The Inside Assyria Discussion Forum #5

=> Punching Aprim

Punching Aprim
Posted by pancho (Moderator) - Thursday, February 19 2009, 19:44:28 (CET)
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From Barbara Tuchman’s book of essays, “Practicing History”.

“The historian...who puts system first can hardly escape the heresy of preferring the facts which suit his system best...Such explanation as there is must arise in the mind of the reader of history (not the fabricator, mine).”

“If the historian will submit TO (emphasis in the original) his material instead of trying to impose himself ON (ditto) his material, then the material will ultimately speak to him and supply the answers.”

“Leaving things out because they do not fit is writing fiction, not history.”

Ouch. To all of this Aprim responds, “I am not a historian”. The answer is, of course, “we know that”. But then stop writing history.

One more...

“It is wiser, I believe, to arrive at theory by way of evidence rather than the other way around.”

Dr Joseph had no possible motive to prove his grandparents wrong...he did not set out to make facts fit his “natural prejudice”...this is something Aprim and the rest can’t understand....hence they apply their own penchant for deceit, though theirs is “nationalistic”, to Dr Joseph and decide that he MUST be in someone’s pay...or a traitor and “hater” of Assyrians, or at the least one who desecrates history and the truth or, ultimately and desperately too, “just a stupid historian with a dumb PhD”. It seems only venal reasons occur to them for why anyone would write about modern Assyrians. Truth and accuracy never enters their orbit. They know they are being deceitful and sloppy, at best, in their mad dash to prove a theory...so they must conclude that Dr Joseph, and everyone else, works on the same principle.

In other words, everyone lies...but Aprim lies for a good cause. Personal or professional integrity is unknown to them. Dr Joseph went looking for the truth, even at the cost of upsetting all the usual, fond and cherished beliefs of his grandparents and the abuse heaped on him by his own people. It takes no courage, or facts, for Aprim to stroke Assyria’s balls, once found.



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