Helen thinks I was too hard on New York in my description of our trip to Brazil, and perhaps I was. Fortuitously, this morning something happened which reminded me why I love living here.
As I boarded the train on 86th St., a man exhorted everyone in the car to become "activists" in order to save our democracy. He had a booming voice, so you could not help but hear him. At one point he told everyone to read a long list of progressive publications, and to listen to the ultra-left radio station 99.9 WBAI.
That all seemed like activism. But then he promoted Alcoholics Anonymous and the Boy Scouts as good organizations, and encouraged us to get involved with "religious institutions." Finally, it was OK just to raise money for public television. Now it seemed more like volunteering than activism.
He got some flack from fellow riders for some of these suggestions. One guy wanted to challenge him, but I heard him say to his friend, "It's too early in the morning."
As we reached 42nd St, he began a new discourse about the fact that City colleges are no longer free. His wife went to Hunter College years ago, and only paid $35 a semester. This is not a democracy when working people must pay at least $4,000 for college a year.
I can't say I agreed with everything he said, but I liked his style. He summed it up well at one point: "Just do something...That's all I'm saying."
Recent Comments