Sensei, your opening quote from Orwell reminds me of something a former paramour once said to me. She was from Romania (she called it Transylvania) and was a former officer with the GRU. Rodica was a beautiful tall woman with raven hair and a thick accent and told me, about life: "The future is certain dahlink, it is past that is always changing."
Trump’s statements largely come from white Christian Nationalist myth maker David Barton. WCN writer Eric Metaxas, who is a Trump fan, Yale graduate and believer in all sorts of irrational conspiracy theories, recently published his tendentious history of the American Revolution, “Revolution.” Metaxas’s work makes many of the same arguments David Barton has made, and it includes selective use of historical sources. He did the same with his book about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the descendants of Bonhoeffer’s family and Bonhoeffer scholars were decidedly unimpressed.
Your research and writing has never been more important, Thom. Our First Amendment is a beacon trying to shine through this fog created by the psychos, sickos and criminals of TRump, his Administration and MAGA.
Do what you can, friends, even if it is only refusing to ever watch 60 Minutes and ABC again. Carry your own torch and point it right at the vile lies they are telling. Thank you, everyone. See you in the street.
It follows suit that Trump would want to cover up and deny past crimes of White nationalists and the ability of victim populations to overcome these criminal acts. He is doing this in his own life, and he is abetted in this injustice by a supine party and media.
“We must push back against them boldly and loudly, and when they’re gone we’re going to have a huge job cleaning up the fascist mess they’re making.” We’re going to need the kind of leadership currently in short supply. We’re going to need leaders dedicated to democracy, not to disparaging, undermining, and excluding those most sincerely and energetically working to reclaim and rebuild it. That means our establishment corporate Democrats - the sort who embrace the notion that we should “role over and play dead” - must be replaced by a far more high-minded crew, the very types they clearly abhor. We aren’t losing our democracy, we have lost it, a fact demonstrated daily, abetted by ineffectual, uncommitted place holders.
I recall talking with A sociology professor during my undergraduate years. He asked: "What discipline are studying for your degree?" "History," I replied.
"Good," he said. "It is the only real social study."
That was 1968, and History was cool, and classrooms were alive with discussion and argument.
Some years ago I volunteered to tutor High School students in History for a group that was supporting inner-city children's advancement in education.
After a few weeks, I stopped going. No one ever came... not one kid, not one time.
This is all you need to know about where we are now, and why.
Just a note: During the Soviet era, Encyclopedias were printed as loose-leaf binders. Reality could be changed simply by replacing any page, as decided by leadership.
Since teachers, aside from my Dad and Malcolm X, have always been my heroes (and clearly you are one) I am legitimately curious about something. You stated you represented "a group that was supporting inner-city children's advancement in education..." Given that we all know, admittedly or not, what the dog-whistle "iN-er City" means do you think that participation would have been greater in a different demographic?
Scholars confirm the word AMEN has no linguistic connection to the ancient Egyptian god Amun (the hidden one), despite phonetic similarities. Check it out.
Well said, Thom. I would worry about the reference to Marx if more Americans knew who he was. And that actually is the problem. History has been dumbed down, with a lot of what people here know apparently coming from either soundbites or Hollywood. A good example is "300", where the Persians (standing in for their descendants, the Iranians) are shown as bizarre, inhuman creatures versus the noble all-white Greeks. The fact that there was a legitimate reason for the Persian wars (basically Greeks were stirring up revolts in cities within their empire) was completely ignored, but then you won't hear anything about bin Laden's reasons for 9/11 either.
And as you say, this isn't new. You mentioned Hitler; go further and you'll see how he based a lot of his racial crap on the writings of the Tacitus, an ancient Roman who idealized the Germans as a contrast to his own "decadent" society. That got linked with crackpot 19th century anthropologists who misunderstood what "Aryans" were. (I have a book one wrote where representatives of other racial group appear either barbaric—Asians—or semi-human—Africans—except a European in then-modern dress.) Make Germany Great Again...and Mussolini did something similar, trying to recreate the Roman Empire in architecture, symbols (like the fasces bundle), parades, territorial conquests and films. That didn't always work. The big movie spectacular "Scipio Africanus", on the defeat of Hannibal (made just after the Italians had conquered Ethiopia), suffered from telephone poles in the background and watches on the wrists of legionnaires.
