Been a while since I've seen this important documentary about a coalminers' strike in Harlan County, which speaks volumes about our country, not all of it flattering, but which also is a celebration of the spirit of working people.
The blue collar worker as progressive was a vanishing breed through the last half of the 20th century. A dramatic illustration of this was a performance of my labor play 1934: Blood and Roses.
I witnessed a fascinating, disturbing conflict between generations of longshoremen, those who remembered and even participated in the 1934 west coast strike, and younger members who doubted much of the history surrounding it. At one point, a younger worker said he thought the play was commie propaganda because it emphasized violence by the police, which drew angry responses from the older generation that the weakness of the play was that it downplayed the violence!
What happened to the blue collar progressive tradition? Where are the Eric Hoffers (the "longshore philosopher") of the country? Man, we need them.
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