“I was and remain aghast at how seamlessly many of Trump’s White House principals and allied members of Congress and their many aides—the people who knew better—bled back into polite society after his administration, and to this day I wouldn’t shake hands with any who had not meaningfully atoned.” - I know this was more of an aside, but it is truly infuriating. Like, when I see Sarah Isgur, mouthpiece of the child separation policy, cheerfully welcomed on mainstream news outlets, it makes me violently angry. These people are monsters, but nobody cares.
Incredibly well written. I can remember the days growing up and begging my Mom to suppress her Russian accent in front of my friends. 10 years later, I’m begging her to teach me the language. Life happens, we learn, we grow. Wishing you all the best!
Thank you, Brian. I wish every journalist did this. It’s silly to pretend that you have no bias and we need more humanity in our journalism (in our everything?). Plus, stories bind us and persuade us. I wish 4th grade me could have talked to 4th grade you openly without fear of being bullied. I was bullied at VP and probably bullied others to try and avoid it myself.
Redlands is actually more reactionary. We have proud boys show up to our city council and school board meetings now. There’s a Christian fascist group called Awaken Redlands that is recruiting and training people to run for local office. We are organizing and fighting back, but it’s scary - especially for our kids. They want to ban books and force outing queer kids (“parental notification”). Redlands City Council voted to no longer fly the Pride flag in front of city hall this year for example.
Wow, Sam, I didn’t realize, that’s horrible. My more recent impressions are from the midaughts, seems like things got worse.
To anyone reading along, Sam was one of my classmates at that new elementary school (Mrs. Weisberg, represent!) I thought she was one of the cool kids … more than 30 years ago.
Your story very much resonated with me. Thanks for sharing it.
My parents were Polish (Catholic) immigrants who were both taken from Polan to work farms in Austria by the Nazis (which is where they met). I, too, was embarrassed by their accents, and my father's lack of education (my mother was not well-educated, but she was smart, although embittered by her life experiences - she was still a teenager when she was taken away from her home, to Austria).
As fate would have it, I grew up in Brooklyn, in a neighborhood where we were one of the few Catholic families in a mostly Jewish neighborhood. As as result, I got to take both Jewish and Catholic school holidays from school. I grew up very introverted, and bullied as a result.
After an incident with some Black kids in junior high, I could have very easily turned into a virulent racist, but somehow I didn't. It as enough for my mother to put me into a Catholic school, then high school. At the latter place, I befriended two kids, nerds like me. One day we visited the home of one, and there was a large portrait of Hitler in the basement. I never had anything to do with either one of them again.
Now, at 65, I am an unrepentant liberal, verging on socialist. It's taken a strange journey to get here, and now I get to pay witness to the fascist madness that seems to have taken hold of our country.
GLAD YOU ASKED! My views on this are shaped by two things, and I think it's hard to reach a considered opinion about it without grappling with both. First is the very subjective question of how trustworthy one thinks Elizabeth Warren is. My sense (from a little bit of experience and a lot of observation) is that she's very trustworthy. Second is the unique, almost folkloric culture of Oklahoma, which I think eludes most people who aren't either from Oklahoma or friends with people who are. By sheer coincidence, long before that controversy, I'd gotten to know a few people from there, one very well, and they all told a similar story: that they were (e.g.) part Cherokee because their great grandparent was Cherokee, and that history was passed down to them by family lore. So when I learned Warren had a similar story, it came as no surprise at all; when she explained that her self-attestation on various forms had changed over the years circumstantially, it resonated with me because I'd done the same thing. So my assessment is: she got a real bum rap, and isn't to blame, even if she could've messaged around it better and done a better job laying the groundwork for efforts to "prove" that what she'd been told about her family was at least partially true.
All that said, at some point you just have to take her word for it or not, just as you have to take mine. Did she ever fake an affinity to get ahead in life? I don't believe she did. But you can see why others might be suspicious and why it was such a potent (and cruel) political attack.
This makes complete sense and you just reminded me of a good friend in college who was from Oklahoma and had the same family history. Said she was 1/16 Cherokee and this was a strong part of her identity.
This is all true, but raises a similar question as your classmate from Egypt in my mind. She might have honestly believed that there was some lineage there, but I sincerely doubt she identified with it or could claim it affected her life. The distinction between a person who claimed to have some Native American lineage and one who identified as such was usually easy to see. And a dirty secret of Harvard’s admissions process has long been that it looks to admit someone from as many states as possible, but certain states are looked to to check multiple boxes. And Oklahoma was generally looked to for a Native American if possible.
Thanks for sharing. I agree that it’s informative to know how someone’s background and experiences shape the person’s views. I find it fascinating that attending Cal liberalized you. I went to Cal a decade before you, starting as a (very theoretical) liberal from Los Angeles.
