全 90 件のコメント

[–]seaturtlesallthewayWikipedia is peer-viewed. 9ポイント10ポイント  (3子コメント)

Several times now, I've researched an answer for a question on AskHistorians, with links to primary sources, and deleted them, because the answer was short and sweet.

I think I really need to get over myself.

[–]anthropology_nerdGuns, Germs, and Generalizations 5ポイント6ポイント  (1子コメント)

We've all been there.

I think I publish ~50% of what I actually write for /r/AskHistorians. So many times I write out a detailed answer and then I either second-guess myself out of posting it, or question if I really know the material. Self doubt can be killer.

I just have to remind myself that even if I'm wrong, it is perfectly fine to be wrong and learn from my mistakes. I would rather be corrected here on reddit than make some egregious error in "real life".

[–]seaturtlesallthewayWikipedia is peer-viewed. 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

But the judging! I don't like being judged.

I have self-esteem issues, I know. :/

[–]Mictlantecuhtli 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Someone asked a question on post-Conquest West Mexico the other day (!!!) and I could not answer them because I just did not have the sources. I could tell them what I knew, but what would I source? My advisor as a personal communication?

[–]Quouarthe Weather History Slayer 9ポイント10ポイント  (8子コメント)

My cat bit me, so now I'm taking her to the vet. That'll teach her to bite me. /cackle

[–]hussard_de_la_mort"sandwich in my right, .45 in my other hand" 5ポイント6ポイント  (1子コメント)

How bad did the cat get you? You might need to go to the doctor too.

[–]Quouarthe Weather History Slayer 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

It was just a nip. She didn't want belly tickles, and then I had the audacity to walk near her after the belly tickles were over. She was going to the vet for her rabies shot and a check-up anyway, but it's more fun to joke that she brought it on herself by being a jerk.

[–]Felinomancy 2ポイント3ポイント  (5子コメント)

Does this mean you'll turn into a cat every full moon?

[–]phasv2 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

I wonder how werecats feel about garlic and silver?

[–]RoNPlayerJames Truslow Adams was a Communist 0ポイント1ポイント  (3子コメント)

Relevant User Name?

(For clarification: Yours, not mine)

[–]Felinomancy 0ポイント1ポイント  (2子コメント)

No, mine's like necromancy, but with cats.

[–]RoNPlayerJames Truslow Adams was a Communist 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

Oh...

So...

How?

[–]Felinomancy 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Well, I spiritually commune with cats, mostly using incantations, headpats and treats.

[–]kroati 6ポイント7ポイント  (14子コメント)

Been lurking here for quite some time, i kinda need help now.

A friend of mine has grown from a "the nazis did some things okay" guy (those are quite a lot of such people here, and they are okay in regards to everything else so it is okayish [just, like, dont mention politics or the wars]) to a full blown /pol/ conspiratard, apologetic holohoaxer and full scale historical revisionist/downplayer.

No matter how much facts people give him, he turns them around, over exaggerates the allies propaganda to disregard many of them, steers the discussion towards all the other crimes that had happened, how they ware equally or even worse and calls upon the "my grandfather" "argument".

The question is, as a layman history fan, which kind of alcohol should i start with?

[–]seaturtlesallthewayWikipedia is peer-viewed. 5ポイント6ポイント  (8子コメント)

80 proof, escalate to 100 proof if necessary.

200 proof for your friend, especially if he's a smoker.

[–]kroati 3ポイント4ポイント  (6子コメント)

We're talking:

the gas chambers were fake in the most cases, the allies propaganda made a ton of fake facts so that rarely some can be true, the convictions and statements of people who experienced that are fake and overblown, allies war camps were as bad as Chelmno, the soviets killed more of russians than the axis did, the death camps were working with axis prisoners after the war, nukes, Dresden, but overall my family died on both sides, so ive got an neutral and objective point of view on everything

Im from europe to the proof content is kinda weird for me.
If i understand correctly, 2 proof ~= 1 % alcohol, right?

