[Archived] Ashamed

[Steve Moss]

I don't think religion is the driving force behind this conflict. In fact, I would actually say you'd characterise it better to say it was racially motivated.

Which is funny, as the Y chromosome of Jews and Palestinians are virtually indistinguishable. http://epiphenom.fieldofscience.com/2009/01/shared-genetic-heritage-of-jews-and.html

What I think we're seeing in Israel-Palestine is not a war of races, but the origin point of a war of cultures. The secular is embodied by Israel and the superstitious by the Palestinians. The conflict is world-wide and has been going on for many decades, perhaps longer (pre-WWII Germany). All nations are involved, under attack. But ground zero is Israel and Palestine.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I don't see how you can refer to Israel as secular, the Jewish religious fundamentalist nutcases are the tail that wags the dog in this conflict.

[thenodrog]

Which is funny, as the Y chromosome of Jews and Palestinians are virtually indistinguishable. http://epiphenom.fie...f-jews-and.html

Spoilsport Steve! Don't you know we like to scream 'RASCIST' at every possible opportunity on here.

[Amo]

Spoilsport Steve! Don't you know we like to scream 'RASCIST' at every possible opportunity on here.

Or even racist.

[old darwen blue]

^ Glad you retracted that.

The Bombing of Dresden was completely unnecessary. The unmitigated destruction of a defenceless city that killed tens of thousands of people, inc. German civilians, POWs & refugees. All in the name of terror... which never worked, it should be noted.

It's okay, though. Because we were the "good guys".

Yes we were the good guys.

Now don't be stupid and forget history and thank god that we had people around then to protect your freedom today, I despair, I really do..

[dave birch]

History is always written by the victors......

[Amo]

Yes we were the good guys.

Now don't be stupid and forget history and thank god that we had people around then to protect your freedom today, I despair, I really do..

If that's the myth you wish to believe.

As DB's quote implies, what we know as "history" is nothing but post-WW2 propaganda.

And who does that quote belong to, again?

[dave birch]

And who does that quote belong to, again?

“History is always written by the winners. When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books-books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe. As Napoleon once said, 'What is history, but a fable agreed upon?”

― Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code

and one attributed to Churchill:

"History is written by the victors ... There are a terrible lot of lies going about the world, and the worst of it is that half of them are true.”

another by Churchill:

“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it”

and here is a real good observation from Churchill:

“The whole history of the world is summed up in the fact that, when nations are strong, they are not always just, and when they wish to be just, they are no longer strong.”

[jim mk2]

The purpose of historical inquiry is not simply to present facts but to search for an interpretation of the past. Historians attempt to find patterns and establish meaning through the rigorous study of documents and artifacts left by people of other times and other places.

The study of history is vital to a liberal arts education. History is unique among the liberal arts in its emphasis on historical perspective and context. Historians insist that the past must be understood on its own terms; any historical phenomenon--an event, an idea, a law, or a dogma for example--must first be understood in its context, as part of a web of interrelated institutions, values, and beliefs that define a particular culture and era.

Among the liberal arts, history is the discipline most concerned with understanding change. Historians seek not only to explain historical causality--how and why change occurs within societies and cultures. They also try to account for the endurance of tradition, understand the complex interplay between continuity and change, and explain the origins, evolution, and decline of institutions and ideas.

History is also distinguished by its singularly broad scope. Virtually every subject has a history and can be analyzed and interpreted in historical perspective and context; the scope of historical inquiry is bound only by the quantity and quality of surviving documents and artifacts.

It is commonly acknowledged that an understanding of the past is fundamental to an understanding of the present.

The analysis and interpretation of history provide an essential context for evaluating contemporary institutions, politics, and cultures. Understanding the present configuration of society is not the only reason to study the past; history also provides unique insight into human nature and human civilization. By demanding that we see the world through the eyes of others, that we develop a sense of context and coherence while recognizing complexity and ambiguity, and that we confront the record not only of human achievement but also of human failure, cruelty, and barbarity, the study of history provides us with a richly-textured, substantive framework for understanding the human condition and grappling with moral questions and problems. History is essential to the traditional objectives of the liberal arts, the quest for wisdom and virtue.

There is another reason to study history: it's fun. History combines the excitement of exploration and discovery with the sense of reward born of successfully confronting and making sense of complex and challenging problems.

--Frank Luttmer, history professor, (1996)

[Mike E]

'Have you got the scrolls?'

'No, I always walk like this!'

-Morecambe and Wise.

[neekoy]

I just feel sorry for the poor Canaanite's, they got the short end of the stick in all this..........

All this rubbish will go down in history, another 1000 years time when we are all tied to a machine living a virtual world not being able to go outside due to heat and poisonous gasses we will still be fighting over ridiculous issues....

Hopefully a decent asteroid passes through our travels at the right time and pushes the big reset button.