Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Whither Goethe?

Goethe in the Roman Campagna - Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein (Source)
I had thought perhaps to write of philosophy today, not the classic guys and all that, more what I thought of all the great questions of the age.

But I am no philosopher. I am a simple man with simple tastes.

I also had thought to address the perceived lack of civility in our Nation these days. I've addressed that topic before (here and here) and Tuna addressed it pretty well yesterday, he doesn't post much but when he does it's well worth the wait. I will, no doubt, talk about civility, or the lack thereof, sometime again in the future. It's inevitable as once you start to get on in years, you start to repeat yourself.

And digress from time to time, like right now.

As is my wont, I like to start my posts with something pictorial, some days I know exactly what I want, other days I just stumble around the Internets until something (of a non-copyrighted nature, or close to it) presents itself.

Chasing the philosophy angle I searched on images of philosophers. 'Twas there that I stumbled across Goethe. (Well he was lying on that bench with his foot sticking out, I couldn't help but stumble.)

Now Goethe was something of a brilliant man. As a matter of fact, he...
was a German writer and statesman. His works include epic and lyric poetry; prose and verse dramas; memoirs; an autobiography; literary and aesthetic criticism; treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour; and four novels. In addition, numerous literary and scientific fragments, more than 10,000 letters, and nearly 3,000 drawings by him exist. (Source)
It struck me, thinking about the barbarism we seem to be sinking into, planet-wide, not just at home, though California seems eager to get there first, and thinking about philosophers, that one thing which is often said of Nazi Germany is that how could a nation such as that, a nation which produced Goethe and Beethoven, sink into such a state of barbarism.

State policy called for the deportation of all non-Germanic "stock" and the murder of all Jews, Gypsies, criminals, homosexuals, and the intelligentsia of all the countries the Nazis wanted for themselves. (Lebensraum and all that rot.)

Germany made the ultimate descent into barbarism, as did Soviet Russia, as did so many other totalitarian states. All eventually failed. Soon enough people will say "Enough!" and rise up against their oppressors. Usually though it takes the totalitarian state invading the wrong country and pissing off some other country before enough force is brought to bear to crush the totalitarians.

Until they rise again.

Speaking of the Nazis and their idiotic racial theories, I ran across this picture while researching my recent post about the Wehrmacht -

(Source)
The ideal German soldier, ja?

Well, yes and no. The young man's name was Werner Goldberg. He had been selected as the poster boy for the Wehrmacht, his image appearing on recruiting posters for the German military. Until the Nazis discovered that his father had been born Jewish but had converted to Lutheranism in order to marry Werner's (future) mother.

Blond and blue-eyed though he was, he wasn't good enough for Hitler's sick racial philosophy.

Speaking of which, there is a lot of sick racial philosophy still alive in the world. Drives me to distraction it does. There is, let me be frank about this, no such thing as race. We are all one species with a multitude of climate adapted variations. No one more superior than the other, all equal in the eyes of our Creator.

There are a number of idiots running loose in the streets these days, hiding behind masks, spreading hate and discontent. I'm starting to believe it has nothing to do with Clinton losing the election. That's just an excuse.

I'm starting to wonder what the end goal of these miscreants is?

I doubt they even know.

But their masters do.

What a world we live in...



16 comments:

  1. Interesting topic and timing. Supposedly the Superintendent got an email yesterday (I say supposedly because my DIL forwarded me a redacted copy from someone as yet to be determined), taking him to task for scheduling a class field trip to Ft Martin Scott, a local Fort/Museum from pre-Civil war days. The reason? One of the commanders had been a slave owner. It was a UNION fort! Good Fricking Gravy! More to follow. I've got a sneaking feeling it's a joke, but these days.....

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    1. I can't say I'd be surprised if it was a legitimate email. Wouldn't be surprised if it was a joke.

      The more I read about slavery, the more I realize that it was practiced everywhere in the world in different forms and guises. It was the traditional fate of tribes defeated in battle: you were killed or sold into slavery.

