Posts Tagged ‘history’

Today, I finally got to see the Spanish film, “Agora” about Hypatia of Alexandria. The 4th century philosopher and teacher of mathematics is often called a pagan martyr, because she was murdered by a Christian mob and her body was dragged through the streets of the city. I knew Hypatia’s story already. Yet, so forewarned and forearmed…still the movie made me weep. It was beautiful and terrible. It was a history the Christian world would like to forget; for while they happily recall their own martyrdoms, they don’t like to admit they themselves martyred others.

I flinched when offal was thrown at a statue of Athena in the agora.

I began to struggle to keep from sobbing when pagans decided to take swords and avenge the insults to the Roman, Greek, and Egyptian gods being offered by Christian mobs.

I began to sob when the Christian emperor in Rome said the pagan “insurgents” who began the murderous brawl would keep their lives, but he directed that they clear out of the temple sector housing the famous library and gave the Christian mobs free rein there. The burned the scrolls and destroyed the place, making it a barn for livestock.

I cried again when they stoned Jews, and when the Jews attacked some of them back—history clearly tells how that went; Alexandria witnessed the first Christian pograms against Jews.

And of course, at last, Hypatia was (in this version) preached down about from the bishop’s pulpit as violating the “word of God” from the mouth of the very misogynistic St. Paul—for teaching and not keeping silent, and for going freely about the city. And she was murdered, with a story-line bit of mercy that I am sure life did not afford to her.

I will likely sob every time I think of this; largely for the reason that so few Americans will be able to see this film. So far as I know, no major theater chain is showing it. Americans could use seeing that it is not only the Islamic world that can go murderously mad on religion. Every time some American intones “Just use the Bomb…make Iraq/Iran/Afghanistan a glass parking lot.” they prove that all people can be maddened in such fashion. When the DVD is available, yes, I will buy it. But I may never have the heart to watch it again. The movie brought to mind my Voltaire quoting bumper sticker:

“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”

And another from an American Nobel prize winner:

“Religion is an insult to human dignity.
With or without it, you’d have good people doing good things and evil people doing bad things,
but for good people to do bad things, it takes religion.”
Steven Weinberg

A European friend wrote to me today. He was distressed at a missive received from another American friend. He wanted me to make sure his reality check wasn’t bouncing. The subject of the letter was the alleged horror being perpetrated upon America in the form of a postage stamp with Arabic writing upon it. Oh, the horror!

The large font, bright red print letter he received pronounced this a “slap in the face” of every American, because Muslims had bombed the USS Cole, the Marine barracks in Lebanon, the World Trade Towers, and Flight 103 and our embassies in Africa. So of course, anything that has ANY Islamic context should be banned from all American life, right? He had some things to say about sanitizing American life of any and everything connected to everyone who ever pissed us off or engaged in war with our nation.

I found merit and give you a slightly edited version of his sarcastic and biting comments, with my own additional bits in parens: (Now, remember, this is the Sarcastic Twilight Zone taking over the computer screen)

“What, do we hate all muslims now?

I can almost understand this persons somewhat twisted idea but
sure hope they aren’t pissed that I received it on a Japanese computer which i am using to reload my Japanese MP3 player. I guess this means big changes in USA all patriotic Americans are trashing their Japanese electronics (CAUse OMG Pearl Harbor!!)

And the car dealers … I sure hope the Toyota, Honda and Benz, Volkswagon dealers can survive making the switch to Fords and Chevys!
Let’s not forget World War II!!

(And fuck Hyundai, Daiwu and Kia…because OMG…the Korean War!!)

And fuck Taco Bell … remember the Alamo!!!

And what’s say we do another tea party in Boston Harbor ..those Brits are getting a bit uppity again. (Not to mention those damned Indian tea growers are chummy with the Russians…OMG!! Eleventy one!! And tea drinking originated in China!! Communism in a cup, by Gawd!)

And isn’t it about time we send some more small pox infested blankets to those damn Injun casinos? Fuckin savages, taking our money when we don’t know when to quit? (Hey, being part Indian, I find this humorously vengeful, but that’s just me.)

And those Vietnamese restaurants gotta go–cause man, remember Saigon!

