#652 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Friday May 5)
Good morning,
At some time in our lives, we all had a teacher that we remember. Whether it was strictly what was taught in the classroom, or their perspective on the then-current events, or their general demeanor and attitude. If one is particularly lucky, as I have been, there are several examples of educators that helped shape our learning, our world view and our lives. One such teacher for me was Doyce Nunis, a professor of history.
Doyce’s classes were highly sought after. His lectures were as much performance as substance. He strode to the front of the room, sat behind a small table and pulled from his pocket a 3x5 index card. Whatever few notes were on a single side of the card. It was all he needed for the hour and a half lecture to follow.
THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN WEST
I took as many of Professor Nunis’s classes as I could. One that was highly popular was “The History of the American West.” On the first day of class, he announced, “if you came here for stories of cowboys and Indians, I happily will assist in your transfer to another class.”
After a short pause, he continued, “Some people will tell you stories of the ‘noble savage.’ I’m here to tell you that there was no such thing.” He continued, “Some will tell you that the white men civilized the American west. That’s also rubbish.”
After these two introductory proclamations, he made clear that the history of the west was the story of multiple peoples and various noteworthy individuals thrown together by fate. No group was particularly noble. Both wanted to occupy the same land. Neither group had the absolute right to occupy the land, to the exclusion of the other. What transpired in the clash of these civilizations was tragic and barbaric. And the barbarism extended throughout each society. Man, he said, is self-interested and often cruel. Man doesn’t react well to “the other.” The American west was merely the location and the time frame of the class—but the story was universal.
What we forget is that the American Indians (or the Native Americans) are not a singular civilization, but a rich palette of different cultures. They lived, they built, they grew and they fought. Then along came the Europeans. The story had its positives but, sadly, was overwhelmingly one of intolerance, war, death, and humiliation. Much like most other human societies when confronted by another…
THE AUTO IN AUTOCRAT…
Tom Joscelyn, former counter-terrorism advisor to Rudy Giuliani, told The Atlantic Trump “puts the auto in autocrat,” stating that he sublimates everything to his personal needs, including his party.
The base is being led through the repetitive drumbeat of misinformation. The party is being led by fear of alienating the base. In the meantime, the anti-democratic, authoritarian instincts of the far-right are fueled and we all are at risk.
A FEW GREAT BOOKS
French Exit, by Patrick deWitt. This was recommended by the amazing folks at Book Soup. Take a cranky Upper East Side dowager, add in her dog Frank, whom she believes carries the soul of her departed husband Frank, and add in her spoiled, self-indulgent dilettante of a son; then bring them to near-destitution. They then make a “French exit” (i.e., a quick getaway) to Paris, where they encounter another set of crazy people. This is a quick and delightful read.
Warlight, by Michael Ondaatje (the author of The English Patient). The parents of two kids in London near the end of World War II move to Singapore. They are deposited by their parents in the care of their boarder and an apparent scalawag (in the vein of Fagin), nicknamed “The Moth.” They meet a number of interesting characters through the Moth, including “The Darter,” a man in a questionable import business. The kids have suspicions about the involvements of their parents and friends in the war effort and the plot shifts to them in adulthood, trying to understand their past and who their parents were and shedding light on their extraordinary story.
The Library Book, by Susan Orlean. Besides winning the Scripter Award from the USC Libraries, https://libraries.usc.edu/scripter/scripter-2020, and one of the New York Times Books of the Year, this is a love letter to libraries and librarians everywhere. Using its jumping off point as the 1986 fire in the Los Angeles Central Library. The book goes into subjects like arsonists, how fire investigations are conducted, the central place libraries play in people’s intellectual and physical lives, censorship, the history of librarians in Los Angeles, and more.
Have a great day,
Glenn
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