HistoriaCivilis
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The Public Square for May 2025
🕑 Added 2025-05-15 16:00:06 +0000 UTCAttention Citizens!
There was an election here in Canada, and the good guys won.
I’ve been keeping half an eye on how outsiders in Europe and the United States are talking about the Canadian election, and what they generally do is talk about the new Prime Minister Mark Carney. That’s fine I guess, but I think outsiders are completely missing the real story of what’s going on here.
Some examples from my own life.
I was in line to get coffee the other day, and the two dudes ahead of me in line were talking about how Canada needs to start building nuclear weapons, because “just look at what happened to Ukraine.”
My buddy in Quebec who is kinda-sorta-maybe sympathetic to Quebec Independence is now all-in on this idea that Canada should implement a peacetime draft. “We need to be ready,” he says. By “we” he means Canada, not just Quebec.
I was talking with somebody in public about Canada’s (now under review) contract to buy F-35s from the Americans, and a complete stranger came up to us and started talking about the rumoured kill-switch that the American build into the planes. We all agreed that Canada should buy European planes instead.
I guess what I’m saying is that Canadians are extremely engaged in a way that probably isn’t immediately clear if you’re just looking at “what did Mark Carney say” international news stories. On the ground it feels like the politicians are barely keeping up to the mood of the people.
I’ve never seen anything like it. People are fired up. The mood isn’t “oh isn’t it a shame what’s happening,” it’s more like “we’re ready.” I’m not sure that there’s an upper limit to what Canadians would support.
And since I’ve put all of the above in writing, it’s probably not safe for me to travel to the United States for the foreseeable future. Which is fine. But still, that’s a “decision” that I had to make before I posted this.
Anyways, on a happier note…!
Progress Update:
This month I spent some time to write up the first draft of Video #89. My first drafts are always very sloppy and loose and rambling, with very weak narrative threads holding them together. But having written it up, I kinda know what I need to do for the second draft and how I need to structure it. I’ve figured out where some of the holes are in my narrative, so I’ve been doing some more research to fill in the blanks. So far the research… hasn’t really been going very well! I know exactly what I need, but I’ve had bad luck with the books! Oh well. I’ll just continue reading until I stumble across the specific area or knowledge that the video needs.
As for Video #88, the audio is mostly done, the only thing left is to add the music. I’ve taken a few days away from the audio because I’m sick of listening to my own voice and I need fresh ears. Right now the audio file is sitting at 55 minutes, which is pretty long. Music is next, then listen to it a bunch of times for last minute changes, then it’s off to animation.
Books I’ve Recently Enjoyed:
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari
My ongoing quest to become slightly less lost when it comes to prehistory continues with Sapiens. This is very much a pop-science book in both the best and worst senses of the word. But that’s okay because I need all the help I can get, I need somebody to talk to me like I’m stupid.
Early in this book Harari makes an argument that I’ve never heard before. I’m not sure that I’m 100% on board with it, but I still found it interesting. He says that abstract thought, which developed around 70,000 years ago, allowed for the development of mythology, folklore, identify, and (in the broadest sense of the word,) culture. These abstract ideas were what first allowed large numbers of strangers to coordinate their actions beyond their strict materialist needs.
In other words, before abstract thought, “us” could only include people that you knew, probably limited to around ~50 people. See: Dunbar’s Number. After abstract thought, “us” could also include strangers of the same culture, which meant that several bands of ~50 people were capable of coordinating their actions.
This “ability” was unique to Homo sapiens, and it helps to explain how they were able to successfully push into Neanderthal territory 70,000 years ago. Neanderthals were stronger, more well adapted to their climate, and in some respects even technologically superior, but they couldn’t coordinate in groups larger then 50. (In practice, probably more like 30.) Homo sapiens of the same culture (whatever that meant at the time) were capable of coordinating in groups of like 500, maybe even more, which would have made them an unstoppable force when they were trying to migrate into a new region.
Like I said, I’m not sure that I’m 100% on board, but this was an argument that I’ve never heard before, and it kinda got my brain spinning in creative directions.
And then about half way through the book he transitions into talking about ancient Rome, an area where I’m not so stupid, and then starts to make sweeping generalizations about the nature of Empire that I don’t really agree with. So as the book went on I became less and less impressed with his arguments. Alas! But nevertheless, I really enjoyed the early prehistory chapters. I’m still on a quest to become better educated in this area.
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, by Kurt Vonnegut
Fail Son Eliot Rosewater is the heir to the Rosewater fortune and runs their philanthropic organization, until he suffers some kind of psychic break brought about by the contradictions within capitalism and blows up his life. He moves to Indiana and decides to set up a telephone hotline to just unconditionally give money away to anybody who needs it.
This is just one big excuse for Vonnegut to go on multiple riffs about rich people and capitalism. There’s not much of a story beyond what I described above, but that doesn’t matter, it’s great.
According to my personal notes, I read this book 10+ years ago while I was working on a night shift. I literally had no memory of anything that happened in this book, which is more proof that working the night shift gives you permanent brain damage.
Films I’ve Recently Enjoyed:
The Bounty (1984)
Boats. Any movie about boats is basically good. My only complaint? They get off the boat in Tahiti. Nah nah nah, I don’t think so. Give me sails, give me rigging, give me stern British faces, give me brace the mizzen sail, give me eight bells and all’s well, give me beat to quarters. Building huts on Tahiti is none of those things. Good movie though.
