The 1776 Report

[@KingsandGenerals]

If "1776 report" is so good, why is there no "1777 report"?

[@righteyeblind23666]

if the 1776 report is good, why is there no "1776, the 1619 strikes back"

[@AllMustJump]

We need a “Fallout 76 report”.

[@gga2344]

Nice

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Need a 1778 report with that too.

[@jameswilley6722]

I see you both here and on many a true nerd’s channel and I can’t help but wonder if the Venn diagram of our KZbin subscriptions is just a circle

[@Ogoner]

As a student studying for a degree in history I find it incredibly validating that the highest office of American government produces worse work than I do

[@sharkofjoy]

Well I feel like the purple hearts, everything from this era needs a dagger in the margin.

[@elvellarambles9151]

1) I’m positive you do great work and you should have confidence in it 2) ‘highest office of American government’ when Trump was holding that office at the time ... is not a very high bar

[@onemadhungrynomad]

lol only under trump tho, but still yeah i think a grade schooler could do better work.

[@mariussielcken]

The work is very good propaganda.

[@sd8313]

LilBabushka is that you

[@rowandoyle7]

MLK gets the same treatment as Jesus of Nazareth from conservatives; useful as a symbol, but their actual words get completely ignored.

[@woaddragon]

Good point

[@stone-hand]

Well, in the end, they both were eversive political leaders trying to make trouble for their legitimate governments, good with words but ultimately unconscionable for any true conservative.

[@srslydoatm9251]

🤔

[@TheReaverOfDarkness]

“Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

[@googlefashists4986]

Bollocks, If mlk was around today he would be called an uncle tom by the idiot leftists. And I would say what you know about Jesus could be written on a stamp.

[@heathercalun4919]

"What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?" is one of the greatest middle-fingers of a speech in American history.

[@cremetangerine82]

Right? I want it tattooed on my back!

[@heathercalun4919]

@@cremetangerine82 That's a lot of ink. Hope you aren't saving room for any other speech!

[@cremetangerine82]

@@heathercalun4919 I’m fat, so I have a lot of back space!

[@heathercalun4919]

@@cremetangerine82 I guess if you lose weight, it will become the abridged version.

[@cremetangerine82]

@@heathercalun4919 Ha!

[@rolfs2165]

One group of Founding Fathers: "We want to abolish slavery." The other group of Founding Fathers: "We want to keep slavery." So they compromised, kept slavery and protected it against abolishing. _That's not a fucking compromise!_

[@whichcache2517]

I think what they meant (assuming they've thought this far) is that slavery was something that wasn't negotiable back then because if they tried to abolish it, they would fail at unifying the colonies into a single nation (this was back when each colony had different currencies). I'm not saying they shouldn't have tried, though.

[@BenGrem917]

@@whichcache2517 Many of them owned and made a great deal of profit from slaves. Jefferson once spoke of what the greatest profit from slavery is. It's selling children. New slaves. They make you the biggest mint. Therein the founding fathers, some, forcefully bred human beings and kidnapped their children to be sold off and forever estranged from their families just for that sweet, sweet pocket change. I don't think the political will was in favor of abolition in those discussions, not remotely. Our 'greatest general' had a plantation. Most the men of import and wealth owned at least one slave. The Vermonters wouldn't even deign to join the US, they thought it such a greedy and tyrannical nation. It wasn't until they had no choice that Vermont consented to join the US, nearly a decade after the US was founded!

[@kaiserproductions1278]

No, it was a compromise. The pro-slavery wanted to expand slavery which was outright denyed.

[@Moonninja420]

It was a state by state thing...

[@Philbert-s2c]

@@kaiserproductions1278 Except that it wasn't. Slavery continued to expand into new states until it became clear that the Northern dominated House of Representatives wasn't going to put up with it anymore. Hence the South trying to leave the Union.

[@michaelfraser1073]

No bibliography and no citations. That's how you know it's a good piece of well-reaserched historical writing.

[@ClaudiaNW]

Who needs facts and evidence when you have vibes? What matters is whether it *feels* true.

[@Sorrelhas]

@@ClaudiaNW The Virgin "The evidence suggests", "My sources imply" VS The Chad "I think", "I know a guy from volleyball practice that said this"

[@metalDCM8]

Like wtf, I even reference my sources on KZbin

[@iexist1300]

I think whoever wrote the report probably needs to go back to 3rd grade.

[@KingBobXVI]

@@Sorrelhas - Don't forget the galaxy-brained, "lots of people are saying this".

[@LisaJane11709]

I just know some homeschool mom printed the entire document and is using it as her American History textbook I can feel it in my bones

[@chandler224]

Was homeschooled, can confirm some mom would use this.

[@Sound_Judgement]

They don’t need to; our public schools in the U.S. are almost as bad to be honest. Honestly, several of the smartest people I know were homeschooled, because they were able to avoid this kind of BS and get the kind of education they wanted/needed rather than be stuck with what was offered by our severely underfunded schools.

[@aztektheultimatewoman]

It’s a frightening thought.

[@Cool_Calm_Cam]

Homeschooling should be illegal tbqh. *EDIT:* I should absolutely clarify that I do not think homeschooling should be banned *right now,* but once a robust, equitable, easily accessible public school system were made available to every child. As in, once we stop tying public school funding to property taxes for some godforsaken reason, at least here in the U.S.A.

[@chandler224]

@@Cool_Calm_Cam As much as I dislike homeschooling, I disagree. I got the best education possible, since my rural school district is terrible and my parents couldn't afford private schools. I do agree that there needs to be more regulation and oversight though, like a lot more.

[@JeremyCoatney]

“I’m not sure what we can learn from that apart from the fact that the 1619 Project is clearly occupying space in what we can charitably refer to as President’s mind.” Really made me laugh

[@origrammar]

Shaun truly is one of the most legendary creators of low-key burns in YT history.

[@L0LWTF1337]

"The other thing that I want you to understand is this: It didn’t cost the Nation ONE PENNY to integrate lunch counters . It didn’t cost the nation ONE PENNY to guarantee the right to vote. Now we are dealing with issues that cannot be solved without the nation spending BILLIONS & undergoing a RADICAL REDISTRIBUTION OF ECONOMIC POWER." - Martin Luther King one month before he was assassinated.

[@jasondaveries9716]

MLK is the opposite of all the other figures you're taught to venerate in middle school. Most of them, the more you learn the more flawed and bad they seem, but with him the more you learn about his beliefs the better he seems

[@LisaBeergutHolst]

Rather convenient of the 1776 project to extol MLK's supposed "colorblind" activism while omitting that he was killed for it.

[@RedXlV]

Also, that very quote of MLK that the 1776 report cites, in which he says the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were a promissory note of liberty for all Americans? In the very next line, he pointed out that America had defaulted on that promise.

[@BenGrem917]

It's a damn good speech, 'A Time to Break Silence'. It moved me when I first heard it. Fire.

[@snapgab]

@@LisaBeergutHolst they even have the gall to pretend like everyone agreed with MLK...

[@davidthewhale7556]

I love the head cannon that Shaun is a random skull with glasses in an autumnal forest that gives lectures to people passing by

[@srslydoatm9251]

Skull of Wisdom?

[@peterprime2140]

Vengarl from Dark Souls 2? Hbomb would be proud.

[@Eudaletism]

Someone call the SCP Foundation.

[@coronin8587]

That is so something I'm putting in a D&D campaign.

[@wanderinghistorian]

@@coronin8587 A mimir.

[@TheIntenseLime]

Imagine enforcing an entire education curriculum with the intention of purposely painting a specific narrative of history, and then turning around and saying "facts don't care about your feelings".

[@sneer0101]

They're indoctrinated from birth. The fact they make children pledge allegiance to a flag just shows how brainwashed they are.

[@this.is.spencer]

@@sneer0101 hey that's my indoctrination you're talking about >:( not wrong tho

[@FlexingtonSquare]

Love the name

[@grmpEqweer]

They're just not good faith actors.

[@UnfortunatelyTheHunger]

That's because they (wrongly) assume that the earlier something is taught in school (or more exactly, the earlier it was was taught to *them*), the more self-evident it must be. Modern science may have peer-reviewed papers on the bimodal distribution of sex characteristics, or on the complex inner workings of the human brain that actually vary more between two given individuals than between the averages of two demographics (say, between men & women, or europeans & africans), but conservatives have *eyes*. They see man, they see woman, and if you disagree with those perceptions, you must clearly be trying to brainwash them

[@sirjae6902]

Dang, the first time I heard Shaun say "or his first term in office if we live in the bad timeline" I chuckled, but after the 2024 election I'm just speechless... we do in fact live in the bad timeline.

[@alexwyatt2911]

Yeah, I actually winced when I heard him say that when I rewatched the video. Inauguration Day is on MLK Day. It feels like a hate crime.

[@philbecker6837]

I was going to comment this exact sentiment, glad I checked first, 100% agree

[@duxnihilo]

"Patriotic Education" is the kind of overt fascism that sends chills down my spine.

[@mizjulio]

I know, in my history degree we cross studied older textbooks throughout 1900s into 2010s, and it's barely improved from nationalistic lies and whitewashing, but still improved. It chilled me how the 1776 report wants to undo even the little progress made

[@TurtleChad1]

A Turtle doesn't approve of Patriotic Education

[@jorgealbertohernandezgutie7696]

@Aryan Nationalist They are not trying to talk about the greatness of the country, they are trying to hide the bad stuff. They are not saying "This country does not accept racism anymore and that's something great", they are acting like it never did

[@mr.goblin6039]

@Aryan Nationalist The 1776 Report isnt education; its propaganda, and lazily done one with not factual historical knowledge, credible or actual historians or experts involved, or even good or factual sources being used for it. I get that someone with a username like yours doesn’t give a shit, is only being a waste of air in the comments and is fine with in your face bullshit propaganda, but it has to be said.

[@minskghoul]

@@jorgealbertohernandezgutie7696 I hope you don't expect someone named 'Aryan Nationalist' to have an ability to actually listen to others.

