To avoid being mistaken for a sellout, I chose my friends carefully. The more politically active black students. The foreign students. The Chicanos. The Marxist professors and structural feminists and punk-rock performance poets.

Summary

In this quote, the speaker highlights their conscious decision to choose their friends wisely, in order to avoid being mistakenly labeled as a sellout. They specifically sought companionship with individuals who were politically active, belonging to different marginalized groups, such as black students, foreign students, Chicanos, Marxist professors, structural feminists, and punk-rock performance poets. By surrounding themselves with these diverse and socially-conscious individuals, the speaker likely hoped to maintain their credibility and avoid compromising their beliefs or values.

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