3 ms·
> McCarthy was not entirely wrong So... it's a good thing to model "spy hunting" on the Salem Witch Trials? How is "a communist-spy around every corner" that m
by pyre 12y ago
> McCarthy was not entirely wrong
So... it's a good thing to model "spy hunting" on the Salem Witch Trials? How is "a communist-spy around every corner" that much different than "report your neighbors for subversive/not-approved ideas, comrade?"
Edit: Just think about pairing up McCarthy-ism and HUAC/SACB[1] with NSA-levels of data gathering today. Would it make the world a better place, or would it have a chilling effect on free speech / free exchange of ideas?
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy#HUAC_and_SACB http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy#HUAC_and_SACB
- jes 12y agoSaying that McCarthy was not entirely wrong does not imply that I endorse every aspect of his behavior.
- pyre 12y agoSure. McCarthy was right that there were Soviet agents in America, and that there was a Soviet threat. But he was not the lone canary in the coal mine, blowing the whistle on Soviet deceptions. He is not known for being the voice of reason when few would believe the reality of the situation. He is known for leading/inspiring witch hunts for Soviet spies, and ruining people's lives based on coincidence and thought-crime. When you say he was "not entirely wrong" without qualification, it is these things that people feel are implicitly referred to by the statement.