This Is Me--2024 A to Z Theme

My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2024 the theme is a personal retrospective that I call "I Coulda Been" which is in reference to my job and career arc over my lifetime. I'll be looking at all sorts of occupations that I have done or could have done. Maybe you've done some of these too!

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Is History Becoming History? ( #BOTB Results )


Who should decide when what or who has become irrelevant?   Do you trust others to make that decision for you?  And who are those "others"?   

Is History Becoming History?

        Looking back to my years of pre-college education, it seems strange that I often considered history to be one of my least favorite courses.  It's strange--maybe even contradictory--since I've always loved movies, books, and stories about historic events.  I still prefer non-fiction accounts of people and times in the past.  In actuality history was/is one of my favorite subjects.

          It would be unfair to some of the wonderful teachers I had in younger days to say that they taught the subject of history poorly.  Primarily it was a matter of my perception--a perception that changed radically after I began taking history classes at the University of Tennessee and began pursuing the topic on my own.  History became interesting to me as well as relevant to my understanding of the people and events that shaped history to the present day.

          Those who we see currently rejecting the achievements of those who brought us to where we are now--those who want to tear down monuments and erase names from history books--they are essentially ignorant from all indications I receive from them.  Or they are radical insurgents who are deliberately trying to destroy the history, culture, and legacy of the United States of America and for that alone they should be condemned and rejected.

        To me there is no logical argument to tearing down or even removal of statues and monuments that currently exist unless they pose some kind of threat to their surroundings or there is a sound purpose in doing so.  Just because they might "make people feel badly" is not a reasonable argument.  Those monuments are inanimate without any motivation in and of themselves and therefore cannot "make" anybody feel anything--people chose to feel an emotion, control it, and take action to deal with why they feel that way.  The monuments are objects of learning, reflection, understanding, and discussion.  They should be cherished as part of our heritage--or at the very least respected as property that others might appreciate.

        And all of this does not even address the memorials as art.  They are indeed art since they were creations of human minds and handiwork.  Some, such as those on Monument Avenue in Richmond VA, are (or were) quite impressive to behold.  When I lived in Richmond my route to work took me past those statues and I always enjoyed seeing them.

         Now, the statue of Stonewall Jackson (whom I still proudly claim in my family's ancestry) is gone.  I guess the others have been removed as well.  I know that the statue of Matthew Maury was removed after Stonewall, something I lamented since I had only recently learned about Maury's great contributions to science and navigation.  Why oh why?  Why is there so much ignorance?  Why is the will of a handful of un-American Americans catered to while the rest of us are not even given an opportunity for input?   The incompetent mayor of Richmond, Levar Stoney, is a pitiful joke as far as I am concerned.

           But that's where we've come to in this country.  Loud mobs of ignorant child-adults seem to be kowtowing local and state leaders into submitting to the will of folks who care nothing for America.  None of the government leaders or mob participants will ever attain the great achievements of Christoper Columbus, Thomas Jefferson, or Andrew Jackson.  I can say that with relative confidence and I'll retract my words if I ever see it happen.

          We live in sorry days, but I'm hoping better things will be coming.  I don't expect that to happen so I won't lay any money on that bet.  As much as possible we need to reject the mob influence or the influence of insidious radical groups like Black Lives Matter.  If you're offended by that then do your research--BLM is an evil organization.  Many people can't seem to distinguish between the sentiment of black or any lives mattering and a leftist organization that has absconded a slogan as their name.

            In true Orwellian fashion the radical left wants to rewrite our great history to reflect their ideology.  The pressure to shame us about our history is leading to musical groups changing their names, movies and books under consideration to be banned or given limited access, or erasing any vestiges of our history in our surroundings.  If you really want to tear down statues then build your own damn statue on your own land with your own money and rip the sucker down.  Otherwise leave your filthy mitts off of what others have created and funded. 

