Hearing and seeing these old New Yorkers tell their stories was uniquely educational. I’m thankful that they participated. Seeing the faces put to names I had heard earlier was very interesting, and often entertaining.
I found some of the content particularly interesting, and decided to write it down:
Vera Schiller said, “The times made us political.” This idea makes me wonder: If people would make themselves “political” all the time, rather than just at dire and demanding times such as the 1930s, could they more effectively avert or subvert socio-political injustice altogether?
Jay Greenfield said, “If you believe in something, and you say you believe in it, you ought to be willing to put your body where your mouth is.”
Abraham Lincoln Brigade veteran Abe Osheroff said, “Legitimate anger is a form of love… and a person who’s incapable of being angry, is incapable of loving.”
On resisting fascism, Abe said, “You resist, whether you win or lose, you resist… The process of resistance itself is rewarding, to you as a person, ‘cause once you know that it’s shitty and lousy, and you do nothing about it, you lose a piece of yourself.” I agree with Abe here, that this type of resistance is rewarding, and that standing up for justice when it is imperiled is fulfilling to our humanity.
I invite my classmates and any other readers I may have to comment on these quotes. Do you agree/disagree? Like/dislike? Have any interpretations? Did any other stories or quotes from the DVD stand out?
Comments are always welcome on my other posts as well.
These are great, provocative quotes. I hope folks will jump in with others or with comments. My son, who was lucky enough to meet Abe Osheroff, is thinking about using the quote "anger, legitimate anger, is a form of love" as a point of entry into his college essay.
ReplyDeleteYou pose a very interesting question: "If people would make themselves 'political' all the time, rather than just at dire and demanding times such as the 1930s, could they more effectively avert or subvert socio-political injustice altogether?" I think that it is important to clarify what you mean as "being political." If everyone was more ideologically left and liberal and believed in government aid to social and economic issues, then I believe it would be easier to alleviate socio-political injustice. However, it is also possible to "be political" and ideologically conservative, fighting against government aid to national social and economic issues. I think that a moderate balance between these two ideologies is essential to American democracy, because in practice both extremes have failed.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do believe that if people were more politically educated, concerned, and active in general, there would be a greater debate on current issues such as the need for a better health care system, as well a stronger constituent force to influence the passing of bills and faster resolution of such issues.
Thanks for your comment Emess. I was not as clear as I should have been. What I mean by "being political" is just what you said in your last paragraph, that people could be "more politically educated, concerned, and active in general" by having a grasp of history, civics, political issues, and through voting and other democratic participation.
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