Is History Funny?

We have all heard the expression “history repeats itself.” And so we also know that human beings have a tendency to forget harmful and even wicked events. We bury them. And once we bury the history, do we forget it?

It struck me today that when Jerry Lewis died, people start talking about the film e made. Being a natural comedian, and being Jewish, he couldn’t reconcile the events of the Holocaust, so he tried to create film that made fun of it. So did Charlie Chaplin, not of the Holocaust, but of the rise of Hitler, and was and he also Jewish. Maybe Jerry was just smart enough to never show the film, because it would have offended so many of his fellow Jews. His being able to deal with it in a comic fashion, would’ve been anathema to others.

This also coincides with the Charlottesville racist protest of the removal of General Lee’s statue. And the horrific act of a young man from Ohio, plus all the other violence that occurred. So here we have the contrast of a symbol that has grown to represent racism, which is the Civil War, in the southern combatants.

With the fresh violence in our minds, we are struck with the horrors of war, the glorification of the provocateurs, the hate and the anger that was generated more than 100 years apart. Then should we remember this as history, or forget it as a violent, evil past.

Isn’t history always told by the Victor and not the vanquished?

So now we must consider what we’re going to forget. Should we tear down all the monuments in countries related to any war? Why should we glorify the dead fallen in the horrors of war? Should we remove all the stones from the cemeteries? Many of the wars in the world glorify the atrocities of one culture over another. Racism, sexism, colonialism and a whole lot of other isms, should we forget them by destroying the monuments to those times in history?

This really makes me consider any monuments that are designed to capture history. What else are they capturing? Are they also glorifying some wickedness?

So you comedians out there, don’t start making fun of the Charlottesville incident. It may only do your so good, but the rest of humanity is still deeply troubled by what they saw in Charlottesville.  Too some this is the precursor to another civil war in America, and that really is not comical.

It seems to me, that you really can’t make fun of historic events, while the people who suffered from them are still alive. That’s just wrong. You can go back and make fun of Caesar being slashed to death with knives, Napoleon being exiled, and other historic events just as long as everybody who was involved with them are dead. So take a tip from me comedians, start crack in the jokes, but focus on content that occurred before your grandparents were alive.

Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

 

School: Breeding Contempt of God

The government of the United States has at its core to enforce the constitution of the United States.  The problem is that the government reaches into the very homes of Americans because it (sort of ) enforces the practice of no religion in the schools.  The separation of church in state was about government, not education.  There is no more personal space in our lives than the education of our children.  The government has no right to educate our children, and they have no place in telling us what our children should believe.

The separation of church and state has been violated due to the governance of education in this country.  Teachers and children should not fear that they will be mistreated in any way when they practice religion.  Yet, teachers are in fear of losing their jobs for voicing religious opinions.  Kids are afraid to speak up about their beliefs for fear of lower grades.  This is especially relative when talking about the origins of the universe, a highly philosophical question, and one that most religions have dogma for.  Science cannot prove of disprove the existence of God nor can it define why life exists without becoming religious – for you have to have faith to stomach their answers to the “Why” question of life.

The public schools have become a breeding ground for contempt of religion, especially because of the humanist philosophical teaching in the sciences, where the origins of life are taught to have come from natural processes.  Even atheists contest the metaphysical theory of humanism that supports Darwinism.  To discuss a religious view-point on creation or anything that differs with the philosophy inherently embedded in Darwinism is to call scorn upon yourself from the scientific community.

Is time for our children to be equipped for the battle, clothed in anti-government slogans, and bearing the proclamations of the religious or atheist?  Wouldn’t it be better to have them openly discuss philosophy and religion openly?  Don’t most people want to know what the ages have produced as to why the universe exists or why humans have consciousness?  Isn’t it more disturbing that they are taught the answer to these questions in science, and told the science has no philosophical underpinnings?

Truth is that standing up for what you believe once was a cherished and honorable position.  What honor is there in cowardice?  People need to be encouraged to defy the government like Gandhi.  Kids must learn how to best survive an educational system that doesn’t teach truth.  Yet the tentacles of humanism reach all the way into the very heart of the academic world, with their pulpit being the lecterns of our great colleges and universities.

Student who defy the atheism of the “enlightened”  and the “educated” suffer when they stand up for their faiths and beliefs.  They are mocked in the classroom.  Their grades are deflated, and sometimes they are failed do to their beliefs, I hear this from students every year, so I tell them that letting the faculty know their beliefs is the most certain way to have lower grades.  Student especially should know not to write about religious and political beliefs.  You know you are in an oppressive religious organization when you can’t question the faith.

Some related articles

Removing Jesus from public life due to political reasons

Atheist argues against the philosophical foundation of evolution:

Wearing your beliefs on your shirt
“This is not about the T-shirt — it’s about our children and our grandchildren having the right of freedom of speech and religion,” he said. “That’s being taken away in our schools.”

If you want to buy your kids that shirt “Life is Wasted without Jesus.”

Removal of Jesus from public school

Communists removed prayer from public schools

Rights of school teachers:

Students suspended over religion:  didn’t want to wear tracker/mark of the beast

Stomping Jesus:

Teaching Religion in the Secular Classroom: Nothing to Fear