traveler = 'Communist sympathizer'

[Neal Whitman]

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:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> 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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