Life: This is a Peet's marble cake and a small latte.(week 6,41/365,jreyes)
Originally uploaded by jmoisesreyes
Marble cake and a small latte reading the last chapters of Zinn's classic history book "A people's history of the United States from 1492-present". I guess this was a reward for myself to be re-energized to finish the book. It is a big book. I haven't really read a good history book since probably high school. It is sort of depressing because chapter after chapter Zinn reminds you of the US elite's hegemonic interests. He reminds you of how the elites rule and exploit people of color, working class/poor white people, blacks, Native Americans, and women. Below is a quotation from Zinn's chapter on the American revolution.
"Here was the traditional device by which those in charge of any social order mobilize and discipline a recalcitrant population - offering the adventure and rewards of military service to get poor people to fight for a cause they may not see clearly as their own" (Zinn p.78)
You can essentially insert any US war/insurrection/conflict and Zinn's theorem still applies. Anyways, It is really a good read for anyone interested in the future of America. I remember a Filipino American history presentation by a professor named Rodel Rodis. And his presentation was entitled "No history, no self. Know history, know self." In a way, Zinn's book is re-energizing me to think in those lines again. We must know our history, to know ourselves.
1 comment:
Meaty ponderings to consume with a nice bit of cake and coffee. I saw Zinn once at MIT when I was in college, but still haven't read his book, only snippets here and there. My wife has though. I don't usually like to speak about this because most people don't want to take a deep look at history or themselves, but Zinn has questioned the official story around 9/11. From his endorsement of The New Pearl Harbor: "David Ray Griffin has done admirable and painstaking research in reviewing the mysteries surrounding the 9-11 attacks. It is the most persuasive argument I have seen for further investigation of the Bush administration's relationship to that historic and troubling event."
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