Sep 15, 2022·edited Sep 15, 2022Liked by Barry Brownstein
Brilliant piece!
1. George Santayana observed that not studying history can lead to repeating previously documented mistakes.
2. A cynic might add that history is written by winners & history's students will therefore inherit their mistakes or learn the wrong lessons.
3. A realist recognizes that ⅔rds of humanity is functionally illiterate and innumerate & therefore incapable of "learning." Therefore, psychopaths directing mass formation & crowd madness will inevitably lead to lemming cliffs.
Kempowski's observations are depressing, as they imply that the masses of humanity are not evil, nor necessarily incapable of thought, but are intellectually lazy, willing to affirm fealty to anyone who sounds confident and who claims to have the means to end whatever suffering people are experiencing, even when it's clearly not working.
There's no question that many Americans today are of a similar mindset, looking, as the Germans did, to government to take a strong hand and pretty much run their lives, especially in a time of real or perceived crisis. I think that perhaps America is not as hopeless as Germany was nearly a century ago, though: more Americans have a "Hell No!" attitude toward government overreach, and are willing to back the sentiment up with necessary force.
Brilliant piece!
1. George Santayana observed that not studying history can lead to repeating previously documented mistakes.
2. A cynic might add that history is written by winners & history's students will therefore inherit their mistakes or learn the wrong lessons.
3. A realist recognizes that ⅔rds of humanity is functionally illiterate and innumerate & therefore incapable of "learning." Therefore, psychopaths directing mass formation & crowd madness will inevitably lead to lemming cliffs.
Kempowski's observations are depressing, as they imply that the masses of humanity are not evil, nor necessarily incapable of thought, but are intellectually lazy, willing to affirm fealty to anyone who sounds confident and who claims to have the means to end whatever suffering people are experiencing, even when it's clearly not working.
There's no question that many Americans today are of a similar mindset, looking, as the Germans did, to government to take a strong hand and pretty much run their lives, especially in a time of real or perceived crisis. I think that perhaps America is not as hopeless as Germany was nearly a century ago, though: more Americans have a "Hell No!" attitude toward government overreach, and are willing to back the sentiment up with necessary force.