Posted on 03/04/2021 8:42:52 AM PST by ProgressingAmerica
A little over a month ago I asked the question: Progressivism in culture: Where are progressives the weakest?. To recap, here are those cultural items:
A few were added by suggestions, those are italicized at the bottom. I added the last item, which is the subject of discussion here. One of the things I have noticed is how few conservatives engage in history and specifically American history.
American history is naturally conservative. The concepts and the reasons for why people did things to get out from under the thumb of authoritarianism and most importantly, the hard work they did going forward to keep themselves out from under that thumb and prevent that thumb from appearing is distinctly and uniquely American.
What I can't figure out is why so few Conservatives don't do more with it. Orwell wrote in 1984 that:
History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.
All I see are people around me stuck in the endless present, nonstop modernity. If there are a group of citizen historians out there that I don't know of, I'd like to find out where they are. You might not find so many who would say this, but I don't mind being wrong and I'd like to meet this group if I could just find it.(if it exists, of course)
So what makes history such a weakness to progressives in my view? Look at what progressives have done over the last 120 years. Their own actions are the proof. First, the progressives started out over 100 years ago just eating around the edges - our country's black heros from the Founding were removed; Founders start being quoted shorter and shorter, history books get lighter and lighter, Washington's birthday gets transformed into "President's Day", our Founders get re-written into basically seven people and the rest are completely wiped off of the table, the founding gets re-written from an action based on principles and liberty into (being solely about) base and cheesy economic issues. I could go on and on with this because it does continually build. The point is is that the erasure of our history has been slow and steady.
Why does that erasure matter? It's the single biggest effort of progressivism. They have moved heaven and earth to erase American past. Why? How does that help them?
And therin lies the secret. "How does that help them?" Once you ask that question, all the doors start opening. "How does that help them?" It doesn't take very long to get to the best spot of all.
"Does reviving American history hurt progressivism?"
Yes, it does. In doing such hard work over such a long period of time, they have shown us what hurts them the most. But it only works if we actively pursue it. We could do much to leverage it if we wanted to. Everything the progressives believe is outright lies, and its so easy to just simply tell the truth. But that may be a little bit more difficult than it appears.
I see it all the time, a new list of "Founders quotes" appears, and a large percentage of the list are totally fake or mis-quoted, and very few push back. Nobody questions it. To be fair, I don't either, for several reasons. Mostly, I hope to see some day where there are more conservative historians around and that isn't going to happen if I'm constantly on the hunt for the latest fake quote with a sneering pointer finger. That's just not constructive. But it does highlight one common refrain that demonstrates a real weakness of our own. If we don't actively pursue it, then what's left?
The biggest missing piece is simple curiousity. "Is that quote actually real, where does it come from, and Can I read the whole thing fully to take in that Founder culture and make that culture my own."
I'd like to hear if others disagree as to history being the single biggest cultural weakness that progressives have. This is not a political discussion. They are without any doubt in my mind weaker on history than the media, or hollywood, or in protesting. I'm not sure those can be debated. But let's see.
That's what makes my audiobooks (among other reasons) so important to me. I can highlight things that the progressives want to be hidden, which I know is a great thing. Also, my translations and my transcriptions are equally important in their own way.
There are other things a citizen historian could do as well, but there needs to be more infrastructure built up that precedes a simple "getting the word out" type of effort.
For now, I think its arguable that progressives won the war on history simply because they're the only ones who showed up during the battle. If we want to catch up, it is their most vulnerable position but it's not a quotable victory.
Ping.....
This is what it all comes down to.
American history (specifically the true version) is no longer taught in public schools. Only the “progressive” (i.e., Commie) anti-American version is taught.
As I stated above:
“...........That’s what makes my audiobooks (among other reasons) so important to me. I can highlight things that the progressives want to be hidden, which I know is a great thing. Also, my translations and my transcriptions are equally important in their own way. ..............”
I’m not waiting for the schools.
the weakness of progressives is Islam. currently they are allied to bring down western civilization. if they succeed moslems will attack the progressives —as they are doing in europe. the european have no defense because they have completely eviscerated the catholic and protestant churches in europe.
They are liars, cheaters and thieves afterall.
History was always my favorite subject. I remember when I learned that my peers in public school were not studying history at all. That was (for them) the second grade.
The public school system has been evolving since the sixties when they realized they screwed up in the fifties (We public school kids really WERE educated and produced the political awareness of the sixties), and they created Viet Nam to get rid of as many intellectuals as they could.
Lefties were installed into the schools and teachers' colleges pumped out more and more.
It's obvious history teachers have been made ineffective and they have produced the blm and antifa.
Economics is progressive kryptonite.
Always combine economics with history and conservativism can’t lose.
Even without a direct economic connection, the discipline’s concepts, such as unintended consequences, regression to the mean, meaningful causality, etc., can also be applied to a purely historical analysis to illuminate much truth.
These techniques ensure that history is truth telling and not wishful thinking, as it is in progressive historiography.
This is a great read and really gets me thinking. I will also forward this to a historian I know, hope to influence.
Thank you as always for your great ongoing work and posts and blog.
You may well be the best and most important blogger on FR, and handle it so well that you never even attract the anti-blog folks — those Freepers who often police bloggers who just excerpt, never reply on their posts, those clearly looking for ad clicks, etc — you never do any of that, so are always welcomed.
It’s harder more thoughtful reading without the excitement of “the latest thing to fight” but it is actually looking to subtly kick the legs out from under those destroying freedom rather than to make a made for movies roundhouse kick at the head that misses.
No surprise on your favorite books on your blog, Sun Tsu is subtle too.
On your actual blog the comments of those there (who are not Freepers) adds even more to your articles, so it is in fact worth clicking to your site.
In addition, just the scope and breadth of your work in all the articles you have written in the outline to the right is amazing and intimidating.
I can scarcely comment on anything because I am mainly a learner from you.
Thanks so much, please continue to stay here and post.
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