An Anti-War Memoir
Cohen, Jonathan
AN ANTI WAR MEMOIR The year was 1968 and I dressed able prizes. By the time I reached the for my first anti-war march in a fifth grade and my first protest pink turtleneck shirt,...
...ing room stereo, singing about coal "Like Aaron says . . . to help the miners killed in an accidental explounfortunate...
...park, waving American flags at us Later, after Congressman Lowenand shouting, "Traitors...
...my father said, shouting as he was prone to do at unexpected times...
...on her back...
...THE AMERICAN SPECTATOR DECEMBER 1987 37...
...of the other side's anger and convic"One-two-three-four, we don't want tion...
...to Mr...
...planned to indulge in potato salad "Would you stop over later today and Congressman Lowenstein, we three o'clock, say, and take a look at met up with a gauntlet of counter- the filter...
...allowance to the unfortunate every Just then my father came into the week, and then I'll buy you a whole breakfast room...
...Ready for an experience...
...For example, what's some- "I'm feeling a little nauseous," I thing you like that costs money...
...from now on I am giving 10C every week As I came down the steps from my to the human beings who are far less fortunate than I. After all, every life is bedroom that morning, my exciteprecious...
...Don't you think it's a little warm nd so I learned that liberals were for that Ogunquit lobsterman's the most admired people in the sweater...
...I had always "How about a Lacoste...
...down the sleeves, a single yellow I had just come home from school "Enough...
...How could poor people be good liberal parents stayed mostly in guys and morons at the same time...
...AN ANTI WAR MEMOIR The year was 1968 and I dressed able prizes...
...My I was embarrassed for my father mother was grinning fiercely and ofwho caught a glint of discomfort in fering the V-for-victory peace sign to my eyes...
...I was thinking that becleaned our swimming pool...
...vision set in my room, instead of "Dad, what should we do...
...neither my father nor I wanted to talk Calvanico, the man who regularly about fashion...
...nese restaurant, the boutiques, it seemed entirely incompatible with kosher butcher, the candy store, and being liberal as I understood it at the the bakery, the liberal children and time...
...Except for the occasional "Good to see you, Tony," I heard TV crew or police officer leaning list- my father say as he extended his lessly on a squad car, nobody was hand...
...My mother was already seated at the breakfast "Mrs...
...He said, "Because they're morons...
...How come they're against us...
...D uring the march past the Chi- I wasn't prepared for this answer...
...my mother asked...
...He was looking more box of baseball cards...
...lined along the path that entered the "Sure thing," said Mr...
...ing in protest against the war...
...things...
...watching...
...button, and a small pink and was thinking about a snack and flower in her shining black hair...
...My father was the itchy turtleneck away from his looking at the sky, his shoes, the tops throat...
...said...
...crust of the middle class...
...big payoff...
...Calvanico, section...
...You can get the whole Finkelstein says we shouldn't confuse new series in one big box...
...36 THE AMERICAN SPECTATOR DECEMBER 1987 by Jonathan Cohen "I think you're missing the whole tracks" in our suburb, economically spirit of doing your own thing," my and ideologically distant from our top mother said...
...arms and the cheap pantsuits," but Madonga, the school janitor, and Mr...
...morose and overweight than usual, "Where's a pencil and paper...
...sion...
...Weren't we the people who beyour dirty war...
...world, and that liberal opinions were "I don't have anything else back the key to feeling good about oneself, from the cleaners without French saving the world, and winning valu- cuffs...
...Chickens...
...stein's speech, my mother, father, and Hypocrites...
...Here ing a liberal was never going to be so was the very small community of fun and easy again, and that I should service workers and manual laborers probably do some learning before my who lived "on the wrong side of the next letter to the editor...
...It was back then that like on TV, while we paraded through my mother brought my attention to the shopping district of our own Long a letter to the editor written by my Island suburb...
...Baez was barely audible from the liv"Why should I?" I asked...
...separate groups...
...Instead, he changed suddenly from boredom to held on to his flag and stared at my apprehension...
...I the little black and white portable asked...
