Socialist Boom Times in Tinseltown

July 20, 2021 10:03 AM

From the superb California Sun daily newsletter: "At the start of 2020, the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America had roughly 1,700 members. There are now 5,500. The growing ranks have been fueled by a new wave of Hollywood leftists seeking transformational change, including high-profile members such as 'The Big Short' director Adam McKay and Rob Delaney of 'Catastrophe.' Hollywood Reporter interviewed dozens of showbiz workers for a piece titled 'Hollywood’s Socialism Boom.'"
posted by PhineasGage (4 comments total)

It was fun reading the names of all the projects people were working on and then getting to "Mary Tyler Moore Show actor Ed Asner."
posted by mr_roboto at 11:21 AM on July 20, 2021 [4 favorites]

surely this
posted by lalochezia at 11:24 AM on July 20, 2021 [1 favorite]

Ed Asner suddenly appearing, yelling "You damn kids, you're not radical enough! Get off my lawn unless you're protesting more!" soothes my weary head.
posted by Katemonkey at 4:23 AM on July 21, 2021 [2 favorites]

I'm curious to know to what extent the increase in members has impacted diversity. It is generally hard to find demographic information about DSA members, but it seems to be significantly whiter than say, the Democratic party. My own experiences with the DSA show that if you are not white or if you do not appeal to the opinions or sensibilities of white people, you will feel excluded and unvalued. It's hard for me to feel positive about the growth of an organization where I feel unwelcome, not because of my political beliefs, but because of my race.
posted by chernoffhoeffding at 9:57 AM on July 21, 2021 [2 favorites]