The many gendered blacklist

6 posts / 0 new

Sat, 2015-12-19 16:11

ikosmos

A really good piece by Matthew Behrens that draws special attention to the role of women in the fight against the blacklist and their notable victories.

The blacklist was a many gendered affair

Quote:
A Vancouver Sun report concluded HUAC had met its Waterloo when:

"[I]t tangled with 500 irate women. They laughed at it…. When the first woman headed to the witness table, the crowd rose silently to its feet. The irritated Chairman Clyde Doyle of California outlawed standing. They applauded the next witness and Doyle outlawed clapping. Then they took to running up to kiss the witness…Finally, each woman as she was called was met and handed a huge bouquet. By then Doyle was a beaten man. By the third day, the crowd was giving standing ovations to the heroines with impunity."

Behrens concludes ...

"So while we enjoy Trumbo and Suffragette among other movies this December, we await the story of Women Strike for Peace, among other herstories, on our screens. Now there's a film I'd really like to see."

Sat, 2015-12-19 17:45

oldgoat

Often when I click on someones link and see it's actually going to take several minutes out of my life I give it a pass. To those babblers who are also like that, I would encourage you to take the time on this one. A good, timely and informative read. Thanks ikosmos.

Tue, 2015-12-22 16:46

ikosmos

The potted version of the history of HUAC that I received suggested that it was efforts to tar the US military with the "un-American" brush that finally did the Committe in.

Note to self: women's stories get silenced even in the telling of stories of resistance and overcoming repression.

Tue, 2015-12-22 16:57

lagatta

Yes, as do LGBT stories.

Thu, 2016-01-14 19:12

Sean in Ottawa

ikosmos wrote:

Note to self: women's stories get silenced even in the telling of stories of resistance and overcoming repression.

I have read stories of resistance with interest and there was so much here I had never heard.

I won't pull a quote form the article other than to say it is an amazing and informative rerad.

Sorry -- I will pull one refernce -- I like the reference to the quote about speaking treason.

One thing this writer does exceptionally well is link the story to events of today.

Fri, 2016-01-15 00:43

ikosmos

Sean in Ottawa wrote:
I like the reference to the quote about speaking treason.

One thing this writer does exceptionally well is link the story to events of today.

Sean's reference:

"You speak treason," King John says to Robin Hood in the 1939 movie classic.

"Fluently," replies a grinning Robin.