Don’t even get me started on the fuckin’ French with their Injun buddies … and the god damn Canadians who helped them .. snail eating bastards with their faggy poodle dogs. ( Don’t forget the French and Indian War!)

And boycott Amsterdam and Dutch Masters shit cigars … they started the slave trade and look what that turned into…(oh, and don’t forget, those terrible Netherlanders have legalized pot AND prostitution!! OMG—imagine, errrm, wait, no DON’T, why are you dialing the airline’s number?!)

Lets not forget the bomber Tim McVeigh … that sound Scottish to me …. whats really in haggis, anyhow: American baby guts?

Worst of all are those damn Italians and their fascist ways … no more pasta or pizza for me … oh wait I’m Italian … ok, we’ll forgive them at least they got the Vatican ; with the former Hitler Youth pope who helps hide child molesters … fuck!!! (Cause yeah, centuries of THAT could screw up ANYone!)

The Spaniards now there’s a people to befriend … ahh shit, San Juan Hill ….sorry Teddy … my mistake …screw the Spanish too.

Surely there’s someone to not hate … ahhh yes the Irish, God bless the Irish; builders of the Empire State Building and Brooklyn Bridge, but oh shit … IRA terrorist freedom fighting bastards wanting to be free (like us) from the fuckin Brits. (Gods damn it, running out of folks to like here!)

There must be someone left … there’s the Welsh assuming we can forgive them for Tom Jones. nahhhhh fuck ‘em (But (sob!) I LIKE Tom Jones!)

And are we Northerners done being angry with the southern rebels or not? (They certainly don’t seem done being mad at us!)

Are we left with the Russians? They were buddies in WW2 (”glorious allies”, was the phrase, I believe) and Stalin did only slaughter millions of his own people—not us . BUT they like cold soup …that’s reason enough to hate them too; a terrorist ploy if ever i saw one–(My God the damage to the American stove makers…ARE there any American stove makers?!) And, oh wait…yeah that entire Cold War, “We will bury you” thing….that was not very damed friendly, Ivan. Fuck you, too!

(And stepping OUT of the Sarcasm Twilight Zone into the cold light of reason:)
.
On second thought I think a better opening question might be “what is blind irrational hatred by the few truly wacky American people doing to America?”

What happened to “land of the free and home of the brave”? Oh right, we gave up tons of freedoms to the government with the Patriot Act following 9-11. Have you also given up the dream of your Founding Fathers … who saw America as something far far greater then it has become?
What a sad day when I, from Europe, am forced to defend the American government and the saviour/president; elected just over a year ago by the same folks who are now seem pissed off at him and his “damn socialist health care for all.”

Is this a Bill O’Reilly thing? Ahhhh yes, Bill O’Reilly ..theres a reason to hate the Irish …spawners of the lunatic O’Reilly … fucking Paddy bastards!
now if you’ll excuse me I’m off to the pub … and no, I am not going to have a piss-in-a-bottle Budweiser.

Today is an anniversary of horror. It is the accepted date to recall the Great Calamity. It marks the memory of the intentional genocide of Armenian peoples by the rulers of the Ottoman Empire during and after World War I.

The Ottoman Empire, at this time, was often referred to as “the sick man of Europe” because it really didn’t quite have the power it once did and had to be nursed along to maintain strategic balances politically popular at the time. But sick or not, it had the wherewithal to destroy a people and modern Turkey still denies the action. (And yes, if you follow and read enough of the link, you will find out why millet is not on the menu today.) Only one notable Turkish voice was raised in defense of the Armenians’ rights, and Ahmed Riza was ignored.

Americans often think that genocide was strictly a German affair and practiced only against Jews, Gypsies and other peoples with no protective home nation. It is not a “German” affliction. It is the card played by hate and fear and governments free of checks and balances since history began. ALL are capable of it. Look to your leaders; who do they fear and hate and how would they deal with it if they felt unimpeded?

No, I can no longer read in German. And I do not have to; my favorite German magazine is available online and in English! I want to share the sort of articles that keep me checking back regularly:

Well, half the Catholic world is in a dither, and all the bad, bad birds have come home to roost at the Vatican, regardless how Pope Benedict’s staff proclaims his innocence. He didn’t even answer mail when he was a cardinal, if it had to do with pedophile priests—but playing Germanic “I know nothing!” is not working. Even Der Spiegel (The Mirror) is pointing accusing fingers. The Pope who had the power of canonical law and didn’t use it may now witness secular courts take the action he failed to take. Serves him right!

