Ignorance is not Bliss pt. 1

This post is a month overdue but nonetheless it is worth saying. I have been reflecting on the Woman’s suffrage movement that I have been studying in my nonviolence class. We were reading about famous woman suffragettes. We learned about their techniques and hardships. We watched a PBS documentary on it and I was struck by my total ignorance. The hard-line woman suffragettes picketed outside of the White House. The US government responded by arresting the women and proceeded to be very cruel to the suffragettes. The women went on hunger strike. The government responded by force feeding the women and treating them horribly. The prison conditions were appalling. How could something this horrible occur that makes the suffragette movement even more powerful in today’s light and not be part of our national dialogue? How can we be so ignorant of our own history? (This is a question that I found asking myself over and over again while reading A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn) I believe the answer is that this does not fit nicely in our national myth that we always encourage peaceful sharing of ideas. The government shouldn’t respond in violence. I think that is why it is so hard for us to talk about our history—from the Indigenous Americans to the suffrage movement. Americans don’t want to know the horrible things that have happened as a result of American policy. We like to believe that we perpetrate freedom and equality and that’s how it always has been.

I am going to close with a rather long but appropriate quote from British Comedian Eddie Izzard.

“But in America, it was different. The founding fathers landed in 16 ( mumbles ). They set off from Plymouth and landed in Plymouth! How lucky is that? "This is Plymouth? We've just come from Plymouth! We've gone round in a circle. Lads, back on the boats." They finally got there and said, "Ah, this is where our God has brought us to! We can practice our religion here, we can raise a family. There's nobody here! Excuse me… There's nobody here! Yes, a land empty of human existence… Who the fuck are these guys? ( mimes the headdress) What's all this, please? No, we don't want any of your food, thank you very much! Just put some clothes on!"

“Meanwhile, that winter… "Excuse me, do you have any food? (mimes the headdress) I love all this, love the idea! ( chuckles ) Yes, I'm sorry, we were a bit brusque when we first arrived, we didn't realize you owned the entire country! But you have no system of ownership? Mmm, interesting! Maybe that can come in useful later… Food! Thank you very much, very nice... Yes, there're more of us coming but we'll keep our promises." So the American government lied to the Native Americans for many, many years, and then President Clinton lied about a relationship, and everyone was surprised! A little naïve, I feel!”