Comment on A monolithic and ruthless conspiracy: What was John F. Kennedy referring to?
ehpolitical@lemmy.ca 1 month agoIf he was talking about nothing more than the Soviet Union, why didn’t he simply say ‘we are opposed around the world by the Soviet Union’? Seems like a very complicated way of saying Soviet Union. And no, the schools I went to didn’t teach about covert global conspiracies, the likes of which John F. Kennedy was clearly warning us against here.
CurlyWurlies4All@slrpnk.net 1 month ago
You’re not going to like this answer but he didn’t say Soviet Union because he didn’t need to. Everybody understood that ‘communism’ was ‘THE Global Conspiracy’ ever since McCarthyism took of.
Check out A conspiracy so immense : the world of Joe McCarthy by David Oshinsky to learn a little of what the attitude of the time was like.
ehpolitical@lemmy.ca 1 month ago
Thanks, apology accepted. Thanks also for the link, saved it.
In his entire speech, he never mentions Russia in any form. Meanwhile, he does refer to some enemy in plural form, that is advancing from around the globe, i.e. “those who make themselves our enemy are advancing around the globe”, and “this nation’s foes”, etc. He also warned against religious involvement in politics in a different speech, which I think has gone mostly ignored at our own peril. People scoff at religion if they themselves aren’t religious, ignoring the fact that the leaders of the world are mostly very religious people (whether sincere in their religion or not). I mention this because I suspect these two were somehow connected in JFK’s mind.
For the sake of objectivity and truth, I’m trying to take into account my lack of any firsthand perspective. I just honestly cannot see how he was talking about the Soviet Union alone when I read what he said and how he said it. It honestly seems to me he had to be talking about something far greater.
CurlyWurlies4All@slrpnk.net 1 month ago
Nah man sorry. You’re just wrong in this case. You’re missing the forest for the trees.
ehpolitical@lemmy.ca 1 month ago
You could be right, maybe I’m wrong… but maybe not. About religion, do you not find it odd that every American Pres since Kennedy has been found consulting with the pope concerning how to govern his own country, including those who’ve not been Catholics? Much of the world bows down to the pope and few seem to question it. I’d think atheists and people of other religions, even Protestants really, would kick up a fuss to see their leaders bowing down to this guy, but nope. There’s also the relationship and history between the RCC and Russia (something else I need to read up on).