...There were about You didn't hear Joan Baez singing three thousand of us in all, our ranks about dead morons in the coal mines...
...that I had won for my A in Social "Keep walking," he said...
...every direction possible, it seemed, "Maybe," I said, thinking that it where he could avoid the stares of the would be nice to have a color tele- people insulting him...
...You write a letter like "I guess I'll have an English mufAaron's, and you give 10c of your fin," I said...
...I perhaps because he was stuffed into asked...
...he asked...
...Studies...
...Calvanico wouldn't smile at my Then the mood of the marchers father or shake his hand...
...forward to walk with my parents...
...Where would you all be I drove home in an uncomfortable siif we hadn't stopped Hitler...
...from our anti-war congressman, I only get $1.00 for my allowance, but Allard Lowenstein...
...stretching perhaps a half mile down And why were we plodding along so the sidewalk...
...a thick turtleneck sweater a size too small...
...She looked rasaid my mother, who was sunning diant and righteous in a long peasant herself by the side of our swimming skirt and denim work shirt with roses pool...
...Otherwise, "Then I'll make a deal," my we just notice the sunshine, instead of mother said, rolling over to get sun really feeling it on our faces...
...We kids did most of the meekly and quietly now, without any hollering: "Hell no, we won't go...
...His eyes moved in for Rolling Stone...
...Donnelly, the believe the women, with those flabby taxi driver, who was standing with Mr...
...Joan a swim...
...Hey-hey, LBJ, how lieved in the stuff that could save the many boys did you kill today...
...believed that these people loved and "This march is not about status admired us...
...wear cuff links...
...Calvanico...
...climactic...
...My mother said, "Could you remark came from Mr...
...Fifty or sixty people were ing fits with it again...
...Greenspan was showing this table, sipping coffee and reading to everybody at the beauty parlor," Women's Wear Daily...
...an obese woman brandishing a "Well, our letter writer looks framed photograph of a young man ready," he said, smiling as he pulled in a military uniform...
...we passed the TV cameras, we waved As if to answer my question, my our arms the way you do at the ball- father broke ranks with the marchers park when a foul ball lands in your and walked over...
...Children and Other Living Things," These material accomplishments, and "Enough...
...symbols...
...I'm havprotestors...
...Who are they...
...That lence...
...asked my father...
...Otherwise, I was finding the who was holding a small American long walk to be disappointing, anti- flag...
...anxiety with excitement...
...Would you like to write a let- embroidered around the collar and ter too...
...They followed alongside us as we "To hell with it, I'm putting on a moved into the park, and I hurried Lacoste," he said...
...My outfit was made however, seemed insignificant cornall the more asinine by the fact that pared to the thrill of actually marchI was 11 years old...
...We were I had been an ardent liberal since going to chant and wave signs, just the third grade...
...Baseball cards," I said, sensing a "We're all excited," she said...
...Jonathan Cohen is a science writer in "You're the one who said I shouldn't Palo Alto, California...
...As we approached the father with an almost glazed look of entrance to the park where we hatred...
...By the time I reached the for my first anti-war march in a fifth grade and my first protest pink turtleneck shirt, mock-buckskin march, I had earned a 10-speed bicyvest, two-pound wrought-iron peace cle and a stereo system in exchange medallion, blue jeans splotched with for letters to large-circulation newspsychedelic patterns from a night in papers and national magazines on the sink with Clorox, and three dif- hunger in the Third World, riots in ferent protest buttons: "McCarthy for the inner cities, and, of course, the President," "War is Not Healthy for war in Vietnam...
...ment was so great that I barely had Sincerely, appetite for the bacon and eggs being Aaron Greenspan prepared by Jacinta, our live-in Age 8 Guatemalan housekeeper...
...Afterward, we would classmate Aaron Greenspan: take further advantage of the lovely I think it is wrong that some people have June Saturday by gathering in the lots of extra money when children like park for a buffet lunch and a speech Bunzu from Nigeria are so unfortunate...
...You look sensational," my mother "People who can't afford nice said...
...Going to write up the march of nearby trees...
...When whole world...
Vol. 20 • December 1987 • No. 12
