Khross wrote:
Aizle:
I read history books, including those that aren't kosher according to mainstream pedagogy? I read books written by people outside of the American cultural and socio-historical milieu? Lots of reasons why I have different opinions; lots of reasons why I hold to facts not supported by American mythology; none of which, however, change the deep seated desire for the Cherry Tree to be a reality; the 3 pennies to actually have happened; or Thomas Jefferson not to have had an ongoing affair with a slave girl.
But that's neither here nor there, as you continue to demonstrate the point I made before: even your vaunted adherence to individualism is a product of social conditioning. The notion that you think I must be special or unique or think myself outside the system belies that particular social value in your world view. And that reality opens up a whole other can of worms involving American Exceptionalism.
I actually specifically DON'T think that you're special or unique. I don't think most people are special or unique. However, you were presenting your questions in such a manner that lead one to believe that in fact you thought you were, because I was still misguided, but somehow you had had your eyes opened. Had you actually answered my question as to how your opinion changed, we could have cleared that up pages ago. It should be noted, it is my opinion that people by and large aren't unique so that is probably why I took offense to your comments. You have a tendency to come off as superior and condescending in your posts, and that regularly touches a nerve.
I will be the first to admit that I've never been a big fan of history. I usually find it boring. That said, I do make a point of trying to get information from a variety of sources, some of those outside of the whatever mainstream source. Additionally, I don't (as many here do) hold up our founding fathers and presidents up as some set of gods to be worshiped and fauned over. They were men, imperfect and flawed as each of us are. Some of them were terrible people, some of them were good people. Most of them were trying to do what they thought was right given the options they had for them at the time. All that said, I do like to get other peoples viewpoints on history as it helps me have a balanced view.
Of course you want to believe in the Cherry Tree, and all the other stories about the founding of our country. Those stories were specifically designed to be inspiring. I'm actually reminded of a couple of quotes. The first is from the movie Secondhand Lions.
Hub wrote:
Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil; and I want you to remember this, that love... true love never dies. You remember that, boy. You remember that. Doesn't matter if it's true or not. You see, a man should believe in those things, because those are the things worth believing in.
The second is from the forward of The White Stag, a childrens book about the legend of the founding of Hungary by Kate Seredy.
Kate Seredy wrote:
Those who want to hear the voice of pagan gods in wind and thunder, who want to see fairies dance in the moonlight, who can believe that faith can move mountains, can follow the thread on the pages of this book. It is a fragile thread; it cannot bear the weight of facts and dates.
But as we both know the reality of things is often different.
What is most unfortunate is that you seem to be reticent to share the "lots of reasons", and more specifically that everyone here is similarly reticent. It is understandable, however. The norm is that we **** on everyone's reasons for being different, for having a different world view. I'm as guilty of it as the next guy, although I am trying to be more concious about it. But in the end, it's only by both sharing and trying to understand the "lots of reasons" that we will ever break out of our myopic viewpoints.