[@voidify3]

The bit where he reads aloud a transcript of a trump interview and starts cracking up was gold. Like when you remove the fast-talking blind confidence with which trump rambles and repeats himself and throws sentence fragments around, when you just read the man's words aloud in a serious intonation, it cannot be anything but laughable

[@lotsofuwuenergy3983]

The best way I've illuminated friends and family irl on how it feels when they go in circles when telling stories has been showing them any random transcript from Trump's speeches. My favorite has been from one in a rally in PA *(warning, long as fuck babbling about nothing):* "A lot of our jobs are coming back now. They're coming back now. Speaking of jobs, I wanna thank the people that own this plant. You have a governor named Tom Wolf, I guess, Tom Wolf. This thing was set up just a few hours ago, that's why it's so incredible that people across the street, trying to get in. This was set up because your governor made it almost impossible for us to find any site. Normally we would have had an airport, we would've gotten in, we would have had a... I mean this is a really nice place. No, I want to thank the trucking company, they're great, they're supporters. Well, we just found it a little while ago because they were shut out. We had a deal, it was a deal, and they broke the deal... [continuous]."

[@allnaturalfigjam310]

@@lotsofuwuenergy3983 Freakin' word salad

[@ThrowAway-gu2lw]

@@lotsofuwuenergy3983 this hurt to read

[@ctographerm3285]

@@lotsofuwuenergy3983 he really has an amazing and terrific talent of turning the simplest English words into IQ-draining meaningless mouth noises just to fill the void.

[@krankarvolund7771]

Do you really need to read his words to see that? My family laughed at Trump's elocution and vocabulary when we heard one of his speech, and we're not even native english-speaker XD

[@AcolytesOfHorror]

they really did list "progressivism" and "identity politics" alongside "fascism" and "slavery" in that Challenges To America's Principles section. wow

[@geo-fry6372]

Yeah, that really disturbed me when it came out. This is one of the most blatant pieces of propaganda I've ever seen in this country.

[@peterprime2140]

You know what? I actually agree with them, progressivism and identity politics are antithetical to America's principles, almost like a centuries old document shouldn't stubbornly be the basis for a modern country.

[@georgecisneros5281]

As any reasonable (or in the case of Trump and his ilk, at least close to half reasonable) people should.😉

[@applecatnyango]

So instead of stealing and rebranding "progressivism" for themselves, American conservatives just indirectly admit that they are and have always been bunch of _regressives_ .

[@mattpaxton3528]

I'm honestly surprised they didn't list "empathy" as another challenge.

[@Valyssi]

I love how "progressivism" is listed as a major threat to American exceptionalism. Like, do they really think America became so exceptional by upholding the status quo? I mean, that is sort of true, it's how it's currently exceptional amongst Western nations, but that's not something to be proud of

[@chris-bacon205]

These conservatives are becoming extremely concerning. I first I thought calling them fascist was goofy and a little extreme. But now I have definitely get why! They hate everything progressive, they lump all media not loyal to the party as "cultural marxism".

[@cremetangerine82]

@@chris-bacon205 No, they’re fascists.

[@tyleraustria]

Roger lili

[@israelgroysman5040]

@@chris-bacon205 what else should you call communists

[@chris-bacon205]

@Israel Groysman yeah I don't know. I made this comment a year ago. My opinions on all this stuff have changed by alot.

[@LeafseasonMagbag]

My history teacher drilled into us that if learning your history makes you more “patriotic” then someone’s doing something wrong.

[@Lfppfs]

So damn true.

[@jasondaveries9716]

based history teacher? lucky

[@patnewbie2177]

Same. My city had a VIOLENT race riot in 1919, and my teacher would not let us forget that.

[@levvy3006]

Nationalism is the cause of both world wars.

[@TheGaboom]

Personally; I don't really know for sure if like this drill your teacher provided either. Though It may just be that I'm missing context, so I'll just try asking some questions I understand from this statement that learning your countries history should not make you more patriotic. I can currently see two ways to interpret this so I've categorized them _ ________ _ Should learning history make you less patriotic? ~ If so; is this rule universal regardless of the country of origin? ~ If it is not universal; then doesn't the selective nature indicate that the teacher was drilling their own negative outlook on the country? ~ And if the answer to the above was "Yes"; then isn't this the same threat of indoctrination that you see from propaganda? _ ________ _ Alternative interpretation; Learning your countries history should neither make you more nor less patriotic. ~ If learning history a country, does not change your outlook on the country; are you actually considering the implications of the history? ~ Is the answer to the above different depending on whether or not it is your own country? If not; why not?

[@johnchessant3012]

This is why it's so shameful that for a lot of people, MLK Jr. has been reduced to a broadly-agreeable, generic "racism is bad" figure, leaving out his strong and redistributionist views.

[@DieNibelungenliad]

"Racism is bad" Crowd cheers "Let's do something about it" Crowd: "hold up"

[@joshuajames6481]

He was a socialist

[@spinecho609]

literally happened the second he was dead. Alot of politicians had the foresight to attend his funeral, including ones who wanted him imprisoned for those views.

[@genieglasslamp5028]

He was literally a radical socialist. Seeing people say he would be a Republican in our time makes me want to swallow nails.

[@cooldude6651]

They're even trying to do it to Fred Hampton now, taking his "fight fire with water" quote and leaving out the part about socialism entirely.

[@plaguedoctorjamespainshe6009]

The quote from trump read in a straight voice just sounds like pressing the AutoCorrection over and over again

[@professionalbozo4396]

Oh ok I don’t think so they’re going on the top of ram on google maps for the first place and then they are just fine and then they are going on google maps to get a hold on the file and see how they can use them for a couple days so that you can get them to me and then I can get them to you get them off and I will look for them for you to see what they do need for them and then they are just going on the same time

[@gwenrees7594]

@@professionalbozo4396 Oh my god that actually does sound like orange man

[@FeralFelineFriend]

Sounds like something you'd expect from google translate.

[@mikester4896]

@@professionalbozo4396 Oh God, it hurts!

[@krautreport202]

Good day for me to get a chance to win a bit more than just a bit more than just a bit more than just a little bit more then I will be on your own business and I have a great day of my favorite things to do with your friends and family and friends. Oh god...

[@Mae_forrest]

This kind of propaganda is thoroughly insidious. I was raised in the Texas school system, which uncritically taught not only the virtues of the founders of Texas, but most glaringly, that the South was not the villains of the Civil War. WE fought in favor of states rights... but conveniently left out the right they fought for was slavery. It took until college for this grand reveal in my education. The whole system is riddled with this kind of thing. Thank you for this critical attention to American pedagogy, its sorely needed.

[@jameswickham4923]

This was genuinely and enthusiastically taught in my middle school in Texas and it took until high school for me to question it

[@気が読めない子]

I'm really curious what kind of states rights they are trying to protect even if it's true.

[@taylorgoldman130]

@@気が読めない子 my teacher would explain that it was the right to govern themselves and make their own tax laws.

[@funnyvalentinedidnothingwrong]

@@taylorgoldman130 my favorite part about the whole "The south fought for the right of states to govern themselves" is that it kinda falls apart when you consider the Fugitive Slave Act, which _forced_ Northern states to return escaped slaves regardless of their own slave laws.

[@SleepingLionsProductions]

This was not just pushed in southern schools. The same exact shit was taught to me in middle school... In California.

[@LisaBeergutHolst]

They're essentially putting forth a narrative of history that, to them, seems more politically correct. Oh, the irony.

[@theomegajuice8660]

It annoys me the term "political correctness" rarely gets used when talking about the stuff right-wingers do. Like advocate airbrushed "patriotic" narratives of history or insist on inserting "climate skeptics" into climate change discussions or getting instinctively outraged when someone describes something as racist/ homophobic even when it provably is etc.

[@euansmith3699]

Indeed, it is like trying to point out to people that, "Hating on Identity Politics, is a form of Identity Politics.", or that, "Claiming to be "apolitical" is a political stance." :(

[@neeneko]

@@theomegajuice8660 This is rooted in their idea of natural order. Something is 'politically correct' when they disagree with it, but 'correct' when they agree.

[@sharkofjoy]

It's the opposite of irony. Loudly shouting your opponent is doing what you yourself are currently engaged in doing on live television is a calculated, purposeful, planned form of disinformation. The effects still exist in the world: we know there is child sex trafficking. We will talk incessantly about saving the children, and then in the same breath defend known child molesters. It's not irony, it's the point.

[@kamijk]

@@theomegajuice8660 whenever I accuse someone of doing something racist or something I always include the disclaimer “I know it’s not politically correct to say this but...”

[@LC-sc3en]

I often think that true patriots love their country like a house that has been passed down through the generations. They love it because it is their home and there are good memories and things about it's character they love. But loving it means acknowledging that maybe your forefathers didn't build the best foundation and the foundation needs work for the house to stay standing. It means fixing the leak in the roof. It means spending money to address issues that you personally didn't cause because you want your children to be able to inherit the house too. Nationalists love their country like a bad parent loves a spoiled child and their own ego. Their child is the best and they won't hear a bad word about them. They won't address misbehavior nor even acknowledge it because to do so would reflect badly on themselves. Any report of the child's misdeeds are lies and definitely someone else's fault and they will fabricate evidence to make others believe it. The child doesn't learn or improve and goes on to treat their children the same way.

[@mr.goldfish1530]

Then again, in a house like the US, the foundations are so rotten the only real solution is just to tear the whole thing to the ground and rebuild from the ground up

[@Mish844]

the best description of difference between patriotism and nationalism I've seen. Congratz.

[@Mish844]

@@zacharyoftavastia2445 Not destroying - rebuilding. Kinda big difference.

[@potatoman6556]

@@zacharyoftavastia2445 what isn't communist propaganda nowdays? Edit: not that everything is communist propaganda. Some people just view everything as communist propaganda

[@anna-flora999]

More like an abusive parent isolating their child and punishing and berating it for every attempt to change compared to their vision of what the child should be

[@baguettegott3409]

Easily the worst Hamilton Fanfiction I have read.

[@allyabernathy4098]

underrated comment.

[@timfirst3536]

Could have used a love story.

[@baguettegott3409]

@@timfirst3536 Indeed it could have. For all the mentions of Jefferson, we as readers don't really get a good insight into his true feelings for his male coworkers here. Very disappointing.

[@jurtra9090]

Alexander Hamilton?

[@notrod5341]

Jefferson isn't even in a miku binder smh

[@a.firkaly6548]

Hadn’t heard that Frederick Douglas speech until today. That was the most savage critique I’ve ever heard

[@NeoNovastar]

I feel lucky to have lived in a time where I could hear such a brutal murder via words with my own ears.

[@empty5013]

i was moved by it and i'm not even american, that speech was absolutely glorious

[@jessie450]

He really went off

[@cremetangerine82]

He kept it 💯.

