Lipton’s Journal/December 29, 1954/77

The power of the word Red in American political life.^[1] Americans put into it all their buried sensuality, especially Catholics. Red is simply The Flesh to them, and that is why they call Stalinists (of all people!) free-love atheists. Here we have the hatred of the soul, the hatred of Americans for the deep love they actually bear toward their misplaced idea of what Communism is—the irony is that deep in them they believe Communism, indeed especially Stalinism, is utopia, free-love, free-income, free communion, and all this is Red, it is forbidden, it is flesh.

Echoes of Red: Ed and Re. More significantly, Raid, Rod, Raad, reed, ride, road, rude.

Note

↑ The Second Red Scare from 1950 to 1956 (the first took place in the years 1919-21) was characterized by rabid anti-communism and the hunt for communist sympathizers, as well as strong anti-Stalinist movements. Joseph McCarthy (1908-57), Republican senator from Wisconsin, was the leading red-baiter of the period. Mailer took part in the struggle against McCarthy and his followers, for example, aligning himself publicly with blacklisted Hollywood actors and writers.

[1] The Second Red Scare from 1950 to 1956 (the first took place in the years 1919-21) was characterized by rabid anti-communism and the hunt for communist sympathizers, as well as strong anti-Stalinist movements. Joseph McCarthy (1908-57), Republican senator from Wisconsin, was the leading red-baiter of the period. Mailer took part in the struggle against McCarthy and his followers, for example, aligning himself publicly with blacklisted Hollywood actors and writers.

[1]