The reading for this week was on 1620, a book written in response to the 1619 project published by the New York Times. As stated in the 1619 project, it is an attempt to reconstruct American history. It claims that, instead of the currently recognized founding year of the united states, 1619 should be the actual founding date, as that was when slavery was first brought on America. As we understand it, the 1619 project is not merely presenting an alternate view on history, but rather actually trying to persuade people that America was founded in 1619 with slavery being its core foundation.
However, from our analysis of the intellectual social class and the rise of wokeism, we see that the 1619 project is yet another example of wokeism. It fits into what we have learned and defined as wokeism. The reading – 1620 – points out its problems, and we learn more about why wokeism is problematic.
The most crucial problem is that the 1619 project is filled with historic errors. Aside from the oversight in the fact checking process and ignoring professional historian advice before publishing, the 1619 project cited little actual material historic evidence in presenting their argument.
The author responded about the factual flaws with “history has many and changing interpretations.” However, this is also precisely a huge part of the problem here, and about wokeism. History should be based on fact. But if you are just trying to present another interpretation of history, then it shouldn’t be published in the New York Times with the attempt to reconstruct American history and to persuade people that America was founded on slavery.
Furthermore, the 1619 project falls into the postmodernist framework, which denies the existence of definitive truth and asserts that truth is provisional. This approach is problematic because it allows for multiple interpretations and privileges certain perspectives over others. It also has a Marxist edge, seeking to liberate the oppressed.
Another issue with the 1619 project is its use of the term dehumanization. The term emerged in the 20th and 21st centuries in the context of the civil rights movement. However, in the case of slavery, slave owners were not attempting to dehumanize their slaves, but rather to extract labor from them. In fact, slave owners often tried to convert slaves to Christianity and understood that they were human beings, not property.
- It has many historical errors
- The author’s response:.
- Fact checker for 1619: historian opinions were ignored on incorrect historical facts.
- This theory was not published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, but rather in media with prominent publicity and influence.
- In 1619, slavery was not what we later know it as.
- Slaves could own properties
- Slaves have holidays and only work 5 and half days every week
- Slave owners often go to court to settle problems
- White and black Americans had often married each other
- Slaves could buy for their own freedom
- Once enslaved people had owned slaves themselves too
- Main claim
- In 1619, settlers arrived at North America and brough slaves with them.
- The current historic understanding on the founding of the United States is wrong.
- The 1619 project tries to change that.
Postmodernism
- How it pertains to intellectuals (reliance on fact and truth)
- On truth
- Truth is provisional; there is no definitive truth.
- There can be multiple interpretations. Some are more “privileged.”
- One interpretation can be used by those in power to oppress others.
- Has Marxist edge – to liberate the oppressed.
Dehumanization
- The term emerged in the 20-21th century, in the civil rights movements.
- Slave owners had incentives to extract labor from slaves
- Using the term dehumanization is incorrect.
- Slave owners tried to convert slaves to christians.
- Slave owners understood that slaves were people, rather than property
- We should recognize that the problem is about how people are understanding and recognizing status differences or hierarchy in people. It is even worse, that these slave owners knew perfectly well that slaves were people, but still had chose to treat them in brutal ways.
Problem
- New York Times is a really popular magazine, and its reader base will take its writings seriously.