this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2025
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Today I Learned

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[โ€“] [email protected] 101 points 6 days ago (2 children)

I love that I never learned about this until I read history books for fun as an adult. You'd think that young students, growing up in this country, should know what the wealthy class has done in full to try and keep them oppressed, whether it's the Business Plot, the Battle for Blair Mountain, the violent government response to rail strikes, etc. etc. etc.

But no.

Schools don't teach this stuff on purpose.

[โ€“] [email protected] 29 points 6 days ago (3 children)

the Battle for Blair Mountain

Welp, here's another rabbit hole on the list. See yall later ๐Ÿ‘‹๐Ÿ˜€

[โ€“] [email protected] 10 points 6 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

Let me know how you come out. Happy digging rabbit. Happy digging.

Edit: One of the crazy things in that wiki article to me was it listed ~1,000,000 shots fired, and only about 34 dead.

That would mean if the average person shot 100 rounds, and they knew 300 other people in attendance, on average 1 of those 300 may have actually shot someone dead.

I liked the movie League of Extraordinary Gentlemen back in the day, but now I know what he meant when he quoted Americans as "fire enough bullets and hope to hit the target"

[โ€“] [email protected] 7 points 6 days ago

IIRC You want to suppress the enemy and move to flank them. If you wait to see the enemy you risk giving them the upper hand.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago

In combat a lot of shots are fired without actually trying to hit someone. It's not missing on purpose, if the target is available you shoot it. But in order to maneuver it's safest to keep them in hiding until you're ready to go for the kill. So a lot of shots are fired trying to get that advantage. Of course in peer to peer combat both sides are trying to get that advantage and a ton of infantry training revolves around how exactly to do that. In combat with one trained force and one untrained force it's almost always an easy win for the trained force because the untrained people don't understand how the trained force managed to magically appear in their weakest spot while still shooting at them from the front.

In order to do that you spend bullets. Lots of bullets.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago

1892 Homestead Strike and The Haymarket Affair too.

Happy rabbit holing.

It's like the rich forgot. And while I really don't want to see political violence I am sure that a country with more guns than people is not going to react well to a new gilded age.

[โ€“] [email protected] 17 points 6 days ago

The curriculum is written by the very class that these moments in history shades. Of course they're not taught.

[โ€“] [email protected] 88 points 6 days ago (1 children)

And guess who was one of the conspirator? Big daddy (Prescott) Bush.

Gods, in the span of 20 years we've gone from a president descended from an attempted fascist overthrow to watching the fascist overthrow happen through "legal" means.

[โ€“] [email protected] 16 points 6 days ago

This is why it is important to hang traitors.

[โ€“] [email protected] 41 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Man, Smedley Butler underwent a hell of an arc. From being a proud soldier of American imperialism, to becoming the father of modern police forces, to foiling a fascist plot to overthrow the country and becoming an outspoken anti-war advocate. He went from one end of the political spectrum to the other.

[โ€“] JoeBigelow 2 points 5 days ago

Great Behind the Bastards episode on smedley

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 6 days ago

He also won the Congressional Medal of Honor twice.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

I listened to an audiobook about him.

I'm not sure I e ever been so impressed by the conduct and ethics of any other individual on earth.

[โ€“] [email protected] 17 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Margot Robbie, Christian Bale, and John David Washington, were in a movie about that plot, Amsterdam(2022).

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago

Thanks, I thought there was a movie but I was having trouble finding the name.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

I can't believe I had to scroll down this far to find someone mentioned this. THANKS

[โ€“] [email protected] 18 points 6 days ago (5 children)

Interestingly nobody was prosecuted for this, even though the House of Reps determined that it was real. Apparently "conspiracy" isn't always the crime it's supposed to be.

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago

In light of the final outcome of Jan 6, it seems to be exactly what one should have expected.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

We really need better laws and an independent law enforcement agency to enforce them. A modern day group of untouchables.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago

I think what we need is to take away money's influence on politics. The most effective way I know to do that is by capping wealth.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

Arresting people for conspiracy is only for Rosenbergs, not for the rich.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 12 points 6 days ago (1 children)

It just took the another 90 years or so.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

The early 20th century labor movement negotiated with capitalists for a temporary ceasefire in the class war. Like peace with Putin, it wasnt peace, just an opportunity for the 1 % to grow stronger.

[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 6 days ago (2 children)

This story all comes down to how much you trust Smedley, which, having read his biography, I'm not sure that I do.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

Smedley was a G, and the committee who looked into basically found wrongdoing but did nothing about it.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Why not? He's a pretty decorated war hero.

[โ€“] [email protected] 7 points 6 days ago

I mean, his early life was riddled with fucked up actions (mostly carrying out orders to create Banana Republics), but it's exactly why he turned around on the government and called them out on the bullshit. There is very real evidence the plot existed, but those responsible escaped trial most likely due to Roosevelt's interference (strange how robber barons suddenly got quiet about his New Deal).

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