When reflecting on the themes found throughout all of the literature we have read up until this week, what really resonated with me was the frustration expressed by the authors. This frustration was not directed at any one thing, and seemed to be an overall feeling of the era. This struck a chord with me, as I feel the sentiment is very similar to the overall feeling of our time right now. I think that this feeling might have come from the absurd amount of time it actually takes to make substantive change. Sometimes it can feel that one is fighting so hard and continuing to push forward but not moving at all. Although many of the people we have read about are famous for making change, it took so long for them to accomplish each thing that the frustration is completely understandable. While reading the platform of the Black Panther Party, the language used and the principles being fought for are almost identical to what the movement is trying to accomplish today. Overall, it seems as though our society has progressed by leaps and bounds since the time all of this literature was written; but, looking more closely, one would think that in the 50 or so years that have passed since the Civil Rights movement that our country would have fixed a lot more than they have.
The same applies to the Irish texts we have seen. The Catholics and Protestants have been at odds since before 1916, and as Eamonn McCann shared with us, not too much has changed, aside from being less violent today. Justice for Bloody Sunday has never been served, and the communities of Northern Ireland are still pretty segregated.
I think that the overall frustration found in all of the texts is the same thing we see today– people do not want to wait centuries for progress. It seems that the system is extremely hard to change, which results in a general feeling of helplessness, frustration, and anger directed at nothing specific.
Your post is something I have thought about as well, it’s interesting to look at how much things have changed whilst also seeing how much things have stayed the same. Is the change not substantive enough and is that why the sentiments stay the same or is it something else? It is important to note that attitudes fluctuate greatly. For example, in 2008 we elected our first Black president, Barack Obama, and then 8 years later we elected one of the most racist presidents in modern history, Donald J. Trump. It seems as though we have been taking steps backward instead of forwards. Even aside from race, marriage equality is currently being threatened by the Supreme Court nominee, a right that we have been protesting for for decades may be taken away. There is patience that comes with seeing progress, but there is a lot of frustration when that progress seems unachievable, and then there is also anger when the progress that has been made starts to get chipped away. This then ties into the theme of violence because both frustration and anger can spur violence. It would be interesting to take a look at how these emotions contrast with those of hope and love that we have been discussing in class and also seeing the effects that religion has on these sentiments.
I agree with you that there is an overwhelming feeling of frustration during both the 68 era as well as today. The statement you make about the frustration not being directed at one thing, in particular, made me think. In the United States, there were so many events that warranted frustration: the Vietnam War, the assassination of Bobby Kennedy and MLK, the lack of justice for African Americans. The list could go on. There is also a multitude of issues in Northern Ireland. Of course, there are conflicts between Catholics and Protestants, but the conflict is deeper than that. There was a clear sectarian divide. There was gerrymandering that prevented Catholics from having a fair vote. The British government was not taking responsibility for its actions in events such as Bloody Sunday. Again, the list could go on.
I think the tone of frustration is important in each one of the literary works we have read this far. Frustration is a common feeling often accompanied by the oppression of one’s civil rights. How can someone not feel frustrated? During our talk with Eamonn McCann, someone mentioned the cynical tone of his writing. His response was along the lines of, “Look at the time and place I grew up in. How could I not be cynical?” The hardships that McCann grew up with would be enough to make anyone cynical about the time period.
Although you tied the theme of frustration to McCann, I think the idea is evident in the informer as well. Gypo is so desperate for food that he informs on his best friend. He struggles with the decision he has made and is frustrated with the circumstances that put him in the position to make that decision. In Uptight, Tank is frustrated with the murder of MLK. He is distraught that such a powerful leadership figure was taken away from the movement too early. The defendants in The Chicago Eight are clearly frustrated with the state of the judicial system and thus do everything they can to disrupt the trial.
Our frustration manifests itself in many ways. When a group of people has been oppressed for as long as those in the United States and Northern Ireland have, actions such as violence seem to be the only answer for the people involved.
We’ve discussed how religious, or at least spirituality, is a common thread in the texts we’ve studied so far. I wonder if the presence of faith, even when the emphasis isn’t always on pious fervor such as in Pentecost and Revolutionary Suicide, is a reaction to the frustration you reference. Huey touched on this a little in Revolutionary Suicide, I think. Like many people who are exposed to organized religion in childhood, the Church seemed to represent for him a sense of comfort, even though he came to disagree with Christian doctrine. In Pentecost, Marion goes to mass in the midst of a tumultuous time in her life and actual violence in her community.
The Judeo-Christian tradition values persistence in the face of persecution. While some of the actors we’ve read about were explicitly motivated by religious beliefs, such as the Berrigans, there seems to be a perhaps more subtle thread of persistence, even when irrational and painful, in all the texts that may have faith-based origins.