History as a Human Right
28 2014-09-28 by [deleted]
Most societies use history as a means to perpetuate itself to greatness. A prevailing belief all too often is if the history of a state is always negative, (or presented as such) then the progress of the society will stagnate also. As a result, history is presented as linear, easily conceptualized & as an aspirational subject.
The main fallacy of this thinking is that history is not linear. It is evolutionary. History is used for propaganda or as a tool of mythology, but it is neither of these at its core. (American) history is constantly evolving and has always been transitive. History is the greatest experiment in the world. History is evolutionary. Once you start spinning it to a narrative, it is not history anymore.
People are often either empty or full, thus history is presented as such. In reality, history is everything and history is nothing. Theory and fact blur with history because history is all about the intangibles, all about the behavior, lessons and motivations behind everything. History in a way represents a new dimension because it is the intersection of rational (and irrational thought). Common experiences, good and bad, bind people together as a nation.
History is one of the greatest equalizers the world has ever seen. The truth is ethereal and in the end all history boils down to the truth. History is a human right and should be presented as any other human right- all encompassing, with nothing left out. It’s hard to talk or debate a middle ground in regards to something that should be fundamentally entitled to everyone.
To the students of Jefferson County, keep standing up for what you believe in. You have discovered one of the most important factors of being a good citizen, the difference between nationalism and patriotism. Nationalism and patriotism are not the same thing. One is much more common and equally less flattering.
You are patriots- because you love your country so much that you are willing to stand up against a wrong, and give the people a chance to make it a right.
https://medium.com/@kevinobrien_59816/history-as-a-human-right-28639f9d9efd
1 comments
3 returned_from_shadow 2014-09-28
An excellent post, far too often the influence of a fictionalized and whitewashed history in forming and conditioning public opinion is overlooked.
The Nazis are a perfect example of how a false historical narrative was created by the German elite in order to control society by preying on people's fears and spreading the irrationality of racial/national/moral superiority.
And now we in the US have been living through this same manipulation tactic for the past several decades with the adoption of the deranged and naive Neoconservative notion of American moral superiority and exceptionalism.
Leo Strauss one of the founders of the US Neoconservative movement was influenced indirectly by the Nazis and the political climate of the post WWII era. Believing that American liberalism and individualism lead to Nihilism through moral erosion and the destruction of shared societal values which eventually would cause the downfall of the US, he decided to combat this by drawing inspiration from the Nazi ideals of a false romanticized cultural heritage, conformity, and blind nationalism. And thus created a modern myth of American superiority and exceptionalism using our own history and old testament Christian ideology as its basis. (The greatest irony of all is the speed with which some in the American Right these days will throw Leo Strauss under the bus and call him a Nazi supporter (he wasn't) despite his absolutely critical role of shaping their ideology.)
And it is this ideology which largely shapes our cultural identity and foreign policy of interventionism. We believe we are justified in nation building through our irrational belief that we are morally and culturally superior. Anytime someone comments or utters some nonsense of American exceptionalism and how this is the greatest country to live in I realize how effective the indoctrination of people like Strauss was. Couple that irrational spirit of superiority with the paranoia and suspicion created by CIA Cold War social engineers like Nash and you have a perfect recipe for controlling and shaping public opinion.