Beveridge and Bryan

I am currently teaching American Oratory and we are looking at American Imperialism and War. Awesome.

I could see half of my students getting visibly uncomfortable, and that always indicates to me that I am having a successful class. The theme for the class is that nothing has changed. Yeah, as a class we decided that plumbing and vaccines are progress, but in this country we have not resolved any of the issues that bothered us in the 1770's. So, today the first thing I told them (besides that I did not have their tests graded) was that when I told my colleagues that we were studying American Imperialism the reply was "That's cool. You know it's making a comeback." My students looked shocked - most of us have this vague idea the Imperialism is bad - stupid Gandhi ruined that for us. So I asked, "why would my friend say that?" Awkward silence, then one single solitary hand. Yes, student? "Um, because we are militantly exporting democracy?" Excellent. Let's get the controversy up front.

We talked about the way both sides of the old argument used the Bible as evidence that their cause was correct. So I was able to emphasize again that using the Bible is always dangerous and probably not a good idea unless you are in church, because you can find something in the Bible to support ANYTHING. I think this makes some of them mad, but they know I know a whole lot more about religion - so I get little resistance to that statement. Ultimately, however, the thing that most of them seemed silently upset about is that we hear the same friggin' arguments almost verbatim now as we did then. I had one particularly astute student who said "well, haven't we always been Imperialists? Isn't' that sort of what we did to Native Americans?" I laughed out loud. "Oh, you. Indians don't count as real people!"

Ultimately, I feel good about what we've been doing in class. We are just covering the basics, but the basics are making them think. That's really all I ask.

BTW - I am watching Dave Chappelle. I challenge you to find a better rhetor IN THE NATION. Seriously, he's brilliant. Mencia can bite it. He will never be that good. Chappelle. Recognize. Damn. I mean D-A-M-N.