[–]seaturtlesallthewayWikipedia is peer-viewed. 3ポイント4ポイント  (4子コメント)

That's right with the proof.

And it sounds like your friend's falling in with the neos. :(

[–]kroati 1ポイント2ポイント  (3子コメント)

So, what kinds of alcohol would be recommended in that case?

Now that youve mentioned it, he is often ridiculing those who call themselves neos for being dumbasses who have no true connection to their origin.

[–]seaturtlesallthewayWikipedia is peer-viewed. 2ポイント3ポイント  (2子コメント)

So, what kinds of alcohol would be recommended in that case?

Anything distilled. Whisky, whiskey, schnapps, cognac, straw rum. Whatever kills braincells in the most efficient way.

Now that youve mentioned it, he is often ridiculing those who call themselves neos for being dumbasses who have no true connection to their origin.

Now that's rich, considering he's spring grade A neo-Nazi propaganda. Urgh.

[–]kroati 2ポイント3ポイント  (1子コメント)

Ill check for those when i go to the market.

Is there some kind of neo nazi bingo? Id want to check it for him.
And yep, thats why i asked for alcohol recommendations here, i could deal with people being small time nazis, but it has gotten out of hand now.

[–]seaturtlesallthewayWikipedia is peer-viewed. 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Ayy, don't actually self-medicate with alcohol, dude. That's bad juju.

Instead, find a group of friends that's less idiotic.

Where in Europe are you? Pretty sure that there are resources about neo-Nazis available, including how to deal with it, and maybe even to counter the influence of propaganda. Unfortunately, this stuff is pretty cult-ish, so there may not much you can do to help your friend.

[–]TheGreatDainius 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Well, you don't need to drink, since the gas chambers really were Allied propaganda and not the site of countless state-sponsored murders, but in the States 1% alcohol is exactly 2 proof!

[–]chocolatepotChanel was the woooorst 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

calls upon the "my grandfather" "argument"

What is this?

[–]Georgy_K_ZhukovLend Lease? We don't need no stinking 'Lend Lease'! 1ポイント2ポイント  (2子コメント)

to a full blown /pol/ conspiratard, apologetic holohoaxer and full scale historical revisionist/downplayer.

Uh... the solution, frankly, is not to be friends with someone like that...

[–]phasv2 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

It could be a phase. My brother went through a conspiracy theory phase, and at one point told me that Obama won the last election because Mexicans came over the border to vote for him. We're latino, so it's a little strange when your brother starts spouting strong anti-immigration rhetoric.

He got over it though.

[–]Townsend_HarrisDred Scott was literally the Battle of Stalingrad. 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Uh... the solution, frankly, is not to be friends with someone like that...

It sorta depends. I mean if it's your old childhood friend just ditching them seems...well inhumane in a Nazi/Stalinist kinda way.

Now if it's a guy you met a year or two ago and just hung out with every so often, then yeah maybe ditch him.

[–]Townsend_HarrisDred Scott was literally the Battle of Stalingrad. 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

even worse and calls upon the "my grandfather" "argument".

I am unfamiliar with this. Is it "My grandfather didn't notice anything!"?

[–]DirishTime travel agent for King Edward 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

Did someone here read "The Silk Roads: A New History of the World" by Peter Frankopan? I was able to pick it up fairly cheaply last weekend and am curious how it's regarded before I start reading it.

In other news, I've started watching Lucy Worsley's documentaries on YouTube. I had seen "If Walls Could Talk: The History of the Home" before, and have the book, but rewatched it anyway. And now I'm two parts into "A Very British Murder" and it's as entertaining as the first series. I must see if there's a book based on the series; the History of the Home book had about ten times as much info as the TV series and was a great read.

[–]TempleOwl17 5ポイント6ポイント  (3子コメント)

So on Circlebroke there was a debate on why minorities, more specifically African Americans, didn't support Bernie Sanders and the overwhelming consensus was that it's because of how his supporters treated BLM protesters.

