LINES OF THE DAY

". . . But the past does not exist independently from the present. Indeed, the past is only past because there is a present, just as I can point to something over there only because I am here. But nothing is inherently over there or here. In that sense, the past has no content. The past -- or more accurately, pastness -- is a position. Thus, in no way can we identify the past as past." p. 15

". . . But we may want to keep in mind that deeds and words are not as distinguishable as often we presume. History does not belong only to its narrators, professional or amateur. While some of us debate what history is or was, others take it into their own hands." p. 153

Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History (1995) by Michel-Rolph Trouillot

Saturday, August 29, 2009

The Weeks of Infamy -- 4th Anniversary of the Beginning

Up here we're on the edge of another tropical storm. Winds and humidity and periodically Big Rain Storms. It is impossible not remember what happened this day 4 years ago. And what can happen again. And will, without a doubt, in a country that can't bear to have a single payer health plan because it means somebody might possibly get something they don't deserve, and that would, you know, make this nation of obese couch potatoes weak sissies instead of manly strongies.
We had coffee this morning with a friend, an artist - dancer - actor, who is South African but lives in France. He has just bought an apartment in Paris, with the help of a bank loan. No problem for this fellow who makes far less a year than we do to get a loan to buy a nice place in Paris -- and it's not even as expensive as I thought it would be. He said, "It's so easy in Europe. I don't know how people live in this country. It's awful."

Remember, everything They tell you about other countries is lies, like everything They tell you about this country is lies.

1 comment:

K. said...

America's geographical isolation is -- like so many of our national traits -- its strength and its weakness. Sadly, what protects so many of us has also made us provincial and myopic.

Remember all of the cowardly French jokes at the onset of the Iraq war? The smallest hamlet in France likely has a memorial to its WW1 dead. Trenches bisected the country during that war, and French losses were appalling -- something like 50% of all mobilized French troops were killed or wounded. No wonder they were against the war, and no wonder most of Europe is pacifist.

Well, there's still the good fight...