Bar Crawl Radio

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"How rich we are, we who profess voluntary poverty as a foundation for our work as agitators, to be able to take a ferry ride and be, within an hour, in [Staten Island] a rural area which is still part of New York City ... my conversion took place here." Dorothy Day's journal - Summer 1977.

November 4, 2022 the newest Staten Island Ferry was commissioned "Dorothy Day." I traveled out to the event and spoke to those there to honor the event.

Alan Winson -- BCR Co-host

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James Baldwin argued that unlike Europeans, Americans do not know who they are.  In "Stranger in Paris," Baldwin argued that the French know who they are—ethnically, historically. But Americans are confused. He writes -- we know one when we see one, but cannot name what we have in common. The idea of “America” is formed in our precollege American History classes. But as Joseph Moreau argues – “Writing history is always political -- always reflects the relationships of power in the society.” For this BCR episode, hosts Rebecca McKean and Alan Winson, talked with American Historian, Joseph Moreau, author of “School Book Nation”. – an investigation of how American history has been taught to our children.

Joseph Moreau is a history instructor at the Abraham Joshua Heschel High School in Manhattan. He holds a Ph.D. in “American Culture” from the University of Michigan. And historian Robert Snyder -- Professor Emeritus of American Studies and Journalism at Rutgers University in Newark. A prolific American Studies scholar – featured on radio and television, Robert Snyder conducted the research for Ric Burns documentary ‘New York.” Author of Crossing Broadway; Washington Heights and the Promise of New York,” and co-author of “All the Nations Under Heaven: Immigrants, Migrants, and the Making of New York.” And Rob is Manhattan’s Official Historian.

This conversation was recorded at Gebhard's Beer Culture Bar in Manhattan.

CONTACT Alan and Rebecca at [email protected]

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BCR hosts Rebecca and Alan spoke with actor Ronald Guttman after his one-actor performance in the play based on Camus' The Fall" at the Soho Playhouse bar. Matt -- the bartender -- talks about The Huron Club Bar [THC] -- which was also the set for the play and former speakeasy and brothel for Tammany Hall. THC Bar is an appropriate setting for Camus' final work -- "The Fall" (1956) -- which takes place at a "sailor's bar" in Amsterdam named renamed "Mexico City." Mr. Guttman talks about being up-close-and-personal with his audience as he roams through the audience as Jean Baptiste Clamence -- formerly a most successful attorney -- and now "judge-penitent. This is a play most appropriate for a time in need to self inspection.

"The Fall" plays until mid November, 2022 at the Soho Playhouse in Manhattan.

[email protected]

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A few months ago, Rebecca McKean and I spoke with India Thusi about her study of the interaction of sex workers and the police in Johannesburg, South Africa. That conversation explored the current state of prostitution – and -- our attitudes and feelings about sexual intercourse as work. For this BCR conversation, we sat down at one of favorite bars with Dr. Samantha Majic – a professor in Political Science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Prof. Majic studies the links between gender and American politics. We asked her about her 2014 book -- Sex Work Politics: From Protest to Service Provision -- which focuses on sex work and civic engagement.

This podcast was recorded at Gebhard's Beer Culture Bar in Manhattan's Upper West Side. Let us know what you think at [email protected]

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Douglas Hostetter – Mennonite and Conscientious Objector -- served in the middle of a hot zone during the VietNam War supporting the people who lived there. His is an amazing story. Rebecca McKean and I spoke with Mr Hostetter at Gebhard’s Beer Culture Bar in Manhattan’s Upper West Side on Juneteenth and Father’s day, 2022. We will post our conversation with Douglas in two parts.

In the second part of our conversation, Douglas Hostetter describes his daily activities in and around the Tam Ky battle zone during the Viet Nam War – his interaction with the American Marines and a very different relationship with U.S. officers who saw his positive work with the local population – as sapping GI morale. This led to a decision he had to make when he learned that the CIA was putting out rumors that could lead to his assassination.  He describes surviving the violence of the 2 -week TET offensive of 1968 – and the human devastation that he witnessed afterwards.

Douglass Hostetter’s Viet Nam experiences established his life path working for peace throughout the world  -- in Nicaragua during the Contra War – in Iraq with his attempts to prevent the First Gulf War by trading a plane-full of medicine with the Iraqis for American and UN hostages  -- and his work to save Bosnian students from genocide in the 1990s  . 

In a world rife with intense violence -- this story of a man of non-violence should be heard.

Alan Winson

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Douglas Hostetter – Mennonite and Conscientious Objector [CO] -- served in the middle of a hot zone during the VietNam War supporting the people who lived there. His is an amazing story. Rebecca McKean and I spoke with Mr Hostetter at Gebhard’s Beer Culture Bar in Manhattan’s Upper West Side on Juneteenth and Father’s day, 2022. We will post our conversation with Douglas in two parts. This is part one: During the Viet Nam War from 1966 – 1969 --  rather than carrying a gun, Douglas Hostetter organized literacy classes for Vietnamese children and craft training for his neighbors. Rather than the relative safety of the American military compounds – Doug lived amongst his students, and survived in the open by being useful to the community -- and nonviolent. After his service, Douglas worked to end the war in Viet Nam through the People’s Peace Treaty – a document signed by college students in [North and South] Viet Nam and the United States – which Pres. Nixon rejected. Several years later, after hundreds of thousands of more humans died in Viet Nam and Cambodia -- the Paris Peace Accords was signed. The Accords closely mirrored the earlier People’s Peace Treaty.

In the second part of this program Douglas talks about surviving the TET offensive and the CIA attempt to assassinate him, and his life work to end war.

Alan Winson

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