For fear of being accused of amything I decided to stay out of that, but I blatantly disagree. I generally think Sanders isn't going to get the black vote is because Hillary has something Sanders doesn't and that's a husband pretty much loved by all African Americans. I mean my entire family is voting for Hillary and their arguments basically come down to bill was a great president so she'd be too.

At church it pretty much is exclusively hillary because of bill. There's a few who said hillary because we need a woman president and like a few who say because we don't need a old white man for a few more presidents. Though I'm sure those were more jokes than anything.

This isn't to say the way reddit responded to the protesters was good or ignored or didn't matter. I'm sure with college aged blacks like myself that was a turn off, but I doubt on the whole that played any significant role.

For what it's worth I'm still torn between Sanders and Clinton. I am way more left wing than most so Sanders seems like a no Brainer, but at the same time I feel like I'm practical and Hilary stands the best chance, unless someone huge like Biden throws his hat in which would further complicate things because I love Papa Joe.

But like I was saying I think on the whole Hilary has, at least from the small, mainly anecdotal and totally not scientific research I've conducted most of the black vote cornered. That and I can't help but feel Sanders panders suuuuper hard to his demographic.

[–]Townsend_HarrisDred Scott was literally the Battle of Stalingrad. 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

That and I can't help but feel Sanders panders suuuuper hard to his demographic.

What do you suppose that is?

For what it's worth I'm still torn between Sanders and Clinton. I am way more left wing than most so Sanders seems like a no Brainer, but at the same time I feel like I'm practical and Hilary stands the best chance, unless someone huge like Biden throws his hat in which would further complicate things because I love Papa Joe.

Unless you're going to vote in the primaries (which BTW don't start till next year despite all the noise happening NOW) that's not a huge concern. Do this instead, does anyone currently running as a Republican (or other party) candidate appeal to you more than any possible contender from the Democrats? Would you, for example, vote for Governor Bush over Secretary Clinton or Vice-President Biden? Are you a single issue voter, or do you take a more holistic approach to candidates? What do you expect from a president, and what can the president actually do within the processes of government as they exist? I say the last because despite what some people have to say about Presidents Obama's and Bush's behavior, the president is not a king who can just enact sweeping change just 'because'.

[–]Mictlantecuhtli 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

So why not vote for Bernie in the primaries and then vote for Hillary during the election (if she gets the nomination)? It's the best of both worlds.

[–]TempleOwl17 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Because in some bizzare world imagine if voting for Bernie has the 3rd party effect and someone like omally steals the nom. Irrational to believe I know but I mean what if?

In all seriousness though I suppose that'd work.

[–]WorldOneWonAlexander the Great Didn't Real 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

I had a date last night! It went really well. And it looks like a second date was green lit! YYYYYYEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH!

And what's this? I go to Disney for a week on Saturday? Why yes September, you are a fantastic month so far.

[–]nottheprinceofwalesInterested in the Gnostic janitor 3ポイント4ポイント  (1子コメント)

I had to drop one of the Latin texts I'm studying this semester. Sorry, Seneca, you won't be missed. I have entirely too much on my plate without that added bleh, so it's rather freeing. And by "freeing," I mean that I'm no longer forced to put off studying by doing more studying.

[–]whatwouldjeffdo5/11 Truther 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Are you studying other Latin texts?

[–]bdsorensen 3ポイント4ポイント  (2子コメント)

I got sent my first harassing personal message on Reddit! Sniff.

I reported it immediately, so I can't actually look at it anymore, but it basically said "You Capitilistic bourgeoisie fuck! You should be sent straight to the Gulag!"

Which is funny, because I'm pretty certain I know what comment chain prompted that response, and in it I was accused of being petite bourgeoisie due to not knowing everything about Bernie Sander's platform.

[–]RoNPlayerJames Truslow Adams was a Communist 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Doesn't know the platform of a social democrat

Suddenly becomes part of the owning class

I didn't know it's that easy.