      It never was an American invention and it is still practiced today.

      Uninformed people irk me, those who push disinformation infuriate me.

      Sigh...

      Delete
  2. Disinformation? What? They got their facts bolloxed up? Never! Seems like an expedient half story to me. Agreed on the diatribe thou, to an agenda? NEVER! And as our news services consolidate to far left, and right, will the people see a problem? Or be sold a bill of goods?

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    1. My money is on "bill of goods."

      But you knew that.

      Delete
  3. Race is just a useful tool to divide us and pit one side against another. When your side has nothing to give, you can always give them something to hate.

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  4. As I no longer post or comment on anything of a political nature I will not voice the opinion that I see things slowly turning away from these idiot "resistors" very slowly...glacier slow.

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  5. Everyone thinks that the virulent infection of anti-Jewish hatred was an invention of that sick, twisted idiot named Adolf Hitler.

    Sorry, no. Nope. Not even. Wagner, of the famous opera music, was a twisted Jew hater (1812 to 1883). That particular disease of the mind has run virulent throughout the world since, oh, about the time the Romans decided they had had enough of the 'Jewish Problem' in Judea and kicked them out.

    And Germany was not the only nation to experience it. Vichy France participated whole-heartedly in ethnic cleansing their tainted soul (fun fact - Perrier used to be known as Vichy Water before the war. Stuff still sucks, but it has a better name.)

    England has, since the Middle Ages, gone through a cycle of welcoming Jews, taking their money and kicking them out. And anyone who thinks things have gotten different are very wrong. (We're on a not-friendly, take their money and kick out stage right now.)

    Poland's treatment of their Jews is an open shame that they have somewhat addressed, but still needs some work.

    And the United States, bright shining beacon of hope and virtue, under FDR's administration openly blocked and stalled the immigration of European Jews before WWII, only allowing a few in (mostly because of the great heart and powerful souls of a few in the State Department (hwack-ptui to the SDd (hey, even sounds like a venereal disease!))

    Point of this ramble? Barbarism is a state that lurks underneath Civilization. Civilization keeps Barbarism in check only by actively fighting it. When Mrs. Civilization gets complacent (usually, by historic example, done by restricting 'toxic masculinity' in one form or another (no home ownership of weapons, wussification of the male, etc.) then Mr. Barbarism is quite willing to kick her door down and do whatever he wants. Only when Mr. Civilization is allowed to be unchained from the basement is Mr. Barbarism given the thorough ass-kicking it deserves.

    Today's barbarism is suddenly finding that Civilization's boot doesn't feel so good as an enema (arrests of Antifa members, actually allowing free speech, actual admitting that Trump's people were wiretapped, etc.)

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    1. Another great comment Andrew. I particularly like the whole Mr. Barbarism versus Mr. Civilization angle. Weakening the Western male into a skinny-jeans-wearing-man-bun-sporting-I-hate-guns-sensitive-loon is the best way to let Mr. Barbarism in to have his way with Mrs. Civilization and drink all of Mr. Civilization's beer.

      We DO need some sort of award for commenting excellence...

      Delete
    2. You can have my Beer when you can pry it from my Hot, Thirsty Hands! You barbarian brute, you!

      Delete
    3. You can have all the beer as long as you leave the Spaten Optimator. Dark as the Black Forest, as thick as a Hun's skull, as vitalizing as a Biermaiden in a summer shower...

      And nothing gladdens my heart like watching little boys with Barbie dolls point the dolls at each other and go "pew, pew, pew." I see it a lot in my little corner of commie-hell known as Gainesville, FL. Makes me feel there's maybe hope for the future generations, if we survive that long.

      Delete
    4. A Doppelbock! Oh be still my heart!

      There is hope, thousands of years of evolution will not be denied! (Or so I hope.)

      Delete
    5. It ain't real beer unless you can walk on it!

      Delete

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