[@watsonwrote]

Frederick Douglass is an absolutely incredible orator. To anyone reading this, I recommend reading or listening to his speeches because they all go really hard

[@PhilosophyTube]

This is absolutely excellent! Another banger!

[@jeffersonclippership2588]

First

[@alexantone5532]

TRUE

[@marchdarkenotp3346]

Yooooo!

[@m.f.3347]

queen

[@youssefhafid504]

FIAT PUNTO

[@amiradar6845]

"Dear liberals, You claim slavery is a large part of the history of our country, but... uuuhhh... uuuummmm... Curious." -Charlie Kirk

[@chaosvii]

It’s something he has a lot of problems with, but lacks the muscular thinking needed to cross the finish line.

[@olufade11]

@@chaosvii truly skinny thinking imo

[@cadethumann8605]

Honestly, both republicans and democrats have done questionable, if not f-ed up, shit in the past and still do to this day. I am sick of people on either side pointing fingers at each other and belittling one another. Nowadays, it seems like we are trying to choose the lesser evil, which is an extremely hard and miserable choice (I may have voted for Biden against trump, but I am weary about what he will do).

[@davidstorrs]

It's true that both parties have done bad things, but that doesn't change the fact that the Republicans are the problem. They have been moving right for decades and are now into outright fascist territory. They are anti-science -- how many Congressional climate change deniers do you see who aren't Republicans? They are actively harming the nation by telling their followers not to wear masks and that Covid isn't a big deal. *Half a million people are dead*, and it's on Trump. The vast majority of those people would be alive today if we had simply handled it like the civilized countries did -- a relatively short lockdown right away, everyone wears masks and follows social distancing. That's it. That's literally all we needed to do in order to save multiple hundreds of thousands of people. That's leaving aside the fact that they have been preventing the government from helping people via health care or other social programs, stealing Supreme Court seats, packing the federal judiciary, implementing Christian nationalism in every way possible, suppressing voters of color, and ruining the public education system because they know that the less educated people are the more likely they are too vote Republican. Yes, both parties have problems but let's not pretend that there's an equivalence.

[@cadethumann8605]

@@davidstorrs I understand and agree with many of your complaints. However, I really hate the whole debate between parties AND people who side with said parties (like on the internet) where they try arguing on who is more wrong/worse. As far as I am concerned, the most sane position I find is to see that both sides have good points but are also misguided and that instead of fighting, they must reach a compromise. In addition, I don't like the idea of assuming that everyone in a party (democrat or republican, right or left, or just about any people with a shared ideology or cause) thinks the same. I am frustrated when I see people online who accuse anyone who leans with democrats as blindly loyal and supportive of bad things that party is associated with. I am also not happy when people do the same thing with republicans. My parents were once registered as republicans but they despised Trump to the point where they switched to democrat just to vote him out. Even Republican party members are not excluded from being targets of Trump's supporters, such as Mike Pence who was threatened with being hanged by the capitol rioters. I am also sure that there were many Republicans (again, be they politicians or civilians) who disagreed with the casual approach to the virus. In other words, people are not a monolith. To be honest, the thing that I am most scared about with politics is one who fights monsters can easily become a monster. There is a reason why there are so many stories in fiction as well as real life where one starts off with noble intentions and ends up becoming radical when he/she is not careful. I find myself sometimes cursing out people in politics in private before catching my anger and restoring my reason. Because of this, I try to avoid viewing one side as completely evil while ignoring the sins of the opposing side, so I try to be more balanced.

[@saranghae1saranghae]

Conservatives: "Facts don't care about your feelings." Also Conservatives: "I don't like when people bring up historical facts, so I'm going to rewrite history, and make new 'facts' that don't offend me."

[@Silburific]

"Facts don't care about _your_ feelings; I never said anything about _my_ feelings."

[@sidwislff6184]

Why are you making a sweeping generalization? To say that all conservatives say that would be like saying that all left Wings are snow flakes

[@skotmatthews8940]

I'll give conservatives one thing, they sure know how to complain about things they do themselves, like safe spaces and "cancel culture" and claiming they are the true American patriots as they fly flags and defend statues of a foreign country that went to war with the US

[@skotmatthews8940]

@@honestabe6926 you should look into the word systematic. Just because there are rich black people doesn't mean racism no longer exists for anyone

[@honestabe6926]

@@skotmatthews8940 I know right, imagine flying the flag of your own country, that's so racist and homophobic.

[@gankhef5564]

Speaking as an American with a black parent from the Florida panhandle, and a white parent from South Boston who was raised in both North Yorkshire and an area around 30 mins from Washington D.C. (unlikely, I know), I was struck rather hard with the cognitive dissonance expected of me in the classroom after my family returned stateside. The degree to which gaslighting has been baked into our system of education was made distressingly evident when interacting with each side of my family. I can say with supreme confidence that neither my cousins in the projects of Southie, the ghetto of Florida, or myself in the MidAtlantic ever would have even guessed that Fredrick Douglas said such things from what was taught about the man in school. Had I not been fortunate enough to attend college I would likely still associate his name with the black guy giving America a quiet thumbs up in the background. The "1776 Project" is legitimately one of the most sinister things I've seen in my rather jaded time on this planet.

[@creepycustard2383]

Seeing slavery categorised alongside progressivism is absolutely wild.

[@soupalex]

don't forget there are some people who-apparently sincerely-think that "the republican party ended slavery, and the democrats fought to keep it!" is a great, relevant point to be making in the 21st century. i mean, when out-and-proud white supremacists are so completely unbothered by the rep party's historical role in ending slavery that they wholeheartedly endorse them, you have to wonder if something else might have happened in… oh, over a century of time since the american civil war 🤔

[@kinghassy334]

also says fascism while pushing fascist propaganda

[@PitLord777]

"Progressivism is bad Slavery is also bad Therefore, progressivism and slavery are on the same side."

[@gay.mer9328]

@@soupalex I always love this. “If you ignore the past 100 years, the DEMOCRATS are the racists!”

[@woaddragon]

@@kinghassy334 care to explain..

[@SeanKL107]

"He is a lover of his country who rebukes and does not excuse its sins." - Frederick Douglass

[@BenGrem917]

Fire. I'm going to use this in an argument where MLs are ganging up on me for daring to criticize Leninism.

[@ScorpionViper1001]

Hell, even a conservative Catholic realized how cringe this attitude is: "'My country, right or wrong,' is something no true patriot would say. That's like saying, 'my mother, drunk or sober.'" - G.K. Chesterton

[@woaddragon]

@@ScorpionViper1001 Having read something of Chesterson. I can not be sure that he is the best judge of apportiate level of patriotism.

[@JDG-hq8gy]

@@ScorpionViper1001 yeah cause that’s how bias works, you don’t realise your wrong but the evolutionary urge to support your tribe overpowers your critical thinking skills

[@felicityc]

I convinced half my rhetoric class that the shitty argument being given vs our budget was terrible. But not because of the point. Because all the evidence and citations were wrong or just straight up repeated from other wrong authors. and then I explained its really important to criticize our country but not with shitty arguments. big tip: study the things you are criticizing first so you don't go and accuse an entire economic fraud base as being mostly problematic because of the F-35 budget, except trying to compare said budget to an education posited one without realizing the F-35 budget is over 80 years and the education is for one year. however any budget arguments are irrelevant post-stimulus. completely unacceptable we never used that potential money to make shit better. we waited until things were bad to do it and it cost even more.

[@alexhobbs2352]

I can't tell who would be spinning harder in their grave at conservatives misquoting them at this point, MLK or Orwell

[@Aztec-115]

Hard to say, MLK is constantly quoted by racists as an excuse to stop black people from fighting inequality, and Orwell is quoted to prevent dissenting voices to be able to have a say, I would say MLK since Orwell’s quotes are used by a bigger variety of people and are not used often in favor of ultra authoritarian fascist regimes while MLK’s quotes are used by white supremacists to stop racial equality (Also now I can’t stop imagining MLK and Orwell spinning on the tune of “Spin me round, round baby round round)

[@roguepsykerhaaker4813]

We could hook them up to a generator and get enough power to out compete oil barons

[@48917032]

Jesus out-rotates them both. He must be supersonic by now.

[@DanielForrester]

Hahaha Orwell and MLK were both avowed Socialists.

[@aarondavid1000]

@@Aztec-115 black people have equality under the law please just stop. and don't you dare bring up 'disparity' stats to try and prove other wise

[@tysonasaurus6392]

The fact Charlie Kirk had any writing in a government document for any number of days is so embarrassing

[@NoName-lq6vw]

isn't he fucking Canadian??? go back to Canada! same for Steven Crowder

[@waterfrogs]

I was called intellectually dishonest by my dad this weekend for trying to explain that racism is a systemic issue in the USA. I didnt have the words or knowledge to effectively argue against him and he used it as an excuse to insult my character. Thanks for the video. I appreciate your work!

[@captaincomic8678]

Your dad's a smart man, wonder how you turned out so goddamn stupid.

[@waterfrogs]

@@captaincomic8678 lol

[@Sara3346]

Are you actually a troll? Or do you really believe that no one with power in the United States benefits from division and racism?

[@lucess169]

@@captaincomic8678 lol

[@GIR177]

@@captaincomic8678 Pot calling the kettle black there, and would probably lynch the kettle if you had the chance. Get a life.

[@markroberts4809]

That Frederick Douglas speech is fire, incredibly ironic for them to quote it.

[@sprotte6665]

it would be great in an english class examining rhetoric! it's so juicy and full of pathos!

[@tawabunny]

It's probably an attempt by the "prestigious, accredited american historians" who created the 1776 report to appear impartial on the issue, using rhetoric of their opponents to twist it and make it seem like these altrustic figures support their vile viewpoints, etc, etc.. pretty standard gross evil shit. (made this comment before shaun said the exact same thing, oops :P

[@sprotte6665]

@@tawabunny I meant the parts they didn't quote, those were good

[@tawabunny]

@@sprotte6665 ye i know lol i was responding to mr. roberts here

[@snapgab]

I almost feel like they must have quoted from that specific speech on purpose, just to prove that they could. It has to be possible to find some excerpt from Douglass where he says something positive about the US, without going on to spend the rest of the time mercilessly bashing the US. I really feel like they went out of their way to use this specific quote, just because they wanted to disrespect Douglass's actual message as much as possible.

[@Advent3546]

Nothing makes America feel more like Starship Troopers than something called "Patriotic Education".