[–]Townsend_HarrisDred Scott was literally the Battle of Stalingrad. 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

If we see "Tankies for Sanders!" bumper stickers, Sanders is toast.

[–]visforvlvl 40 socialist necromancer 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

hnnngh, first week of writing for our college newspaper and I've already been worn out trying to grab interviews. Damn the Second Week Blues!

also when is my financial aid going to arrive sobsob

[–]Post-NapoleonicManLincoln invented Nylon to spite the South. 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

So TIL that Benjamin Franklin thought that the emblem of America should not be a Bald Eagle, but, wait for it - a Turkey.

For my own part, I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen as the Representative of our Country; he is a Bird of bad moral Character; he does not get his living honestly; you may have seen him perch'd on some dead Tree, near the River where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing-Hawk; and, when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the support of his Mate and young ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him, and takes it from him. With all this Injustice he is never in good Case; but, like those among Men who live by Sharping and Robbing, he is generally poor, and often very lousy. Besides, he is a rank Coward; the little KingBird, not bigger than a Sparrow, attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District.

...in Truth, the Turk'y is in comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America.

Benjamin Franklin (To Sarah Bache, January 26, 1784), The Autobiography and Other Writings, Penguin Classics.

Try replacing the Turkey for the Eagle on the Great Seal of the United States without making them the laughing stock of the world...

[–]semiconductressthe dialectical relationship between history and badhistory 2ポイント3ポイント  (5子コメント)

Been reading some Nietzsche, I love his writing style holy shit.

Has anyone here ever read his "On the Uses and Abuses of History for Life"? It seems very interesting as it specifies a treatment of history that's for the "living," for the future instead of just looking at the past academically. What's your take on it? Is it still relevant to the modern day, and what would it mean for contemporary historians to change their interpretation of history for the "living"?

Kind of wanted to ask this on /r/AskHistorians but it's not a very coherent question.

[–]Georgy_K_ZhukovLend Lease? We don't need no stinking 'Lend Lease'! 1ポイント2ポイント  (4子コメント)

Been reading some Nietzsche, I love his writing style holy shit.

Yeah. It is a pity he was bat shit insane cause he really is a great read. What translation are you reading (assuming you aren't fluent in German I guess)? Kaufmann?

[–]semiconductressthe dialectical relationship between history and badhistory 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/Nietzsche/history.htm

This one, someone sent me the link and I didn't really bother looking for different translators. Should I bother?

[–]Georgy_K_ZhukovLend Lease? We don't need no stinking 'Lend Lease'! 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Well, personally I find Kaufmann's translations to be quite superior to other examples I've read. Not familiar with that guy though.

[–]Townsend_HarrisDred Scott was literally the Battle of Stalingrad. 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

bat shit insane

Really?

[–]Georgy_K_ZhukovLend Lease? We don't need no stinking 'Lend Lease'! 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Well, syphilitically insane if you want to be slightly more clinical.

[–]whatwouldjeffdo5/11 Truther 2ポイント3ポイント  (1子コメント)

Modern car designers should be the first against the wall when the revolution comes.

[–]A_Crazy_CanadianEU4 is a Academic Source 4ポイント5ポイント  (9子コメント)

I just finished reading the first third of Guns, Germs and Steel and had my first discussion on it with my class.

The book is awful in terms of how it treats history. Fundamentally Diamond seems to think that only what would of happened seemingly robbing people of any agency. Ie the Maori would always kill the Moriori. The Spanish would always conquer the Inca etc.

