Life's Little Institutionalized Ironies

This week I decided to write something on a lighter note. As some of you may know, I am a huge fan of what I like to call "Life's Little Institutionalized Ironies." Most of them are, in fact, ironic (I try not to Alanis Morissette the word "ironic"); I do admit that I place some items whose irony is in dispute in the category as well. Having said that, here are a few of my favorites (in no particular order):

Andrew Jackson and US Legal Tender

Andrew Jackson (7th president of the United States/Spanish Ouster/British Fighter-offer/Native Relocator/All-around Bad-Ass), in one of his more belligerent moments, vetoed the re-chartering of the Second National Bank of the United States. The Bank was up for re-chartering in 1832 and Congress sent the bill to Jackson for approval. Jackson vetoed the charter and, in 1833, removed federal money from the National Bank. The charter ran out and the Bank was no more. At the end of his presidency, Jackson also warned against the use of paper money (he preferred the use of actual gold over a slip of paper redeemable for gold). However, in 1928, Andrew Jackson was chosen as the new face of the twenty dollar bill. It is as if the Federal Reserve were giving a huge middle finger to Andrew Jackson, and I am convinced that he rolls in his grave every time a twenty dollar bill changes hands.

The Pulitzer Prize

Joseph Pulitzer was a Hungarian-born American known most notably for his work in the newspaper business (and as the antagonist in the beloved musical "Newsies"). Pulitzer is known in historical circles for his contribution (read role as co-founder) of early 20th century Yellow Journalism. In his bid to sell more newspapers, Pulitzer often sensationalized stories, using a variety of techniques regarding paper layout, story selection, etc. It has been said that Pulitzer is partly responsible for US entrance into war with Spain. This is an exaggeration, though more because his papers were not circulated outside of NYC, rather than for lack of trying. Pulitzer's stories often chose emotion over accuracy. Later on in his life, he is said to have become a more reputable editor. His role in Yellow Journalism is still felt today, over a century later. Thus, the irony that journalism's most coveted prize is named after a man who sensationalized the news in order to sell more papers.

The Eighteenth and Twenty-first Amendments

Note: This last one isn't all that ironic, I just find it amusing.

The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States prohibits the manufacture, sale, and transportation (including importation) of any intoxicating beverages within the borders of the United States. It was passed in 1919 and went into effect in 1920. Several years later, the people of the United States decided that Prohibition was not such a great idea after all. The problem comes with the fact that a Constitutional Amendment cannot be removed. Therefore, in 1933, the Twenty-first Amendment was ratified, which stated that the Eighteenth Amendment was thus repealed and the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol was once again legal. As a result, according to the Constitution of the United States, the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol is both illegal and legal (though its legality supersedes its illegality).

Those are a few of the more memorable institutionalized ironies/oddities. I hope you enjoyed and I hope you find a few of your own!

Ethno-religio-linguistic Mash-up Mix-'em-up

I decided to drop some more truth-bombs regarding common-held misconceptions. Today's ideas came to me after reading some of the media reports regarding President Obama's trip to the Middle East, specifically his speech in Cairo.

Many news outlets reported that Obama used the common "Muslim greeting, As-Salamu Alaykum." Every single article I read and news program I watched used this phrase. The problem is that this is not a Muslim salutation, but rather an Arab greeting. Granted, the majority of the Arab world is Muslim, but Christian Arabs also greet each other with this same phrase. Translated, it means "Peace be upon you." This is no different from the "peace" greeting common in Roman Catholicism and the Anglican Communion ("peace be with you").

Along these same lines, it is often said that Allah is the God of Islam. Strictly speaking, this is not correct. In fact, Allah is the Arab word for "God." Arab Christians, Jews, and Muslims all call God Allah. This Western misunderstanding would be akin to people from another country saying "God" is the English word for the Christian God.

These instances (among others) have led me to two observations.

