Want to know the difference between doing "Zero Hour" in L.A. and Florida as opposed to Washington DC? Check out this link on the Theater J blog. The site discusses issues important to the Jewish community, and the writer keys in on Zero's heartfelt belief that the blacklist and the House Un-American Activities Committee's investigations were a "Jewish Inquisition," raising the further question about whether American "freedom" and "democracy" is as "free" and "democratic" as we think it is.
I don't know if Zero's opinion is historically factual. However, the vast majority of blacklisted actors and writers were Jewish. One audience member last night said to me that the majority of writers in Hollywood happened to be Jewish, and that perhaps it's all a big confluence of events.
But isn't it remarkable how often these "confluences" end up targeting Jews (and, for that matter, homosexuals and "liberals" -- witness the angry right wing mobs shutting down debate in town halls now)?
What I do think is healthy is that we continue to talk about "sicknesses" like blacklists. A free and open dialogue is the only way democracy survives in an open society, and I'm glad "Zero Hour" is helping to provoke this debate.
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