Yesterday I attended a performance of The Great Society, the second play focused on LBJs term as President. The performers from the first play, All The Way, played the parts they played earlier. More than in the first play, this showed not only the side of a man who wanted to make us a better America, but also the side of a man who feared and hated people and issues that stood in the way of his objectives. And more than in the first play, this showed that the same was true for American society and politics. Dreams of a better America gave way to fear of change driven by the ideas of others, and naked hatred. I had forgotten how the hatred of blacks became twinned with hatred of queers and might have doubted that claim except part of the play involved TV and newspaper photos of the time signing send the niggers and queers back to where they came from. As the play showed. Johnson shelved his dream for a Great Society to pay for a war and eventually regarded opponents as giving comfort to hi enemies. If there was an Iago in this time it was J. Edgar Hoover who inflamed Johnson constantly to amass more power for himself. I am now completely committed to seeing Hoovers name removed from fbi headquarters in Washington. The stage itself also underwent transformation as it became a wrecked set with chairs overturned and things blastedl open. Once again I was struck by the relevance to our time especially in the fight to secure voting rights and the role of police in enforcing an unjust system. Here we are with the Supreme Court ruling the Voting Rights Act no longer is needed and sfs police union lobbying against Avalos resolution backing the protests. I cant imagine that our police believe they dont have a legacy of exclusion. For one thing, for 100 years the Archbishop choose the police chief who had to come grime one of two counties in Ireland. Even until the 1990s blacks and women were excluded from the prestige assignments with the mounted police, the motorcycle police and the mayoral security team. Agnos challenged that and the POA joined the campaign to oust him with the motto Back on Track and we all knew what that meant. So the boards rejection of Avalos measure at the behest of the POA included Black supervisors working against the Protestors. As it was said of Chicago mayor Daly resistance to integration, black council members would vote against Jesus if Daly said so. Old times new times. Definetly this play should be performed across the country and required for the Supreme Court justices.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 18:21:41 +0000
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