A People's History of American Empire by Howard Zinn
tags:
Stumble ThisEmpire or Humanity?
What the Classroom Didn't Teach Me about the American Empire
by Howard Zinn
Narrated by Viggo Mortensen
Art by Mike Konopacki
Video editing by Eric Wold
To read more from Howard Zinn visit www.TomDispatch.com.
What the Classroom Didn't Teach Me about the American Empire
by Howard Zinn
Narrated by Viggo Mortensen
Art by Mike Konopacki
Video editing by Eric Wold
To read more from Howard Zinn visit www.TomDispatch.com.
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A People's History of American Empire (American Empire Project) Book added by: blankfist 
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Not true. The opposition to the war in Iraq dwarfs the anti-war movement then by a huge margin. It's just that now the media refuses to cover the protests where before they reveled in them.
*waronterror
For the same 'lessons' Zinn preaches, watch:
http://www.videosift.com/video/The-Communist-Manifesto-as-Told-by-Cartoons
A guy praising class war, whether ironically or not, when there are 100 million murdered worldwide by communism speaks volumes. At which Northwestern kollij do you teach Wymyn's Hystry?
QM - Charles Darwin was by many accounts not a very nice man. Does this make him not right?
I don't know how old you are nor where you grew up, but Zinn was one of the first to denounce the bad history taught in U.S. schools. So you own him at least a part of that. Also, fustigating the bad southern slave owners is a favorite past-time of everyone who don't want to look deeper into the causes and motives of the slave trade and the much more serious segregation problems the U.S.A. still faces (not to mention that in the South, many don't even talk about slavery as a problem!). When you emphasize a problem so much that you don't look at the other side's point of view, it's usually because you want to hide something: that the solution to that problem brought new as yet unresolved problems of its own, problems that you don't want to confront. What you're saying then is, "We were bad, but now we're good!". Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.
Do you understand that socialism, communism and capitalism are financial -rather than political- systems?
How many people has Swedish socialism killed?
What about American socialism *gasp* such as the highway system, schools and national parks?
Whether you know it or not, qm, we are both on the same side of the American class war - and we are both losing. I don't doubt the sincerity of your arguments, but I have to wonder if you feel you've been properly rewarded for your loyalty to powerful elites who run this country. My guess would be no.
Do you ever wonder why they fill your head with so many things to be afraid of? Commies, "Hemophiliacs", Terrorists, 'Islamofascists', Old Europe, France, Fags, Feminists, Liberals, Socialists, Illegal Aliens, Educated people, Poor people, etc............
Your entire being on this site is most accurately summed up in a single word: Afraid.
I'm sure you don't see yourself this way, but have you ever put your personal beliefs to the test? Have you ever broken down your belief system to see why you believe the things you believe?
As I have said before, your arguments seldom stray from the cliche-conservative-bumpersticker variety. Why not dig deeper? Why don't you think it through and give me your own unique opinion, rather than dittoing decades of partisan-politico programing?
As those who are winning the class war might say: Just do it!
But the worst thing are the people that actually believe this shit...
Leftist (even Anarchist) propaganda. Nothing more, nothing less.
More over, anyone willing to swallow the notion that American intentions in WW2 were imperial after Germany conquered all of Europe and Japan attacked Pearl Harbor needs to give their head a shake. Stop drinking the kool-aid!
There are legitimate problems with American foreign policy. Like most things though, it isn't black/white or good/evil consistently across history. It's varying shades of gray all through and anyone that simplifies beyond that is being dishonest through malice or ignorance.
A pan to the right however, would put a giant bear into view, ripping people to shreds, and further right, a dragon delightfully eating it's young.
I'll take my chances with the squid, thank you very much.
The USA's campaign against native americans was more effective than Hitler's invasion of Poland in the following ways:
1. Percentage of the native population wiped out
2. Extent to which the invaded people assimilated and sympathized with the invader
3. Duration of control
Native Americans have more reason to become terrorists than any Saudi. Fortunately, they have gotten over what happened back then instead of becoming terrorists.
It amazes me how people interpret U.S. history as either being rife with darkness and deceit and scandal or noble and virtuous. The world is made up of imperfect people. Some are evil or selfish in their intentions or choices. Others take great responsibility and pride in their achievements. If you don't like your country, do something about it now. Don't try an warp history to better suit your ideals.
You just get a false impression of that black-and-white thinking when you hear people talk about *one topic*, and it's a particularly dark topic. The USA's invasion of lands inhabited by people who didn't want to join the USA, is not pretty.
>> ^gorgonheap:
It amazes me how people interpret U.S. history as either being rife with darkness and deceit and scandal or noble and virtuous. The world is made up of imperfect people. Some are evil or selfish in their intentions or choices. Others take great responsibility and pride in their achievements. If you don't like your country, do something about it now. Don't try an warp history to better suit your ideals.