[@jakelilevjen9766]

It’s like Heinlein knew what was up.

[@economicist2011]

You would like to know more. If you know what's good for you, anyway.

[@setlerking]

Starship troopers was written by what today probably would be an avid trump supporter

[@maduinargentus5878]

Rightwingers love the society in Starship Troopers

[@dayegilharno4988]

@@setlerking Quite the opposite... Orwell did not advocate the surveillance state, either!

[@BenYork-UBY]

There's nothing hateful or unpatriotic about acknowledging the errors of the past. Wanting the country to improve from the past is in fact very patriotic. Trying to whitewash history does nothing to help your country become the best

[@Able542]

"It's in our most bitter history that we learn the most useful lessons."

[@Penname25]

@@Able542 no. History has lessons in all its periods.

[@Able542]

@@Penname25 How does that contradict what I've said?

[@LadyAstarionAncunin]

It helps it become the most delusional.

[@britishrex5515]

Yep. I am proud of my nation but not of colonialism, or the slave trade, or the general oppression etc.

[@LavenderGooms]

"I'm not sure what we can learn from that apart from the fact that the 1619 Project is clearly occupying space in what we can charitably refer to as the President's mind." Thank you for the gift of this sentence, Shaun.

[@oc4025]

A sophisticated man's "living in his head rent free"

[@skepticmonkey6923]

@@oc4025 Dont forget "what we can charitably refer to as the President's mind" is the most amazing way of calling someone an idiot.

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

The 1776 Report comes from the same people that screams, “d O y O u R O w N r E A s E r C h”... All the while them failing to do any sort of quality research.

[@Kylora2112]

"Look at your fancy graphs and citations! I get my facts from middle aged white guys ranting in their trucks. You liberals are all coast elitists! Now shut up while I cast my vote for a lawyer who got his BA from Princeton and his JD from Stanford."

[@inefffable]

They rely on people not critically thinking about what they read. If they make a claim, you can find a source supporting the claim, whether or not it's true, you're more likely to accept it was truth, and then cognitive bias prevents from you from changing your mind away from the false belief

[@Rebazar]

Helpful tip: conservatives don't believe most of the shit they say, and trying to hold them to account on it only serves their goals.

[@dragonborn3609]

Yeah I remember reading the 1776 document where George Washington jumped off his blimp with that one guy from Assassins Creed III to kill King George III and then Ameruca was freed.

[@DieNibelungenliad]

Was this before or after Abraham Lincoln and Robert E Lee fist bumped and used semi automatic rifles to defeat the communist jihadi Democrat Obama?

[@wennick4859]

@@DieNibelungenliad it was before that but after Thomas Jefferson found the arc of the covenant and solved world hunger

[@guyanomaly]

My dad is a historian. Specifically a historian of the Civil War period, but he has deeply researched the histories of Native American peoples in the original US colonies and the history of slavery in the first colonies. My dad is a very stoic, rationalizing type of guy. He never curses. He faces blatant racism and ahistorical shit with a very academic and calm attitude. When I first learned of the 1776 report, I texted him asking what he thought about it. He replied a few hours later, “Are they on crack?”

[@BenjaminBattington]

"The foundation of our Republic planted the seeds of the death of slavery" Lmao that's like saying my mum killed me because my birth was the beginning of my mortal life

[@elvellarambles9151]

But how badass would a line like that be in like an adventure novel tho: “In giving me life, my mother also doomed me unto death”

[@drazlet]

This is such a good way of putting it

[@seanrider4410]

Um no? Slavery existed in America long before the founding of the republic. So they’re absolutely right when they said that the founding was the beginning of the end of slavery, it just took a while for us to enforce the law.

[@BenjaminBattington]

@@seanrider4410 "it just took a while" lmfao my man you're real generous with the word "while" there. I usually use that for like a 30 min queue but OK.

[@seanrider4410]

@Bigby B well you have to look at it from a historical perspective. Of course from our perspective it was LONG over due. But in the context of the rest of the world, we actually shed it incredibly quickly. Africa, Asia, the americas, and the Mediterranean, all had extremely prominent slave trades that existed for thousands of years, outlasting dozens of empires. Most of them still have slavery in the form of human trafficking, which is actually the main export of a few African nations still. European empires banned slavery within their home borders for a while, I don’t know exactly how long, but still practiced it in their colonies for centuries. When you look at it like this, with us fighting a war to abolish the institution within a mere century of our founding, as it was antithetical to our values as a nation, it was incredibly speedy. This is what the report was saying. Slavery was an abomination that is a blot on our history, but it does not define us. We are a nation that strives for liberty, and that’s what we should continue to be.

[@loonachan]

I hope for a day when Shaun doesn't have to debunk official government documents with fascist propaganda in them

[@justinwatson1510]

I, too, eagerly await the communist revolution.

[@iankclark]

@@justinwatson1510 I know right? (eye roll)

[@iankclark]

In other news: fascist, fascist, fascist, fascist, fascist, fascist, ad infinitum.

[@theancomrade8545]

@@iankclark yes.

[@theancomrade8545]

@@iankclark let’s add one more : Ian Clark is a fascist. As well.

[@TheKitKatProject]

“So as long as there’s profits in keeping people divided, attempts to divide people will persist” Spent an hour listening to Shaun talk, was not disappointed. 10/10 would do it again

[@Sableagle]

There's also profit in keeping people convinced that only the right-wing, authoritarian, corporate stooges of the "Democrat" party and the right-wing, authoritarian, corporate stooges of the "Republican" party are viable candidates, so those who profit from having right-wing, authoritarian, corporate stooges in power invest in keeping people convinced there's no point in ever voting for anyone else.

[@TheKitKatProject]

@@Sableagle Forget Duverger’s Law… this is Duverger’s Gun

[@clauseberdnsn2979]

The “What to the slave is the fourth of July?” speech by Frederick Douglass that he mentioned is definitely worth reading in its entirety, for its historical as well as its literary and emotional value. 10/10 would recommend

[@ceyboard4296]

I hate the idea that Left-Wing Americans hate America, I just want this place to be a better place for everyone and find justice and closure for past evils. Does improving the nation you live in not mean you want the best for it? So goddamn frustrating.

[@sakura_branches]

I hate america so much I want everyone to have healthcare and not get murdered because of their skin color

[@felicityc]

good luck. now i hate america. because when you say you want to do those things you get accused of being a media shill leftist veteran here

[@AK-Kessler0907]

@@sakura_branches God damn that was so on point, gonna use it, thanks!

[@davids.3584]

@@sakura_branches don't worry. Only 13 unarmed

[@davids.3584]

Black men died in

[@pmcd9977]

As an American student I've had a history teacher who told us to "keep your confederate coins, because the South will rise again" in class, so I really want to know where conservatives get the idea that American education (especially history class) has become dominated by a left-wing narrative, and I would also very much like for that to be true.

[@pmcd9977]

@NichtDerZocka oh for sure, but where I live the curriculum is still noticeably falsified at times so all of this is just hilariously misrepresentative of the current situation and I find it morbidly comical

[@thatsalotofdamage8568]

@Wiegraf Good.

[@thatsalotofdamage8568]

@Wiegraf Based

[@antipsychotic451]

That is incredibly scary.

[@pmcd9977]

@@antipsychotic451 Update, her son is my biology teacher now, so it got worse :/

[@lilmecca]

"His arguments were targeted to his audience, easy to understand, and entirely completely wrong" LMAOOO

[@eldersun5110]

Reminds me of a certain orange golem

[@themusicaljunkie37]

Conservatives want to turn American history into their safe space and they are trying to force schools to comply. In other words, they are "free speech fighters" by censoring certain chapters of our country history.

[@lotsofuwuenergy3983]

@@themusicaljunkie37 Funny how teaching evolution and coherent sex ed in our classes was too authoritarian for these shnooks

[@fafo867]

@@lotsofuwuenergy3983 teaching kids to speak up against abuse is a big no no for them

[@Hanfgurkenhasser]

@@lotsofuwuenergy3983 I don't know why but your name cracks me up, thanks for that. :D

[@lemmonboy6459]

That Frederick Douglas reading was HEAVY GOD DAMN, threw so much shade that I’m pretty sure he darkened the sun with that speech

[@Frizzleman]

Fredrick Douglas nuclear winter lol

[@FadkinsDiet]

I just wonder if the blokes who invited him had an inkling of what he'd talk about or if they were blindsided

[@cremetangerine82]

@@FadkinsDiet They certainly did not read the speech before he gave it! Damn, it was perfect!

[@alexwyatt2911]

Frederick Douglass is one of the most talented writers to ever live. I have yet to read anything that he’s authored that wasn’t an absolute banger.

[@evamiller4886]

The same people who freak out if you suggest there are fascists in politics wrote a whole report on how to teach children a sense of patriotism and loyalty to the country and government from a young age

[@BarackLesnar]

Welcome to your first day of kindergarten, you will be required to recite the pledge of allegiance each day

[@BarackLesnar]

@@kg356 every country should drill blind loyalty into their children regardless of if the country is good or not? Are you retarded?

[@abbaszaffarkhan1872]

@@kg356 doesn’t seem very righteous to have unconditional loyalty to your country’s principles simply because you were born there

[@TheFeldhamster]

@@kg356 nope, and there are countries who know exactly why they don't. Germany and Austria. Being blindly patriotic always gives strange vibes here because we *know* how that can end and it's not pretty.

[@t3hmaniac]

"Shit they're on to us!"

[@ARMADILLOARMADILLO]

"What we can charitably refer to as the president's mind" I love the dry humor

[@iamyoursaviour]

I love how easy it is to make trump look ridiculous by just reading what he says

[@lemonvick]

Hearing anybody read a Trump quote who’s not Trump just hits home how incoherent his speech is

[@savvysmiles1121]

"The white house is publishing blatant white supremacist propaganda...Usually it only publishes veiled white supremacist propaganda" Pure comedic gold.

[@Andizottel]

It's funny because it's true. It's also sad because it's true.

[@neocomp92]

I thought he said "failed". "Veiled" is even worse!

[@DL-cb5vl]

@Christian why are you here

[@zacharyoftavastia2445]

​@@Andizottel It's sad that leftists hate the truth so much.

