Life of Emma Goldman on Tank Riot podcast
Viktor from the excellent Tank Riot podcast sez, "The Happy mutants at Tank Riot dedicated a show to the one and only Emma Goldman. The team discusses the intriguing life of the controversial 'Red Emma', an anarchist, free-speech advocate, social activist, and spokesperson for women's freedom and birth control rights. We look at her connections to the Haymarket Affair, the Russian and Spanish Revolutions, Alexander Berkman and the publication of 'Mother Earth', Johann Most and her involvement in fighting for worker's rights. We suggest it because we want people to hear a little about someone who vanished from history books for demanding change in the world."
I just saw this in my podcatcher and can't wait to listen to it -- these guys always do a great job on their subjects, and this is a fine subject indeed.
Emma Goldman: Tank Riot (Thanks, Viktor!)
Previously:
(Image: Emma Goldman on a street car, 1917, a Creative Commons Attribution photo from bobster855's Flickr stream)
the latest
latest episodes
Tank Riot are a lot of fun. Looking forward to it....
If the photo is from 1917, surely it's in the public domain by now.
"We suggest it because we want people to hear a little about someone who vanished from history books for demanding change in the world."
Vanished from history books? You mean other than the one by Howard Zinn, the in-print and readily available anthologies of her writings (that I can assure you are assigned in college classrooms), the PBS special about her life, and the "Mother Earth" anthology that's been in print for nearly ten years?
Emma might be a lot of things, but "vanished" isn't one of them. She's probably the most famous anarchist living or dead.
To date my knowledge of Emma Goldman was limited to Maureen Stapleton's portrayal in "Reds". This podcast was interesting stuff, thank you!
@Jason Pitzl-Waters, I wrote that based on my asking around to non-anarchist devotees and every school textbook I have ever seen. None of my mainstream friends or family knew who she was and she is NEVER referenced in any textbook I have ever been forced to read in school. I actually wish and hope that some school kids get to read Howard Zinn, he is fantastic. He also only references her a couple of times in the People's History of the US, but that is a huge topic for one book. Also there was a concerted effort to shut her down in the media at the time (and afterwards). The fact that she was published doesn't make her works ubiquitous...
Hyperbolically,
-Viktor
I have to agree with Viktor here. It's highly unlikely that most people (who are not getting advanced degrees in the fields like history, etc) are going to read Emma Goldman, much less any other more obscure anarchist. I don't think most people read Howard Zinn for fun, nor do I think he is regularly assigned in either high school or even undergrad level core curriculum history classes (but I could be wrong here, please correct me if I'm wrong). I think that the popular view of anarchism is informed more by the the popular view of the punk movement than by intellectuals and activist of times gone by... Just my opinion, though. If any anarchist has a chance of being popularly known, she would be the one.
It's nice to see EG pop up every so often
I lived in a housing co-operative in madison wisconsin that was named after her for 3 years. Every time someone came over that was new they would ask, who's emma goldman?
what's sad is that half the house only had a vague idea. And now the house has been renamed, because what she was became forgotten.
I had a bit more than just an idea, but only because a couple of my high school teachers sneaked references to emma G into the curriculum (along with some Howard Zinn). I am thankful for having a more complete education in public schools than most.
Well you know that I’m not a racist
Been on the side of the blacks all along.
And I always give a few extra dollars
To the young man who mows my lawn!
And I’ve never read Emma Goldman
But I know that she must have been wrong!
So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal!
--Evan Greer updating the classic Phil Ochs song
(should be available for download when the riotfolk site is back up)
Also, if you like Emma audio, check this out:
http://www.audioanarchy.org/emma.php
http://librivox.org/newcatalog/search.php?title=&author=emma+goldman&status=all&action=Search
After the Oscar Wilde trials, EG also spoke out for the rights of gay folk, though of course, that was not the terminology she used. In her birth control and reproductive rights speeches, she began to add decriminalization of homosexuality. And she also had red hair. Love her.
I was introduced to Tank Riot by BoingBoing. I love these guys - I can't get enough. Everything you ever wanted to know about zombies, pirates, Mr. Rogers, Jim Henson, Tron... I've been downloading these things like crazy lately.
