| >Now. Try to publish anything that portrays blacks, women and gays negatively. Lots gets published negative about those groups. Take the best-selling book <The Bell Curve> which argues that blacks have lower iq's. You say the elites push an agenda, but often that is because non-elites persuaded them to change their views. For instance, gays were pariah's until recently. >I'm saying everyone re-writes history. Everyone makes it up. Everyone interprets it for their own political agenda. That's simply not true. Lots of people are at least somewhat willing to be persuaded by arguments. Lots of people are willing to change their political philosophy if they are presented with reasons. I know I have changed my views on a number of important issues over the years. It is a slow process, but it happens a lot in this country. Look at how the conservative movement rose from nothing over the course of decades, fighting the elites all the way. Just because you are not objective and open to persuasion doesn't mean everyone else in the world is like you. You know, in some countries of the world the government is so oppressive that is impossible to work to make things better, but in other countries it is possible, at least some of the time, but to do that generally requires an accurate understanding of the past. What you are saying is it is impossible to get this, and the implication is that it is impossible to make the world better. Is that what you believe? Note when I say make the world better, I mean according to a set of universal values, not ones that favor your group or country over all others. Apparently you believe such values don't exist, have I got you right on that? I am wondering why you are so sure that it is impossible for human beings to look at history objectively. I can think of three possible reasons. One is that you just have a cynical personality. The second is you are just selfish and don't care. The third is that you are being paid by an authoritarian government like Russia or China to spread cynicism so people will give up trying to get at the truth and make the world better. |
Lots? And you name one book that was marginalized more than 20 years ago.
> Lots of people are at least somewhat willing to be persuaded by arguments.
No they are not. Especially on matters like "history/propaganda/etc" that are INTERPRETATION rather than factual.
> I am wondering why you are so sure that it is impossible for human beings to look at history objectively.
Because it is propaganda. Because there is no "objectivity" in history/interpretation/etc.
Try this. Was the civil war about freeing the slaves or states' rights? Was the vietnam war about stopping communism ( vietnam war ) or neo-colonialism ( war of american aggression )? Was the holocaust about the jews? If so, why were most people killed in the holocaust non-jews/gentiles? If most of the people who died were non-jews, why has modern history/culture associated it with jews?
You think you know the answer and you think you are objective/right/etc because your answers fit your agenda/worldview/propaganda. History has always been about propaganda ( emperors/kings/etc would hire writers to write "histories" extolling their virtue and the virtue of their families/etc ). Now, rather than being propaganda for the king/monarchs/etc, history is the official propaganda of the state/nation.
Now, I'm not saying history/propaganda is unnecessary. I think it is needed to maintain the state/nation/society. But lets not kid ourselves into thinking history is the truth. It is not. Not here, not in China, not in Russia, not anywhere.
> One is that you just have a cynical personality.
Or I'm educated and intelligent and understand what history actually is. You are making the same ad hominem attacks religious or cult members make when they are confronted with someone who doesn't "believe". You can lash out at me and call me cynical, but the real cynic is you.
Anyways, I can see that there is no reasoning with you ( not that I'm surprised ) so this will be my last reply to you as you've resorted to ad hominems. I won't read your replies if you write them so please don't bother. Good day.