Blankets(M&D spoiler)

[Matthew P Wiener]

>Matthew P. Wiener writes:

>> Ah, the joy of keeping old articles around forever.  So far as historicity is
>> concerned, the song is utter nonsense.

>The `evidence' you cite appears to suggest that there was an intention
>to infect people with smalltalk from blankets.

Correct.  I'd leave out the "appears to suggest" waffle words, myself.

>					        How does this render
>the song `utter nonsense' as opposed to say distortion or
>embellishment or some other such alternative?

Going down the song, the West is the wrong part of the country, this was
not some bargain, these blankets were not traded for land, there are no
treaties attesting otherwise, Uncle Sam did not exist yet, no tribes were
wiped out as a result, and nobody censored any history books over this
incredibly minor incident.

So far as historicity is concerned, the song is utter nonsense.

>					       Or are you just chucking
>out your opinion merely by way of commentary.

My statement is accurate.  That it's also my opinion follows from my usual
attempt to align my opinions with the accurate facts.

>> Whether there was any success or not is apparently unknown.  Personally, I
>> do not comprehend why this method is singled out for special outrage.

>Probably because this was a clear-cut case of (attempted) premeditated
>murder effected by duplicity.

Well yes.  What about all the other clear-cut cases of (successful) premeditated
murder effected by duplicity?  Or no duplicity?

>			       At the time the song was written it was
>not common knowledge that the crimes perpetrated against Native
>Americans were so cruel and calculating i.e. there was little or no
>outrage outside of the Native American community, let alone any
>special outrage. But then you are old enough to know this already,
>Matthew, so I am at a loss to understand exactly what your point is.

Blood is blood, murder is murder, dead is dead.  I do engage in a moral
calculus, yes, but I try to make it somewhat realistic in terms of actual
suffering and body counts.  Why, say, no song about the Paxton Boys?
--
-Matthew P Wiener (weemba at sagi.wistar.upenn.edu)