Also for /u/anthropology_nerd here is a better reading list from the class:

  • In defense of the Indians

  • Chardon's Journal at Fort Clark

  • Changes in the Land: Indians Colonists and the Ecology of New England (Cronon)

  • Ecological Imperialism (Crosby)

  • The end of History (Fukuyama)

  • When china ruled the sea (Levathes)

  • Unending Frontier: An environmental history of the early modern world (Richards)

  • The Account: Alvar Nunez De Vaca's Relation

Excerpts from:

  • 1491

  • Captain James Cook; or the dying god (Sahins)

  • The west Indies (Watts)

[–]anthropology_nerdGuns, Germs, and Generalizations 7ポイント8ポイント  (8子コメント)

Aww, look at you being all sweet and following up. :)

My writing task for this week was to finish a description of the first entradas into North America. I took so much joy detailing the complete and utter failure of the Spanish in Florida.

Ponce de Leon: hit by an arrow, retreats, and dies in Cuba.

Allyon: only 150 out of 600 colonists survive and flee back to the Caribbean, and he died of illness before the colony collapsed.

Narvaez: only 4 (including Cabeza de Vaca) out of several hundred ever return to Mexico after a complete debacle in Florida.

I haven't written it yet, but De Soto is going to survive Peru only to die on the banks of the Mississippi, and the southwestern entrada is going to turn Coronado into "a broken man more fit to be governed than govern" according to a judge that will oversee his trial for abuse of Indians.

The seemingly invincible Spanish juggernaut did not fare so well in North America, and it is so much fun to write.

[–]seaturtlesallthewayWikipedia is peer-viewed. 2ポイント3ポイント  (2子コメント)

Sounds like the Seminole were serious badasses.

[–]anthropology_nerdGuns, Germs, and Generalizations 3ポイント4ポイント  (1子コメント)

The Seminole weren't even really a thing yet. We're talking chiefdoms of the Apalachee, Calusa, and Timucua.

The Seminole won't even start to coalesce in that area until after the Yamasee War, when refugees fled to the now largely uninhabited Florida Peninsula after it was devastated by slaving raids. Add in some more Lower Creek, some Choctaw, a dash of escaped African slaves, and a pinch of shipwrecked Europeans and you have a Seminole melting pot forming in Florida in the 18th century.

[–]seaturtlesallthewayWikipedia is peer-viewed. 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Neat.

Any particular book recommendations? 1491 is on my reading list, FWIW.

[–]A_Crazy_CanadianEU4 is a Academic Source 1ポイント2ポイント  (4子コメント)

You are welcome, do you have any information about failed Spanish attempts to fight the Inka?

[–]anthropology_nerdGuns, Germs, and Generalizations 2ポイント3ポイント  (2子コメント)

Mmm, little outside my expertise. I'll phone a friend...

/u/CommodoreCoCo, /u/pseudogentry, and /u/Yawarpoma should know more about the Inca.

[–]pseudogentry 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

Not really my bailiwick either I'm afraid /u/A_Crazy_Canadian

Certainly the 1524 and 1526 expeditions met localised armed resistance, but nothing major. This was all compounded with terrible weather conditions and intermittent supply, so calling the expeditions 'failures' to fight the Inca is a bit of a stretch.

As for the conquest itself, I'm not really up on the Incan insurgency past the basic events of Cajamarca.

[–]anthropology_nerdGuns, Germs, and Generalizations 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Is The Last Days of the Incas any good? It is on my reading list and I'm trying to figure out how high I want to bump it up.

[–]Townsend_HarrisDred Scott was literally the Battle of Stalingrad. 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Just out of curiosity, when did it change from "Inca" to "Inka"?

Also has the pronunciation changed (its was ink-AH, when I learned it).

[–]WARitterReductio Ad Hitlerum 4ポイント5ポイント  (17子コメント)

This is beginning of a rant about Game of Thrones. It is only the beginning, because even though I've read every Patrick O'Brian novel (multiple times, even) and the Simarillion and Middlemarch and War and Peace, I couldn't finish A Game of Thrones (first novel) because I got bored. I couldn't finish the show because to sadism got a bit too gratuitous. So all that said, this is an impression from what I've read and seen. Maybe he managed to turn all this around, but it would have been a pretty radical shift.

