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December 24, 2007
But don't question his patriotism
David Curran of the San Francisco Chronicle writes
December arrives, and like clockwork a certain catalogue shows up in our mailbox. And within seconds of seeing it, amnesia hits my daughter, and the list of items she has dreamed about for months -- roller blades, goalie shirt, jeans, hula hoop -- vanish from her mind. She now wants one thing only: An American Girl doll. [...]I know, American Girl makes a doll from San Francisco. As you'd guess she's from the 1970s -- that apparently is our place in history -- and has long hair, bell bottoms and a peasant blouse. But let's hazard a wild guess that the generic, unadventurous doll named Julie Albright didn't spend much time turning on and tuning out in the Haight.
On the other hand, the historic San Francisco doll I'm planning to create was a lifelong radical. She grew up in North Beach, and came of age during the labor tumult of the mid-21st century. She was a union leader and a member of the Communist Party who was then called before the House Un-American Activities Commission in San Francisco in 1957. [...]
She will be called the Un-American Girl. [...]
I do realize the Un-American Girl will be a little different experience for her than Nellie O'Malley. There's the political aspect - not too common in a doll -- but also, one of my daughter's favorite activities is getting her dolls ready for bed. So I will have to break it to her that the Un-American Girl has one true passion: To stay up late and argue about world affairs.
"Forget putting her in pajamas," I'll have to tell her. "Prop your new doll up on your bed. Give her a newspaper, a little chianti and a companion to argue the big issues of the day. Maybe not Malibu Barbie. But yes, your American Girl, Nellie O'Malley, would be fine. Even Velvet the Bear might want to chime in about animal rights. Your room will be livelier than ever. And as your friends are all gathered around your pillow, you can yell out stuff like, 'Dolls of the world unite!' and 'Don't fall off the bed, comrades!"
I'm sure the Curran household is a fun place to be ... sitting around the holiday tree, decorated in low energy bulbs, dining on tofu turkey and organic local-grown greens, singing 'give peace a chance' and making paper mache puppets in anticipation of the next rally against the next Blue Angel flight show. Daughter Curran will be soooo delighted with the Little Red Book in her union-made holiday stocking.
Merry Winter Holiday that will go unnamed least we encourage the xtianists!
(h/t Michelle Malkin)
Posted by Darleen at December 24, 2007 10:00 AM
Comments
Well, I hope he had a rotten Solstice. ;-P
Merry Christmas, Darleen, to you and your family!
xoxoxoxoxo
Posted by: Beth at December 24, 2007 07:14 PM
Ohfercryinoutloud!
Merry Christmas to you Darleen!
Posted by: LindaSoG at December 25, 2007 05:21 AM
Hope you're having a wonderful Christmas Day!
Here's to you and yours for a great '08!
Posted by: Americaneocona at December 25, 2007 12:54 PM
Curran's piece was mostly about his Great Aunt who was a labor activist in the 50s. Nice of you to dowdify that, but I guess you can't expect much more from someone who takes their cues from a fraud like Michelle Malkin.
Posted by: Josh at December 26, 2007 08:04 PM
geez, Josh, saltpeter in your Winter Holiday cocoa?
Curran is the one that wrote "Un-American Doll" and fashioned it after his great Aunt. It's he who, prospering in the American city of San Francisco deems being "un-American" as a proper roll (and designates his own relative as "un-American")
Of course Malkin is "a fraud"... how dare she be a woman of color and not be a "progressive!"
Personal is political and when she refused to follow the Leftist religion, then of course she is "inauthentic."
Posted by: Darleen at December 27, 2007 07:36 AM
"Un-American Doll"
An obvious reference to HUAC. You'd know that if you'd read the piece instead of Malkin's distortion thereof:
It is true that to call Angela Ward an Un-American "girl" in 1957 is a tad inaccurate; she was close to 47 when she went before the HUAC.
People who distort and lie are frauds. Malkin distorts and lies. You're the only one who cares about her race.
Posted by: Josh at January 3, 2008 11:39 AM
Just a little historical tidbit, as you appear to see the use of "Xmas" and "Xtian" as slights:
"X is an abbreviation for Christ, arising from the Greek term Christos, which starts with a Greek Chi, written as X. This usage dates back to the 1500s. Thus, the usage is not an attempt to 'blot out' the name, or be offensive."
I'm sure some who are ignorant of its origin use it as a slight, but as far as I'm concerned, the joke's on them -- kind of like smug Euro-leftists who disparagingly call our president a "cowboy". ;-)
Posted by: Stephen R at January 5, 2008 10:37 AM