Anyone see "Steal this Movie"

[Bandit]

About Abbie Hoffman. It was on last night and boy was it right on with what is happening today. The exact same thing those Yippies were fighting for are in play again now in this new century. It had a great ending. It had Abbie saying now it is up to the younger ones to carry on the battle. So in the words of Abbie Hoffman "Hold the Bastards Accountable"

[On the Road]

1. I Saw it By Mistake

Rented another movie, but when I opened the case, the video inside was "Steal this Movie". Fortunate accident -- might not have seen it otherwise. Very inspiring.

One thing I liked about it was that Hoffman was not deified, and as a result he came across very vividly as a real person.

It's strange that the 60's are so notorious and yet there are so few realistic portrayals of what life was like then. People think of long hair and peace signs and everything else evaporates. "Steal This Movie" was one of the best I've seen.

[RichM]

3. It's not really so strange that the 60's are so rarely portrayed with any

accuracy...

We have had a cultural counter-revolution since the 1970's. It was the purpose of that counter-revolution, to reverse & blot out what was expressed in the 1960's.

[Bandit]

2. I think this movie should be mandatory for all left thinkers.

It has tactics and logic plus it ties all this together.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

4. the "Yippies" were a joke

The rich kids who dressed up in costumes and decided to throw a "revolution" just discredited the anti-war movement. Abbie Hoffman was preaching that drugs were cool and made you "radical". These people did more to set back the cause of the left than anyone else could. Jerry Rubin even became an uber-capitalists and set up some multi-level marketing scheme to sell vitamins.

Bobby Seale wanted no part of these spoiled rich kid pranks, as he was facing serious repression from the state, unlike the jokers.

[Bandit]

5. And what did you do?

You know what they say about opinions. If it wasn't for Abbie Hoffman and his group we would still be under constant survelance by the government. Oops I guess that got started up again didn't it. I guess it is your turn to do something now.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

6. well for one thing

I didn't discredit the peace movement by telling people that dropping acid made you revolutionary - but then again, I wasn't born yet.

"If it wasn't for Abbie Hoffman and his group we would still be under constant survelance by the government. Oops I guess that got started up again didn't it. I guess it is your turn to do something now."

Hoffman ended that when? Nope, he didn't. Government surveillance has been constant since before Hoffman was born and continues now. Hoffman and his ilk did nothing of lasting value for the peace movement nor the left in general, as far as I can tell.

[cprise]

8. We have a gov't surveilance lobbyist running as a Dem pres. candidate

So I fear you may be right.

[cprise]

7. Agree

By contrast, the rest of the developed world has a serious Leftist tradition that is far from fringe. They are near the center of just about everything that is going on in society.

We unfortunately get brainless hippies and hipsters.

BTW- Al Gore bought NewsWorld International, a serious and relatively BS-free news organization started by the CBC. Now this network that once routinely covered anti-war and anti-WTO protests and reported on atrocities from BOTH sides in Iraq... they are being turned into 'a cross between CNN and MTV' to reach the younger generation. I don't think anyone even bothered to check if NWI's viewers already were younger. No matter, there will be no more protest coverage in North America to embarass Gore's corporate buddies.

[mistertrickster]

9. I basically liked the movie, except Hoffman did indeed commit

suicide--I didn't like the way they made that ambiguous.

One thing about the 60's radicals, they had a sense of absurdist fun that is often lacking when I go to anti-war rallies, pro-choice meetings, etc.

Trying to "levitate the Pentagon" and having gov't officials with bullhorns shouting "it is illegal to levitate the Pentagon" is absolute brilliance, IMHO.