Sign in with Facebook
160 books
—
163 voters
“If we really saw war, what war does to young minds and bodies, it would be impossible to embrace the myth of war. If we had to stand over the mangled corpses of schoolchildren killed in Afghanistan and listen to the wails of their parents, we would not be able to repeat clichés we use to justify war. This is why war is carefully sanitized. This is why we are given war's perverse and dark thrill but are spared from seeing war's consequences. The mythic visions of war keep it heroic and entertaining…
The wounded, the crippled, and the dead are, in this great charade, swiftly carted offstage. They are war's refuse. We do not see them. We do not hear them. They are doomed, like wandering spirits, to float around the edges of our consciousness, ignored, even reviled. The message they tell is too painful for us to hear. We prefer to celebrate ourselves and our nation by imbibing the myths of glory, honor, patriotism, and heroism, words that in combat become empty and meaningless.”
― Death of the Liberal Class
The wounded, the crippled, and the dead are, in this great charade, swiftly carted offstage. They are war's refuse. We do not see them. We do not hear them. They are doomed, like wandering spirits, to float around the edges of our consciousness, ignored, even reviled. The message they tell is too painful for us to hear. We prefer to celebrate ourselves and our nation by imbibing the myths of glory, honor, patriotism, and heroism, words that in combat become empty and meaningless.”
― Death of the Liberal Class
“Violence is a disease, a disease that corrupts all who use it regardless of the cause.”
―
―
“Now, now my good man, this is no time to be making enemies."
(Voltaire on his deathbed in response to a priest asking him that he renounce Satan.)”
―
(Voltaire on his deathbed in response to a priest asking him that he renounce Satan.)”
―
“There are always people willing to commit unspeakable human atrocity in exchange for a little power and privilege.”
― War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning
― War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning
“Those who fail to exhibit positive attitudes, no matter the external reality, are seen as maladjusted and in need of assistance. Their attitudes need correction. Once we adopt an upbeat vision of reality, positive things will happen. This belief encourages us to flee from reality when reality does not elicit positive feelings. These specialists in "happiness" have formulated something they call the "Law of Attraction." It argues that we attract those things in life, whether it is money, relationships or employment, which we focus on. Suddenly, abused and battered wives or children, the unemployed, the depressed and mentally ill, the illiterate, the lonely, those grieving for lost loved ones, those crushed by poverty, the terminally ill, those fighting with addictions, those suffering from trauma, those trapped in menial and poorly paid jobs, those whose homes are in foreclosure or who are filing for bankruptcy because they cannot pay their medical bills, are to blame for their negativity. The ideology justifies the cruelty of unfettered capitalism, shifting the blame from the power elite to those they oppress. And many of us have internalized this pernicious message, which in times of difficulty leads to personal despair, passivity and disillusionment.”
―
―
Medieval Nonfiction Book Club
— 153 members
— last activity Oct 06, 2021 01:37AM
This book group reads nonfiction books on various topics in medieval European history, both academic and popular history. Group reads can last from on ...more
Connor’s 2024 Year in Books
Take a look at Connor’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
1,692 books
|
385 friends
110 books
|
137 friends
132 books
|
23 friends
226 books
|
76 friends
220 books
|
273 friends
25 books
|
7 friends
450 books
|
287 friends
9 books
|
615 friends
More friends…
Polls voted on by Connor
Lists liked by Connor
