Why is it important to learn history? It is a simple answer: Because it repeats itself. Right, that as been used so often no one believes it…despite the historical evidence proving its validity. But then again, most American’s can’t tell you what that historical evidence is because most American’s can’t tell you the significance of the fucking Haymarket, of Ludlow, or even what a wobblie is.
It’s a weeble, they wobble but they don’t fall down…right?
“The people, united, can never be defeated!”
Nope, doesn’t rhyme.
Personally, I’ve always been of the belief that a protest chant should rhyme. Or at least be funny.
Once, I attended a small protest to fight the wave of anti-Civil Rights legislation that Jim Oberweis was threatening to push through if he won his bid for election way back in 2000-yadda-yadda-yadda…the early naughts.
Old Jim was having a bake sale with words like “nigger,” on the sign & messages that suggested he would give the “Niggers” free baked goods because the government gives them everything for free.
Someone started chanting: “If we want good pastries we’ll go to a Swedish bakery!”
That didn’t rhyme either, but at least it was funny. If you are going to protest, you might as well protest everything, including the baked goods.
Racist Jim threw a punch at one of our ringleaders….since then he’s toned down his use of words like “Nigger.”
Why is it important to know your history? Because Jim Oberweis doesn’t openly use words like “Nigger” any longer & the media won’t bring up the sins of his past.
If you get used to learning about the past, you’re less likely to forget about certain candidates that lost elections because he went a little too far.
Today is the 6th of June and Obama is in Europe commemorating the beginning on the Nazi defeat. D-Day was an epic battle & key to winning WWII. History people, however, tend to agree that the end really happened between July 5th & the 16th of 1943.
The world doesn’t celebrate the battle where communism defeated fascism, does it? It doesn’t celebrate the day the far left defeated the far right.
Rep the stutter step & bomb a left upon the fascists!
Why don’t we celebrate that? Because some history people will agree that the Nazi’s lost to the Soviets but fascism ultimately won.
The German’s are there, with Obama, celebrating the defeat of the Nazi regime. That is not a shocker at all. The German’s are fucking awesome, they really are great people. Sure, my family might be a lot smaller because of them, but next to the Dutch, well, who doesn’t like the Germans?
Lots of people hate the Germans.
When you are the country that is giving the Euro its power, people are going to hate you. When you are the country that is holding the EU together, people are going to hate you. England won colonies all over the world, but when England & France & Spain were fighting one another over America & the rest of the world, Germany won control of Europe.
Europe hasn’t forgotten that.
The Germans are there celebrating their own defeat. If you know the German’s that not a surprise. The German’s are well aware of their history. They don’t shrink from it.
Unlike the Jews, the Germans take “Never Again” seriously, even if it would mean giving the Palestinians civil & political rights.
It’s not anti-Semitic. My Jewish father would be the first to point out that Zionists are fascists, not Jews.
Why is it important to know history?
Because the Germans are bending over backwards to assure the world they will Never Again take a part in a genocide.
While here in America we are openly racist again aren’t we? Are we?
When Obama has a Passover dinner with the head of Israel some people say that he is too Jewish & this is a Christian Nation. When Obama doesn’t support what Israel is doing to the Muslims the same people say he is abandoning out Jewish brothers.
That was anti-Semitic & pro-Zionism all in the same year wasn’t it?
Why is it important to learn history?
Because it helps you remember when you are being a hypocrite. Because if you get accustomed to paying attention to the past you might realize that the same people that have told you to hate Obama because he welcomed Jews into the White House are now telling you to hate Obama because he is turning his back on the Jews.
If you learn to pay attention to the past, you might remember what happened last week.
Meanwhile, here in America the left is saying that the right is acting oppressive & militantly against liberals because they cannot handle having a Black man as president.
Why is it important to learn history?
Because it might help you remember, that in the Republican administration directly before our first Black president, the right asked you to report anyone that spoke out against the War on Terror to the FBI & gave you a phone number that took you to Fox News while you reported them.
Because it might help you remember that H.R. 1955 would have made any speech that didn’t support George W. Bush an act of terrorism.
Because it might help you remember that the Republicans charged journalists that reported on anti-War protests with terrorism.
Because it might help you remember that they were acting this way BEFORE we had our first Black president in office. Because it might help you remember that his race is just a talking point & they held their views long before a Black man took the highest office in the land.
It is important to learn history because it is important to remember that just one presidential administration before Obama we took that first step towards fascism & it’s important to remember that because then we can realize that because if the right wins again, we can expect to take another step closer to Hitler’s Germany.
The Germans are aware of it, why aren’t we?
Why is it important to learn your history?
Because the far right TEA Party says that it is communist indoctrination. Because the far right Libertarian Party say that it is NWO indoctrination. Because the right wing GOP wants to close down public schools that are accountable to the people & open private schools that are not. Because the Libertarians want to close down schools in general & have the kids educated by Youtube videos hosted by Alex Jones.
Why is it important to learn your history?
Because people in America are saying that you shouldn’t.
Remember that saying:
“People that start with burning books end with burning bodies?”
That’s what is happening here in America, only we aren’t burning history books, we are banning history classes.
Most of the doctored videos that cost professors their jobs were taken in university history classrooms. Do you remember those videos? Probably not, they happened a few years ago & we in America have a hard time remembering what happened last week…you know, because we actively fight against remembering the past.
History is like a banned book & you are an American. As an American, when assholes in Florida ban 50 Shades of Gray you have an obligation to read it. Not because it is good, but because people are saying that you shouldn’t know what it says. When the Catholic Church bans Harry Potter, you have an obligation to read it, because people said you shouldn’t know what it says & because they are stellar books…even if you are an adult.
But in America we think we are rebelling when we actively piss on history because people in power tell us not to learn it.
That is not rebellion.
In America we think rebels are cool.
If you want to be rebellious, pick up that Rage Against the Machine drum beat & shout at the top of your lungs:
“Fuck you I won’t do what you tell me! Fuck you I won’t do what you tell me! Fuck you I won’t do what you tell me! Fuck you I won’t do what you tell me!”
Why is it important to learn history?
The bottom line is not necessarily because it repeats itself. It’s not necessarily because you can learn a lot from the past. It’s not because it helps you remember what happened last week. It’s not because it will give you clarity.
At the moment, the principal reason why you should learn history is because people are telling you not to. This is America, it is your job, it is your patriotic duty to learn about the things that people tell you not to learn.
It is important because history is speech & we put speech as #1 because knowledge is more powerful that gunpowder.
It is important because free speech is the only thing that is really black & white. It is the only thing that you are either with or against. You can’t support free speech & then say that the speech that offends you shouldn’t be spoken freely. That isn’t how free speech works. If you support it, you support your right to be offended by what other people say & you support their right to offend you. Period.
Why is it important to learn history?
Because people in power are telling us not to learn it. Because they are telling you not to learn it because it has power that threatens them. Because it gives you the power to ask serious questions.
Because questions are powerful things.
Because questions lead to ideas.
Because ideas are powerful things.
Because history gives you the knowledge you need to ask the questions that are a threat to power.
Because every rebellion started with a question.
Thirty With Parents 