As Wayne O’Leary’s “Another Woke Travesty” [2/1/22 TPP] points out, the true travesties of this movement are its narrowness of focus and simplistic logic. If slavery is evil, and Thomas Jefferson owned slaves, then he was evil. Put the statue in the closet.
History must be studied in the context of its times. Dutch and British companies ran the slave trade, to provide the labor that enabled the colonies to produce the cotton, rice, sugar and tobacco that Europe had come to love and demand. Slavery was a major link in that supply chain.
But no study of critical race theory is complete without the awareness of the politics of Reconstruction. Eric Foner’s “Reconstruction” America’s Unfinished Revolution” should be required reading for any CRT curriculum. Having freed the slaves, the US government didn’t seem to know what to do with them, although Army garrisons likely hired some here and there. White immigrants up north feared losing their jobs to them; New York City had already experienced racial violence. Rudimentary education was offered, provided the freedmen built their own schools. White teachers from the North were often unable to cope with Southern climate and diet. Black teachers were all but nonexistent.
Before long, the administration of weakling Andrew Johnson allowed power to flow back to unrepentant Confederates. Presidential pardons could be obtained by writing a letter requesting one, even for crimes against the Union. Land titles held by freedmen were nullified. the Freedmen’s Bureau was defunded. Federal civil rights bills were stalled in Congressional committees and debates, into the 1870s.
By 1877, Southern states were considered to be “Redeemed” and had their Constitutional states’ rights restored. The Army packed up and left. Hardcore Redeemer states then repealed equality statutes and replaced them with Jim Crow. And so on, to the present day.
LIke all propagandists, wokers love extremes. Rather than confront the corrupt aftermath of the end of slavery, wokers want to skip backward, to the beginnings. It’s interesting that Jefferson’s criticism of the slave trade in the Declaration of Independence was lobbied out by — wait for it — Georgia and Carolina. Some things never change.
BETTY CROWDER, Honeydew, Calif.
I listened to letter writer Cheryl Lovely’s advice [in “Senate needs more deliberation, less filibustration”(Letters, 3/15/22 TPP) and read Proverbs 14-16. In those three short chapters I found the word “Yahweh” 25 times.
Although not all TPP readers are devotees of Judaism or Christianity, I’m sure they know that Yahweh is also known as “Lord,” and they respect his followers’ beliefs, even if they are of no consequence to them.
Yes, I (and many others, I’m sure), find much to learn in the Bible ... but I don’t see the Judeo-Christian belief system as being exclusive in wisdom. For example, it is written in Proverbs 14:20:
“Mastery of temper is high proof of intelligence.
A quick temper makes folly worse than ever.”
Well, I trust Ms. Lovely and other Christians don’t surmise that all non-Christians are ill-tempered.
Another example from Proverbs 14:16:
“The wise fears evil and avoids it, the fool is insolent and conceited.”
Can anyone name a religion or a civilization, ancient or modern, that survived for long by promoting evil? And sycophants have always praised those who are insolent and conceited fools – but only if they have something to gain.
In short, not only sacred texts from other religions, but world philosophies can also lead us in the path of righteousness without having to adhere to a particular faith, or even believe in the supernatural.
DAVID QUINTERO, Monrovia, Calif.
Since President Wilson’s time, the world has shown interest in a world organization (League of Nations), that could ensure lasting world peace and resolve thorny international problems. That first effort failed. Later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt supported the creation of a United Nations (UN) – which happened. Unfortunately, the UN lacks the power to control recalcitrant nations, so, yet another effort is required.
I propose a “United World” organization with enough power (short of military action) to control aggressor nations like Russia, that recently ‘stole’ Crimea from Ukraine and is now ‘eyeing’ other adjacent territory. This United World would have the power to coerce rogue nations like Russia to follow certain rules – yet to be determined. Such coercive actions might include: cutting off all international travel into and out of the country, cutting off all international banking services, freezing all of its foreign bank accounts, cutting off cyber-internet communications, cutting off all diplomatic relations – except those with the United World organization and cutting off all radio and television broadcasts into the country – other than news – for starters!
No matter how powerful – militarily or economically – or, how large – in area or population - no country could long function once declared a pariah and subjected to such ‘inconveniences” by some powerful majority of the world’s nations. The world must soon come together in a way that it can address the serious, dangerous threats to its existence – like climate change, pandemics and imperialism. Our world needs help! This new approach might work, or not, but something has to happen soon, if mankind is to survive and flourish.
R. AMOS, Severn, Md.
When Chicken Little cried, “The sky is falling,” we didn’t think someday we would be a little too chicken to cry “The Earth is imploding.”
We became so indifferent about home, sweet home that we scattered garbage across our oceanic pools, left the fridge open and melted the permafrost, let the tub overflow, wiping out whole towns and carelessly tossed the still-burning match, reducing everything to ashes.
We spend millions on medicine cabinet unpronounceables hoping to offset poison air ailments as new tenants come and go, ignoring the “Do Not’ signs.
No wonder we’ll be jumping spaceship to the nearest planet. It’s easier than cleaning house.
FLORA ORMSBY SMITH, Marblehead, Mass.
From The Progressive Populist, April 1, 2022
Blog | Current Issue | Back Issues | Essays | Links
About the Progressive Populist | How to Subscribe | How to Contact Us