           I for one love the United States of America despite its flaws and foibles.  History should be a learning experience.  Unfortunately the spoiled brat radicals haven't learned much from our history, but they are gladly taking cues from the evil governments of the past that did the same kind of eradication of the past.

             To get angry or upset about history and what people of the past did is utterly foolish and stupid.  Really?  Getting emotional about things that already happened and can't be undone other than in some childish imaginary way?   Let's pretend things didn't happen? 

               I glad I'm more intelligent than that.   But that's me.  And I think it's a lot of other people as well.   Anyone who supports the "peaceful" protesting of graffiti, looting, violence, destruction, and chaos in general is an idiot--a dangerous idiot.  Maybe you have a different point of view about this-- and then maybe you're an idiot.



Battle of the Bands Results 



         This most recent Battle featured the Dave Loggins hit "Please Come to Boston" as performed by Confederate Railroad and Reba McIntire.  The Railroad chugged out of the station with a nice lead, but it wasn't long before spunky Reba overtook the train to take the lead all the way until the end of the match.

          I liked both versions quite well, but the male voices of Confederate Railroad were more preferred to me than Reba's country twang.  But, alas, my vote for the Confederate guys wasn't enough to beat Reba.  And I gotta admit that her version is pretty good.


Final Vote Tally

Confederate Railroad         10

Reba McIntire                    13




Next Battle on July 15th?  Maybe? Probably

           If I show up for a mid month Battle I hope you'll join me in a week.  I still feel like I need the break, but on the other hand I have so many Battles waiting in the wings that by doing two a month I might wrap them up in a couple years if I'm still blogging that long.  Then, of course, there is that fact that I keep thinking up new Battles to add.  But for me it's all less of a conundrum than it is a matter of whim.  Either way, I intend to be back at some point so please don't forget me.  Forgetting seems to be the mode of the day and I don't relish being the next victim of being forgotten.  Not in my lifetime at least.


        Can you think of a logical reason to tear down monuments to the past (especially if they have been standing for many decades)?    Do you think students today are being properly educated about history?   Are you interested in exploring the past?  



19 comments:

  1. History can be very interesting or to the other extreme boring, I suspect that this year will not be forgotten. Hope you are well. Look forward to the next BOTB.
    Take care.
    Yvonne.

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    1. Yvonne, I think having to learn all the dates and some of the obscure names is what turned me off about history in school, but when I started getting more enmeshed in the stories and the characters in the stories then I became more involved in the story of civilization and its struggles and triumphs.

      Lee

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  2. I wish I could insert a "gif" here. It would have a crowd of people standing up and clapping for what you've said here. I agree wholeheartedly. Logic and reason have gone out the window and it's just painful to watch.

    My youngest just graduated from UT with a double major (history and political science). We've have MANY conversations about the world at large.

    Thanks for your post, friend.

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    1. Cherdo, thank you, thank you! I'd like to think that more people are thinking like we do. Congratulations to your son. Hopefully he wasn't too institutionally tainted. You are fortunate to have someone younger with whom you can converse about such things.

      Lee

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  3. I hate I missed the Battle post. I would have gone with Danny Shirley and Confederate Railroad. However, this is one of Reba's best ever efforts, so it's all good.

    Your article is spot on and brilliant. Here in Tennessee, statues and monuments have been violated and even in Memphis, graves desecrated.

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    Replies
    1. Michael, Sorry you missed this Battle, but I agree that no matter how it turned out it was good.

      Thanks for the encouraging words. I guess statues, graves, and other structures have probably been defaced or destroyed in nearly every state. I'm shocked by some of the targets as there seems to no logical thought behind the actions. I think a lot of it is random anarchists who have no specific agenda other than chaos.

      Lee

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  4. Round of Standing o's for the post! Always nice to have someone out there to do the rants as I try to wean myself from them...

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    1. CW, thank you! I'd been trying to avoid any controversy on this blog for a while, but there are some things I just can't stay silent about. If I'd stop seeing rants and memes that I don't like on FB and other platforms maybe I wouldn't get so riled, but when I see 'em I have to say something sometimes.

