I don't have time to talk about all things Palin. If you're up for some Googling, try "Palin CNN interview" and learn how McCain can get offended by newsanchors talking about real issues (and for a hilarious video of Palin's spokesperson making an ass of himself). Of course, there's also the arrests that are being made outside St. Paul because protestors have the gall to speak their minds.
But I'll focus on something else. My other blogger friends have already pointed out her "under god" faux pas. In short, when asked if she was offended by the phrase "under god" appearing in the Pledge of Allegiance, she replied "if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it's good enough for me." Dennis already blasted her for this historical inaccuracy. I won't talk about why this is so offensive or why "under god" shouldn't be in the Pledge of Allegiance. I'm sure I've talked about it before. What really worries me about this is that we have to explain why she's wrong. There's a significant portion of this country who actually think the founding fathers put "under god" in the pledge, or put "in god we trust" on our money, or that they were Christians. This begs the question: if enough people believe it, is it really lying?
I'm sure most of the people reading this blog have also read George Orwell's 1984. I know what you're thinking, I'm a crazy revolutionary who finds Orwell everywhere. Bear with me. For those who haven't read it, one of the central ideas is that the government can change facts. They can make you believe 2+2=5. Most importantly, they can change history. Not in the sense of the old adage "history is written by the winner;" the government can change historical facts just by saying "this is what we now believe." Reading the book, I had thought this was impossible. But it's actually happening. If enough people say the founding fathers were Christians, people start to believe it. People stop asking "is this really true?" We don't need history books anymore. We've changed history. We have new facts. The founding fathers were Christians. The Pilgrims came to America to escape religious persecution. We didn't slaughter millions of Native Americans. Christmas was always a national holiday. The United States did not escalate the Cold War, it was always the Soviet Union. Iraq has always had WMDs and there has always been a link between Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden. These were always true. No one has ever disputed that these were always true. These are facts, and we have always believed them.
And that really scares me.
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
2 comments:
I'd actually been thinking about this very topic the day before you posted this. When I came home and saw it, I didn't really have anything to add. I think that history is probably the one field of knowledge that is all to easily manipulated. The past is all too easily changed by an accepted misconception.
But when I was flipping through the channels looking for something to watch a few moments ago, I came across a familiar mask staring back at me, and happened to tune in at the exact moment that the man on screen said:
"Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth."
-V
Taken from the same monologue:
"How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror."
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