"In an interview with John Hodgeman, Martin claims that realism is a major goal for Song [of Ice and Fire], claiming that he: sort of had a problem with a lot of the fantasy I was reading, because it seemed to me that the Middle Ages or some version of the quasi Middle Ages was the preferred setting of a vast majority of the fantasy novels I was reading by Tolkien imitators and other fantasists, yet they were getting it all wrong. It was a sort of Disneyland Middle Ages, where they had castles and princesses and all that. The trappings of a class system, but they didn‟t seem to understand what a class system actually meant. [. . .] It was like a Ren Fair Middle Ages. Even though you had castles and princesses and walled cities and all that, the sensibilities were those of 20th century Americans"

If getting out of the 'disneyland middle ages' and building a real, medieval inspired world (or any kind of fully realized world at all) is actually Martin's goal, he has failed. Rather miserably, actually. The world is full of Planet of Hats societies. The Dothraki have no money, and do not need money - they despise luxury and live as something not quite like noble savages. The Ironborn are vikings that just go a-viking - they're not traders and occasional merchants, they're just pirates. And the Free Cities are all one dimensional merchant prince states who basically exist for trade. There we have, clearly divided, our types of society - mercantile, steppe nomad, and piratical viking, and narry the twain shall meet. Moreover, they presuppose that -culture- dictates the mode of someone's life, and can't be a product of it, that the Dothraki would refuse to The religion, such as it is, is something -separate- from the rest of the lives of the protagonists, not an integrated part of their worldview (talk about retaining a 20th century sensibility). And finally the numerous atrocities are a historical mish-mash of inspirations all condensed and concentrated into a litany of horrors. Put together, they create a society that has hierarchy but has no mores that matter (compare the murder of Kat Stark to Marguerite of Anjou living out her days under some sort of house arrest).

[–]chairs_missingStrive To Uphold King Leopold Thought! 3ポイント4ポイント  (1子コメント)

I am in complete agreement about the 'realism' of ASOIAF's world not being either faithful to historical societies or all that compelling in it's own right. I think this is an inevitable pitfall of the worldbuilding approach to fantasy as applied to sweeping epics. Given a huge amount of page real estate and a dense plot a writer will inevitably start leaving too many extraneous details on the page at the expense of the nuances and allusions that evoke a truly distinct and memorable fictional culture; epic fantasy is just too Great Man to capture the long dureé.

[–]seaturtlesallthewayWikipedia is peer-viewed. 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

You need a really good editor for something like this.

Mistborn is epic, dark, and feels like I haven't read it a million times before. Way of Kings is similar.

My Brandon Sanderson fanboy is showing, so I'll shut up now.

[–]chocolatepotChanel was the woooorst 1ポイント2ポイント  (5子コメント)

Yes, I wouldn't have as much of a problem with ASOIAF if Martin weren't so blatantly stating that he's doing it more realistically and accurately. And then a ton of people run with that and say that it's more realistic simply because he said so, and attack every criticism of the storyline with "but it's realistic, you just want to sanitize history!"

It makes me suspect he hasn't actually read that much fantasy. People in general like to complain about fantasy being clean and neat (and of course princesses are something inherently fake and uninteresting), but my experience of reading fantasy aimed at various age levels for 20 years is that ... it's not? Sure, presentism is an issue - it's an issue with most historical fiction, too - but the overall worldbuilding usually isn't "getting it all wrong" and Disneyfied.

I have read all the books out so far and continue to watch the show, though. I need to know what happens to Sansa!

[–]chairs_missingStrive To Uphold King Leopold Thought! 1ポイント2ポイント  (4子コメント)

Oh, he's read a lot of fantasy, though he made his name as a sci-fi writer. I think the problem is that efforts at 'realism' in fantasy are guaranteed to give you presentism, as that's the only place our sense of what the past was really like can come from. Historians work and train to recreate the minds of the people they study, but worldbuilders don't have a chance. Martin has drawn on a lot of history to build his world but Westeros, as a continent-spanning realm with a shared language, mild cultural variations and strong political cohesion despite hugely varied climates and terrain actually reminds me of nothing so much as the USA, not gargantuan fantasy Britain.

