Monday, June 5, 2017

Robert E. Lee, Revolution, and the Question of Historical Memory

 

Two weeks ago New Orleans removed its Robert E. Lee Monument, one of four that the city decided to take down. As well, Charlottesville, Virginia, currently finds itself in the midst of a rancorous debate over its Lee statue. All over the South and the nation moves are afoot to take down monuments, remove flags, hide any symbols that in any way honor or remind the present generation favorably of the Confederacy and the “lost cause.”

There has been much written about what the removals mean. How should we see these attempts to radically erase, uproot and alter portions of our history?

It goes without saying that each generation interprets the past—its past—to enhance, justify and confirm its view of itself. Certainly, the politically correct, cultural Marxist Left, which spearheads the effort to “cleanse” our society of Confederate symbolism, has erected its own set of symbols, totems, and myths to legitimize its present activities and its extreme revolutionary zeal. Thus, in the place of Lee, Jefferson Davis, and Stonewall Jackson, we witness the rising cults of Nat Turner, Harriet Jacobs, “the Secret Six” abolitionists, and the rehabilitation and virtual canonization of the bloodthirsty fanatic, John “Pottawatomie” Brown.  In the America of 2017 we have a whole new set of martyrs and saints, whose message is carefully massaged and congealed, and then presented as models for us and for our children. And there can be no dissent from this new imposed vision.

10 comments:

  1. There is nothing in the Torah against slavery. It is perfectly legitimate. However slaves do have to be treated properly. therefore the War against the South was not justified. In fact as a rule I think black people were living a lot better under slavery than afterwards when their entire family structure disintegrated and now they spend their time in either negative actives or neutral ones. But do not contribute anything.

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  2. I just don't understand why veterans groups are not up in arms over this. Every one of these monuments honors a United States military veteran. These are not simply confederate solders, but United States solders. Where is the outrage from our veteran community?

    Badger

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    1. Badger, that is an excellent point. It seems they are AWOL. Have our "heroes" turned into pussies and wimps? Just like the spineless Brits, being called a racist is now a fate worse than death. If picking who gets to be a brother-in-arms is now a matter of political correctness then the term has no honor to it. A confederate soldier was and is still an AMERICAN veteran. To dishonor him is to dishonor ALL veterans. Period. Full stop. What you think of him or what he fought for does not matter. Agree or disagree, not the point. The evil cultural Marxists as a matter of habit will ignore or with mal-intent omit the first hand accounts of why the Southern AMERICAN soldier fought the war and why.
      I, NewVegasBadger, in the spirit of Thomas Jefferson do, on the alter of Almighty God, declare eternal hostility to all cultural Marxists and Muslims who seek to impose their so called religion on me.

      Here is a very politically incorrect thought: whereas slavery is and was an evil institution (Are we ALL in agreement on that?), could it be that the average slave, as much as it sucked to him, on a Southern plantation back then, actually had it better than many blacks living in our inner cities today? Incendiary? Yes. It was safer on a plantation than it was on the streets of south side Chicago this past Memorial Day weekend. A black child born on a plantation was more likely to be born into a two parent family than 70% plus black children today. Having a real father does make a huge difference in a child's life. I am from the old school where the most fear inducing words were; "Just wait till your father gets home!" And there were social/moral standards that applied to every one regardless. Now, I am NOT saying that there was some golden age way back when. From all the stats I have read, pictures I have seen, especially of such places as Detroit MI, many blacks today are worse off than in the past. Again, I have to state, I am NOT defending the institution of slavery.

      To all veteran organizations: Defend your fellow veteran! To attack one veteran is to attack them all. If you will not defend the Confederate veteran, then who and why, will defend YOU when you and your cause is deemed to be politically incorrect?
      -MSG NewVegasBadger (Ret)-

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    2. Excellent and thanks. https://freenorthcarolina.blogspot.com/2017/06/are-confederate-soldiers-american.html

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    3. Anyway Robert E Lee was always considered an American hero by everyone. I was born and raised in CA, so I should know. I have no idea when this changed

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  3. What is Truth? There are two world views. One believes in a concept called object truth. History is in part truth. History is studied as means to learn and give honor to the past, thus gaining knowledge and wisdom. Monuments are built to remember those deeds and lives worth giving honor to and to show in our own time the heroic and the noble are worth striving for.
    The other side does not believe in object truth. Truth is a matter that is subjective. For the cultural Marxist, history is to be shaped by the current "narrative". The past is not worth studying since there is nothing it can teach those living. The idea of great men, is an anathema to those who set themselves up as an elite, who will lead the masses to their idea of social utopia. It also suggests there is a standard by which you can measure yourself against. If the general public is ignorant of its past, then the past can be rewritten to say what ever the elite say it says. Monuments to, and memory of Robert E. Lee must to taken down. He is a threat and a rebuke to the small, shallow Marxist bullies that seek to dominate others. Knowledge of the Confederacy raises too many questions that challenge the authority of the cultural Marxists. They demand absolute orthodoxy to their world view. People who are ignorant (or lied to) of their past are more easy to manipulate and control. They want absolute power. That is how we should see these attempts to radically erase, uproot and alter portions of our history. The only good cultural Marxist is a dead cultural Marxist.

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    1. He is a threat and a rebuke to the small, shallow Marxist bullies that seek to dominate others. Knowledge of the Confederacy raises too many questions that challenge the authority of the cultural Marxists.

      Absolutely.

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