JK: Conservative media seems to be on a mission to save some historical figures from being brought down a few pegs, even if it means arguing directly against relatively well-justified beliefs about these historical figures.
For example, I tend to believe the wikipedia article that states:
He gave the name indios ('Indians') to the indigenous peoples he encountered. The extent to which he was aware that the Americas were a wholly separate landmass is uncertain; he never clearly renounced his belief he had reached the Far East.
The article goes on to discuss the views on Columbus' brutality:
Some historians have criticized Columbus for initiating the widespread colonization of the Americas and for abusing its native population. On St. Croix, Columbus's friend Michele da Cuneo—according to his own account—kept an indigenous woman he captured, whom Columbus "gave to [him]", then brutally raped her.
Contrast that with the viewpoints regarding Columbus expressed by Fox News:
Columbus Day is a federal holiday that officially celebrates and recognizes Italian explorer Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas in 1492. Democratic President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed a proclamation in 1934 making Columbus Day a national holiday following lobbying from the Italian American and Catholic communities.
Activists in recent years have worked to disassociate the day from Columbus, claiming it celebrates colonialism and genocide of indigenous people, in favor of celebrating Native Americans. Activists have also worked to remove Columbus statues from cities, including toppling such statues during the riots of 2020.
I don't know that I can point out any one simple point of this that isn't true, but is the use of the word "activists", without being identified, here seems to be painting some broad strokes evoking an association fallacy. Who are these "activists"? How do you know they all have the same motivations? Further, these unidentified "activists" then "claim" Columbus day is a celebration of genocide. There are many things wrong with this, but I find the appeal to motive to be most alarming. The subtext seems to be that "activists", who we all know to be leftist America haters, only claim that Columbus committed atrocities for the purpose of demeaning America, not that anyone might claim this due to historical evidence. The statement goes further by associating any discontent with the view that Columbus was one standup dude must be a claim that celebrating Columbus Day is a celebration of genocide. The lack of acknowledgement that these "activists" could have any other view than this is a false dilemma that pervades almost all of Fox News coverage of anything, ever.
The article goes on with absurd name calling and hate mongering, perhaps perceptively justifiable by an unfounded belief that left-wing conspirators are seeking to destroy America, but why should anyone take such poorly articulated rhetoric as something desirable to improving anything we care about?
What does it take to agree that Columbus was an important figure in American history and held beliefs that did not stand the test of time? Perhaps the harder question to answer is how are we best to connect to our past in a way that unifies us, without resorting to disparaging who we are now?
JH: There is a pervasive idea within mainstream media that people who consume their content are stupid. Any reasonably intelligent person can pick out the hyperbole.. usually. Having said that, the days of journalist integrity are clearly dead on both sides. We are not given the info as much as we are told what to think about it. Your quest for impartial scrutiny is not one that ultimately secures viewers($). A one time polite society did not include outright political discussions in social settings. The Right has adopted the means of the Left because--muh--tribalism, which, I believe, will one day lead to our ultimate destruction at the hands of authority. It's already here. I cannot criticize the narrative without being labeled as anti, kook, or any number of pejoratives...on either side. History is written by the victors, says the old adage and it is true. We discuss J.P.Getty without talking about what a voracious sex hound he was. We talk about any great leader without mentioning what a douche they were/are personally.
What I'm getting at is orthodoxy. The Right attempted to have conversations with the Left who shut them down entirely, choosing instead to hurl insults, refusing to hear another POV. Because of this, the Right got tired of playing nice and we saw the rise of a Rightist who plays dirty and makes the Right feel vindicated. There is so much more to that such as the panic of the Right feeling their values being trampled on and a reality that has existed for thousands of years suddenly becoming the enemy. The Right's Orthodoxy is a direct result of low info folks being attacked by the Leftist Orthodoxy and hey! As long as our side is on top! But that cheapens the very values the Right claims ownership of.
Why doesn't Batman just kill that Joker asshole?
Activist is now a term of disagreement for leftist ideologues who tend towards authoritarian enforcement of the new norms outside of the traditional Orthodox.
Conservatives are swept up in a tide of we are getting some of what we want and more, but it's going to cost them their souls if they bend those principles for a win.
And that's why Batman doesn't just kill that Joker asshole.
America is caught in a divisive political fever and many do not possess the rational skills to parse the junk from the good.
JK: Well, I think I agree with most of what you are saying--that the Left dismissed the Right and the Right retaliated. As to what values are owned by what group, the TED talk by Johnathan Haidt on the moral roots of liberals and conservatives give some useful perspective. I have a few more that I've liked a bit better, but that one is easy to digest.
Still, I think there's more to dive into on Columbus. I'm a bit surprised you don't seem to feel the need to defend him from me... perhaps I should see what happens if I attack him more unreasonably?
If this all just goes back to "the media is worthless", then what reinforces our beliefs? Can we challenge each other in a way that helps us learn more about entrenched beliefs that prevent us from strategically acting in a way that helps to dismantle the disinformation forces that tear us apart?
OK, starting a new obvious one... voting for third parties. You should do the same if you have an idea to get me on the defensive. :-D