It must be Tuesday, Middlespace Cadets, because I'm answering your questions
Q: Dear Ty,
A friend of my wife posted this whiny, liberal, ex post facto apologetic bullshit video on Facebook. Something about "Rethink Columbus Day." [Clicky]
History is history, man. Should we give back all our iPods and baseball stadiums as our sincerest apology for something none of us did? I mean if you're living with any of this "modern culture" stuff then shouldn't you give it up and go live in a hole or something?"
We won! I know...I am the evil white man. You're welcome!
Do the ends justify the means?
-Paulzy
Ty: Good question and an even better observation, Paulzy. Do ends justify means? Haven't we, as Americans always learned to do whatever it takes to get the results we want? Isn't the history of history all about getting what we want, or at least evil white men? By the way, thank you for the MacBook and bowling, beats hunting deer with sticks and eating maize. That would have sucked!
"I was not the one to invent lies: they were created in a society divided by class and each of us inherited lies when we were born. It is not by refusing to lie that we will abolish lies: it is by eradicating class by any means necessary."I just watched the video your wife's friend posted, Paulzy. I don't find it that apologetic at all. Did you even watch it or just got mad at the title? The arguably whiny, liberal video is actually doing two things here.
— Jean Paul Sartre, Dirty Hands: act 5, scene 3. 1963
Firstly, the video is about cutting the bullshit on teaching each other that Christopher Columbus happily cruised to the New World in an El Camino all smiling and shaking hands and cooperating with the indigenous peoples like he was running for mayor. What we should actually do is teach the truth about what really happened. We don't need to give back our Windows Vista or Rollerblades, but just understand that we've been sitting in Chris's stolen El Camino this whole time. But the statute of limitations has lapsed and everybody understands that it's just our El Camino now. I'm fine with this part of the video.
Additionally, the video alludes to the creation of some new national indigenous people holiday or something. What? We have enough holidays already. Let's not make holidays any more trivial than they already are. It's 2010. Who decided to lobby for another new damn holiday? "With all due respect," no! We have enough problems in this society without further fracturing it by pulling off good liberal front line peace-soldiers who could be countering Tea Bagger insanity instead of lobbying for some lame new holidays. I not for any new damn holiday. This part of the video is Mopeville, USA.
"People with intelligence will use it to fashion things both true and false and will try to push through whatever they want with their clever reasoning. This is injury from intelligence. Nothing you do will have effect if you do not use truth."Since we can't just abolish all holidays, how's 'bout we just teach the truth about holidays: Columbus was basically like Pol Pot, Stalin, Idi Amin, and other igniters of genocidal fuses in many ways. Christmas is about the global economy and selling cheap Chinese plastics that pollute our future (ain't about the Jesus). There is no "Forth of July." That holiday is actually the observed Independence Day of the United States, not hot dog eating contest and Bud Lite day. Facts are facts and "history is history, man" and we already invented science. No ex post facto nothin'! Just teach the goddamn truths moving forward. Why do we lie our kids so much, anyway?
— 葉隠
Yes, the evil white men did a number on the native North American people and Chris Columbus was a key player in what resulted; for better or worse. In part I am a descendent of slaves and you don't hear me crying for reparations. Fuck it. I understand that slavery was no fun ass summer camp as they try to lead people to believe in the Monticello tour. I'm moving forward, Paulzy. And I'm moving forward with you and everybody else; for better or worse. Yes, I would give up iPod ever being invented if that takes away one genocide. Quit being so obstinate.
The least I can do is watch a video that challenges me to think about something. No. The very least I can do is think about things.
Just a guess,
-ty
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