By Jon Hochschartner
I recently made my way through Maurice Isserman’s Reds: The Tragedy of American Communism. The book provides a nuanced history of the Communist Party of the United States of America. Isserman chronicles the group’s successes, while highlighting its deep capacity for self-deception about the nature of the Soviet Union.
Among other things, the text inspired me to revisit Casablanca, the 1942 classic directed by Michael Curtiz. Isserman makes a convincing case Humphrey Bogart’s character, Rick Blaine, was intended to be an ex-Communist or some type of fellow traveler, based on his Spanish Civil War service and other biographical details.
Rewatching the movie in the current political climate, I found myself thinking America needs more people like Rick. Now, what do I mean by that? I certainly don’t mean we need more bitter alcoholics. Rather, we need more reluctant, imperfect heroes, who ultimately choose to do the right thing in moments of peril, like we’re in currently.
Despite his idealistic, left-wing past, by the time we meet Rick in the film, he’s sunk into cynical quietism. As the saloon keeper famously says, he sticks his neck out for nobody. Still, when the anti-fascist struggle desperately needs Rick, he rises to the occasion. The saloon keeper sacrifices personally and risks a great deal.
I think there must be millions of potential Ricks in the United States right now. They likely haven’t done anything nearly so dramatic as run guns to Ethiopia, like Bogart’s character. Nevertheless, they are formerly committed progressives who, for one reason or another, have grown disillusioned, alienated and exhausted.
I know this, because over the past 20 years, I’ve seen them at demonstrations against the Iraq War, Occupy Wall Street encampments, Black Lives Matter protests, and the Women’s March. I’ve seen them fighting for marriage equality, immigrant rights, climate justice and so much more. Those people are still out there.
The trouble is, like Rick, they’ve fallen away from the left into their own private lives. Perhaps the pace of change was too slow for them. Maybe they ran afoul of some progressive shibboleth and no longer felt welcome. Perhaps they just burned out on politics and needed an extended break to recharge their batteries.
Regardless, the damage President Donald Trump and his fascist cronies are doing to America now wouldn’t have been possible as recently as his first term. This time around, the Republican extremists have faced little resistance. I imagine they are somewhat shocked at the headway their anti-democratic project has made.
Progressives hold a wide variety of policy goals. For instance, as an animal activist, I want to see a massive infusion of public funding into cultivated-meat research. I see this as the most promising means of reducing nonhuman suffering and premature death. But none of our goals can be achieved under a fascist state.
If you are one of those who have sunk into cynicism, I want to say I completely understand. I’ve certainly been there. But whatever values that initially brought you to the left are currently under direct assault. I urge you to be like Rick. In this moment of crisis, come back to the struggle and do your small part to defend democracy.
Jon Hochschartner lives in Connecticut. He is the author of a number of books, including ‘The Animals’ Freedom Fighter: A Biography of Ronnie Lee, Founder of the Animal Liberation Front’. Visit his blog at SlaughterFreeAmerica.Substack.com.