      Lee

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  5. 'Black Lives Matter' is actually a Marxist organization that is more concerned about installing Communism than it is about racial equality. And Communism is a fatally flawed, atheistic ideology that is responsible for murdering at least 100 million human beings - MORE than any other belief system in the history of the entire world.

    Certain people love to say things like "Religion is responsible for murdering many people". But those same ignoramuses can't seem to wrap their wee little pea-brains around the absolute FACT that the opposite of religion (i.e., atheism) has been responsible for murdering millions upon millions more people than all the religious sects in history - COMBINED - are responsible for!

    (And if anyone wants to debate this fact with me, here I am! Let's do it, right here!)

    The Bad News: Everything we are now experiencing was foretold in The Holy Bible, and it's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.

    The Good News: In 2029 (that's the best guess, but give or take a year), Christ Yeshua (Jesus, the Messiah) is going to return to Earth and rule it with a rod of iron for 1,000 years. And what that means is that we will no longer see a single person on the planet who is dumb enough to fall for the satanic bullshit propagated by moronic, immoral, atheistic groups like Antifa and Black Lives Matter.

    They're a pain in the ass today (along with nearly every single politician and so-called "law enforcement" officers), but they won't be troubling our world for too much longer. Hallelujah!!

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And another standing O for this response!

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    2. STMcC, I've been trying to do my part about educating folks about BLM, but a lot of them just don't want to listen to facts. Instead they succumb to their emotions or what propaganda they get through wherever they get their info. Hard to break through that feelings barrier when people get so invested in their beliefs.

      If BLM just came out blatantly as a political party alternative to Democrats then I'd have more respect for them. Instead they are trying to be an arbiter of morality that is deceiving a lot of gullible fools who don't want to appear to be racist. What a joke!

      I do think we are in those times of which you speak. If there will be a rapture then I'm expecting it to happen someday soon. Things are lining up more than ever. And the mask mandate seems like such a prelude to a mandatory mark to buy and sell. I'm on the edge of my seat because this movie is getting kind of exciting, but I'm ready for it to end.

      Lee

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  6. I couldn't agree with you more. Amen!
    Reba is fabulous.

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    1. Doreen, Reba is a firecracker of the music industry and I've liked her for a long time--at least since I saw her in Tremors.

      Lee

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  7. I've never been more sad than I have been recently as I've watched statues come down and grown-ups who ought to know better bow down to the mob. The more companies and groups who do this, the more powerful the mob becomes. You've said it all well, Lee. These are sad and scary times.

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    1. Patricia, I'm disgusted that so many companies are adding money to the coffers of terrorist organizations. It's like paying protection to the mob. Sad and scary time, yes, but I'm not losing hope.

      Lee

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  8. I agree with your sentiments on this one, Lee. Can't understand why people want to do away with statues and try to erase what actually happened in the country. I keep feeling like I'm living in some nightmare dystopian novel. Have been since around November 2016.

    Janet’s Smiles

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    Replies
    1. Janet, watching the "peaceful protests" and all the violence and destruction that comes with them indeed reminds me of a dystopian story. I'm seeing 2020 as a repeat of 2016 except bigger and more irrational than ever before. Hope it all stops soon.

      Lee

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  9. Replies
    1. Debby, I'm glad you agree. I wish everybody did.

      Lee

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Go ahead and say something. Don't be afraid to speak your mind.
I normally try to respond to all comments in the comment section so please remember to check the "Email follow-up comments" box if you want to participate in the comment conversation.

For Battle of the Bands voting the "Anonymous" commenting option has been made available though this version is the least preferred. If voting using "anonymous" please include in your comment your name (first only is okay) and city you are voting from and the reason you chose the artist you did.

If you know me and want to comment but don't want to do it here, then you can send me an email @ jacksonlee51 at aol dot com.

Lee