Via Grok,
The extent to which political hostility towards Bob Dylan's electric performance at Newport was informed by communists and communist sympathizers like Pete Seeger and Alan Lomax feeling "betrayed" in their efforts to promote communism in America is a nuanced topic. Here's an analysis based on the information available:
Pete Seeger was indeed a known communist sympathizer, having been a member of the Communist Party USA in the 1930s and 1940s. His involvement in folk music was partly driven by a belief in using music as a tool for social and political change, aligning with communist ideals of collective action and social justice.
Alan Lomax, while not as overtly political in his public persona as Seeger, was deeply involved in documenting and promoting folk music, which during the folk revival had strong links to leftist and progressive politics, including communism. His efforts in recording and preserving folk music often highlighted songs with social commentary and protest themes.
The term "betrayal" in this context might be too strong or direct. However, there's a sense that Dylan's move away from the folk music scene, which was seen as a vehicle for political messaging, was interpreted by some as him distancing himself from the political causes he was previously associated with. This was especially poignant given Dylan's earlier songs like "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'," which resonated with civil rights and anti-war movements.
The sentiment that Dylan's shift to electric music hurt the broader political movement, including communist sympathies, is more about the perceived loss of a cultural ambassador for progressive causes rather than a direct setback to communism in America. Various analyses suggest that the reaction was more about Dylan not aligning with the political expectations set by his earlier work than about him explicitly undermining communist efforts.
There was indeed a political dimension where Dylan's actions were seen by some as not supporting the left-wing politics that figures like Seeger advocated. However, these sentiments are not universally agreed upon and are part of a broader narrative where Dylan's personal political stance was seen as ambiguous or shifting.
To the extent it existed, hostility was more about Dylan's perceived abandonment of the folk movement's political ethos rather than a direct impact on the promotion of communism.
The folk music scene was a melting pot of various leftist ideologies, where communism was just one aspect. The "betrayal" felt by Seeger and others was more aligned with Dylan moving away from the use of music for explicit political activism, rather than specifically harming the spread of communism.
The the motivations and reactions of individuals like Seeger and Lomax were complex and multifaceted, not solely driven by their political ideologies but also by their artistic commitments and expectations from Dylan as a figure within the folk music community.
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