How We Lost the West

Mr Griffey muses on the speed with which the enemies of Western Civilisation have managed to undermine our historical perspective in regard to men who are truly heroes.

From Daffey Thoughts

By David Griffey

I recently mused on this, I think the earliest piece I did on the anti-Western narratives becoming common in our nation. Back then there were plenty of anti-Columbus types. You had that when I was in college. I've often said my generation straddles that shift from 'Columbus as brave explorer bringing the bounty of Western benefits to the New World' to 'Columbus, slave owning genocidal racist inflicting Nazi horror on a Utopian paradise..'

Truth be told, it wasn't to that second part quite yet when I was in college, or even graduate school in the 1990s. But the roots were there, and on the fringe of scholarship and sociopolitical activism you could see that narrative taking shape and gaining acceptance.

Now, of course, Columbus is popularly seen in the same camp as Hitler or Himmler or Billy Graham or any other Euro-American Christian. Here in central Ohio, there is a small, but vocal and growing, movement to change the name of our capital city. At least one local news network no longer speaks of Columbus, but uses the name 'C-Bus' instead. The old Santa Maria replica that was downtown was taken away years ago, long before my youngest was able to visit. Columbus State Community College joined the city of Columbus and removed its statue of Columbus that once adorned the front of the main buildings. And across the country cities and states are celebrating 'Indigenous Peoples Day' in lieu of Columbus Day. Just as we're hearing calls to replace Thanksgiving with a National Day of Mourning.

In terms of historical developments, this is pretty fast action. I think one of the great failures of those guardians of our heritage and values was that we confused not assuming worst motives with assuming no motives. In any event, it's likely that in a few more years Columbus Day will be a thing of the past, as well positive references of Jefferson, Lincoln, Washington, and anything to do with America's - or Europe's - history.

Again, I believe the speed with which this has all developed caught most people - even more conservative types - off guard. Many never believed we'd live to see the end to almost everything to do with the Christian West. And not only that, but we'd see them increasingly endorsed by all of the institutions that will mandate and determine what future generations learn about reality.