“In the year 1877, the signals were given for the rest of the century: the blacks would be put back; the strikes of white workers would not be tolerated; the industrial and political elites of North and South would take hold of the country and organize the greatest march of economic growth in human history. They would do it with the aid of, and at the expense of, black labor, white labor, Chinese labor, European immigrant labor, female labor, rewarding them differently by race, sex, national origin, and social class, in such a way as to create separate levels of oppression-a skillful terracing to stabilize the pyramid of wealth.”
–A People’s History of the United States, Howard Zinn-
Well, after reading a few books before summer’s ends, I have come to realize that a lot of people don’t actually read—or presume to read, and actually don’t, and go around strutting like professional intellectuals, when they are more akin to foolish children.
The reason for this, I am not sure, but I will keep this post short, and the form precise as well…
I think the general public—or people I come into mild modern-contact with on a daily basis—particularly (especially!) through social media, seem to lack the ability to understand, in general, the most basic concepts.
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I will talk about the books I have read first, and then tie that into my thesis on this ubiquitous (though, proxy) misunderstanding—dipshit nationalism, or just lack of substantive quality intake being consumed, or generated by all (me included)…
I must say, this is merely an opinion—my opinion, and it may not be absolutely true anywhere at any time—though it may be subjectively appealing, perhaps. I will use the words “true” and “false” somewhat objectively throughout…
Ah, The Revenant—it means something like a ghost, it is a book—a tale of revenge set in the 1820s. It will soon be a major motion picture starring some celebrities.
The plot and compact prose is something to envy. (I am breaking the mold on form here by going beyond two sentence paragraphs, which are required of modern article writers (as to not bore the reader): that is all the modern world can handle.)
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While you are worrying about politics and inequality, I am worried about the health of the minds of other people, how they assess things—and where they get their ideas… I imagine a garbage dump on Friday evening, where all the trash goes after it is gathered throughout the day (metaphor). This is my week viewing social media status updates…
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After putting that book down, and raving about it for a few days, more than a couple—and then begging everyone in my vicinity, with my death-stare red eyes, to read it, I have come to the conclusion that I enjoy reading stories on history—this thing that is written only by the winners most of the time, or those with the loudest voice, or the boldest pens, and that I hate reading what people write about on their Facebook walls, idiots posing as savants.
Basically, what people assume is history—or fact, or relevant, or injuries to groups, and then what they write about history, as objective, on Facebook based on these ill-informed assumptions, and poorly interpreted language, causes me, and the rest of everyone that is friends with me/them on Facebook great distress, unawares or conscious, and peace of mind at their incorrect scribing.
I mean, other people read this and think: wow, that is real, I am pissed.
Amateur readers and thinkers attempt to tackle issues of race, when they have not read any elementary history from the 1490s on; I will give you: in that time everyone was a slave—we still are all slaves to the rich… To think otherwise is an absolute tragedy, an a misguided opinion.
I dare you to read about that. Start at Page 219, and read on:
A People’s History of the United States:
Firstly, everyone is talking about race, or gender, or the election, or how offensive everything is. One thing you will notice is the media fuels this; they create a need for themselves. The media is controlled by the wealthy elite of this country; the rich want those of lower classes to in-fight against each other, as to take the spotlight off of the injustices they impose on the general public: you and me. And morons on Facebook propagate this ideas!
The main problem with America is the class system; the main problem with America is the hierarchy which controls the country and all of the classes within it (I am talking socio-economic classes): the banks, those who control the banks-debt, the insurance companies-money you give them, the lobbyists-creating laws, and the government itself-over extending itself, creating debt from infrastructure in foreign lands. If you don’t believe me go to your local library and check out: Confessions of an Economic Hitman, by John Perkins. (This is another title I read a few months back, I keep forgetting… So many…)
These entities want everyone to fight against one another, rather than them (the wealthy in control). They also want USD debt, specifically in that currency, in order for the United States to sustain itself as a power over global markets.
The interesting thing is so obvious, people focus on racism, or gender inequality, rather than classism, rather than unify and create a solution.
I may be confused.
At this point I don’t care, because I listen to alternative news (www.noagendashow.com), and I don’t really believe in anything—or I look deeper and realize we are all fucked.
What people say just in everyday passing, if you can call that what a Facebook status update is, is unfounded and ridiculous, and propagates an subpar understanding of reality. Unfortunately this is unfortunate.
Call me a miser, or what you will. But the actual unfortunate part of the whole situation is that people do not read. They do not understand the past they live in-words they use, and might actually be surprised at what they take in as opinion and spit out as absolute fact. (Even words are founded in problems; people’s understanding of words different immensely, causing problematic understanding of very simple concepts.) Really, read a history book, read something other than your loud dumb friend’s Facebook wall, or Reddit, or the news, or me (I am just one person!)…
Try to find something different to read and see what happens to your mind. See if that helps us all.
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I will end with something that I find incredibly important:
If you read a few sentences on social media about a topic you find interesting, it may seem insightful, or progressive, but it may not be entirely true—it may be an absolute fabrication, and by you interpreting this idea as clear and factual, it does not mean that you are an expert on said topic, or that it is such.