I found my four years made me the most conservative of my life. In the first election I could vote in, I voted for Jimmy Carter, but I hated that I didn’t feel safe walking to my apartment at night. When the police put up signs telling women to avoid People’s Park at night because a rapist was attacking women there, and the Berkeley liberals condemned the posters as a ploy to help the university finally put housing on the land, I bristled and questioned my liberal bone fides. It took my leaving Berkeley (to head not so far away in the Bay Area) to shake that off.
Brian, I’ve long enjoyed your writing and am so glad to see you on Substack. You have this well-modulated passion and conviction that I find smart and inspiring. And I appreciate you putting yourself out there in this piece... looking forward to more!
Hooray for you! We all hope to grow up to be fully who we are. It takes a while. In the meantime, I hope you continue your incisive commentary on American politics and culture. I’ve often thought the Democratic Party would be a whole lot smarter if they listened to you better (or at all!).
Go Bears! You were at Berkeley a tad after me, when I too flirted with libertarianism. I was over it before graduating, when the guy in my class who ran the libertarian club revealed himself to be an selfish asshole (redundant, I know. I know better now. Sorry for my past transgressions). Even worse (and I shouldn't admit to it), I helped found the Lydon Larouche club! That's the crime I have to atone for. Take care.
Thank you for this, Brian. I've enjoyed your writing for many years now, and this essay has me once again considering how identity and experience shapes one's politics and interaction with the world. Speaking as someone raised conservative evangelical, homeschooled then public school 6-12, then private evangelical university where I became more liberal/progressive/leftist, and as someone whose grandfather was an immigrant from Colombia but with whom I barely shared a relationship let alone language or culture. And I also came to more liberal politics due to my disdain for bullies
Thank you for writing this, Brian. It is helpful (as well as interesting and delightful) to get to know your background and how your experience shapes your commentary. Looking forward to it even more now.
Thank you Brian. Your willingness to self examine comes through in the honest and nuanced way you construct arguments, and is a big part of what makes you persuasive and credible.
Thanks for this backstory which is really interesting. As a longtime reader of your previous Friday column, I’m excited to see what you have in store for us here. I hope you’ll continue to pound away at the Democrats’ timidity and fecklessness in messaging and failure to draw obvious contrasts between themselves and the Trumpist nihilism in the other party. I’m in complete agreement with you there. Thanks and good luck with this venture!
“I was and remain aghast at how seamlessly many of Trump’s White House principals and allied members of Congress and their many aides—the people who knew better—bled back into polite society after his administration, and to this day I wouldn’t shake hands with any who had not meaningfully atoned.” - I know this was more of an aside, but it is truly infuriating. Like, when I see Sarah Isgur, mouthpiece of the child separation policy, cheerfully welcomed on mainstream news outlets, it makes me violently angry. These people are monsters, but nobody cares.
Incredibly well written. I can remember the days growing up and begging my Mom to suppress her Russian accent in front of my friends. 10 years later, I’m begging her to teach me the language. Life happens, we learn, we grow. Wishing you all the best!
Thank you, Brian. I wish every journalist did this. It’s silly to pretend that you have no bias and we need more humanity in our journalism (in our everything?). Plus, stories bind us and persuade us. I wish 4th grade me could have talked to 4th grade you openly without fear of being bullied. I was bullied at VP and probably bullied others to try and avoid it myself.
Redlands is actually more reactionary. We have proud boys show up to our city council and school board meetings now. There’s a Christian fascist group called Awaken Redlands that is recruiting and training people to run for local office. We are organizing and fighting back, but it’s scary - especially for our kids. They want to ban books and force outing queer kids (“parental notification”). Redlands City Council voted to no longer fly the Pride flag in front of city hall this year for example.
Wow, Sam, I didn’t realize, that’s horrible. My more recent impressions are from the midaughts, seems like things got worse.
To anyone reading along, Sam was one of my classmates at that new elementary school (Mrs. Weisberg, represent!) I thought she was one of the cool kids … more than 30 years ago.
Your story very much resonated with me. Thanks for sharing it.
My parents were Polish (Catholic) immigrants who were both taken from Polan to work farms in Austria by the Nazis (which is where they met). I, too, was embarrassed by their accents, and my father's lack of education (my mother was not well-educated, but she was smart, although embittered by her life experiences - she was still a teenager when she was taken away from her home, to Austria).
As fate would have it, I grew up in Brooklyn, in a neighborhood where we were one of the few Catholic families in a mostly Jewish neighborhood. As as result, I got to take both Jewish and Catholic school holidays from school. I grew up very introverted, and bullied as a result.
After an incident with some Black kids in junior high, I could have very easily turned into a virulent racist, but somehow I didn't. It as enough for my mother to put me into a Catholic school, then high school. At the latter place, I befriended two kids, nerds like me. One day we visited the home of one, and there was a large portrait of Hitler in the basement. I never had anything to do with either one of them again.
Now, at 65, I am an unrepentant liberal, verging on socialist. It's taken a strange journey to get here, and now I get to pay witness to the fascist madness that seems to have taken hold of our country.
Looking forward to seeing your take on things.
