Benedict Arnold (2 Viewers)

[Guest]

For Americans, i get the impression, Benedict Arnold's name is negatively used to highlight someone as a traitor etc, I know why. My question to American Treefroggers is 'Which other Americans have a negative image with the US society?' I am not asking about serial killers, I am just wondering who else [person] in US society/history has a negative image?

Please do not mention the current president

 

[marco55]

Aaron Burr,James Wilkerson.
Mark

 

[mestell]

Dr. Samuel Mudd

:smile2: Mike

 

[Terp152]

Anyone knowledgeable of the ACW would say President James Buchannan and Gen'l McClellan. Gen'l Charles Lee of AWI but this would not be to the public at large.

 

[jazzeum]

John Wilkes Booth; he's universally known in this country.

Buchanan rates near the bottom of US Presidents (along with Andrew Johnson) but, as Chris notes, that's not someone the general public could readily identify.

 

[nysoldiers]

Joseph McCarthy who saw a Communist under every bed and ruined many lives with his witch hunts!

 

[lancer]

I think Lee Harvey Oswald is a very well known name and would certainly not win any popularity contest. Would add Sirhan Sirhan and James Earl Ray to the list, as well. -- Al

 

[Currahee Chris]

Michael Moore.

 

[marco55]

Joseph McCarthy who saw a Communist under every bed and ruined many lives with his witch hunts!

By what you see on the news there is one under every bed.
Mark

 

[jazzeum]

By what you see on the news there is one under every bed.
Mark

I really don't know what this comment means means. Can you please explain.

 

[Jack]

What about Custer? Or is he now more myth than man? (no jokes about lisps!)

 

[johnnybach]

As a non-American looking in - how about "Tricky Dicky"?

 

[nysoldiers]

I really don't know what this comment means means. Can you please explain.

Probably referring to the investigation of Russia interfering with our elections........

 

[jazzeum]

I don't want to guess but McCarthy was a terrible person who, thank god, was destroyed. Too bad they didn't destroy Roy Cohn in the process. It's no coincidence that Roy Cohn was attorney and muse to a certain person always in the news.

 

[Larry Allen]

What about Custer? Or is he now more myth than man? (no jokes about lisps!)

An interesting question, Jack. A well known expression is ... When the Myth becomes the legend, print the Myth.
George Armstrong Custer was certainly a colorful character.

I have met two people in my life that studied G.A. Custer and both say the same thing that Custer was a lot more American Hero "Myth" than American Hero fact. One person was a neighbor who lived here in Waldoboro and the other was George's (Minutemen TS) father, Chris. One time I was waiting for George to arrive and Chris and I had an interesting talk about his Custer TS collection and the Custer Fact / Fiction stories.

In a nut shell G.A. Custer was a egocentric, glory hunter who had marginal command skills but an abundance of "GOOD LUCK." From his Civil War charges and attacks right up until Little Big Horn. The US Army conducted a brutal campaign against the Plains Indians to include women and children. Custer was the one of the tips of that slaughter.

We all know that the victor writes the history. The US Army won the Indian wars so Custer became a legend. IF you study the battle itself, everything that we have been told about the battle is false, or just made up glory to lift the image of Custer and the US Calvary. Let's just say that Errol Flynn did not portray a TRUE G.A. Custer.

--- LaRRy

 

[Terp152]

Joseph McCarthy who saw a Communist under every bed and ruined many lives with his witch hunts!

You must not be aware of the number of spies revealed by Project Venona, the spy Alger Hiss, and the many communist spies and "travelers" in the Manhattan Project, etc. Chris

 

[nysoldiers]

You must not be aware of the number of spies revealed by Project Venona, the spy Alger Hiss, and the many communist spies and "travelers" in the Manhattan Project, etc. Chris

Actually I am aware of the spying that went on and certainly there were those with Communist/Socialist sympathies. But are you justifying the actions of McCarthy who ruined lives and created a paranoia that undermined our Democracy?

 

[jazzeum]

Chris, are you serious in trying to justify the actions of McCarthy and his scum, not even mentioning HUAC, who destroyed many lives for nothing other than political gain. Let's also not afraid how Nixon tainted Helen Gahagan Douglas.

 

[Terp152]

Chris, are you serious in trying to justify the actions of McCarthy and his scum, not even mentioning HUAC, who destroyed many lives for nothing other than political gain. Let's also not afraid how Nixon tainted Helen Gahagan Douglas.

No Brad, I am pointing out the fact that there was a serious problem with spies at that time with the facts mentioned. Chris

 

[jazzeum]

Chris, there were spies but McCarthy is a distinct issue.

While I have no desire to discuss the Hiss case, although he went to jail and the evidence points to him, the question has never been fully settled.

At any rate, many young people in the 1930s were disillusioned with western life and had dalliances with Communism (whether as Marxists or Trotskyites) but then became disillusioned with Communism and in many cases became very conservative or law abiding people but yet were hounded for the rest of their lives. Youthful indiscretions shouldn't haunt you for the rest of your life. I should know; my Father was going out with a girl in the 1930s and she invited him to join a Trotskyite group. He quit after a week, thinking it stupid. That's what people did back then; they were interested in new things. Just imagine if that had come out. Heck, I probably wouldn't be here today. That is what McCarthy tried to do: use people's interest in new things against them. That is why I hate people like him.