Friday, May 31, 2019
“My People” (...to be followed by two yawns and an eye-roll)
Your “native land” is, like most of the world, a geographical location temporarily occupied by some group and continually replaced by others through war, conquest, cooperation, and interbreeding. The “land” that is currently America was temporarily occupied by over 500 different groups of people five centuries ago. Spanish, French, British, and Dutch, etc. over time settled in the land, often through force — something native populations had seen before in their interactions with other “native” people. In 500 years, who knows who will be living on the North American continent (probably robots;). The Elizabeth Warren style rant about your heroic victim DNA is irrelevant to anything.
A contemporary Italian can proudly gaze upon the ruins of Roman civilization and note the greatness of his or her ancestors....except, they weren’t his or her ancestors. Their ancestors migrated into the Roman Empire and helped to destroy that civilization (something Romans themselves were well on the way to doing anyway). Fortunately, the civilization that emerged from the rubble later saw the value in incorporating classical values into their own culture. In the end, the distribution of races and peoples manifest in a very fluid and dynamic system.
I see nothing wrong in having pride in one’s current cultural milieux and certainly nothing wrong with taking pride in personal accomplishments and those of one’s family and community but the fanciful glue that binds people by race, gender, or lifestyle choices is a fabrication of fools.
Expanding, annexing, and colonizing geography beyond one’s place of origin is the rule of history. Whether that’s a good or bad thing depends on the observer I suppose.
We shouldn’t be shocked when a religious/political ideology seeks to infiltrate and corrupt a land and culture. Likewise, we shouldn’t critique from a high horse when citizens seek to defend their culture as it is from foreign advance. For people to deliberately permit or facilitate foreign invasion is not a trait to honor. Disdain for the stupid is a valid stance of appraisal.
Cultures are like individuals. They literally have a “personality.” There are ones that are ruthless, cruel, and savage and there are ones that are generally noble, kind, and civilized. The legacy of classical Greek civilization was more “intellectual” than that of Roman civilization, and Roman civilization was more pragmatic. Some cultures are more war-like and some more peaceful (and usually have a shorter shelf life). Adding to the complexity in this dynamic fractal mix of human endeavor is the fact that time can change anything and anyone. So it is that a land of slaveholders can become a land that seeks to break the bonds of oppression or a land free and great can become a repository of savagery. If Notre Dame one day has a minaret on it and citizens are — again — regularly beheaded, we can justly assume that that locus of civilization and civilized behavior has changed.
Gandhi was reported to have responded to a question regarding his views of Western civilization with the witty retort that “it would be a good idea.” This, coming from man who acknowledged beating his wife and being privileged to have gone to school in England, having come from a culture that used to burn women alive when their husbands died.
Across the Atlantic and like almost everywhere else, America has been settled by evil, noble, aggressive, kind, brilliant, and savage people from many areas. In recent history it has functioned as the most powerful and prosperous society ever created and affords degrees of freedom that have finally let people escape the collectivist prison that many fellow men and women would gladly impose upon them.
There have been millions of saints and sinners from all backgrounds who have walked the Earth. Who really cares about some imaginary connection you have to long dead people you have nothing in common with?
We’re supposed to be impressed by arguments that deify people who were never slaves and recoil at the “privilege” of those who were never slave owners?
“My people” should ideally be a reference to one’s voluntary affiliation with like-minded people. “Blood,” DNA, and conjured caricatures of victimhood or domination are irrelevant and the imposition of collectivist values is no more than a return to the swamp and the cave.
Thursday, May 23, 2019
The Party That’s Never Fun
Friday, May 10, 2019
Lemmings...
The Chinese Communist Party is one of the most evil, corrupt, and violent institutions on Earth. And we’re handing them the keys to humanity’s future — big mistake.