And under the category “pet misadventures”, again from Der Spiegel, the moral of the story is “Don’t own poisonous pets.” I feel rather sorry for the snake, myself!

Around this time of year, with the recall of the death and much talked about resurrection of Jesus Christ, there is a lot of talk about Heaven. As a pagan (and yes, even in my attempted Christian days) I’ve always found it odd how many Christians seem to have an absolute fear of death in spite of how often they assure me that Heaven is THE place to be. Right hand of God and all that, aside, every possible method to stave off death seems to be employed and even insisted upon. (Remember the Terry Schiavo case?) But finally, a German doctor is asking some of the same questions I have long held in my heart. Good questions, too! I, for one, certainly have to wish to be one of 5000 or so folks a year that medical advances “saves” from death only to sentence them to a persistent vegetative state!

And if the insistent doctors preserving lives without quality are not enough of the medical field for you? Read about medieval “miracles” of monkish medicine! I found the section on how to cause abortion fascinating in the extreme. “WHAT? ” you shout, “Monks were never abortionists!” But, oh, they were; for you see, Pope Benedict would like you not to know, but they hide history. Priests used to marry (for most of the 1st Catholic millennium); and abortion was only a hard and fast “no-no” since the 19th century.

If you have a teen who thinks history is boring, we have a cure for that now. History presented with graphic-novel like art and descriptions a bit more in the……errrrm, vernacular? Remember what it did for Italian literature when Dante wrote his “Comedy” in Italian instead of Latin? Yeah, kind of like that!

I am not so ancient as the lady whose story Obama told last night as he accepted his win.  But I have seen some things that destroyed the image my childhood reading had built….the image of the America Jefferson, Washington, and Adams envisioned and engendered.

I was born the year America oversaw the murder of a democratically elected prime minister in Iran…so we could put a puppet Shah on the throne.  I would not learn of that until doing high school research.

As a little girl, I huddled in a school stairwell in Germany, listening to frightened whispers around me and seeing my teacher with tears on her face.  There was a wall being built around Berlin…..and later, in those stairwells again because there were missiles in Cuba.

A bit older, I ran down another school hallway in Texas, weeping on my way to an early bus ride home.  President Kennedy was dead.  And on the television later, pictures of his newly widowed wife made people say “Oh, doesn’t she look sad.”  I recall looking at her in her blood-stained pink suit and thinking, “No, she looks mad.”  But that is when women didn’t get mad in public.

Not very much older, in Louisiana, I rode a schoolbus in torrential rain as a hurricane hit the coastline far away.  Beside us at a traffic light was an open pick-up truck full of black children my age.  I got laughed at when I indignantly asked why there were there getting wet.  That pickup truck, it seems, was their “separate but equal” schoolbus.  That is my first memory of deep personal shame that corroded me so totally I was literally sorry to exist.  I was eleven years old.

And then, more funerals.  Bobby Kennedy dead on a kitchen floor.  Martin Luther King shot down after being harrassed by the FBI instead of protected by them from racists and murderers.

The tearing, bleeding wound of Viet Nam, ripping my country apart.   The lies and deceptions of the Nixon years, as I joined the Army at the very end of the Viet Nam years….and the shock of looking over the Berlin Wall that had been built in my childhood.

Well, I got to see a man walk on the moon.  I got to see the Berlin Wall fall in shards and tangles of barbed wire. I hoped then for a new era to begin.  And those hopes shattered.

I got to see a disgraceful war bleeding America literally and financially while oil companies and mercenaries banked profits.  I got to see the Constitution ignored and ridiculed. I got to see questionable elections let stand.  I saw my country engage in and justify torture.

And now, now I have seen a black man elected President as America stumbles in exhaustion and disarray.  It is a leap of hope and faith in ourselves.  I am again proud that we can attempt to regain what we have always aspired to be —it has NOT been beat out of us.  I can die more peaceful than ever before in my life now….if such were demanded of me right now.

My soul feels a freedom it thought gone forever.  My heart sings again, the music of life is not dead!   We may have sunk low, we may have to crawl before we can again walk and run….but we are reborn!