The Ahistorical Bunch

A few days ago, I heard a commentator on a TV opinion show use the word ahistorical. She was referring to a specific group of Americans but also was in reference to others throughout the globe. The topic was a discussion about a recent statement by one of the presidential candidates who said that he would only be a dictator on day one to accomplish two specific goals, and then would stop. She thought the fact that he was cheered lustily by the in-person event attendees demonstrated people who were demonstrating their ahistorical perspective.

I have labelled three other post under the heading Perspective in the past, and thought it might be interesting to read them again. If you believe that as well, here are links to those posts. 

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-night-sky.html

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2016/08/luck-and-perspective.html

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2011/06/widening-perspective.html

There have been all kinds of warnings from various thinkers and social commentators on the dangers of not studying or attempting to understand history, the most well known, something to the effect that "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

When we heard that women's sad reference to what she perceived as people who were ignoring the danger of a dictator ruling our country, my wife and I almost simultaneously turned to each other in understanding of this commentator's lament, but also both blamed our education system for not instilling an interest in history.

Is it too late to alter the way history is taught from the boring memorization of people and dates in time about events that seem so long ago, to a deeper understanding of why those people and events were important, and how those people and events have influenced us today? 

Certainly, there is an ability question to address. Advanced concepts can not be taught to children that have not developed the ability to think critically and understand complex concepts. Still, so many children have already been turned off by history once they have that ability, that they only take a history course because it is mandatory, and value passing the class only so far as that it checks off a box that moves them closer to their degree. 

Does this mean that everyone should be a historian? Obviously not, but perhaps as is true with many people who spend their lives studying one particular subject, we should at least respect their opinion when they offer it. 

That is one of the biggest problems that I see in America today, the point of this post. There is a growing segment of people who have been told to distrust a variety of people who have spent their lives researching certain topics, especially in the sciences.

And, what is truly scary, is that much of that mistrust is being sewn by educated people who have realized that the average person doesn't always know where to turn for their information, or even what information they should seek. 

Manipulators, con men, political aspirants, and just plain power hungry individuals seem to have gained the upper hand in their ability to mislead and misinform. Worse, as I am fond of saying, they start with a kernel of truth so as to fool those without the time or ability to pursue its validity, and take it to a place that is beyond true.

I recently saw an article about some GOP party members who are upset about RNC Chairman Ronna McDaniel, and her inability to get out the vote for GOP candidates, citing their losses in 2018, 2020, 2022 (a much less red wave than expected) and even this past November in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the abortion question in Ohio. 

Well, when the leader of the party has spent the last 7 years telling voters that voting by mail is fraudulent and voting by machine is rigged, then how exactly is McDaniel supposed to encourage voting? Is there some fraud within our elections? Of course, voters are people, and people sometimes cheat. But is it rampant? No. Were there hundreds of thousands of fraudulent votes cast in 2020? No. Yet a certain losing candidate has taken a kernel of truth, there is some fraud in our election system, and convinced millions of Americans that our elections are rigged!

Casting doubt on our institutions, our elections, our justice system, the FBI, our scientists and other experts in their fields, is exactly how a dictator erodes confidence in the foundations of a country. Once no one can be trusted to fix our problems, the dictator has an open door to absolute power. 

Of course being ahistorical precludes understanding this playbook, but be assured, the tyrant knows it, front cover to back cover.