Carl Davidson (Chicago) writes:
Re: Lemisch, Garvy
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/portside/message/822>
Hi Wesley
I agree that Garvy's film told her truth. There wasn't
anything inaccurate in it, but lots was left out that I
would have put in to tell the story the way I would have
told it. I also agree that her film has a positive impact
with the new generation or even older folks who weren't
that close to it at the time.
But I wouldn't expect much from Lemisch and other
academics. They have too many other axes to grind. The
problem is that how you tell the story in a critical way
depends on what your politics are now. For instance, I
would say that a combination of ultraleftism, dogmatism,
some white chauvinism, the FBI and plain old youthful
inexperience did SDS in prematurely, while others would
blame Maoism or Marxism- Leninism, "external cadres" or
the failures of socialism and communism in general.
Your story depends on where you're coming from, and the
professional historians aren't above it.
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