[@henryjones8287]

Taken, consciously or unconsciously, from from a Stewart Lee bit I reckon

[@Mike.yt543]

"Or his first term in office, if we live in the bad timeline" Alas

[@lordoftherats8215]

“Malcolm X never lived to see the government fall, but the state he opposed made him a stamp. That’s the best you can hope for if you never give up, your enemies will teach your corpse to dance.” -Pat the Bunny

[@CJWproductions]

That's a defeatist take. The fight isn't over yet. Plenty of activists have been, and continue to be motivated by his work.

[@lordoftherats8215]

@@CJWproductions thats very true, I was just quoting a good song by an anarchist musician that I like. The whole mlk thing reminded me of it. Activists will always be inspired by the great minds and thinkers and activists of years past, and they helped establish the ground we now stand on, but the state will always manipulate and cherrypick to try and present themselves as being more progressive and more receptive to criticism than they actually are. That’s more what I meant in quoting it.

[@lordoftherats8215]

@@CJWproductions Side note about the defeatist take, the song itself ends with “So when I come out take me by the hand and show the world a fight it won't forget” and the album it’s off of is called probably nothing, possibly everything. The name of the album is talking about how activism and fighting for a better world can be a difficult thing that seems to amount to basically nothing, but no matter what there’s still at least a possibility that we can change everything, make the world a substantially better place, etc. The point is that even when it seems like the chance is very slim that we can, for example, lead to the end of capitalism, when there’s even a slight chance it’s worth it. It’s a sorta hopeful nihilism lol

[@googlefashists4986]

Who killed Malcolm x?

[@lordoftherats8215]

@@googlefashists4986 it’s not 100% known, officially it was members of the Nation of Islam (group he left), tho towards the end of his life he said that he didn’t think the noi had the level of power that they seemed to be showing, implying it may have been a federal agency or a collaboration between the two.

[@DoggyHateFire]

Shaun is the perfect example of quality over quantity. Every time I see him upload a video I get excited.

[@twonumber22]

Like a Montemayor drop.

[@Ledabot]

You say that but his long ass vids show both quality and quantity

[@DoggyHateFire]

@@Ledabot Touché

[@lotsofuwuenergy3983]

This is why I hate the KZbin algorithm for pushing creators (who god forbid want compensation/payment in return for their content like any other entertainer) to crank out videos on a weekly or daily basis. The quality isn't allowed to be near the level of potential it has and creators get stressed out and burnt out for trying to keep up, along with losing their original passion :( I wish Shauns could be more common to see on this platform

[@DoggyHateFire]

@@lotsofuwuenergy3983 Exactly. Shaun is like the anti-youtuber. You don't see him or get to know much at all about his life. His videos are basically just him talking over a static image and yet he's more engaging than the vast majority of people I see.

[@maivaiva1412]

me, while shaun's reading the "historical roots of political correctness": oh it's by probably some weird nazi on the internet shaun: this was written by anders brevik me:

[@ScorpionViper1001]

Well you were right about the "weird Nazi" part...sadly not entirely online.

[@WinningSidekick]

Hit pretty close to home as a Norwegian lemme tell ya 🙃

[@mclovinjr9086]

@@WinningSidekick It’s sickening to think about what happened that day. It baffles me how evil people can be sometimes.

[@romanianpirate4531]

@@WinningSidekick Ikke stem Rødt

[@WinningSidekick]

@@romanianpirate4531 njææ, jeg stemmer litt variabelt fra år til år avhengig av partiprogram. har stemt Rødt før, men mulig det blir MDG neste gang. hvordan det, har jeg gått glipp av noen viktige nyheter om Rødt?

[@fsho5260]

it’s funny because even as someone in primary to high school in the 2000s through 2018, all of the things in the 1776 report were literally taught to us in all our history classes.

[@felicityc]

Yep. 2007-2011 here. ironically, joining the air force deprogrammed me because I was clever enough to get a job that required me to think independently since our supervisors wouldn't be able to really guide us; we were the subject matter experts, and that means being able to understand cultures and international geopolitics as it really is, and not how they want to see it on tv. fantasies don't win wars, they just make them sound less awful it's incredible we have specific training for that. LOL PTSD was just worse than anyone can imagine since I was fully aware of it the whole time.

[@MST3Killa]

@@felicityc Yeah, you should be learning how to hate yourself and destroy your nation instead.

[@rhaeven]

@@MST3Killa yup, there's definitely no middle ground there

[@cremetangerine82]

@@felicityc Thank you for your story and I hope you are able to heal.

[@nobleradical2158]

I graduated in 2022, and it’s gotten a lot better. While most of it is still true, our curriculum kinda paused at various points to highlight some of the great injustices (genocides) that the American nation did.

[@theoptimisticmetalhead7787]

The wikipedia article preamble for cultural marxism has given me a better understanding of the idea of cultural marxism than anything any conservative talking head has ever been able to do.

[@antediluvianatheist5262]

Shaun is literally a talking head. Without even skin.

[@bloomper]

@@antediluvianatheist5262 You say we are just talking heads, yet you listen openly to a skull! Curious. -Karlie Chirk, Toilet Paper USA

[@grayson0916]

Tends to work out that way

[@reddyshreddy5050]

“Cultural Marxism” is the average conservative bitchboy way of trying to jump around the good old “Judo-Bolshevism” talking point that they are indirectly using whether they know it or not.

[@theoptimisticmetalhead7787]

@@antediluvianatheist5262 Lmao, good point

[@FeralCreatureOfIncredibleRoses]

i got here 31 seconds after this was posted, and the feeling of being so early just makes me feel exposed. i have no comments to hide in if this gets scary

[@qpalzm563]

You're right, you can't hide...

[@scarythepirate3601]

Braver than the troops. Thank you for your service. o7

[@jestershark]

I moved from the UK to the US in fifth grade and was completely unprepared when, on the first day of class, everyone stood up and started chanting in unison. I got in trouble for not joining in.

[@videogamer596]

What, children don’t do loyalty oaths in the UK? :)

[@jestershark]

@@videogamer596 no, but there is still a monarchy so a bit of a mixed blessing

[@zarahengel9104]

@@jestershark Wait a sec. They need to do that. I thought it was more like a voluntary thing. I mean we have problems too. But straight up needing to pledge your alliange to a flag is just weird. Isn't that indoctrination?

[@jestershark]

@@zarahengel9104 It really depends on the teacher you have-- my fifth grade teacher was a real patriot and so you HAD to, but my seventh grade teacher was cool and "let" me stand silently. In high school I started arguing that I was really british so shouldn't have to pledge allegiance. But yeah, it's indoctrination. (I had a friend who was a german exchange student and let me tell you. she did not like it.)

[@Skelekin13]

@@zarahengel9104 it depends on the school, but it's very common for students to be punished for not standing. Detention for not doing so was a thing when I was in grade school

[@ToastyJunebugs]

I feel like your science teacher also had to walk a thin line bc if she fought for science AND against creationism, you can bet some parent would hear about it and try to sue the school for persecuting their religion.

[@Jhawk_2k]

And what if a Muslim parent complained about a Christian trying to persuade them of faith? You'd never hear a word from their side of the story of course. I have a feeling that the science teacher wasn't even walking a fine line at all, they intentionally were not convincing because that's what the school administration wanted.

[@seanrider4410]

thats because there is no argument against creationism. Religion is called BELIEF for a reason. You can operate under known scientific principles and the assumed history of the universe while still holding your own personal narrative for whatever reason you like. If a teacher tries to tell a child that their religious beliefs are wrong, that IS persecution of their religion. How do you not get this concept?

[@Sorrelhas]

I feel like y'all are giving the teacher a lot of credit "I get to do nothing today if I indulge this jackass?" And then she put the lowest effort possible in the debate That's what I would do, at least

[@anna-flora999]

@@seanrider4410 if the religion says "the earth is 6000 years old", its the teacher duty to say "no, we have scientific evidence proving that wrong" That IS education. How do you not get this concept?

[@allnaturalfigjam310]

@@seanrider4410 There are many arguments against creationism. The fact that it's a belief doesn't make it immune from criticism. Creationism markets itself as objective, factual truth (what really happened because God says so) which opens it up to any factual argument which goes against that narrative (like fossils, to pick a random example). Creationism would have a better time if it marketed itself as a more metaphorical, metaphysical belief like many other religious creation myths do, because you can't argue against a metaphor with facts.

[@iammrbeat]

So many times, the best way to fight many of these "isms" you speak of is to teach and promote critical thinking. As long as we can all be easily manipulated, these isms will persist.

[@cbowser3]

Couldn’t be said better

[@jameslarimer9211]

Skepticism, in particular.

[@beesindisguise5375]

@@jameslarimer9211 but that’s an ism >:O /s

[@affordablecareactof]

@@beesindisguise5375 1️⃣9️⃣8️⃣4️⃣

[@seekingabsolution1907]

That's what anarchists emphasize in their education, you don't want them to thoughtlessly accept your perspective you want them to give it some genuine critical thought and come to those conclusions by their own path.

[@georgerobertson2089]

I feel like the "untamed wilderness" narrative does a lot to excuse away the still on-going genocide of indigenous people, particularly in the Americas (speaking as a bloke from the states). The wilderness wasn't tamed by indigenous people, rather they learned how to live within the constraints of the wilderness, and they took the care to manage those constraints. Indigenous people have been well-recorded as incredible land stewards. They took part in controlled burns, they planted huge swathes of the Amazon, and in some instances, they basically created anti-poaching legislation to protect the natural resources they needed. The "untamed wilderness" described by colonial Americans never existed, it was just a handy excuse to snuff out a group that was in their way.

[@tonywords6713]

while i mostly agree the massive disease deaths did help in New England and there are period accounts of the wilderness actually being insanely well kept, like open gardens, which.. duh.. there were millions of people here haha. As you pointed out

[@kaitlyn__L]

When you’re so good at farming it doesn’t even look like you’re farming to an untrained outside observer. I’m reminded of that time those British “explorers” in Africa found that big city built in a fractal pattern. But the “”explorers”” didn’t know about fractals yet - so they “deduced” that it “must have been” built without planning >.>

[@funnyvalentinedidnothingwrong]

@@kaitlyn__L The ol' "White people didn't do it, therefore it must have been accidental/magic/aliens"

[@mtlewis973]

i mean no shit

[@Rowlesisgay]

the natives weren't hippies- that's a misconception. they were scary good at farming, and pretty good at protecting environments, but had huge war deaths and deforested huge regions, including where I live. it is incredibly sad that huge cultural traditions and people groups just straight up died, and no one seems to remember. its quite sad. im not native though or an expert so feel free to tell me im an idiot:)

[@MiSt3300]

I'm Polish and currently we have a populist right wing conservative government that wallows in nationalist drivel and divides the country. As Poland was not a colonial power, it's less about racism and more about xenophobia and authoritarianism. Also the role of the church is significant, as they work with the government and pump hate into the society and divide it like never before. Because they need that division to keep power.