Thank YOU for sharing yours, Edward.
What a terrific read! I always loved your work at Crooked Media and am excited to see what's to come. Big fan!
Thank you Kelly!
I’ll bite….would love to hear your take on the Warren/Native American imbroglio.
GLAD YOU ASKED! My views on this are shaped by two things, and I think it's hard to reach a considered opinion about it without grappling with both. First is the very subjective question of how trustworthy one thinks Elizabeth Warren is. My sense (from a little bit of experience and a lot of observation) is that she's very trustworthy. Second is the unique, almost folkloric culture of Oklahoma, which I think eludes most people who aren't either from Oklahoma or friends with people who are. By sheer coincidence, long before that controversy, I'd gotten to know a few people from there, one very well, and they all told a similar story: that they were (e.g.) part Cherokee because their great grandparent was Cherokee, and that history was passed down to them by family lore. So when I learned Warren had a similar story, it came as no surprise at all; when she explained that her self-attestation on various forms had changed over the years circumstantially, it resonated with me because I'd done the same thing. So my assessment is: she got a real bum rap, and isn't to blame, even if she could've messaged around it better and done a better job laying the groundwork for efforts to "prove" that what she'd been told about her family was at least partially true.
All that said, at some point you just have to take her word for it or not, just as you have to take mine. Did she ever fake an affinity to get ahead in life? I don't believe she did. But you can see why others might be suspicious and why it was such a potent (and cruel) political attack.
This makes complete sense and you just reminded me of a good friend in college who was from Oklahoma and had the same family history. Said she was 1/16 Cherokee and this was a strong part of her identity.
This is all true, but raises a similar question as your classmate from Egypt in my mind. She might have honestly believed that there was some lineage there, but I sincerely doubt she identified with it or could claim it affected her life. The distinction between a person who claimed to have some Native American lineage and one who identified as such was usually easy to see. And a dirty secret of Harvard’s admissions process has long been that it looks to admit someone from as many states as possible, but certain states are looked to to check multiple boxes. And Oklahoma was generally looked to for a Native American if possible.
Thanks for sharing. I agree that it’s informative to know how someone’s background and experiences shape the person’s views. I find it fascinating that attending Cal liberalized you. I went to Cal a decade before you, starting as a (very theoretical) liberal from Los Angeles.
I found my four years made me the most conservative of my life. In the first election I could vote in, I voted for Jimmy Carter, but I hated that I didn’t feel safe walking to my apartment at night. When the police put up signs telling women to avoid People’s Park at night because a rapist was attacking women there, and the Berkeley liberals condemned the posters as a ploy to help the university finally put housing on the land, I bristled and questioned my liberal bone fides. It took my leaving Berkeley (to head not so far away in the Bay Area) to shake that off.
Brian, I’ve long enjoyed your writing and am so glad to see you on Substack. You have this well-modulated passion and conviction that I find smart and inspiring. And I appreciate you putting yourself out there in this piece... looking forward to more!
Thank you Nancy!
Hooray for you! We all hope to grow up to be fully who we are. It takes a while. In the meantime, I hope you continue your incisive commentary on American politics and culture. I’ve often thought the Democratic Party would be a whole lot smarter if they listened to you better (or at all!).
Go Bears! You were at Berkeley a tad after me, when I too flirted with libertarianism. I was over it before graduating, when the guy in my class who ran the libertarian club revealed himself to be an selfish asshole (redundant, I know. I know better now. Sorry for my past transgressions). Even worse (and I shouldn't admit to it), I helped found the Lydon Larouche club! That's the crime I have to atone for. Take care.
Vincent! Consider yourself atoned!
Thanks, Brian! I really enjoyed this read and resonated with it in different ways. Looking forward to your work.
Wonderfully written, and even after all these years of knowing and loving you, lets me know how you were formed. A good start to your future memoirs.
Thank you for this, Brian. I've enjoyed your writing for many years now, and this essay has me once again considering how identity and experience shapes one's politics and interaction with the world. Speaking as someone raised conservative evangelical, homeschooled then public school 6-12, then private evangelical university where I became more liberal/progressive/leftist, and as someone whose grandfather was an immigrant from Colombia but with whom I barely shared a relationship let alone language or culture. And I also came to more liberal politics due to my disdain for bullies
Thank you for writing this, Brian. It is helpful (as well as interesting and delightful) to get to know your background and how your experience shapes your commentary. Looking forward to it even more now.
Thank you Brian. Your willingness to self examine comes through in the honest and nuanced way you construct arguments, and is a big part of what makes you persuasive and credible.
Thanks for this backstory which is really interesting. As a longtime reader of your previous Friday column, I’m excited to see what you have in store for us here. I hope you’ll continue to pound away at the Democrats’ timidity and fecklessness in messaging and failure to draw obvious contrasts between themselves and the Trumpist nihilism in the other party. I’m in complete agreement with you there. Thanks and good luck with this venture!
Thanks Todd. You can count on it.