Aside from the Pandemic, our country has been suffering from a massive divergence of opinion about what our problems are. On one side, people and politicians defend a confirmed lie; that the last election was stolen from a man who is a proven liar and mythomane. They justify their beliefs by saying that whatever is said against him are lies provoked by political interests, whom they believe want to take over the country. As though the man they defend didn’t try to overthrow an election to take over the power of the presidency. It’s kind of crazy.
On the other side, we are being forced to believe in systemic racism, prejudice, and lets not forget all the accusations of sexual harassment. If you disagree with any of these ideas, you are immediately labeled as a racist.
These are both extreme views, equally dangerous to me. The first resorted to physical intimidation, while the other, while partially supported by riots based on acts that may, or may not, be racially based, resorts to a form of correct thinking, which is better known as brainwashing. It was a tactic widely used by the Communist regime in the former Soviet Union. Dissenters were declared to be insane. In China, they were sent to the country to be “reeducated.”
Luckily, we live in a free country. And, our freedom is not an illusion. It is very real. But, at the moment, it’s leaving us really confused. What to believe?
I don’t believe either. And, what I find to understand is why too many of us are unaware of our history? And, the history of the world?
For the election, and the effort to, once again, impose laws that restrict voting rights. Its directed, in particular, to limit the rights of racial and socially poorer citizens. Yes, whether you like it or not, citizens. Remember the Civil War? Do you remember that the southern states, who fought for slavery, lost the war! And yet, it seems to me that we’re still fighting it. As though people won’t accept the will of the majority, which is the basis of law in a free society. Without law, and mutual respect, we have anarchy. Or, fascism.
For the new woke, correct thinking, we have to take a look at the roots of slavery. Can anyone show me a civilization, regardless of race or color, that didn’t have slavery as a basis for economic growth? American Indians had it. African tribes had it, and they are still at war. There is no culture, regardless of color or beliefs, that didn’t have slavery. Arabs were slave traders. Some chiefs sold their own people into slavery.
After the Civil War here, as the southern states insidiously reinstalled racism in place of slavery, the north was worn out from the constant pressure to uphold the law. And, not until the mid twentieth century did we see a movement to overturn the unconstitutional laws imposed in southern states. Even the Army was segregated in WWII. Of course it’s awful and a disgrace. Of course, our consistent betrayal of treaties we made with various AmerIndian tribes is a disgrace. Always has been, always will be. And, as Americans throughout our history have said, we will be judged based on our treatment of American Indians. To our credit, as far as I know, we are the only society to address and correct some of our errors. And, that is to our credit.
Some cultures, some people, still see women as a form of slave. I actually believe that if we looked at any culture’s treatment of women, and made women truly equal under the law, we would change the world.
To help us clear up the confusion, I strongly recommend looking at history. It helps to give us perspective on some of the serious problems confronting us today. It helps us get our beliefs into those that are false illusions, and those that the facts help us to see that they are real, clear perceptions of what we are living through.