History

[spatz]

I'm reading my history text for the quiz tomorrow, and I'm continually struck by the parallels between the early 20th century (the Gilded Age and WWI) and modern times. History really does repeat itself, though society has adapted to be sneaky and sugar-coated.

Twenty-second sound bites from smarmy politicians mask the same greed and industrial corruption that thrived during the days of Rockefeller and JP Morgan. Corporations escape strict legislation, despite enormous scandals. The US occupies a distant, populous nation, promising to leave once it creates a "stable government" (and how long did the Philippines take, again? and how many people died?) Poverty is ignored, education is neglected, immigrants are ostracized, and maybe I'm being too negative about this, but I'll be damned if I don't feel like women's rights are teetering on the edge.

The real thing that bothered me was the section on religious revivalism. Circa 1917, it was a reaction to Darwinism, changing times, and cultural upheaval. Now, it feels like we're in the midst of another revival, this time against Islam, homosexual rights, abortion, stem cell research, cloning, and other 'threats' to the religious right.

Have the United States changed as much as we think? How long will it take for us to really believe in what we say? We must be the largest bunch of hypocrites ever to elect an idiot to office.

ETA: Mmm, forgot about liberty cabbage (sauerkraut) and liberty sausage (hamburger).