22 1 / 2008
The American Family as a Communist Institution
[my father writes…]I had great respect for Dr. [Howard] Hamilton. Only as years passed did I realize how much of a liberal he was. It seems the seeds sown during one’s education germinate at varying times as years pass. I used to see Hamilton at the Debs Dinner each year. He was always a dapper fellow, with a thin little mustache, looking a little like a small Clark Gable.
[…]
To repeat the analogy, he queried a student if, in his family, he was provided what he needed, and whether he contributed as he was able. Whether true or not, the student was pretty well obliged to say yes to avoid disparaging himself or his family. Hamilton said, “That, I submit, is communism.” and went on to complete his argument that the American family is a communist institution.
