Cultural History of US 2: No History for You!

So Super Stoked that you are still publishing lectures!!! Love your work Wes 🙏😀💜

Im swedish and never heard about New Sweden before! Didnt expect to learn new things about my own country hehe.

Once again, Dr. Cecil, you enlighten us like none other!!! Thank you so much, beloved maestro!!!

About Louisiana, (European descended) people here really think of France as the cultural father of the area. It doesn't manifest in much more than a vague idea that our culture is French-descended, and it definitely is not filtered through a pronounced focus on French history. But people do feel that way, and really no one here ever thinks about England (the probable cultural parent for the east coast) at all in the slightest. Also importantly, New Orleans is in many ways more Spanish than French. The Spanish really built the city and it's culture. It wasn't until white Haitian French slaveowners immigrated here following the Haitian revolution that these recently-arrived French creoles started trying to erase the Spanish creole history throughout the 19th century. You can check out John Eugene Rodriguez’s Spanish New Orleans for a recent history book about this

Are you familiar with "American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America" by Colin Woodard? His exposition seems to blend with your new series.

To begin, thank you Wes. Your lectures have opened my heart and mind to many ideas and perspectives (I started with your language series years ago). And I have even read primary source philosophy too (a few Platonic dialogues and Boethius)! As a historically-lacking American, I find myself asking “How would I feel or see the world differently if I had some of this distance history (or culture)?”

Question: much of what you're saying seems to apply to all the Anglo colonial societies (Canada, Australia, NZ,...). e.g. I once read a historical quote by a Maori man, saying that being asked to assimilate into pakeha (i.e. white) society was like being asked to assimilate into a cultural nothingness. Do you have any thoughts on the similarities and differences between the USA, and that wider Anglo colonial world?

The shoulders of giants aren’t the only things we stand on, but the other things are a bit too macabre to mention with pride.

The Smithsonian is a major problem, the amount of artifacts they have "lost" is absolutely preposterous

Finding native american artifacts is often controversial, any discovery could rewrite major things. I think people should be open minded. Have you heard of the megalithic structure in lake michigan?

I think we should make a modern / historical distinction here, in the past people ignored things based on premises of survival. Shit was fucking real when you didn't have HVAC and electricity. In the modern era, people ignore things out of shame. There is I think a major psychological difference here, despite the similar outcome of ignorance.

Hegel comes to mind

The myth of Prince Madoc is quite interesting, I think a lot of people think it's just simply impossible to figure out the timeline of the Americas. I think it's quite common for native americans to as well have a limit to their knowledge of the history of the Americas. In their oral traditions, it's common for them to only have a few hundred years.

Wth are you talking about? Even if the settlers got along with the natives and integrated the two cultures in some way the settlers would still have no ancestral connection to the natives. Their history would still begin 1607. This makes no sense. The Irish said hey look we found one of our ancestors because they are literally the direct descendants of that person. That would never be true for the descendant of the englishman who came over to America in 1607 if we found some 2000 year old native body unless he actually had a half native child when he came over which almost nobody would. Unless your saying you somehow think the current entire american population would native dna right now if only we got along with them which is dumb considering we had a massive influx of European immigrants again in the 20th century.

Do you think that the lack of history in America contributes to alienation and social strife?

I remember a BBC show, many moons ago featuring Sting travelling through New York in a car. I think it had to do with his Quentin Crisp phase. Anyhow, he made the observation of just how many Irish(Irish American) bars there were. He asked the interviewer, ' why are there no English(English American) bars. The interviewer didn't respond, in order not to embarrass Sting about the truth about American history, i.e. English American = American. I think you're being dishonest, when you say the history of America USA is vexed. To be an unquestionable American is to be White Anglo Protestant. Everyone knows of the Plymouth brethren and the founding fathers, amongst other famous American people in history and they all had English surnames. 🎉

This makes it so much weirder with the whole MAGA thing (which assumes that there actually is a shared past, which was GREAT). In addition... the only answer I've seen anyone come up with in regards to the "What is it you're proud of, what makes you American" is this that they refer to this assembly of a few lavish white dudes from 250 yeears ago, who wrote something the country is based upon which is (like the bible) completely and utterly outdated. Truly bizarre.