Keep it up, Tank Riot guys!
I spent the last 1.5 years reading various writings by early Anarchists her Autobiography is probably one of my favorite books ever.....
Her writings introduced me to many others like:
Buenaventura Durruti
"Big" Bill Haywood - Started the Western Mining Federation & the IWW (two of the first labor unions that were ALL inclusive, and inexpensive to join) Also probably one of my favorite Autobios.
The Kronstadt Rebellion of 1921
Alexander Berkman
Johann Most
Voltairine DeCleuyre
Peter Kropotkin (Conquest of Bread is probably the most cohesive socio-economic anarchist text I have read)
Rudy Rocker
Just finished downloading the show and can't wait to listen, thanks for the heads up Cory!
So I listened to this this morning, while it was good and entertaining there is a bit if incorrect information, either doing a small bit of research on wikipedia, or even spending a few days prior to recording with her autobio would have corrected these.
1. Ben Reitman - Was an MD, he mainly served the poor, working class, & marginalized.
2. The Reitman incident with the vigilance committee was in San Diego not Nevada, spurned on by the Free Speech fights occurring in the west at the time.
3. Her deportation was a result of the activities of the Non-Conscription League, and our entrance into WWI. Not for promoting birth control.
4. Referral to the assassination attempt on Henry Frick as Propaganda in the Deed, it is actually known as Propaganda of the Deed also referred to an Attentat.
5.The train that she & Berkman had access to in Russia was provided by Lunacharsky the minister of Education to travel the country and procure items to add to the collection of a museum of the revolution.
5. She became entirely disillusioned with Bolshevik Russia when they brutally suppressed the Kronstadt rebellion in 1921.
6. She was imprisoned in the 191*'s for promoting birth control. The second time she spent time in the American prison system.
Sorry don't mean to nitpick, but I'm kind of a geek when it comes to "Red" Emma....
@#12 Agit Thanks for listening! When we are recording, we sometimes want to mention things that aren't handy to us and try to express our thoughts without Wikipedia and off the tops of our heads. I realize this can be disconcerting when every detail should be right, but it makes for good discussion. We are also on a time frame that limits the lengths we can go to explain deeper issues. If we are very wrong about something, we mention our error in updates. As to your points I can say:
1. We were mainly talking about Ben as the "King of the Hobos" and his role as Emma's friend/lover who held views very different from her anarchist ideals. We also felt pain for the tragic incident that happened in San Diego. We didn't have time to get into the complexities of his MD degree or how he lost the respect of his own community for hanging out with Emma...
2.I never said he was attacked in Nevada. I mentioned Nevada in reference to Divorce seeking women outraged that Emma was in the same hotel. You are still correct that the attack occurred in San Diego.
3. I added confusion by not editing out my jumping ahead in the discussion, but the conversation was going and Sputnik corrected me (at 1:12) well enough, so, if it was unclear, it was all in the editing and I (kind of) apologize.
4. I thought we always referred to it as Propaganda OF the Deed throughout.
5. I was unclear on this point, thanks for the clarification.
5. Wait, 5 again?!? A little research on Wikipedia would have told you to go with 6 next. Just kidding, but that is how errors go in our podcast too, they are usually small oversights that get people who are very knowledgeable about a given subject to write in. To answer the point of #5#2, she was actually disillusioned far before the Kronstadt rebellion. Let's agree that this was a nail in the coffin that helped them to decide to leave...
6. Well, not really. She was imprisoned (wrongly) for a couple of weeks during the McKinley assassination fiasco, to be technical. She was also jailed by local authorities often on speaking engagements across the country before this time...
Sorry don't mean to nitpick, but I'm kind of a geek when it comes to Tank Riot....
@13 Viktor
Thanks for fixing my mistakes =) It was a good fun listen, and I look forward to listening to more of your Podcasts, you guys have a great variety of subject matter.
You guys did do a great job considering the time constraints, and the amount of side stories you would need to cover for the full picture.
Consider me a new fan!