Joan of Arc and the Salem Witch Trials -- a socio-historical comparison

While I'm unaware of these two extremely well known historical incidents having ever been systematically compared before, I think you'll find that the two have some remarkable similarities. In both the case of Joan of Arc, and the Salem Witch Trials, we have adolescent girls manipulating, and being manipulated, by powerful men, to achieve their own objectives, for their own reasons. In both cases, we hear strident cries of "witchcraft". Although Joan of Arc was canonized as a Saint by the Pope during the Babylonian captivity, actually, it's quite clear that she was having a great deal of fun lording it over all the powerful warlords in play, during her period of ascendancy, just like the girls in Salem were loving every second of dominating the community of Salem, and, ultimately, all of New England society, at all levels. https://salem.lib.virginia.edu/images/mattwitch1.jpg I think a significant point here is simply the fact that adolescent girls could have such massive, if temporary effect on society, because that's only possible if society is, or is becoming, centralized to a high degree. And, clearly this was the case in both New England and the time of the Witch Trials, and in France when Joan of Arc played her particular role. These young girls tapped into the increasing ability to gather a mass audience and influence it quickly, in their developing societies, to such an extent, that everyone was taken off guard, and surprised, and astonished. And, these facts presage the ultimate revolutions that overturned their respective societies in the coming decades -- both the French, and the Americans, respectively throwing off the yoke of the English, because of centralization of power locally, to repel the English. Now, the difference here, is that Joan of Arc represented herself as an agent of God, and was burned as a witch, and ultimately became a Saint, while the girls in Salem falsely condemned others as witches, and these Salem girls themselves went on to leave fairly uneventful lives following their brief period of stardom. Joan was a religious girl who had seen the damage the English were doing in her country, who had seen family members killed by them. She convinced herself she was a chosen prophet and savior of her people, probably hormonally driven to some extent. She fought and suffered for her people, achieved some brilliant victories, suffered and survived serious injuries, only to be captured by the English, and done cruelly to death by them. However, she could have been ransomed by the French King, who offered nothing for her. This may have been a mistake. This gave the English the opportunity to discredit the King's instrument in a trial for heresy. In any case, the power games involved here were of a very high order. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/f2/67/c0/f267c0b69840ffd081706bc78527ced5.jpg The Salem witch trials more reveal the growing independence and power of the colony of Massachusetts, its government structures, and their ability and facility to influence the people, in response to popular demands. This, of course, grew greater and greater with the coming decades, even if trials for witchcraft were discredited.

Jeffrey Epstein is God, and Donald Trump is his chosen prophet!

Virgin born of Paula Stolofsky in 1956 -- she, the most blessed of all mortal women -- Jeffrey Epstein was clearly of divine origins to all who knew him, from a very early age. Beloved of all women, especially young women, he used his talents in mathematics and science to procure a teaching position at the highly prestigious Dalton School, despite having no college degree. Clearly, even at the age of 21, the world could already see his divine mission, his heaven sent gifts, that God himself was manifest in all he did, especially with very, very young girls. Truly, he pursued his unique Godly vocation with zeal at the Dalton School, blessing all the underage drinking girls he possibly could, every chance he got. But, Satan reared his ugly head, and the evil school authorities failed in their appointed task of blessing our one true God, Jeffrey Epstein, and dismissed him from his appointed and chosen task at the Dalton School. God Epstein saw the evil in the school administrators, but, it troubled him not. God's will was done, and Jeffrey Epstein used his divine gifts to procure incredibly wealthy clients of all types in the American financial world, blessing them with the greatest of all gifts, the holy child virgin girls of all America. God is Great! Hallelujah! Jeffrey Epstein, our Lord and Savior, showed stunning divine mathematical insight in creating the greatest of Ponzi schemes, the most extraordinary of tax havens for the superrich, all the while giving them the greatest of gifts of extremely youthful female flesh. And, Lo, one day, our Lord God Epstein encountered his one true, chosen prophet. It was at a party with innumerable underage girls, and, the Prophet Donald Trump was busily amusing himself. Our Lord Epstein could see in Donald Trump the one man who could spread his message, and inspire the multitudes to follow him, where he led. The Prophet Donald Trump's stunning salesmanship skills were manifest throughout his careers in real estate and entertainment. All would follow him. Trump would Make America Great Again, by the will of our Lord and Savior Jeffrey Epstein! And, so God Epstein trained and led the Prophet Trump, and Trump followed where he led, lured on forever by youthful female flesh. https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/cIHkJwHjuZCBmWIwh4Q9eg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xNzc4O2NmPXdlYnA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_week_574/57dac8d1ef217913efaae38dadd76425 And, behold, the God Epstein was martyred in the flesh, indeed, by the Prophet Trump himself! All this, to fulfill his ultimate destiny, of bringing truth to all Mankind. For the Prophet Trump now went on to preach the Word of Epstein, and all listened to him, for, they knew that Epstein would Make America Great Again. Hallelujah! And, the great hordes of MAGA disciples worshipped and bowed down to the prophet Trump, and they gave homage to God Epstein, and they sacrificed all their daughters, granddaughters and, yea, even their great-granddaughters on his Holy Alters! And, behold, the entire world was consumed and worshipped at the feet of Epstein, Trump and MAGA, and they gave homage with youthful female flesh forever, and ever, for this is the truth and the light. Amen!!

