The Red Channels Essay -- Politics Communism Communist

â€Å" I am a man of a thousand faces, all of them blacklisted.† -Zero Mostel, comedian â€Å"featured† in Red Channels The Red Channels: The Illegitimacy of America’s Own Little Black Book A mindless observer flipping through Red Channels would not find anything shocking, significant, or suspicious throughout its 213 pages. This small book, published in 1950 by the American Business Consultants, initially looks like an attractive collection of rà ©sumà ©s, complete with a person’s name, occupation, and a comprehensive listing of various activities in which the person was involved. These â€Å"rà ©sumà ©s,† however, were not made to make a person look appealing to an employer. In fact, if one’s name were found in this book, they would most certainly not be employed, or if they were employed, would be fired. Developed by three ex-FBI agents, Red Channels was America’s Holy Book of the 1950’s. It was referred to and analyzed, being the basis of every major decision in politics, media, and music. During this era, the majority of American citizens thought that this special book was a tool of protection for America, weedin g out influential Communists who were dangerous to their government and way of life. Yet this potent book was in reality harmful to society and illegitimate for a number of reasons. First, the book’s overt discrimination caused people to lose their jobs or their reputation, ultimately violating certain constitutional rights: the right to privacy, the right to property, and freedom of speech and association. Second, the book was the American Business Consultants’ corrupt means to extract profit, undermining the alleged â€Å"goal† of this publication to protect America’s interest. Third, the booklet added to the public ho... ...New York: Thunder's Mouth Press/Nation Books, 248, 254-255, 702. Capaldi, Jim. (2002, February 20). Pete Seeger Appreciation Page [Web site]. Retrieved May 17, 2002, from the World Wide Web: http://home.earthlink.net/~jimcapaldi/redchannels.htm Caute, D. (1978). The Great Fear: the anti-Communist purge under Truman and Eisenhower. New York: Simon and Schuster, pp. 509, 521-532, 617-618. Fleming, D.F. (1954). Are we Moving Toward Fascism? The Journal of Politics, (16)1, 39- 56, 58-75. Fried, R. (1990). Nightmare In Red: the McCarthy era in perspective. New York: Oxford University Press, 156-157. Malin, P. M. (1951). The Status of Civil Rights in the United States in 1950. Journal of Negro Education, (20)3, 279-289. Stowe, D.W. (1998). The Politics of Cafe Society. The Journal of American History, (84)4, 1384-1406.