The first is that we have a tendency to oversimplify cultures, blurring the lines between Ethnic groups, religions, and language families. Rather than attempting to better understand the differences and similarities between them all, it is easier to make them all one thing. Rather than learning about Persians, Arabs, Kurds, Sunni, Shia, Farsi, and Arabic, we lump it all together under "The Middle East" or "Islam" and call it a day. We do this regardless of the fact that, within our own country, we have a seemingly infinite diversity of such categories. How much more complicated should we consider it in a region with several nations?

The second is an unfortunate trend in certain journalistic outlets that perpetuate these cultural misunderstandings. It is easier to call a phrase Muslim than to actually look up the phrase itself and give it its proper place. I'm not sure where the source of this problem is. Perhaps it is our constant demand for instant news that forces rushed, and therefore careless, reports. Maybe it is an unfortunate lackadaisical streak in some journalists' fact-checking. It is also possible that we are so comfortable in our own ignorance that we blissfully turn a blind eye to factual inaccuracy in favor of accepting what is fed us.

This is not an invective against modern journalism. Rather, it is a lament that we ("we," because I, too, fall into this trap) do not put forth more effort into understanding the amazing complexities our world presents us. Life seems so much more interesting to me when I give my time in the attempt to comprehend the subtle nuances that distinguish similar - but no less distinct - cultures, ethnic groups, religions, language patterns, etc.

It's a trip and a half.

"Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Leave Here" or How Reading Dante Can Counter Modern Chronographo-prejudices

My apologies for the verbosity of the title of this entry. Consider it practice for when I begin publishing articles and writing books.

Don't worry, this won't be as mentally rigorous as the title may suggest. I wouldn't be a graduate of the Baylor Honors College if I didn't write something about Dante. That's just how it works.

After reading Dante’s Divine Comedy, I became keenly aware that within the Comedy are counter-arguments to many of our pre-conceived notions of how things worked in medieval thought.

For example, we are often told that the adherents of Christianity and Islam have always held an intense hatred for each other from the very beginning. The Crusades are often used as the primary example of this idea. As a result, I find it very interesting that Saladin is given a place among the virtuous pagans; men like Socrates and Plato. In fact, there are a number of medieval accounts roughly contemporary with Saladin’s time that are quite complementary of the kind of person Saladin was, despite the fact that he was a Muslim enemy.

Dr. Wood (Baylor University professor) pointed out to a class of his that Dante includes a man who committed suicide in Purgatory. I find this enormously interesting. Inferno seemed to have taken care of all suicides, which was widely condemned as the elusive “unforgivable sin.” Yet Cato, who committed suicide rather than see the Roman Republic fall, is named as the last denizen of Purgatory to be purged of his sins and granted access to Paradise. All too often we assume that “doctrine” and “dogma” (veritable four-letter words in our modern culture) were set in stone and left no room for debate or furthered understanding. Cato’s presence in Purgatory seems to refute this.

Finally, I find it insulting to the Ancients and Medievals that we teach our children that, until Christopher Columbus, all people thought the world was flat. I could point to Greek writers to disprove this, but I will stick with the Dante theme I have already established. It is clear that Dante has a clear idea of a spherical world. Mount Purgatory is on the opposite side of the world from Jerusalem. Dante’s entire conception of space in Inferno and Purgatory depends on a round earth.

Dante is replete with examples of the vitality and creativity of the Medievals. These are just a few of the examples that stand out to me. Perhaps the problem is that the only people exposed to these ideas are upper-level university students.

It is a shame that we ignore these facts in favor of an “historical” account that discredits all civilizations before the 15th century as the village idiots of human existence.

But that, my friends, is a subject for another day.

The Beginning of Something (mildly) Special

As the title of my newly crafted blog implies, I plan on recording random musings, thoughts, incidences, plans, and other cerebral excesses. Rarely will I follow a set pattern. Feel free to peruse at your own leisure (please read that like "pleasure" rather than "lee-zhur"... the former pronunciation makes me feel fancier). My feelings will not be hurt if you decide to forgo devoting any significant amount of your day to reading my public thoughts/insights/rants.

Shall we begin?