Philosophical Ramblings, 7/2/2023

Since I reject Jeffersonian philosophy. I bet most Americans haven’t actually read the Declaration of Independence in its entirety, and I’m sure Lincoln didn’t either in his famous Gettysburg Address, given some of the rhetoric one will encounter in the section detailing the offenses allegedly committed by King George III, and it was pretty much a hypocritical propaganda piece, with the Founding Fathers generally being men of privilege seeking to protect their own wealth rather than everymen, so one could argue that America was essentially founded upon hypocrisy and the lie that “all men are created equal” (if that were so, everyone would be of equal class and ability).

I also somewhat think the document to be sacrilegious in that it invoked the name of the Creator then didn’t didn’t extend the “rights” to everyone like the “merciless Indian savages” it condemned, although from one of my English classes in high school I know Thomas Jefferson had condemned slavery in previous drafts, which to be showed that slaves were actually held in somewhat higher regard than the Native Americans, since they did contribute to the American economy, even if forcibly so. I further think statements of the American Revolutionaries like “No King but Jesus!” were blasphemous since the Bible says Christ is “King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Master of Masters.”

I think generally the main reason none of this comes up in discussions about United States history, particularly the Southern Independence War, is that the looney American patriots and those who defend the Confederacy tend to paradoxically be one and the same, and vice versa. I actually think the Thirteen Colonies would have been better off staying with Britain, since it would become a more peaceable country within the following century, given the establishment of Canada as a Dominion, and I imagine that today, Texas would either still be independent or a Canadian Province, and endless resources wouldn’t have been squandered in the name of America extending its own imperialist foot across the world.

Since it’s Sunday, I’ll also mention that Sigmund Freud had said the invisible commandment of all religions is “thou shalt not question,” though I think that could really apply to many subjects such as politics, science, and journalism, but in some cases people only selectively question points of conflict, instead of all. In the entertainment industry, as well, there are many books, movies, and video games that are treated as untouchable, regardless of whatever flaws they may actually have, and those who dare question their hypothetical infallibility fall victim to their countless apologists. As far as media goes, their quality, good or bad, is in my mind strictly a point of view rather than fact.