We Never Learn

The post-Reagan era has been marked with irrationality and Illogical decisions, leading to an entirely avoidable evil.

Certainly some will disagree, but in my opinion the current era (for chronological purposes, I consider the years after Reagan’s second term ended as this era) in which we live are some of the most irrational and illogical times of human history. I give latitude to times when the natural world was not as understood – for example, when humans were sacrificed to assure a good growing season or when the natives of South America saw conquistadors as gods – but one would think at our level of knowledge, we would be immune from such things as flights of fad and fancy.

Sadly, that is not true.

Some may argue, with historical support, that certain periods of religious persecution and witch hunts, like the Spanish Inquisition or the witch trials of the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe and the American Colonies, were marked by widespread irrational beliefs and actions. Others might point to times of political extremism, such as the atrocities committed during the Nazi regime in Germany, Stalin’s Holodomor, Mao’s Cultural Revolution, or the Khmer Rouge regime’s killing fields in Cambodia, as instances of profound irrationality.

The nexus of irrationality, illogic, and evil is not coincidental.

Some historical periods are often characterized by illogical actions or decisions that had significant consequences, especially for people who had no say in making those decisions. Here are a few I could think of as examples:

1. World War I: The intricate web of alliances, militarization, and the eventual outbreak of World War I is often seen as a series of illogical decisions and miscalculations by various nations. In review, WWI was a war of hubris, colossal egos, and even bigger mistakes.

2. Cultural Revolution in China (1966-1976): Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution involved widespread purges, destruction of cultural artifacts, and persecution of perceived enemies within the Chinese Communist Party. Many of these actions were driven by ideological fervor and were highly illogical in terms of governance, morality, and social stability.

3. Russian Revolution (1917-1923): The most significant segment being the October Revolution, aka the Great October Socialist Revolution or October Coup, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Lenin, which led to the exact opposite of what the leaders of the revolutions promised. The Russian people replaced a monarchy based on purity of blood lines with a monarchy based on a purity of ideology.

4. Tulip Mania (17th century): While not a full historical period, the Tulip Mania in 17th-century Holland is often cited as an example of illogical economic behavior. During this time, the prices of tulip bulbs reached absurd levels before collapsing, illustrating the irrationality of speculative economic bubbles.

5. Prohibition Era in the United States (1920-1933): The prohibition of alcohol in the United States is considered by some as an illogical social experiment that led to increased organized crime, illegal alcohol production, and a general disregard for the law.

Trump Mania (or Trump Derangement Syndrome - TDS) is a strong candidate for a #6 in this list.

And yet, from the Salem Witch Trials to Prohibition, America still marches blindly through fields filled with illogic and irrationality.

My wise Mississippi granddaddy, Baker T. Goodwin, always told me that you can’t know where you are going until you know where you have been. From his rocking chair on the front porch of the old home place, he often lamented how we fail to recognize patterns of our own history until it is too late to avoid our fate.

BT was right.

Beyond repeating historical mistakes, rather than admitting folly and changing direction, people feel compelled to continue down a path to disaster due to any number of things – egos, embarrassment, peer pressure, a desire to attain or retain social or political status, a satisfaction of followers or movements, a lust for power, a venting of anger, or simple corruption – all play a part.

Almost every aspect of the post-Reagan era in America (1992-2024) has been infected by the same emotions, irrationality, and illogic of the greatest mistakes in human history.

The phrase “we never learn” comes to mind.