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David Levine's avatar

when I'd spend half of every summer in Detroit, I'd frequently pass by Coughlin's Church on Woodward. it was actually pretty nice, but that was in passing it in one direction or another as rapidly as possible. I do remember that, compared with those hideous mega-churches down south, it's actually pretty tasteful, having been built before Las Vegas became a thing that continues to blight most aspects of our supposedly "shared" culture.

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Ransom Rideout's avatar

Walt Disney might have had a bit to do with that too.

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David Levine's avatar

y'know now that I think about its sense of vivid color and attention to detail, thirties Disney and a colorful fascist-sympathizing, Jew-hating priest with endless media coverage...

for me, this is a genuine shidduch may it so flourish and be a blessing unto its generations.

I THINK I made that up, but who knows what might have seeped into my pre-conscious those long Wednesday afternoons of nothing but people speaking Yiddish, walking the Grand Concourse with my grandpa from his apartment to the Bronx Zoo.

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TCinLA's avatar

Unca Walt was an admirer of Mussolini.

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JDinTX's avatar

Good Lord, so much historical schitt

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Gigi's avatar

And thank goodness from reliable sources. And let’s hope all this tfg🎃🤡💩 crappe goes down in history accurately!

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JDinTX's avatar

They are trying to write a fictional script as we post. We must attest to the reality we experience every day.

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Gigi's avatar

…as we continue to shake our heads in disbelief that this shite is happening.

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JDinTX's avatar

Continue to rage against the lies and call “alternative facts” the blatant lies they are

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David Levine's avatar

...among other undesirable tastes and preferences.

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Ransom Rideout's avatar

Words and images that seeped into our forming conciousnes as we grew from childhood to wherever we are now trigger so much of how we respond and act. The people that follow the several Substacks that I do has revealed a very large dispersed community that share vallues and goals but with the points of view, as in possition from which to observe, that are quite unique, yet so compatable that I see relatuonships and friendships forming as the months go by.

Heather's group is massive yet solidly in sync, from all over the world.

So many comments seem to reflect that early forming experience.

I think you made that up.

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Judith Matlock's avatar

Coughlin was the Rush Limbaugh of his day and appealed to essentially the same crowd. At his peak in this area he was mildly countered by a thriving Jewish community in Detroit. It was that thriving that Coughlin's followers hated. It didn't help that Henry Ford's antisemitism bolstered Coughlin's message, as Ford was one of the largest employers in this area and actually funded Coughlin's radio show early on. The Catholic Church was late to the party as usual in demanding Coughlin halt his divisive rhetoric.

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TCinLA's avatar

Thanks for that bit of history, Judith.

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David Levine's avatar

if you listen to some of his broadcasts now, the shit he said was pretty shocking. what would be "dog whistles" today he just comes right out and says.

btw, any Catholic I've ever spoken to who went to Catholic school before Vatican II has told me that they very definitely received an education in antisemitism.

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