Sensei, your opening quote from Orwell reminds me of something a former paramour once said to me. She was from Romania (she called it Transylvania) and was a former officer with the GRU. Rodica was a beautiful tall woman with raven hair and a thick accent and told me, about life: "The future is certain dahlink, it is past that is always changing."
And so it is.
Trump’s statements largely come from white Christian Nationalist myth maker David Barton. WCN writer Eric Metaxas, who is a Trump fan, Yale graduate and believer in all sorts of irrational conspiracy theories, recently published his tendentious history of the American Revolution, “Revolution.” Metaxas’s work makes many of the same arguments David Barton has made, and it includes selective use of historical sources. He did the same with his book about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the descendants of Bonhoeffer’s family and Bonhoeffer scholars were decidedly unimpressed.
Your research and writing has never been more important, Thom. Our First Amendment is a beacon trying to shine through this fog created by the psychos, sickos and criminals of TRump, his Administration and MAGA.
Do what you can, friends, even if it is only refusing to ever watch 60 Minutes and ABC again. Carry your own torch and point it right at the vile lies they are telling. Thank you, everyone. See you in the street.
It follows suit that Trump would want to cover up and deny past crimes of White nationalists and the ability of victim populations to overcome these criminal acts. He is doing this in his own life, and he is abetted in this injustice by a supine party and media.
“We must push back against them boldly and loudly, and when they’re gone we’re going to have a huge job cleaning up the fascist mess they’re making.” We’re going to need the kind of leadership currently in short supply. We’re going to need leaders dedicated to democracy, not to disparaging, undermining, and excluding those most sincerely and energetically working to reclaim and rebuild it. That means our establishment corporate Democrats - the sort who embrace the notion that we should “role over and play dead” - must be replaced by a far more high-minded crew, the very types they clearly abhor. We aren’t losing our democracy, we have lost it, a fact demonstrated daily, abetted by ineffectual, uncommitted place holders.
Yes.
I recall talking with A sociology professor during my undergraduate years. He asked: "What discipline are studying for your degree?" "History," I replied.
"Good," he said. "It is the only real social study."
That was 1968, and History was cool, and classrooms were alive with discussion and argument.
Some years ago I volunteered to tutor High School students in History for a group that was supporting inner-city children's advancement in education.
After a few weeks, I stopped going. No one ever came... not one kid, not one time.
This is all you need to know about where we are now, and why.
Just a note: During the Soviet era, Encyclopedias were printed as loose-leaf binders. Reality could be changed simply by replacing any page, as decided by leadership.
D.
Since teachers, aside from my Dad and Malcolm X, have always been my heroes (and clearly you are one) I am legitimately curious about something. You stated you represented "a group that was supporting inner-city children's advancement in education..." Given that we all know, admittedly or not, what the dog-whistle "iN-er City" means do you think that participation would have been greater in a different demographic?
George Orwell was a prophet. His Goldberg is Trump
He who controls the past controls the future
Scholars confirm the word AMEN has no linguistic connection to the ancient Egyptian god Amun (the hidden one), despite phonetic similarities. Check it out.
Well said, Thom. I would worry about the reference to Marx if more Americans knew who he was. And that actually is the problem. History has been dumbed down, with a lot of what people here know apparently coming from either soundbites or Hollywood. A good example is "300", where the Persians (standing in for their descendants, the Iranians) are shown as bizarre, inhuman creatures versus the noble all-white Greeks. The fact that there was a legitimate reason for the Persian wars (basically Greeks were stirring up revolts in cities within their empire) was completely ignored, but then you won't hear anything about bin Laden's reasons for 9/11 either.
And as you say, this isn't new. You mentioned Hitler; go further and you'll see how he based a lot of his racial crap on the writings of the Tacitus, an ancient Roman who idealized the Germans as a contrast to his own "decadent" society. That got linked with crackpot 19th century anthropologists who misunderstood what "Aryans" were. (I have a book one wrote where representatives of other racial group appear either barbaric—Asians—or semi-human—Africans—except a European in then-modern dress.) Make Germany Great Again...and Mussolini did something similar, trying to recreate the Roman Empire in architecture, symbols (like the fasces bundle), parades, territorial conquests and films. That didn't always work. The big movie spectacular "Scipio Africanus", on the defeat of Hannibal (made just after the Italians had conquered Ethiopia), suffered from telephone poles in the background and watches on the wrists of legionnaires.