A question for our British friends...

[Pam Scruton]

No: HPFGUIDX 825

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, Neil Ward <neilward at d...> wrote:
> Lori wrote:
> 
> >Okay, Brits only please.  This question does have some relevance 
to something.
> >
> >Do any of you know who Joseph McCarthy is?  (I'm not asking 
because I want
> >to know...I already know...I'm asking because I'm wondering if 
it's at all
> >likely that a British citizen would know who he is)
> 
> For what it's worth, I know who he was and what he did, at least to 
the
> extent of exposing known communists.  

I've always had the impression that the McCarthy 'witch-hunts' for 
communist sympathisers achieved very little except to spread 
suspicion and fear in Hollywood, the universities and other groups. I 
think that quite a lot of Brits - including teenagers - would have 
heard of Joe McCarthy - in some schools they would touch on that era 
for social studies (history, current affairs etc. etc.)

I've just tested my theory on my son (17) and he has heard of 
McCarthyism - but not from school; a general interest in history 
means that he does watch the History Channel quite a lot.

Don't think my daughter (12) has ever heard of him though.

Pam