The Stepford Wives (1975)
It really do be like this, folks. Damn documentary.
All sci-fi is political, but pre-Star Wars ‘70s sci-fi tends to be extremely political in a way that my brain finds very satisfying. For some reason my brain always draws a straight line connecting The Stepford Wives (1975) with Silent Running (1972), even though the movies are not similar at all. It’s like… the idealism of the 60s is being stamped out by “society,” feminism in The Stepford Wives (1975), and environmentalism in Silent Running (1972). And for some reason my brain finds that message very comforting. Let’s not examine that too closely.
Music I’ve Recently Enjoyed:
Arcade Fire
I really fell down a rabbit hole this month. I never really paid much attention to the album Everything Now (2017), but something clicked in my brain and now I’m stuck in a pattern where I listen to it almost every single day. I don’t know why it happened. The stupid disco-ass beats are hypnotic and good for walking, that’s the problem. The songs I’ve gone back to most often are Everything Now and Put Your Money on Me.
David Bowie
I’m an unabashed Bowie-head. I was listening to Aladdin Sane (1973) VERY LOUD and paying close attention to the piano in each song (is that strange? lol.) While doing this, the song Time stood out to me as kinda brilliant. Before, I had always written it off as a filler song, but it’s definitely not, I was wrong, it’s doing some really interesting instrumental stuff.
Aladdin Sane (1973) is great, Watch That Man is one of my absolute top Bowie tracks. The album also has a cover of The Rolling Stones’s Let’s Spend the Night Together, which in my opinion (is this controversial? maybe…) is way better than the original. Listen to them back to back, it’s clear to me that Bowie cracked the song, he figured it out, he finished it. He performs it like the wheels are about to fall off, the whole band is about to have a nervous breakdown, it’s so great.
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America Delenda Est.
Comments
Drew Smock
Only now joined the community and a few months late on this post but just want to say I really like your videos a lot! I loved your Rome ones and look forward to more in your 19th century series and hopefully Ancient Greece too. I know you focus more on Europe but I would love to see a couple videos maybe about the Qing and Japan during this time too. I also would be really interested if you did a video or two about the War of 1812. I think especially with the climate between our countries it would be a good cover but you might have dif interests. Hope you and your loved ones stay safe and are doing well
Jon72
America delenda est is pretty extreme don't you think? Plenty of people in America who aren't trumpers
John Tzmiskis
“Don’t remember 10+ years ago because of night shifts” So that explains the reasoning behind using an mic from Ancient Rome up until the siege of Jerusalem video (like Alexander with the Trojan shield)
History_Nerd
You are a whiney piece of shit
manica
Thanks for reminding me to unsub from this garbage page, your early videos were good but after you transitioned from Rome and started trying to inject your own beliefs into modern history it became too much. Peace out dork, can't wait til you're the 51st state.
Spoodle
Have you listened to the Ziggy Stardust live album? All of its great, but I specifically love the renditions of the Aladdin Sane songs on there- especially "Time" 😁 Also, I totally agree with your take on Bowie's "Let's Spend the Night Together" being superior to the Stones', though I'm not a Stones-Head. Anyways, looking forward to the next vids!
Craig Jones
I have loved this channel for years. The ancient Roman videos are incredible, and the style of animation is truly astonishing. Your ability to convey emotion through moving squares and rectangles is among the most impressive creative feats I've seen on YouTube. I do not mean to be hyperbolic, I mean every word. Your videos are incredible. I have to say, however, that I am incredibly disappointed to see the "America Delenda Est" comment. There are many things that America does now, or has done in the past, that are debatable. The president of the day is always a lightening rod for dissent. Canadian/US relations have been FAR worse as well. There have been times that America has (unsuccessfully) even invaded Canada. We are not anywhere near that level of hostility today. There is so much that unifies us, from shared culture, language, and history, to current economic and personal bond that know no borders. Our respective countries are not complete without the other, and while the rhetoric has been turned up lately, and while I do not deny that the United States played a leading role in that escalation, that should not overshadow our deep connections and reliance on each other. We do not need to agree with our respective leaders, but saying what translates to "America Must Be Destroyed" is showing the same vitriol that you and many of the commenters here are decrying. If America were truly to be destroyed, Canada would lose the largest trading partner it has, it's strongest intelligence and security ally, and Canadians would lose many jobs along the US-Canadian border, which is where the majority of Canada's population is. Disagreements can run deep. Many Canadians may feel betrayed. That does not, however, change the fact that both our countries have been an incredible source for good in the world for decades. To give in to petty (in my opinion) tendencies such as using slogans which reference the total and violent eradication of a country only serves to become that which you oppose. America has elections just like Canada does, and it may not always be that you feel the same way as you do today. The news is not permanent. And times are not as bad as they appear, if you only read the same headlines over and over again. Instead of feeding into our problems, we should be trying to find solutions. To say a nation of 400 million people should be destroyed is not part of the solution. Note 1: I know I will be accused of being blindly MAGA, but I do not view this as a political issue. If we cannot disagree without wishing destruction on whole nations, then the wrong people has won. Note 2: I know you don't literally want America to go away, and I know you don't literally want death and destruction for 400 million people. That said, the rhetoric was used. If we take literally some comments, and not others, then the conversation devolves and loses cohesion. Just my (very long) two cents. To be clear, I love Canada.
