Open Thread - Thurs 23 Jan 2025 - Pretty Sure It's Always Been This Way
Pretty Sure It's Always Been This Way
I just recently finished reading Margaret Kimberley's 2020 book, Prejudential. In the book Kimberley writes a chapter about every President of the United States, from George Washington on, and their relationships with, and how they have treated blacks in America. It is a very good book; if you have the time and inclination, give it a read. Here's the worldcat link to the book and its eaudiobook version.
Prejudential, by Margaret Kimberley (image from the publisher steerforth.com)
I can't say I'm at all surprised at how the presidents, and politics, have treated black people through the ages. The first presidents were slave holders. I always remember that when listening to the hagiographies all of these men get. Those who were elected a bit later and weren't slaveholders weren't really that much better. And, as always, even if they tried to be better, politics got in the way. In her chapter on Zachary Taylor Kimberley writes:
Slavery lasted in the United States as long as it did because of compromise between abetting sides: keeping an even number of slave and free states; banning the discussion of slavery in Congress; passing fugitive slave laws; and determining at which latitude slavery would begin and end. The country's rulers used many tricks to keep slavery a viable and profitable institution.
She goes on to talk about how the US 'basks in the glory of a romanticized past.' It's very true. I think, also, what she describes above is how all politics works, unfortunately. Replace slavery with women's rights, with abortion rights, with workers' rights, with... whatever. And one can change locations and countries too and it all works the same. I bet people living in Africa have the same complaints, generally, about politics. Certainly European countries, and countries in the past (hello Rome and Greece and Celtic Britain and... whatever) have and had the same kind of politics - in general: divert people from what they really want and need, do a lot of grand-standing and then change at a snail's pace, if that, most of the time.
Kimberley continues:
If people like Taylor could steal half of Mexico and be labeled heroic, then modern-day presidents can invade nations, change regimes, and kill with mechanized drones and be considered heroic too. Today's propaganda differs little from that of Taylor's era. In fact, it relies on it.
It took 5 decades after the white supremacist riots in Wilmington, North Carolina in which 60 black people were killed and the biracial city council was overthrown (this was during the McKinley presidency: 1897-1901) for an anti-lynching law to be passed throughout the country. 5 decades! Sounds like politics now, doesn't it? The issues might change but the see-saw, the give the people a tiny bit of what they want and then take it back, goes on and on and on.
Thanks for reading! Here's the open thread - remember, everything is interesting if you dive deep enough, so tell us about where you're diving!
Comments
Happy Thursday!
Hope you are having a good day! It's cold (for here) but not as cold as other places, and it's dry (for here) but not that dry compared to say southern CA. I'm taking Nikko for a nail trim and buff today, hopefully it'll go well. He has been traumatized in the past (unbeknownst to us as the time) and so he gets very nervous.
What's up with you? Looking forward to hearing it!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Hey, good morning
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Slavery has taken on a new characteristic
in this "modern era" It is still economic in essence.
Now the slaveholders are the banking cartels.
Debt is the instrument of our servitude.
Medical debt is the largest cause of bankruptcies in the US.
Student 'loans' are not legally discharged. Mortgages, credit cards,
and fed rates shackle us into being wage slaves.
Don't expect an emancipation proclamation from the
government on this issue. Inflation and devaluation are the
burdens of the working poor, not the wealthy rulers.
Thanks for the OT Sima.
question everything
Good morning...
Good luck with the pet grooming, hope all goes well.
Gerald Celente describes America as a plantation of slavelandia.
Thanks for the book rec and the OT! Stay warm.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
musical interlude
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question everything
Good listen
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Rand Paul and the judge discuss the Fauci and the lies he told us about masks, natural immunity, 6 feet of separation and gain of function.
If the blue surgical masks did not stop the virus then how in hell would cloth masks?
Apparently this is not over.
There was someone here during Covid that said masks don’t do squat. I argued with him about it, but I was wrong.
Public apology. I don’t remember his name.
Scientists are concerned that conspiracy theories may die out if they keep coming true at the current alarming rate.
ADL is a joke
Musk
Open the link to see
pictures of Democrats saluting:
www.techarp.com/politics/clinton-obama-warren-harris-nazi-salute/
edit: I did a Google search for Democrats giving a salute. This popped up first. I didn't bother reading the content, not asserting the content is good, bad, or otherwise.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981