traveler = 'Communist sympathizer'

[Neal Whitman]

I don't think it has to do with the stars here, either; McWhorter just
seemed to mean "someone who has some of the same goals or interests that you
do, and therefore may sometimes engage in similar endeavors or appreciate
yours."

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jonathan Lighter" <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, March 02, 2011 1:45 PM
Subject: Re: traveler = 'Communist sympathizer'


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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: traveler = 'Communist sympathizer'
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> As usual, the situation is worse than I thought.
>
> Seriously: everybody who grew up in the forties or fifties knew what a
> "fellow traveler" was, and it had nothing to do with the stars.
>
> Except red ones.
>
> JL
>
> On Wed, Mar 2, 2011 at 1:28 PM, Neal Whitman <nwhitman at ameritech.net>
> wrote:
>
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>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Neal Whitman <nwhitman at AMERITECH.NET>
>> Subject:      Re: traveler = 'Communist sympathizer'
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> The first time I ever encountered this phrase was yesterday, and it
>> didn't
>> have this sense at all. It was in John McWhorter's foreword to Robert
>> Lane
>> Greene's _You Are What You Speak_:
>>
>> The astrophysicist understands the composition and movements of heavenly
>> bodies with a degree of detail unattainable by most. However, all readily
>> understand in a basic sense why those heavenly bodies would interest him,
>> and quite a few even share the interest from a fellow-traveler
>> planetarium-style perspective. (viii)
>>
>> > On Wed, Mar 2, 2011 at 1:06 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>> >
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>> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> >> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>> >> Subject:      Re: traveler = 'Communist sympathizer'
>> >>
>> >>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> >>
>> >> At 3/2/2011 08:12 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>> >> >By re-analysis of "fellow traveler":
>> >> >
>> >> >2009 _IMDb_
>> >> >http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052600/usercomments?filter=hate:
>> >> >A Great Film For A Traveler, Otherwise Just a Curiosity ...  If you
>> read
>> >> who
>> >> >the reviewers are and where they live it gives you a better clue on
>> >> >who
>> >> >would totally love this film, I have to think they are travelers,
>> >> >it's
>> >> >all
>> >> >good, but I'm just saying....it was good, but not great. Then again,
>> I'm
>> >> not
>> >> >a traveler (I joined the military to help protect the USA from Soviet
>> >> >aggressions in the 1980's) so take that into account.
>> >>
>> >> Another word/phrase taken from me, like "gay" (as in "The Gay
>> >> Widow")!  Can I no longer refer to someone who accompanied me on a
>> >> trip as a "fellow traveler"?  Or even to someone who ... uhm,
>> >> excursed, as  just "a traveler"?  :-(
>> >>
>> >> Joel
>>
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>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
>
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