and Bruce Springsteen? 10 Progressives of the 20th
Century Who the Nation Missed on Their List
By Don Hazen, AlterNet
Posted on October 21, 2010, Printed on October 21, 2010
http://www.alternet.org/story/148570/
You can't blame The Nation magazine too much for publishing an
historical list of the 50 Most
influential progressive figures of the
20th century, which includes a fair share of truly historical figures,
some of whom are barely remember-able. After all the magazine
is more
than 140 years old. They have a lot of perspective. And it is rather
noble of them to be so even handed, or perhaps a little short-sighted,
when it comes to the late 20th century, where there are flesh and blood
heroes still making a fuss, who very well should be on that list.
I tip my hat to Peter Dreier, a professor at Occidental College, whose
project it was to pick the 50. Along with the great pillars and heroes
of the past 100 years, the household names, he also aimed a spotlight
on
figures in the first half of the century, that people 60 years old
or
under may have a hard time remembering -- historical players like
Lincoln Stefffens, Florence Kelly, A.J.Muste, Henry Hay, Charlotte
Perkins Gilman, Roger Baldwin (not James). Or one might scratch their
head about a few who just don't belong on the list at all, like Bayard
Rustin, who not only supported the Viet Nam war, but was an apologist
for some of the worst of minority community bashing by the odious Albert
Shanker, long time head on the New York City Teachers Union.
But before old lefties get too hot and bothered with me, I know all
of
these choices have their rationale. And all in all, a good deal of
the
50 are very obvious like Cesar Chavez, the lists only Latino, Paul
Robeson and Martin Luther King, two of the ten African Americans, if
my
count is accurate. There are two 2nd wave feminist heroes in Gloria
Steinem and Betty Friedan, union heavies like John L. Lewis and Walter
Reuther, and on and on -- check it out and be forewarned. (The Nation
loves its beautiful slide show of each one of their heroes, so much
that
I was unable to find an actual list. Maybe it exists and someone can
tell me how to find it.)
Of course, by the very nature of attempting such a task, Dreier was
asking for trouble or perhaps controversy, which is all in good spirit.
Imagine picking 50 progressives over 100 years. That's one every two
years.That's leaving a lot of people out, a lot. And a frustration
I
feel is that since I lived only for the second half of the century,
people are left out who we have known and admired, who have been
important to our lives.
As the list is constructed almost everyone on the list is dead or quite
old -- only about 10 of the 50 are still alive. So my biggest complaint
is that baby boomers -- those who were born roughly 1946 -- 1964 get
short shrift. Michael Moore is the only boomer and by far youngest
person picked, at 56. One gets the impression that the boomer are
represented by some of the heroes of boomers -- but notice that this
collection of boomer icons are from the "silent," generation and very
much pre-boomer: Harvey Milk ( '30) , Barbara Ehrenreich ( '41) , Gloria
Steinem ('34) Billie Jean King ( '43) , Jesse Jackson ( '41), Ralph
Nader ( '34), Bill Moyers, ( '34)
So to spark more debate, and to add a few twists, here are ten very
influential progressives who in IMHO should be on the Nation's list,
starting with a few boomers.
1. Amy Goodman -- A boomer, simply the most popular, dedicated hardest
working progressive in America, who unlike other super popular
progressives like Moore and Moyers e.g. makes use of almost totally
independent media via her daily radio/TV to reach her large and admiring
audience. The epitome of the long-distance runner, Amy has been fighting
for truth and justice for the past 40 years, domestically and around
the
globe, draws large crowds when ever she peaks, and has an incredibly
loyal listenership. The Rain Forest Action network just honored her
for
her contributions to the environmental movement as well.
2. Bruce Springsteen -- Boomer # 2. Nothing against wonderful folk
singers Phil Ochs and Pete Seeger, but come on. Culture plays a huge
role in influence, and the Boss -- has been consistently a powerful
troubadour for working class issues and progressive values, playing
concerts to stop nukes, and for Amnesty International, to get liberals
elected, etc. "Born to Run" sent him off to super stardom in 1975 and
he
has played to many millions of loyal fans, consistent in his support
for
a human politics and the woking man. He has won 20 Grammies, an Academy
Award, and his album Born in the USA was an anthem of pride for many
boomers. Later in his career he made a stirring album, "The Ghost of
Tom
Joad, " to honor Immigrants and those left out in American society.
3. Bob Dylan -- While we are on culture, how could Bob Dylan be left
out? His prodigious out put, powerful and influential lyrics over 50
years,make him the most influential American musician, probably ever.
Just two songs: "Blowing in the Wind," and "The Times They are a
Changing" had huge influence on civil rights and anti war movement,
and
there are dozens of classic Dylan songs. Dylan is not a boomer ( '41)
but his shift to electric guitar at Newport Folk Festival in 1965 made
a
huge fuss,and changed the nature of folk singing.
4. Noam Chomsky - America's most popular and well known intellectual.
A
towering figure, the author of dozens of books, revered by young and
old. It must have been an oversight on the part of The Nation, because
C.Wright Mills, on their list, and he doesn't possibly meet Chomsky's
contribution.
5. Jane Fonda -- Fonda is a two-time Academy Award winner with a number
of memorable roles especially in "Coming Home," the story of a disabled
Viet Nam vet and his difficulty reintegrating into society. Her deep
engagement in the anti war movement, particularly supporting soldiers
who were against the war, and her strong commitment to feminism, leading
her to co-found the Women's Media Center, combined with her artistic
success, means there is simply no one quite like her in the 20th
century, although Susan Sarandon does come close. She deserves to stand
next to Friedan and Steinem as the top women of the 2nd half of the
20th
Century.
6. Abbie Hoffman -- Hoffman is probably the most brilliant communicator
of radical ideas and political issues that progressives have ever had.
The founder of the Yippies, the most visible of the Chicago 7 after
the
Democratic Convention in 1968, he was a larger than life figure, who's
creativity -- like publishing the infamous "Steal this Book," made
him a
compelling force for decades, even while he was underground.
7. Howard Zinn -- The People's History of the United States is possibly
the most popular progressive work in history, read by millions of
students, who were provided with a true alternative to the lies and
distortions of "establishment history." Like Chomsky, Zinn, who died
recently, has no peers, and is a must include in any list of influential
progressives of any century.
8. Daniel Ellsberg -- The name of the documentary about him: "The Most
Dangerous Man Alive," says it all. Besides his decades of relentless
critique of the military dominance of American society and government
policy, his effort to expose the Pentagon Papers, still stands as one
of
the century's most important individual efforts to speak truth to power.
9. Cornell West -- Born in 1953, West brought a new, energized model
to
the role of Black leader. A philosopher, a preacher, an author and
Civil
rights activist maker of rap, he weavers together the issues of race,
class , and gender like no other American critic. As A Princeton
Professor, he is one of a handful of prominent Black intellectuals
who
provide the spark for the post civil rights black leadership in America.
10. Molly Ivins -- Considered a national treasure by many, Ivins was
both the funniest, and hardest hitting journalist of the past 40 years.
She skewered the enemies of the people with vigor and elan, making
remarkable contributions in her speeches, columns and books. She was
mostly a thorn in the side of evil Texans, but her reputation is
world-wide. She died in January of 2007. Google her columns, and
books, and quotes, they're all three still around.
Don Hazen is the executive editor of AlterNet.
2010 Independent Media Institute. All rights reserved.
View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/148570/
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