[@banesatis6172]

@@nikolamilicevic1040 give me ONE example of Poland participating in colonialism

[@aarondavid1000]

lol the stinking irony of Leftists talking about the right being divisive...

[@MiSt3300]

@@aarondavid1000 stop branding people. You know nothing about Poland. I'm not a leftist, nor do I adhere to any stupid ideologies. I just want a stable and democratic country like all the people I know. Stop writing bullshit about my country that you know NOTHING about.

[@aarondavid1000]

@@MiSt3300 im from the UK, london to be precise, I work with and have befriended many Polish immigrants - they all tell me that Poland is being infiltrated by leftists, which is why I made the assumption

[@TikoVerhelst]

I'm still waiting for that moment when they acknowledge Chopin was gay. "One of our national figure wasn't gay. He can't be. He was Polish. Polish people can not be gay by law." Yeah, we'll see about that.....(hopefully) I can understand anti-LGBT people. But deliberately rewriting history?!?!?!?!

[@hope1575]

Even with the whitewashed and watered-down version of history I learned in the American South, I was still deeply affected and deeply disappointed to learn about the history of slavery and other forms of opression that existed for the majority of American history. I cried about slavery, the Trail of Tears, the civil rights movement. And in reality it was so much worse than I was ever told about in school... I will never understand how people can excuse all of that and think none of it defines what America is and has been.

[@spintt]

Same! Even a whitewashed American history is disappointing

[@goingunder2548]

Same problem in the UK. The only thing we ever learned in relation to the British empire is transportation of convicts to Australia. Never learned about the many other horrifying things related to the British Empire until I was in my 20s.

[@KingAntDaProphet]

Thank you gentlemen

[@viracocha6093]

“Vast, untamed wilderness” Which Native Americans extensively manipulated to suit their needs, so not untamed at all.

[@krautreport202]

Not if you count Native Americans as untamed and wild...

[@beesindisguise5375]

But wait!!! My 9th grade history teacher told me that ALL Native Americans were savages!!! This is FALSE!!!!! This is a heavy /s. A REALLY heavy /s

[@woaddragon]

@@krautreport202 welll that just wrong...but i think you know that and just being fallacious.

[@seanrider4410]

thats literally just false. 90% of all North American land was uninhabited and only migrated through seasonally for hunting. The only North American "nations," as in large permanent settlements with established governments such as the mound builders, were wiped out long before the formation of the first English colonies. So yes, vast untamed wilderness that we were first to inhabit and cultivate. Stop ignoring history just so it fits your world view. Is it bad that we pushed them off their land? Yes, but not the unique to America world ending sin everyone makes it out to be.

[@tonywords6713]

@@seanrider4410 how about stop embarassing yourself and shut your mouth child

[@Lee-dm7xm]

Shaun: I’ll show two Simpsons characters they had the same vibe as Me: ohoho, I bet he’ll show Ned Flanders Shaun: *shows Lyle Langley* Me: oh no

[@Bacony_Cakes]

Ned is an honest man.

[@Suindaer]

1776 report: quotes Frederick Douglass Shaun: "You're already dead"

[@enemyweeb2311]

Fredrick Douglas’s speech had me hyped, that was powerful. I wish they’d teach that in schools and maybe they do but all I was taught was “he was an African American guy that existed and was friends with Abraham Lincoln” which is a damn shame.

[@DieNibelungenliad]

The "vast untamed wilderness" ignores the reality that native peoples were already roaming, settling, taming animals such as the turkey and the dog, and doing forest management in the form of setting controlled fires to remove undergrowth to assist in hunting and movement. Many Europeans used the trail paths made by native peoples. Sure, there were places that returned to the status of untamed wilderness after diseases introduced by Europeans spread and destroyed many villages of native peoples.

[@felicityc]

It's very likely there were much larger populations that were forced to migrate or were wiped out due to disease, and those weren't just 'villages', but entire societies and empires. Don't underplay central America or even some of the great nations in North America like the Iroquois Federation (who had a better government system than we do... still), Creek Confederacies, etc- imagine how much larger they must have been before being exposed to one-sided pandemics.

[@berkleypearl2363]

I’m so mad we never got to actually read anything written by Fredrick Douglas in school. Hot damn that man was good.

[@lotsofuwuenergy3983]

Same, along with James Baldwin. Talented writers.

[@mechatyrants6218]

You should seek out some of his works, he was a truly gifted writer and there's a lot more even in that same speech to love. The same for MLKJr., their words sit among the best speeches ever written, as well as some truly great moral philosophy.

[@charliekowittmusic]

@@lotsofuwuenergy3983 Just recently stumbled onto Baldwin, and I consumed every written/recorded word so fast I couldn’t help myself! Btw, Eddie Glaude’s recent book connecting Baldwin to race in America today is so powerful. It’s called “Begin Again” and I can’t recommend it enough. ✌️

[@nathandrake5544]

I read the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass as high school summer reading. A bit of a letdown because he never discusses how he ultimately escaped from slavery, but nevertheless very compelling.

[@missmelodies52]

So good! And he was a feminist activist at the same time.

[@acehealer4212]

“Former President Trump” is an extremely sexy phrase.

[@acehealer4212]

@Karl Marx I agree.

[@jabba820]

@Karl Marx strong disagree Karl. It is important to know our full history and realize no president was perfect. I believe however that certain presidents are worth admiring and are highly influential. Are you really going to put Lincoln in the category of "ass"? I am a strong leftist democrat but lets not throw the baby out with the bathwater

[@jabba820]

@Karl Marx you have that right your opinion. IMO I would consider Clinton and Obama (while flawed) good modern presidents as well. Especially with mass shootings seeming out of control, I’m jealous Clinton lived in a time where he was able to have an assault weapons ban. Clinton also was a major proponent of funding poor communities while also balancing our budget. Obama pushed this country forward towards healthcare to all citizens and, for the love of god, recognized gay marriage as a constitutional right and that was decided upon during his tenure in office. Obviously these are off the top of my head, and there are major flaws with every president, but I still have hope in this country! (Notice the purposeful omissions of the warmongering bushes, Reagan, and Trump).

[@shahsadsaadu5817]

@@jabba820 all of them are terrible (except jimmy carter) for all the innocent civilians they killed in middle East,and many other places.

[@YeTism]

@@jabba820 Bill Clinton and Obama who started forever wars? We stan

[@Tha_Pencil]

That Frederick Douglas speech at the end was merciless. It was so passionate snd powerful. How people still celebrate 4th of July afterwards is beyond me

[@jixer1956]

IKR. And conservatives quote-mined him as saying exactly the opposite. How much more disingenuous can you get?

[@joek81981]

"Folks, relax. We weren't just sitting there, trading human beings with EACH OTHER! We traded them with the whole world. Lots of countries. So... yeah. Still the good guys." The 1776 Project, basically.

[@WMDistraction]

As I seem to keep saying in this comments section, the parallels with how China handled its politics, history, and human rights abuses should be lost on no one.

[@andywells1042]

@@WMDistraction All fine and dandy, we all know about the Uyghur genocide, but I haven’t see any comments talking about China. Drop the strawman, this is about America’s most recent attempt to distort its own history towards propaganda.

[@donbeedrill]

@@WMDistraction sorry but I thought this was America no China

[@smoglin2369]

@@WMDistraction Nobody is here to defend China.

[@softiejace]

"but the others did slavery too! so there 😠"

[@osonhouston]

Shaun: There's no way to get away from this contradiction. Me: Have you heard of cognitive dissonance?

[@patnewbie2177]

Funny how rightists cite Orwell ad nauseum when they are clearly the biggest purveyors of doublethink.

[@patnewbie2177]

@Adiv Inhell I don't wanna be sectarian, this is basic human psychology and we're all susceptible to it. It just seems like rightists blatantly base their worldview around it

[@skreeran]

@Adiv Inhell unf I feel that jab at MLs was unnecessary, but you do you comrade

[@BenGrem917]

@@skreeran Authoritarians of all varieties don't like admitting to flaws in their authority. It undermines their belief system. They loathe hearing about how their favorite leaders did terrible things. I have yet to meet an ML who won't try to rationalize and excuse Soviet atrocities to me. That's assuming they're intellectually honest enough to not deny them outright as being merely the ravings of Western capitalist colonialist propaganda. Even when I have sources from inside the USSR. Most resort to base ad hominems and aspersions about your capacity to appreciate the glorious revolution.

[@Imbalanxd]

both "sides" are guilty of this. I've never seen the chapter on womanizing and abuse in an MLK biography, or a page about Ghandis racism, or Mandela's violent terrorism. When one side does it too much it kinda leaves no option for the other.

[@buncha3arrows195]

It may surprise believers in American exceptionalism that the Founding Fathers' ideals of "all men are created equal" were already thought of centuries before by an Ethiopian philosopher.

[@معرفةوترفيه-ت2ظ]

And unlike our dear founding fathers, that Ethiopian philosopher actually meant it and didn't exclude human beings they owned.

[@DieNibelungenliad]

@Aryan Nationalist

[@DieNibelungenliad]

@Aryan Nationalist Bantu people successfully defeated apartheid. "Aryan nationalists" achieved.... Being defeated in less than couple decades.

[@cm9241]

@Aryan Nationalist imagine your entire ideology being "14 year old on 4chan for the first time" lmao

[@dargondude2375]

@Aryan Nationalist en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zera_Yacob_(philosopher) This is just stupid.

[@agraham9099]

I’m only at 22:40, but I hope the video goes in on how absolutely evil and insidious the phrase “none may rule another without his consent” is, especially in the context of the Constitution writers and their enslavement of human beings. It’s not just about ignoring slavery, it implies that the people forced into bondage *consented* to their treatment. It’s straight up slavery apologia. My brain short circuited when I read the pull quite for that part. The deep and unbridled evil of the writers of the 1776 report is terrifying.

