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Chargement... Such Men Are Dangerous: The Fanatics of 1692 and 2004par Frances Hill
Aucun Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre.  plappen | Jul 26, 2008 |  aucune critique | ajouter une critique
A BookSense Pick, this well-researched book by a respected historian has managed to stand out among the many political books released in 2004, and unlike many of them,remains current for the foreseeable future.Most Americans would like to think that our modern-day leaders are more enlightened than the witch-hunting Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. But are they? Is it possible that people like Paul Wolfowitz, Dick Cheney, and even George W. Bush are just the modern-day equivalents of Cotton Mather, John Hathorne, and William Phips? Frances Hill finds a frightening resemblance, and hopes that by remembering the past we can avoid repeating it.The events are, of course, very different. The Puritans twisted a popular fear of imaginary spectral forces to bolster their ideological agendas, power and wealth. Today's neoconservatives are twisting the very real public fear of terrorism for those same ends.We know how the story of the witch hunts ends. The modern equivalent is still under way, with far more chilling ramifications for the future of humanity. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
Discussion en coursAucunCouvertures populaires
 Google Books — Chargement...GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)973.931History and Geography North America United States 1901- Bush Administration And Beyond George W. BushClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne: (5)
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Massachusetts of the 1690s was a very rigid sort of place. Those in power were ideologues who believed that their version of Calvinism was the only way and the only truth. Everyone who came to Massachusetts was required by law to attend Puritan services. Belonging to any other church was forbidden, on pain of banishment or hanging. All dissent was equated to bonding with the devil. The Puritans believed you were “either with us or against us.” Since Massachusetts thought itself a place where anyone could find work, poverty was considered a sign of general immorality and probable damnation.
America in 2004 is a place where those on the bottom are blamed instead of helped. Prisons are full of victims of poverty, and each year scores of Americans are legally executed. It stems from a point of view of self-seeking masquerading as righteousness, without regard for social justice. Selfishness is a virtue. Those who can’t make it economically are wicked and contemptible. Today’s leaders are as inhumane and self-righteous as those of 300 years ago.
Paul Wolfowitz and Minister Cotton Mather tried to emulate their famous fathers. They both also see only what they want to see, and are slippery and self-serving in argument. Deputy Governor William Stoughton and Donald Rumsfeld both hold rigid ideological views, lack humanity and mercy, and are war mongers and hypocrites. Stoughton and Dick Cheney are willing to bend their view of the world to accommodate their pursuit of wealth and power. Magistrate John Hathorne and Richard perle were not part of their respective elites, but they were the first to push their respective agendas. Governor William Phips and George Bush were intellectually lacking, but they did have a talent for forming alliances and cultivating people. They also had very foul mouths and furious tempers, and owed everything to family connections.
It’s disheartening to know that Americans have evolved so little in 300 years. This is quite an eye-opener of a book. An interest in Massachusetts of the 1690s would be a big help, but this is still fascinating and thought-provoking. Highly recommended. (