Today:
You know the drill: this is the thread for all your history-related outpourings that are not necessarily questions. Minor questions that you feel don't need or merit their own threads are welcome too. Discovered a great new book, documentary, article or blog? Has your Ph.D. application been successful? Have you made an archaeological discovery in your back yard? Did you find an anecdote about the Doge of Venice telling a joke to Michel Foucault? Tell us all about it.
As usual, moderation in this thread will be relatively non-existent -- jokes, anecdotes and light-hearted banter are welcome.
So because we're doing our finals until at least the end of next week, I and some of my friends decided to take out our sorrows and laments on our bleak future while also contemplating on why the hell did we enter History major in the first place.
Then a friend tells a story of when we went through the entrance ceremony for our major when we first entered university. This kind of entrance ceremony is supposed to introduce new students to campus life but in reality, it's mostly just an excuse for uni seniors to bully and intimidate the hell out of new students.
Anyway, one time he was approached by a lecturer and asked "So why did you enter History?" He answered, "I'm interested in military history." The lecturer then proceeded to laugh him off, followed by the entire class laughing, and then said "You played too many games. You entered the wrong major."
This experience apparently troubled him to the point he still has doubts and troubles learning. I didn't doubt his interests in military history as last time we went to the archives he photographed soldier's letters and military manuals to be read, but the whole story got me thinking.
I think it probably speaks to why people here view history so lowly: they think history is all about technicality; dates, events, and "all that boring stuff." I know there are polemics in the academia about military history and its historians, but I think being interested in military history is a totally legitimate reason on why you entered an undergrad history program.
Additionally, entering an undergrad history program because you're interested from books or games is also a very normal thing and students shouldn't be looked down upon or laughed at just because of that. I think, at least here, there is a stigma against students that did so; which is utterly ludicrous to me. There are plenty of historians that write about the portrayal of history in popular media and culture, especially games. Chris Kempshall is one of the most well-known of this, and the numbers of works being done in that field kept increasing. Last year's Classical Antiquity in Video Games is a fine example of a work done about the portrayal of history in games.
Sorry for rambling. I don't know, maybe i'm just tired but our whole conversation is filled with utter disappointment and fears that it still kinda tugged me. I wish you all to have a good weekend.
I was told by a mod to ask this question here, so I'll just paste what I wrote from the thread about the violence on Wednesday:
What do historians here think about the last 5~ years of American history in the context of this nation's story? How significant do you feel these last few years have been in comparison to things? Is this episode of America really as remarkable to you as it feels to many of us living through it today? Importantly, did you have any inkling or feeling that things may go in this direction given your professional backgrounds?
What is a day in the life of an historian like?
Has anyone ever died in US Capitol Building?
...before this week I mean?
Your Weekly /r/askhistorians Recap
Friday, January 01 - Thursday, January 07
###Top 10 Posts
| score | comments | title & link |
|---|---|---|
| 55,801 | 700 comments | [Meta] META: Today's sedition at the United States Capitol is something unprecedented in American history |
| 10,523 | 628 comments | [Meta] META: An Historical Overview of 9/11, as the 20 Year Rule Enters 2021 |
| 6,228 | 404 comments | I'm currently studying the "rise" of the Third Reich, and I cannot for the life of me understand the why's and how's of Adolf Hitler's supposed "charisma." Can somebody give me some insight? |
| 5,933 | 104 comments | Why was that the Greeks and Romans of antiquity were able to sculpt perfect human forms, yet their drawings and paintings of people appeared much more rudimentary? |
| 5,890 | 100 comments | What have freemasons really done and how has it influenced history? And why are there so many conspiracies? |
| 5,492 | 57 comments | When did family names stop following the trade and just passed to the next generation? Names like Smith or Baker (in various languages) meant the trade. Did some guy just decide one day he wanted to keep the name Baker even though he was a plumber? |
| 5,115 | 96 comments | Suppose I’m a peasant living 50 miles from the Atlantic coast in 1300s France. Am I aware that there’s an enormous ocean a few days walk from where I live? Am I aware that the creek near my village drains into this ocean? |
| 4,990 | 116 comments | "Historians say they were Just Friends, but they were obviously gay!" What are actual historians' strategies for educating the history of sexuality and gender when the audience is wary of erasure? |
| 2,984 | 90 comments | How accurate is the representation of Bree's gate from LOTR? |
| 2,903 | 67 comments | In many medieval histories, you can read about people dying by "rupturing themselves". It seems like there are a lot of things that could cause you to "rupture yourself", like falling off a horse, laughing too hard, or eating too many lampreys. What did "rupturing yourself" mean in modern terms? |
###Top 10 Comments
You may find it instructive to see what is barred from W. T. on grounds of censorship.
H. P. Lovecraft was initially in favor of censorship, both to favor national interests and because he disapproved of pornography. Yet in the 1920s his opinion was changed - in part because of an incident where he himself was nearly censored because of a story he had a hand in that dealt with necrophilia. The incident cast a bit of a pall on his later career with Weird Tales, as the magazine continuously struggled with issues of content and presentation, trying to appeal to a buying public and the higher grade of writers, but also trying not to get banned from the newsstands, where they were often mistaken for the weird terror or shudder pulps. It was a delicate balance, and some good stories didn't get published because of it.
I didn’t want to make a post in this subreddit and am so glad that I thought of this US political post on free-for-all Friday.
With the current POTUS stating that he will not be at the inauguration of the next POTUS, I would think that he will not leave a note on the desk in the oval office giving thoughts to the next president-elect.
Can anyone expand upon this tradition as to when it first started and were there any times when one President did not follow through and leave words to the next office holder?
As I watch the events in the US unfolding from afar I can't help but be intrigued by the parallels between them and the downfall of the Roman Republic. All very superficial of course but I'm trying to decide whether Trump is more of a Tiberius Gracchus or a Marius.
What's the anthropological history of teeth in the animal kingdom, and the change in humanity related to soft foods? Do scavenger animals have a history like us (dogs, cats, bears, racoons...)? What's the history of general shrinkage of the mouth in the animal kingdom?