The World Beyond BetterMost > Anything Goes
Serious Discussions about Life
injest:
Have things gotten worse or are we viewing the past with rose colored glasses? Everyone on the conservative radio shows go on and on abuot how wonderful everything was back in the fifties....
What about women's rights? minorities? The Cold War???
or is it their youth that they are remembering?
it is amazing to me to see how people's memories are so selective. So is mine? Are my memories real or not?
Daniel:
Often what we remember is shaded if not colored in completely by propaganda, media coverage, and educational devices designed to keep us misinformed. The Cold War, for instance, while it may not have been started by banking interests, was most likely propelled by them... for defense spending and the scientific industrial labors of that era. When governments are at war, there is one thing that is certain... they borrow money. The Cold War was an international banker's dream. A complete round of "Duelling Banjos", followed by a rousing rendition of "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better." and the international bankers providing the instruments and the recording devices necessary to create them.
For both the Soviet Union and the United States, I fear that the ultimate effect of the Cold War will be bankruptcy for both nations, unless some extreme actions are carried out to neutralize the national debt and reinvigorate U.S. currency by deprivatizing its production.
So, yes, what we remember is significant... As is our decision to forget. And yes, it is a decision. When we blindly accept what is offered to us and do not act in defense of what we know to be the truth and to be right, we are choosing to let it slide... we are choosing to forget and simply let that force of instruction and education walk over us and what we know to be real. Anything can be painted over this way. Films edited, for instance. Governmental documents forged. Securities overridden. Privacies breached. Rights removed. History books rewritten. Religious intolerance and dogmatic principles made part of our daily existence, and all because we choose to forget. We forget who we are. We forget what we are. We forget that we are. And then we just forget. A mindless population is the most easily controlled.
moremojo:
--- Quote from: injest on October 17, 2007, 07:33:02 pm ---it is amazing to me to see how people's memories are so selective. So is mine? Are my memories real or not?
--- End quote ---
You might be interested in exploring the films of the great French director Alain Resnais if memory is a theme that concerns or appeals to you. The vagaries and tricky beauty of memory are major motifs in this artist's work. Some pertinent films include Hiroshima mon amour, L'année dernière à Marienbad, Muriel ou Le temps d'un retour, and Je t'aime, je t'aime.
Fellow filmmaker and author Marguerite Duras, who wrote the screenplay for Hiroshima mon amour, shares some of these same preoccupations...her novel L'amant (The Lover), is a representative work, as well as being one of her greatest (approach Jean-Jacques Annaud's dubious film adaptation of L'amant with caution).
Artiste:
Great subject, you ask now! Thanks!
If you notice on one of my threads or others, you will see that there was a bit more freedom between men in certains times, like in the 30's, 40's, even the 50's, in some ways!! They certainly smiled much more!! ??
Yes??
Hugs!!
Lynne:
Good grief, Jess! Lynchings?! How'd you get there from here?? :-\ Not treating this lightly, by any means. I know well how such stream-of-consciousness browsing can lead you places you don't want to go (or you feel compelled to follow). Just a week or so ago, Truman sent me a link to Wikipedia which led me to a listing of known victims of GLBT hate crimes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_against_LGBT_people).
I swear, I spent hours reading the articles linked with each and every name, took me half the night. But what really kept me awake was knowing that the 35 names or so listed are the teeny tip of a very large iceburg. They all deserved better. And never mind the thousands or more not listed yet. It might make a good project to research this and add every single name we can find - if we all concentrated on say a 250 mile radius of our homes, I bet we'd add thousands easily.
I believe we as a society have come a long way - I have to believe that. Homosexuality is no longer classified as a mental illness. Many companies are offering domestic partner benefits and the number increases all the time. Gay marriage is legal in the Commonwealth of MA and with enough effort, hopefully it will stay legal there; other states are recognizing civil unions. Today, the US House passed a bill declaring discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation illegal (excepting the military - idiots!). It does not include transgender people, but most GLBT groups supported anyway as a good step; nonetheless, Shrub is threatening to veto it if a similar measure sponsored by Kennedy is passed by the Senate. It's out there, it passed, there's dialogue, we're moving forward.
But moving isn't getting there. And when you have loved ones whose very right to life is threatened because of who they choose to love (like I know you and the rest of us do!), it's very cold comfort.
It's just so frustrating that it seems for every teeny step forward there are people who will smack us back. Every legal victory results in numerous asinine challenges. The sheer number of states who have chosen to amend their constitutions to define marriage as M/F is truly appalling. This whole states' rights business regarding recognition of marriage and/or civil unions is a powder keg just waiting to be ignited. Hell, we fought a war once allegedly about 'states rights' didn't we?? It boggles my mind that some people believe civil unions are an acceptable alternative to marriage. I'm no legal scholar, but I think anybody with half a brain gets that 'separate but equal' was struck down by the courts years ago during the civil rights era. It makes me want to get a law degree and go to work for the ACLU, I swear.
OK..[/rant..as I saw Eric post once :)]
Lynchings...appalling. I don't know how far removed we are from this, but not far enough. My last casual bf was black and we had to deal with sh*t from people when we went out. Daryl actually helped me gain some perspective and moderate my temper or else I'd probably have a record for disorderly conduct. :P BUT I did not put up with my father's not-so-veiled comments...OK maybe rant's not over. Granted he was born in 1939 and a product of the TN hills, BUT I've been making my own decisions since I was about 14 and I loved that 25 years later he thought he deserved(?) some input into my love life. The conversation went
Him: 'You were raised better than that.'
Me: 'Better than what?'
Him: (nods at D w/disdain)
Me" "How would you know? You stopped raisin me at 14.'
Silence.
It's one of those bitter, ironic, laugh to keep from crying things, but I think I got my point across. :-\
Nonetheless, I'm sure he's got despicable relations, if he didn't have the guts to do it himself...made me seriously consider if D's very life was worth risking for something I wasn't that into in the first place. I wouldn't put it past them.
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