II against Hitler and Mussolini thought about H. Fast referring to them as "Fascists." (my uncle wasn't in this category, he'd been stationed at Pearl Harbor.) or, for that matter, average citizens lumped into the same group as rabble-rousers.
Anyway, I was mainly directing my questions to Signe, who'd been a High School history teacher, and said she often had discussions and debates with her students about books. While I don't really see a purpose in debating whether various things in history books were right or wrong, I don't think students or anyone else should have to decide or figure out whether a book presented as American history is even true.
The celebrity I was referring to, his name was Paul Robeson. Despite endless attempts to portray the event as being about Civil Rights, it was not- it was about P. Robeson bringing communist and anti-American 'ideology' into a community that wanted no part of it. While a similar event may or may not be seen differently these days, bear in mind it occurred in the aftermath of WW II. And despite endless attempts to portray those who objected as racists and anti-semitic, it was nothing more than a convenient cover.
In any large group, especially when dealing with a controversial issue, there are usually rabble-rousers. It does not mean some "bad apples" mean the entire bunch is rotten. However, with the public's love of sensationalism, I guess it shouldn't be surprising that individuals with their home-movie cameras didn't bother with "average citizens" and focused on atrocious behaviors.
I do not approve of violence (unless it's in defense of oneself or someone else), and there is never any excuse for verbal violence- both of which occurred.
However, as I learned there was KKK involvement, it's "curious" as to why little to nothing was said about it- other than one "news commentary" I read that basically presented all of the objectors as KKK. Seriously?!? (It brought to mind incidents that occurred locally the year before last: individuals ranging from average citizens to community leaders were involved in "peaceful protests;" others were smashing store windows, looting, storming the police station, vandalizing cars, etc. A difference though, was these two "groups" weren't generally in the same places at the same time- so it was easy to see who was who.)
My first encounter with misinformation on the events I mentioned earlier was a novel and a t.v. movie called "The Book of Daniel," written by E.L. Doctorow. While I see no purpose in material that has a few facts and spins fabrication around it, I believe authors who write non-fiction should write the truth.
Around a decade ago, I saw a book advertised- never heard of the book, never heard of the author, but "had to" buy it based solely on the title. To say it was a load of garbage is an understatement. I did some research to find out who the author- his bio and other material he'd written. "An activist in the Communist Party."
The author's name was Howard Fast. The book was called "Peekskill USA." Considering when he wrote it, I'd not be surprised if all the misinformation about the event that's all over the place was based on his book.
First, the mess did not occur in Peekskill. Contrary to more modern accounts, it didn't occur in the town that's being blamed for it these days; when it occurred, that particular town didn't even exist.
However, it's the way citizens and especially veterans were portrayed that's worse. I wondered what veterans who'd served in WW II against Hitler and Mussolini thought about H. Fast referring to them as "Fascists." (my uncle wasn't in this category, he'd been stationed at Pearl Harbor.) or, for that matter, average citizens lumped into the same group as rabble-rousers.
Anyway, I was mainly directing my questions to Signe, who'd been a High School history teacher, and said she often had discussions and debates with her students about books. While I don't really see a purpose in debating whether various things in history books were right or wrong, I don't think students or anyone else should have to decide or figure out whether a book presented as American history is even true.
