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So today the local news station (abc7news.com)had an "expert" onhand for a quick soundbite on the Iranian situation. He was described as ex-CIA and an "author", though the newscaster didn't say of what. So his take: "All the rioting's in Tehran. It's like Berkeley in 67, 68, when a handful of rich kids burned things and rioted against Vietnam. They didn't represent the views of the rest of the country."
Well, this statement about the 60s is breath-takingly inaccurate, speaking as one who was there. First off, Cal Berkeley is a state school that, at that time, had very low tuition. Very few rich kids went there, Patty Hearst being one exception, because her great-grandmother had a lot to do with founding the original college; there were also a number of fraternities, all of whom supported the war, not the protests. Second, the 'handful' of protestors numbered in the thousands. Third, almost all of the protests were in San Francisco, not Berkeley. Fourth, the one real riot was at the Oakland Army Induction Center, again, not Berkeley -- Felida was there, if I remember rightly, and may wish to comment here.
And finally as for not representing the rest of the country, there were massive protest marches in New York, Washington DC, LA, and various other locations. The protestors came from all ranks of society -- you saw men wearing tweed suits marching alongside young women in blue jeans, mothers with strollers and children, the elderly, all sorts of people. It was massive size and the inclusiveness of the protests that forced Nixon to the bargaining table and to, eventually, end the draft.
If this clown is typical of the "experts" the Right can muster, I wouldn't believe a word they say about Iran, either.
Good grief! I tried to call the TV station, but the lines were all busy. I suspect others were calling for the same reason I was. :-)
Well, this statement about the 60s is breath-takingly inaccurate, speaking as one who was there. First off, Cal Berkeley is a state school that, at that time, had very low tuition. Very few rich kids went there, Patty Hearst being one exception, because her great-grandmother had a lot to do with founding the original college; there were also a number of fraternities, all of whom supported the war, not the protests. Second, the 'handful' of protestors numbered in the thousands. Third, almost all of the protests were in San Francisco, not Berkeley. Fourth, the one real riot was at the Oakland Army Induction Center, again, not Berkeley -- Felida was there, if I remember rightly, and may wish to comment here.
And finally as for not representing the rest of the country, there were massive protest marches in New York, Washington DC, LA, and various other locations. The protestors came from all ranks of society -- you saw men wearing tweed suits marching alongside young women in blue jeans, mothers with strollers and children, the elderly, all sorts of people. It was massive size and the inclusiveness of the protests that forced Nixon to the bargaining table and to, eventually, end the draft.
If this clown is typical of the "experts" the Right can muster, I wouldn't believe a word they say about Iran, either.
Good grief! I tried to call the TV station, but the lines were all busy. I suspect others were calling for the same reason I was. :-)
