american history

History Repeats Itself

Posted on by Remy St. Gallen

I’m sorry, but after seeing shit like this, I can’t support Israel at all. I apologize for invoking Godwin’s law, but they’re acting as evil as the Nazis did, getting back for the Holocaust the way black Americans are trying to get back for slavery. I support one country called Palestine, where Hebrews, Arabs, Jews, Christians, and Muslims all coexist, not in apartheid (and Palestine’s flag doesn’t even have a crescent moon on it the way Israel’s has the Star of David, which to me is today to the Palestinians what the swastika is to the Jews and the Southern Cross is to black Americans). America needs to stay the hell out of international affairs, pissing away trillions on international conflicts that have nothing to do with us, and focus on its issues. Putting the interests of foreigners above residents of your country is called treason, similar to Abraham Lincoln’s illegal invasion of the Confederacy. I’m no isolationist, but I believe that containment while working for peace is the best policy towards warring nations.

Daily Prompt, 2/16/2024

Posted on by Remy St. Gallen

Daily writing prompt
Are you patriotic? What does being patriotic mean to you?
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No, for several reasons. First, no one gets to choose their country of origin, so I think it’s foolish to be proud of nationality. Second, any country in the world, America included, their histories, and all their leaders and policies, past and present, are just as subject to criticism, judgment, and review as in any other nation on the face of the Earth. Third, I think pledging allegiance to any country or their symbols such as their flags are forms of idolatry, which goes against my faith.

However, the true definition of patriotism can be flexible. For instance, given that America was founded upon defiance and treason, there is the quote, largely attributed to Thomas Jefferson (though it hasn’t been confirmed), that “Dissent is the highest form of patrotism.” Malcolm X further had the warning “You’re not to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it.” In general, I don’t believe in “my country, right or wrong,” but rather, “my country, only when genuinely right” (not ideologically speaking, of course).

Daily Prompt, 6/6/2023

Posted on by Remy St. Gallen

Daily writing prompt
List three books that have had an impact on you. Why?
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Factfulness by Hans Rosling, and while I disagree with him on a *lot* of things (and it was written pre-COVID and Russia/Ukraine War), he definitely had some good points like not forming your perspective based on mainstream news alone, which would be akin to forming your opinion on a person based on a photo of their foot, and that the world, for the most part, the world is doing better than we think, and in some areas (though not all) has transideological appeal.

A People’s History of Christianity by Diana Butler Bass, which really spoke to me as a Christian, and as she herself is/was Episcopalian like I am, it really exemplified my view, definitely shared by many today, that many religious authorities throughout history have made the religion more about themselves than Jesus, and that his message of social justice has been constantly misinterpreted.

A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn, since he didn’t sugarcoat American history at all, didn’t play favorites in terms of Presidents, really solidified my view that the U.S., its founders, its inception, its history, and all leaders and policies past and present are just as subject to criticism, judgement, and review as in every other country in the world, and gave credence to the quote “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.”

Civil War Commentary

Posted on by Remy St. Gallen

It somewhat annoys me that inconvenient facts about America’s racial history are buried during debates about the War Between the States, though then again, hardcore American patriots and those who defend the Confederacy tend to be one and the same, so in some respects I’m actually not surprised.