[@saucejohnson4105]

Hey man, love your take, hope you liked the video

[@kaitlyn__L]

Plus the people “consent” to the government and therefore everything the government says has popular support and therefore by living there you “consent” to this, that, and the other. Like the “except in cases of imprisonment” clause later-on

[@LadyAstarionAncunin]

He didn't cover it, but I instantly peeped that as well. I guess we know who Kanye cribbed notes from.

[@somebody-xu4mz]

"What we can charitably refer to as the president's mind"

[@buncha3arrows195]

Wow they weren't even slightly subtle with the fascism lmao

[@TheSm1thers]

So which scummy ideology do you support if it's not fascism; monarchy or communism?

[@onfrolicker9317]

Love the pfp and true

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

@@TheSm1thers You forgot to list the scummy ideology of capitalism.

[@aloreantherogue4439]

@@TheSm1thers I like that you say monarchy or communism like their the only political ideologies besides fascism. Also are you seriously subbed to Shaun just to you can troll in his comment section?

[@iankirven2711]

@@TheSm1thers what?

[@alsyrriad]

Frederick Douglas really ripped the United States a new one with that speech, didn’t he? Like... *damn.*

[@alexmartinez5859]

Well what can you expect when you’re born being called property, gain freedom from it after making an escape, spend the rest of your life fighting like hell to end the hell you experienced when you were younger, see the country break out into full on war, fight for the president to acknowledge that the United States was fighting over slavery, see the man who led his country get assassinated, and have things go back to normal while the only thing gone in an official capacity is slavery. Frederick Douglas’s life is a long storied one that I would love to see be turned into a great movie, simply for the weight his name carries with his acts.

[@cmbeadle2228]

I think one of the odd things about "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July" is that many Americans are only familiar with it in a very truncated form that misses Douglass' thesis. The speech was not a blanket condemnation of the signatories of the Founding Fathers, as indicated by these paragraphs: "Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men too - great enough to give fame to a great age. It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men. The point from which I am compelled to view them is not, certainly, the most favorable; and yet I cannot contemplate their great deeds with less than admiration. They were statesmen, patriots and heroes, and for the good they did, and the principles they contended for, I will unite with you to honor their memory... "They were peace men; but they preferred revolution to peaceful submission to bondage. They were quiet men; but they did not shrink from agitating against oppression. They showed forbearance; but that they knew its limits. They believed in order; but not in the order of tyranny. With them, nothing was “settled” that was not right. With them, justice, liberty and humanity were “final;” not slavery and oppression. You may well cherish the memory of such men. They were great in their day and generation. Their solid manhood stands out the more as we contrast it with these degenerate times. "How circumspect, exact and proportionate were all their movements! How unlike the politicians of an hour! Their statesmanship looked beyond the passing moment, and stretched away in strength into the distant future. They seized upon eternal principles, and set a glorious example in their defense. Mark them! "Fully appreciating the hardship to be encountered, firmly believing in the right of their cause, honorably inviting the scrutiny of an on-looking world, reverently appealing to heaven to attest their sincerity, soundly comprehending the solemn responsibility they were about to assume, wisely measuring the terrible odds against them, your fathers, the fathers of this republic, did, most deliberately, under the inspiration of a glorious patriotism, and with a sublime faith in the great principles of justice and freedom, lay deep the corner-stone of the national superstructure, which has risen and still rises in grandeur around you." Douglass, like all the smarter abolitionists, had a savvy and political heart (it's why he fell out with more "extreme" white abolitionists like John Brown and William Garrison) - he would not have wished to provide ammo to his opponents by suggesting that the venerated Founding Fathers were on their side! The speech far more describes the degeneration of the United States frm its lofty ideals (he also throws the Church in there as well: it's an intensely religious speech that says the supine and slave-defending religious establishment have done far more damage to the church than infidels like Paine and Voltaire), rather than a condemnation of the American project as a whole.So passages that seem to condemn the framers of the constitution, and even frame England as morally superior: "Fellow-citizens! I will not enlarge further on your national inconsistencies. The existence of slavery in this country brands your republicanism as a sham, your humanity as a base pretence, and your Christianity as a lie. It destroys your moral power abroad; it corrupts your politicians at home. It saps the foundation of religion; it makes your name a hissing, and a bye-word to a mocking earth. It is the antagonistic force in your government, the only thing that seriously disturbs and endangers your Union. It fetters your progress; it is the enemy of improvement, the deadly foe of education; it fosters pride; it breeds insolence; it promotes vice; it shelters crime; it is a curse to the earth that supports it; and yet, you cling to it, as if it were the sheet anchor of all your hopes. Oh! be warned! be warned! a horrible reptile is coiled up in your nation’s bosom; the venomous creature is nursing at the tender breast of your youthful republic; for the love of God, tear away, and fling from you the hideous monster, and let the weight of twenty millions crush and destroy it forever! But it is answered in reply to all this, that precisely what I have now denounced is, in fact, guaranteed and sanctioned by the Constitution of the United States; that the right to hold and to hunt slaves is a part of that Constitution framed by the illustrious Fathers of this Republic. Then, I dare to affirm, notwithstanding all I have said before, your fathers stooped, basely stooped To palter with us in a double sense: And keep the word of promise to the ear, But break it to the heart. And instead of being the honest men I have before declared them to be, they were the veriest imposters that ever practiced on mankind. This is the inevitable conclusion, and from it there is no escape are immediately followed by th Fellow-citizens! there is no matter in respect to which, the people of the North have allowed themselves to be so ruinously imposed upon, as that of the pro-slavery character of the Constitution. In that instrument I hold there is neither warrant, license, nor sanction of the hateful thing; but, interpreted as it ought to be interpreted, the Constitution is a GLORIOUS LIBERTY DOCUMENT. Read its preamble, consider its purposes. Is slavery among them? Is it at the gateway? or is it in the temple? It is neither. While I do not intend to argue this question on the present occasion, let me ask, if it be not somewhat singular that, if the Constitution were intended to be, by its framers and adopters, a slave-holding instrument, why neither slavery, slaveholding, nor slave can anywhere be found in it. What would be thought of an instrument, drawn up, legally drawn up, for the purpose of entitling the city of Rochester to a track of land, in which no mention of land was made? Now, there are certain rules of interpretation, for the proper understanding of all legal instruments. These rules are well established. They are plain, common-sense rules, such as you and I, and all of us, can understand and apply, without having passed years in the study of law. I scout the idea that the question of the constitutionality or unconstitutionality of slavery is not a question for the people. I hold that every American citizen has a right to form an opinion of the constitution, and to propagate that opinion, and to use all honorable means to make his opinion the prevailing one. Without this right, the liberty of an American citizen would be as insecure as that of a Frenchman. Ex-Vice-President Dallas tells us that the Constitution is an object to which no American mind can be too attentive, and no American heart too devoted. He further says, the Constitution, in its words, is plain and intelligible, and is meant for the home-bred, unsophisticated understandings of our fellow-citizens. Senator Berrien tell us that the Constitution is the fundamental law, that which controls all others. The charter of our liberties, which every citizen has a personal interest in understanding thoroughly. The testimony of Senator Breese, Lewis Cass, and many others that might be named, who are everywhere esteemed as sound lawyers, so regard the constitution. I take it, therefore, that it is not presumption in a private citizen to form an opinion of that instrument. Now, take the Constitution according to its plain reading, and I defy the presentation of a single pro-slavery clause in it. On the other hand it will be found to contain principles and purposes, entirely hostile to the existence of slavery.

[@austentallman1427]

Also wrote a seriously excellent biography of John Brown, probably the greatest white man alive in America before the Civil War

[@alexmartinez5859]

@@austentallman1427 Interesting, yes. Greatest, no. I don’t think violence should be the way to deal with problems where dialogue, meaningful dialogue between two or more sides, can fix it that much more. Brown did understand that words did fail and had failed. The problem comes from the standpoint that Brown wanted to cause a slave uprising. I’m all for the slaves getting their freedom. Believe me. The problem comes from the violence against people. It wouldn’t have solved anything and would’ve validated some underlying fears among white southerners at the time. Yes, it would have put the fear of God into them, but the problem is when the fear of God is put into someone against a violent threat it usually leads to a bigger show of force. Thus, perpetuating violence, which leads to violence for violence’s sake and an end to civil discourse among people. In the end, no one wins and everyone loses. So, John Brown is a good man, his morals and actions before the planning of the raid definitely show it, but his methods after Harper’s Ferry detract from his greatness and corrupt his morals to a goal warped by hatred of his opponents.

[@austentallman1427]

@@alexmartinez5859 violence by the oppressed against the oppressors is good and just. Inaction in the face of slavery is far worse violence

[@jeremycanning7058]

Conservatives really think MLK only did one speech

[@danielgyte8460]

One paragraph from one speech*

[@yoloswaggins7121]

They are lying. They know MLK would disagree with them and they know they would hate him were he still alive but they understand that he is a broadly popular figure and that they can use him to their advantage

[@EmoLozer500]

Unfortunately a lot of white liberals think the same.. MLK has turned into a cartoon character to be rewritten, misrepresented, quoted out of context, and utilized as a political tool. Both parties are guilty of this, though their intentions for doing so differ. A lot of people are completely ignorant of his actual contributions to our history, and why his words sparked social change. The establishment on many fronts would like to keep it that way. Not just in politics, but also education. I've certainly had conversations where my fellow leftists weaponize MLK as a justification for their ill informed assumptions of the black community. It would make me sad if it wasn't so damn infuriating to see. Ugh it'll only continue..

[@frickinfrick8488]

It’s really messed up how many people use Martin Luther King’s speeches to support “colour blind” policies and against reparations when he very vocally advocated for affirmative action. They’re selectively quoting him to attack everything he stood for, the disrespect is unmeasurable.

[@zunlise2341]

The unfortunate Martin "Whitewashed" King

[@jerw7671]

People also forget his economic views, reganomics is cancer

[@snarblegauz6710]

The bit about the two professors debating reminds me a lot of my sixth grade science teacher, who was very charismatic and well liked among the students, told my class that climate change wasn't real and used to carbon cycle as his proof of this. For years that stuck with me and I truly believed climate change wasn't real because an authority figure had assured me as much at a young age

[@corneliousism]

Human caused climate change isn’t a threat. The future which technocrats have in store for us is however a very large threat. You can find out about the sinister goings on very easily if you hunt around the internet.

[@Kevorama0205]

@@corneliousism Which future is a very large threat? And why do technocrats want it?

