> Years ago, when I was much more on the left than I am now (though in fact I
> do not think thatmy substantive views are all that different), I
desperately
>
> offended my mom by refusing to stand for the SSB at my little sister's
> graduation. She barely spoke to me for two months. I don't think it was
> worth it to make a point. In fact, I think the point could have been
better
> made without teeing her off. As I say, I'm a poor leftist.
In my work as a museum curator, I sometimes give talks to groups like the Kiwanis. The meetings of such organizations typically begin and end with some sort of patriotic exercise, such as the pledge of allegiance or the singing of "My Country 'Tis of Thee." When I am the guest of such an organization, I join in, though I do so with considerable mental reservation.
My political views (DSA-ish, though toward the left end of DSA) are no doubt fairly mild in terms of this list, but where I live and work, they make me a raving Bolshevik. If I were a REAL leftist, I suppose I would clam up and adopt a disdainful sneer when my hosts recite the pledge. Trouble is, if I did that they probably wouldn't listen very closely to what I said later about, say, agrarian protest movements in the 19th century midwest, or labor conflict in the New England textile industry in the 1840s. They'd think I was rude or snobbish. If they didn't listen closely to my talk, they probably wouldn't get the connections I try to make between these historical phenomena and the world of today. So, count me a poor leftist, too.
Jacob Conrad