[–]King_Posner 0ポイント1ポイント  (2子コメント)

unless, based on the world book, you accept thats because it resets every 600 years or so. there is clear breakup in essos after the fall of magic in valyria (so stagnation per se, but clear break ups, specialization, shifting alliances, etc). in westeros there is still ice magic, which is keeping it Stagnant, as well as a recurring apocalypse which restarts everybody as one shared group.

or I'm just hoping there's more to it then the base truth you've laid out.

[–]chairs_missingStrive To Uphold King Leopold Thought! 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

Dunno, why is ice magic keeping this place the size of South America from generating less linguistic and cultural variation than the medieval societies it draws inspiration from?

Anyway, despite all this, I still read all the books, watched all the shows and will at least finish the novels, if and when they emerge. Worldbuilding isn't everything.

[–]King_Posner 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

I agree, I actually just like the stories - and while I can place almost every single horrific event in history somewhere, they are a bit over done.

I think the recurring apocalypse is what keeps westeros similar, due to limiting the pool over and over. I think that valyria is what keeps essos similar, due to Martian thinking british empire (english) over the Roman Empire (much more local languages in their frontiers), but since the fall they've shown a good European style of drift. (he needs more franks, Lombards, etc).

[–]chocolatepotChanel was the woooorst 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Oh, he's read a lot of fantasy, though he made his name as a sci-fi writer.

Has he talked more specifics at other times? I feel like I've only seen him be specific about problems he sees in Tolkien and otherwise falls back on the "the rest is Tolkien-imitators" trope.

[–]seaturtlesallthewayWikipedia is peer-viewed. 2ポイント3ポイント  (7子コメント)

But it's darker and edgier! That means it is good!

Myself, I couldn't get beyond the prologue and the first half of the first chapter.

The wiring is too simplistic for me, style-wise, and the whole chapter reminded me of Pillars of the Earth, but terrible.

[–]WARitterReductio Ad Hitlerum 1ポイント2ポイント  (2子コメント)

If I want machinations I'll re-read Wolf Hall.

[–]seaturtlesallthewayWikipedia is peer-viewed. 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

The Black Company books are dark fantasy, and are actually good reads, too.

[–]WARitterReductio Ad Hitlerum 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

I need to read those...

[–]chocolatepotChanel was the woooorst 1ポイント2ポイント  (3子コメント)

But Pillars of the Earth is terrible.

[–]seaturtlesallthewayWikipedia is peer-viewed. 1ポイント2ポイント  (2子コメント)

Shut your whore mouth.

[–]chocolatepotChanel was the woooorst 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

Plotwise, it's good. Sentence-structure-wise ...

[–]seaturtlesallthewayWikipedia is peer-viewed. 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Yeah, Follet is a dense writer. Sometimes in more than just his writing.

[–]phasv2 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

I'm with you on this one. The boos are not realistic at all, they have a form of edgy, dark, gritty 'realism' that is reminiscent of Frank Miller. It's an imagined reality, a sort of WH40K grimdark esthetic, designed as an escape from a boring and safe reality.

I didn't care for them.

[–]whatismooElders of Zion 2, Jewgalectric JewgaJew: Part I, The Jewening 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

As move in day approaches, i fund myself scouring the charity shops of St. Andrews in search of things. It's been like 10-15 celcius (probably like 50 F) and raining basically every day. I'm rather excited though, to unpack. Saturday morning I move in.

Funnily enough, due to UK data protection laws, St. Andrews can't tell me my flat mates*, so there's a voluntary spreadsheet set up by some upperclassmen. Other than myself, only 2 other people in my flat put their names down, both with visa trouble, so they'll be late. I'm excited to meet the other two, whoever they are... if they're on time. It's all an adventure, and I'm rather enjoying myself, despite the weather.