[@QuikVidGuy]

@@corneliousism the technocrats are capitalists causing climate disasters

[@snarblegauz6710]

@@corneliousism sure, maybe if you don't live in the global south, an under-developed country, or any other area stricken by climate disaster there might be other things more worrying for you

[@grmpEqweer]

@@corneliousism We already have climate change refugees and seawater in some of Miami's streets, at high tide. But, you know, you're going to believe what you want.

[@sasha-taylor]

rewatching this on Nov 4th, 2024, terrified his comment at 4:00 about the "bad timeline" is gonna come true after all

[@alexwyatt2911]

I’m still grieving the outcome

[@LarryLopez91]

Wanna hear a joke? A legitimate, right wing, patriotic historian.

[@leonardogomez8812]

Funniest shit I’ve seen lol In all seriousness, I wish to one day meet a right leaning fellow with a sense of morality, intelligence, and most importantly a spine

[@karkatvantass3730]

@@leonardogomez8812 Well if America as a whole is right leaning (Dems included for the most part) and someone is right wing of the right leaning country, safe to say there’s a low chance for redeeming qualities. :(

[@aprilkurtz1589]

American as a whole isn't a right leaning country.

[@Able542]

@@aprilkurtz1589 Care to elaborate? Because from what I've seen, conservatives have a HARD edge within political representation and the market is largely independent, so much so that they have a high degree of political influence. Which, colour me blue, surely doesn't smell like socialism to me.

[@Rawnblade13]

Oxymorons all the way down.

[@bismuthcrystal9658]

"if all men are equal, then none may by right rule another without his consent." Fun when the *White House* puts out a document saying, "Yes, sovereign citizens are right."

[@jaojao1768]

When the White House discovers anarchism

[@MacellaioNero]

There was a little moment, before we got to 17:42, where I had forgotten the way Trump speaks. I'd allowed myself that. There's no way historians will remember him as he was. It's too surreal, even now, that this man was President.

[@AbstractTraitorHero]

We have mass amounts of video. Unlike earlier points in history, future historians will just be able to put on thousands of old videos

[@DrOctatonic]

You mention the growing anti-intellectualism of conservatives, but I’d also like to point out the increasing pseudoskepticism as well. They will scrutinize every bit of scientific or social scientific data, but will require very little to be convinced of anti-vaccinations, race “science”, revisionist history, conspiracy theories, etc.

[@patnewbie2177]

Growing? It's been there for decades. Look at Texas in the early 2000s. Look at Kitzmiller v Dover. Even when their precious faith is debunked in a court of law, they refuse to give it up, like a child holding on to a balloon. There is an emotional attachment, such that anything in opposition to their dogma is the equivalent of a holy war.

[@DrOctatonic]

@@patnewbie2177 certainly. But I would argue that the pseudoskeptism in its worst form has reached its zenith *now*. In regards to conspiratorial ideology, 9/11 conspiracy theories, NWO, and the subsequent mainstreaming of Alex Jones and his platform was the beginning of a different beast. There have always been a double-speak used to defend pseudoskeptist positions, but like 9/11 conspiracy theories, they became far more sophisticated in rhetorical approach. The whole “Tower 7” pervasiveness is attributable to that.

[@patnewbie2177]

@@DrOctatonic yeah, I think you're right about that. The pandemic especially made things SO much worse with the pseudo skepticism. Fun fact I almost because a truther because of Jesse Ventura's show. (Surprise,) it used Building 7 to poke holes in the "official narrative". I was a high schooler with no frame of reference outside of history class. How was I supposed to know that the attacks were blowback from an 80s proxy war?

[@LucarioDoT]

Reminder that conservatives say "Cultural Marxism" because "Judeo-Bolshevism" is too much of a giveaway

[@yoloswaggins7121]

Yeah I love this. They have so many buzzwords like "globalists", "cultural Marxists", "zionists". They think they are hiding their racism but we all know who they are really talking about

[@LucarioDoT]

@@yoloswaggins7121 It's just pure antisemitism, not racism.

[@yoloswaggins7121]

@@LucarioDoT antisemitism is a form of racism

[@BitspokesV2]

@@yoloswaggins7121Jews aren’t a race though, they’re an ethnoreligious geoup

[@jeffreygao3956]

Plus it was made up by William S. Lind, aka one of the worst living authors ever who's so racist, sexist, homophobic, religiously intolerant, and clueless I hope he steps on a million LEGOs barefoot.

[@marinary1326]

Lately I've been watching a lot of KZbin videos at 1.25x speed. But not this one. Not Shaun's. He deserves every second of my attention that he's demanded and his voice demands to be heard at precisely the calm, dryly sarcastic cadence that Shaun intends.

[@dylanschmidt9056]

Don't worry, keep practicing and you'll get to 2.0x speed soon enough.

[@cheekypercy5413]

I watch basically every video on KZbin at 2x speed so I can consume more media

[@nob2243]

@@cheekypercy5413 *CONSOOM*

[@crimsonkate8241]

Do you also play vinyl albums at 45rpm? lol Sorry, I'm old & besides the ability to consume a little bit more media I personally don't see the appeal & wonder how well absorbed said media is when you're not giving your mind time to process it. Each to their own though! Also seeing as I'm old, Thomas The Tank Engine has really changed since I was a kid but I'm liking the new direction lol :)

[@marinary1326]

@@crimsonkate8241 Lol, I could never listen to music at a different speed, it just feels so wrong! But my brain moves fast enough that it's actually easier for me to focus on videos when they're at a bit higher speed, keeps my mind from wandering off :P Maybe when I'm old though I'll have to slow back down, watch the AI-produced VR video essays at treguar speed like a boomer or something

[@darrishawks6033]

"What we can charitably refer to as the President's mind" lmao what a sick burn

[@tkdyo]

The term "Patriotic education" should raise the hairs on everyone's neck, especially those who love to call everything that challenges them "Orwellian"

[@fvtown]

The creationist as the monorail salesman is just too perfect

[@dontspikemydrink9382]

Lyle Langley

[@Ernils]

"What we can charitably refer to as the president's mind." Damn, I love the the dryness of Shaun's deliveries! Makes these videos so enjoyable to listen to. Great work, great essay!

[@potatopotatow]

Damn, that speech by Frederick Douglass was straight venom! Amazing the 1776 report had the balls to quote it.

[@bettyunicorn6132]

Yeah they bold and dumb

[@paulelkin3531]

I suspect the authors of the 1776 report saw the quote in some far right screed or blog and it's the only thing from Douglass they've actually read. I mean, if they're this desperate to keep people from learning history, I highly doubt they've learned it themselves.

[@purrspctiv]

Ooh boy, I should’ve known that report would be right up your alley. Time for a Shaun extended special!

[@tonywords6713]

I'd just like to point out that Trump, a draft dodging traitor, went on TV to denounce Howard Zinn, a WW2 veteran, as being "anti-American".

[@mojoforthewin3069]

Actually Trump dodging the draft was one of the few cool things he’s ever done

[@janusprime5693]

​@@mojoforthewin3069 sure is, to us atleast. In the eyes of his target demographic it should be considered treason

[@israelgroysman5040]

howard zinn is communist, so of course he's anti-american

[@tonywords6713]

​@@mojoforthewin3069 I tend to agree actually I just think the irony is astounding. Sadly irony, like shame, is often lost on them.

[@harrisongrant8558]

If he dodged the draft because he had some kind of moral objection to the war and believed it was unjust whilst advocating against it in the hope that no more men would die in the meat grinder, that's one thing. It's the fact that he was able to dodge it because he was a rich coward who never had to work a day in his life while other men had to go fight and die for him, all while spouting this chicken-hawk war-mongering bullshit and having the audacity to claim that life was *SO HARD* for him because he had to wrap his schlong for once is what's so disgusting about it.

[@alfalafelstine1536]

Thesis: America is an exceptional country Antithesis: America is an evil country Synthesis: America is an exceptionally evil country

[@georgecisneros5281]

Antisynthesis: America is an evilly exceptional country.

[@Flow86767]

Syntantithesis : America is an exceptionally evilly exceptional country.

[@heartache5742]

scoliosis: america is a back pain country

[@nickb1241]

Why are you stanning the soviet union youre making all the other commies look bad

[@nickb1241]

@@skabbigkossa dont care didnt ask plus youre white

[@yandoryn]

I'm having flashbacks to public high school in Texas where I had to take a history test on the civil war. It was a multiple-choice question, asking why the civil war happened. Slavery was one of the options, but the only answer that could be marked correct was "states rights."

[@yandoryn]

There was also a lot of weird back and forth. "Texas didn't want to be bothered with the civil war, we tried so hard to stay out." Because civil war bad. "But states rights are very important and a reasonable reason to go to war." "But we really didn't want to haaave to."

[@MrHat.]

Why does Texas even need to heavily teach the civil war, the only thing it did was surrender once a union soldier crossed the border. Oh right, racism.

[@yandoryn]

@@MrHat. It wasn't heavily taught, actually. We kind of breezed through the civil war and especially reconstruction, which uh, I'd say is more racist. Even with the racism playbook developed by the GOP placed throughout the curriculum. It's a whole "we're aware that this is a major point of history in the US so we have to cover it, but let's do it as quickly and as pro-Texas as possible." I wish I could remember more of the talking points we were taught about reconstruction because I remember them being worse, just not quite as quotable. But the curriculum was definitely designed to be as jingoistic as possible while downplaying anything Texas did that was questionable. Over the actions of the US. Texas first!

[@spinecho609]

check out ATUN SHEI, he has great stuff on the civil war, and how a deliberate propaganda campaign by white supremacists has worked and continues to be believed to this day. For some strange reason, The South had a far more centralised government than the Union, the exact opposite of what you would expect form a "States Rights" coalition

[@yandoryn]

@@spinecho609 Absolutely will, thank you. Even though education at home and common sense fought these narratives, I see every day how they've affected me and my understanding of history. More content fighting these narratives helps me so much.

[@videlvasq]

Dunno if I'm the only one who does this but I like to listen to Shaun's videos with full attention once and then I just use them as asmr/background noise after that

[@aftokratory]

Yeah me too! I use it to help me fall asleep. 😂 His videos are fantastic and engaging and all but his calm voice and reasonable tone compared to everything else on the internet just makes me drowsy.

[@qwertydog9795]

I listened to this video while putting on my makeup 😹

[@KingAntDaProphet]

It's like my study guide

[@user-ob8dv6nq5m]

"Or in his first term in office, if we live in the bad timeline." Listening to this right now hurts.