Americans really did win the War of 1812, but, not for the reasons they say

One of the great bones of contention between British and Canadian historians on the one hand, and American historians on the other, is who really won the War of 1812. Canadian and British historians note the failure of the American forces to take Canada, despite repeated attempts. This, they conclude, proves the War of 1812 was a complete failure. American historians point out that the capture of Canada was never a stated objective of the war, but, rather, that the war was about British infringement on American sovereignty on the high seas, in terms of impressment of sailors and the trade blockade of Napoleonic France, and in terms of interference in America itself. They conclude that America won, because these problems ended with the end of the war. Actually, the real objective of the American government in this war was rather different, and relates to the whole basis for the American Revolutionary War, as well -- the destruction of the Native Indian tribes, and the manifest destiny of Americans to conquer the entire West. The British had never been sympathetic to this, and tended to take a much less exploitive approach to the Native Americans, and they were quite actively getting in the way of the American settlers. So, in 1776, the Americans started to take quite active steps to get them out of the way. And, they did just that! But, not entirely. By the 1790's, the British were again struggling to contain the American expansionist settlers, and were arming the native Indian tribes so they could defend themselves against the Americans. This tendency increased as the American population and expansion increased, so, by 1812, the Americans decided they had had enough. With Britain occupied by Napoleon in Europe, they were convinced they could cause the British more than enough trouble in North America, that they would be forced to get out of they way, and they could do as they will with the Native Americans, and their lands. And, they were quite successful in this. https://cdn.britannica.com/40/154940-138-EA54BCA5.jpg This is the Ninth Article of the Treaty of Ghent, signed by Britain and America in 1814, to end the War of 1812. ARTICLE THE NINTH. The United States of America engage to put an end immediately after the Ratification of the present Treaty to hostilities with all the Tribes or Nations of Indians with whom they may be at war at the time of such Ratification, and forthwith to restore to such Tribes or Nations respectively all the possessions, rights, and privileges which they may have enjoyed or been entitled to in one thousand eight hundred and eleven previous to such hostilities. Provided always that such Tribes or Nations shall agree to desist from all hostilities against the United States of America, their Citizens, and Subjects upon the Ratification of the present Treaty being notified to such Tribes or Nations, and shall so desist accordingly. And His Britannic Majesty engages on his part to put an end immediately after the Ratification of the present Treaty to hostilities with all the Tribes or Nations of Indians with whom He may be at war at the time of such Ratification, and forthwith to restore to such Tribes or Nations respectively all the possessions, rights, and privileges, which they may have enjoyed or been entitled to in one thousand eight hundred and eleven previous to such hostilities. Provided always that such Tribes or Nations shall agree to desist from all hostilities against His Britannic Majesty and His Subjects upon the Ratification of the present Treaty being notified to such Tribes or Nations, and shall so desist accordingly. https://res.cloudinary.com/aenetworks/image/upload/c_fill,ar_2,w_3840,h_1920,g_auto/dpr_auto/f_auto/q_auto:eco/v1/gettyimages-150618775?_a=BAVAZGDX0 Effectively, this article totally defangs the Indian tribes in American territory, and totally eliminates any legal rights whatsoever of the British government to arm them, so they could defend themselves against American exploitation, ever again. This is a blank check to the American government to exterminate the Native Indians, and steal their lands. And, that's exactly what the American government has been doing, ever since. So, America really did win the War of 1812, didn't they?

Why film critics can't take Mel Brooks seriously as a truly great film maker

Truth is funnier than fiction. Reality is truly incomprehensible and bizarre, and the best jokes are simply very straightforward and direct representations of the truths we rarely encounter, and have difficulty facing. And, Mel Brooks knows this. He knows it very well, and, it is the basis of his entire comedy. And, the reason film critics may have such difficulty accepting Mel Brooks as a serious filmmaker may simply be that the film critics themselves do not want to face the simple, and often quite unpleasant truths that Mel Brooks makes clear, readily apparent, and incredibly funny. Mel Brooks is a satirist, a brilliant satirist, and, he is not just creating random slapstick humor to amuse people. His films are incredibly fun to watch, but, that's because Mel Brooks is telling the simple truth! Let's consider what are probably his three greatest films -- The Producers, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Producers_(1967_film) The Producers is a total trashing of Capitalism as it applies to the entertainment industry, as a couple of producers, played superlatively by Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, attempt to make a fortune by swindling innumerable vulnerable financial victims of their life savings, by investing them in a production that cannot possibly succeed, on the basis of the principle that no money is owed on a production that actually makes no money at all. So, they simply sign up limitless victims for a "half-share" of the profits of a sure flop. Great idea, right? Sounds like the kind of thing Donald Trump has been doing his whole life, doesn't it? Unfortunately for The Producers, the production is immensely successful, and, they end up going to prison, since a half-share of the profits can't go to a hundred different investors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blazing_Saddles Blazing saddles manages to fuse a total trashing of both American Capitalism, with a total trashing of American Politics, which, of course, is a very reasonable thing to do, indeed! Corrupt politicians and greedy capitalists get together to try to destroy a town that's in their way on the American frontier in the Old West, but their plans backfire when they underestimate the courage and intelligence of a young black man -- Cleavon Little -- who they try to set up to take the fall by making him sheriff of the town they intend to destroy. Instead, he turns the tables on them, and brings them to justice. A traditional western themed approach combining hysterical comedy with social satire. Absolutely brilliant! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Frankenstein Young Frankenstein is a wickedly funny satire of modern science and medicine, suggesting that, actually, we've made much less progress in both, than most people think, by presenting a retrograde version of 1930's horror films in the 1970's. This aspect of the film is, I think, still not that well understood by the film critics and scholars. Mel Brooks is making a very specific point here, at a time when most people still worshipped our "great progress" in science and technology and medicine. "Hey folks, look closely, these guys are just a bunch of clowns, after all!" I think people really don't fully appreciate how brilliant Mel Brooks is, because they don't want to accept his rather cynical conclusions about human nature, and modern society.