  • it's set up as 5 one-person bedrooms with ensuite bath around a common kitchen/living room area being one flat.

[–]georgeguy007High Chartist Chancellor (was elected tho, like Hitler) 1ポイント2ポイント  (4子コメント)

We are doing a Virginia succession debate next Tuesday in my civil war class. Gonna be on the succession side cause it's more fun and I get to be angry and spew fear mongering phrases at each other. All the cool kids are now being racist Ironically and for class points I guess hahaha

[–]Georgy_K_ZhukovLend Lease? We don't need no stinking 'Lend Lease'! 2ポイント3ポイント  (1子コメント)

Make sure to use phrases like "slavery is the natural state of the weaker races"!

[–]georgeguy007High Chartist Chancellor (was elected tho, like Hitler) 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

INJUSTICE!

[–]Townsend_HarrisDred Scott was literally the Battle of Stalingrad. 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

Who's going to be West Virginia?

[–]georgeguy007High Chartist Chancellor (was elected tho, like Hitler) 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Well people aren't going as direct people but can-waitasecondwestviginiawasntastateunlessimmissingsomething

[–]TFielding38The Goa'uld built the Stargates 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

First week of school. My Intro to Structures TA has a good Italian name and my Nonni wants me to ask where his family is from. And someone I know from church is also a TA in that class. I'm excited! My Geobiology class seems good, Mineralogy will be very confusing but interesting, and my favorite professor teaches my Energy Resources class. Looks like it's gonna be a good year.

Edit: Also, I'm taking my best friend to my campus Geology Museum on Friday so I get to nerd out to the extreme.

[–]RoNPlayerJames Truslow Adams was a Communist 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

I'm having a lot to do on this weekend. But i'll survive it! Because i'm totally hyped for finally learning how to write and read daedric (One language from The Elder Scrolls). I tried it once and failed. But i recently learned Aurebesh (Star Wars writing) with ease and hope that i can do the same again.

[–]Townsend_HarrisDred Scott was literally the Battle of Stalingrad. 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

I honestly think that the Washington, DC area badhistorians should get together someplace. No usernames or anything, just first names, so you can wonder about who it was you met. Something about seeing people face to face makes everything more real...

[–]phasv2 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

Well, classes have started for me and my wife, I've had two of my wisdom teeth taken out, and my wife decided to enter a BBQ contest, which means I've got to get the flavors and sauces finetuned for her. My son is almost fully potty trained, and my daughter is, like, two seconds from starting to walk. My fall garden is off to a fantastic start, and I'm trying to decide on what kind of fruit trees to order for this next year. I haven't really had a lot of time to get on here recently.

I should make cookies. My wife would totally want to marry me again if I did that.

The summers here in Texas are hot, always have been, but this summer is one of the mildest I remember, and I've been here my whole life.

So, all things considered, life is good.

[–]LuckyRevenantPelin-El Did Nothing Wrong 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Yeah this summer has been pretty great, after the floods at the beginning of it. But then again, if I can't complain about the heat, is it really even a Texan summer?

[–]Mictlantecuhtli 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

I came across some badhistory debunking from 2004. Yale Repetorey Theatre put on a production of King Lear, but had it set during Olmec times in the Olmec heartland. Not being satisfied with just that, the production team decided to add a dash of Ivan Van Sertima nonsense and make the Olmec be African migrants. In fact the cast is all African-Americans and costumes are based more on West Africa than Mesoamerica. Fortunately for us, a young man in the History department rose up and struck down the Afrocentric ideas put forth in this production. James Terry, wherever you are, I commend you.

[–]tj4kicksI learned all my morals in the 1800"s 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Has anyone more knowledgeable on WWI watched "The Great War" on YouTube? The channel gives a break down of WW1 week by week for those that don't know. I'm just wondering is the host history accurate. His sources seem to be solid.

[–]Crook_Shankss 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

I'm going to Ecuador in a month! Anyone ever been there/have any advice or suggestions?