You just get a false impression of that black-and-white thinking when you hear people talk about one topic , and it's a particularly dark topic. The USA's invasion of lands inhabited by people who didn't want to join the USA, is not pretty.
Your right about the not pretty part. Supplying chemical weapons to Saddam, encouraging his war with Iran, continual funding of violent coups... But there are also things like WW2 and North/South Korea that aren't pretty either, but reflect well on America.
The parent poster was correct about distorting history and black/white thinking. Even the particular topic of American foreign policy is only black/white through biased glasses distorting the true shades of gray.
It amazes me how people interpret U.S. history as either being rife with darkness and deceit and scandal or noble and virtuous. The world is made up of imperfect people. Some are evil or selfish in their intentions or choices. Others take great responsibility and pride in their achievements. If you don't like your country, do something about it now. Don't try an warp history to better suit your ideals.
oh, come on, if you're gonna accuse anyone of warping history, blame your government and the media sock puppets. Zinn's not trying to be black&white, these are simply the facts that you and so many others choose to ignore, facts that will never be televised or found in school books because they are inconvenient and not very amusing either (except when briefly mentioned in some comedy talk show, accompanied by a live audience laughing their passive ignorant asses off).
"expanding not our military power but our humanity"; This sort of insipid, simplistic idealism is the stuff of Bush.
It's amazing what the Iraq war and two terms of the Bush administration has done to people. Many of these comments are shockingly stupid.
I am assuming that the 100 million number comes from The Black Book of Communism. If you actually looked at the numbers, you would've noticed that a majority (~65 million) of the deaths are due to famine. Not only are those numbers incredibly sketchy, but famines of that magnitude have a variety of causal factors. If you examined the limited evidence (regarding the famine deaths), it is really a combination of natural disasters, short-sightedness, logistical incompetence and government denial.
Now I completely agree that the governments in power are completely responsible for the deaths, but it is not unique to communism that governing incompetence has caused civilian deaths (Katrina anyone?) In the end, a catchy phrase like "communism murdered 100 million people worldwide" is really just ignorant, sensationalistic bullshit.
Read a history book, then come again.
Do you ever wonder why they fill your head with so many things to be afraid of? Commies, "Hemophiliacs", Terrorists, 'Islamofascists', Old Europe, France, Fags, Feminists, Liberals, Socialists, Illegal Aliens, Educated people, Poor people, etc............
Wait, we're not supposed to be scared of Hemophiliacs? But, I was told to hate Hemos. Hate them. Them and their stupid non-coagulating blood.
"QM - Charles Darwin was by many accounts not a very nice man. Does this make him not right?"
WTF point that supposed to be making, and who gives a fiddler's fuck???
"9/11 was provoked, but the actions that provoked it weren't necessarily wrong (the first gulf war, US bases in Saudi Arabia, and supporting Israel). The worst action of the USA in the region, the 1953 coup in Iran, actually was not part of the provocation (because Osama hates Shiites and he didn't declare war on the USA until the 90's even though he had a posse long before that)."
9-11 was many things, most of which have nothing to do with this paltry analysis....
Al Qaeda does not "hate us for our freedom". Here is how Osama bin Laden explained his own motives:
"Your position against Muslims in Palestine is despicable and disgraceful. America has no shame. ... We believe that the worst thieves in the world today and the worst terrorists are the Americans. Nothing could stop you except perhaps retaliation in kind. We do not have to differentiate between military or civilian. As far as we are concerned, they are all targets, and this is what the fatwah says ... . The fatwah is general (comprehensive) and it includes all those who participate in, or help the Jewish occupiers in killing Muslims. " - Osama bin Laden May 1998
"For over half a century, Muslims in Palestine have been slaughtered and assaulted and robbed of their honor and of their property. Their houses have been blasted, their crops destroyed. And the strange thing is that any act on their part to avenge themselves or to lift the injustice befalling them causes great agitation in the United Nations which hastens to call for an emergency meeting only to convict the victim and to censure the wronged and the tyrannized whose children have been killed and whose crops have been destroyed and whose farms have been pulverized " - Osama bin Laden May 1998
"The International Islamic Front for Jihad against the U.S. and Israel has issued a crystal-clear fatwa calling on the Islamic nation to carry on jihad aimed at liberating holy sites. The nation of Muhammad has responded to this appeal. If the instigation for jihad against the Jews and the Americans in order to liberate Al-Aksa Mosque and the Holy Ka'aba Islamic shrines in the Middle East is considered a crime, then let history be a witness that I am a criminal." - Osama bin Laden May 1999
"We swore that America wouldn't live in security until we live it truly in Palestine . This showed the reality of America, which puts Israel's interest above its own people's interest. America won't get out of this crisis until it gets out of the Arabian Peninsula , and until it stops its support of Israel." -Osama bin Laden, October 2001
The last quote there apparently references the USA's military bases in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar that were established during the first gulf war. The rest is about the USA's support of Israel.