Category Archives: US history
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States — Taking a look at our real history
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz is, as its subtitle says, a “revisioning (of) American history,” revealing as it does the ugly truth of U.S. expansion as it swept across the continent (“from sea … Continue reading
Posted in book review, Indigenous people, US history
Tagged American Indians, Book review, George Polley, US history
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When truth hurts
Sometimes learning the truth is very painful, especially when it has to do with a country that you love, a people that you love, and/or truths that you cherish and believe are unquestionable. Faced with this kind of situation, we … Continue reading
The Ugly American
In 1958, Eugene Burdick and William J. Lederer wrote a book that became a multi-million copy bestseller for its exposé of American arrogance, incompetence, and corruption in Southeast Asia. The book’s title, “The Ugly American” became iconic for the way … Continue reading
Posted in Settler colonialism, US history, War
Tagged American Indians, Ethnic cleansing, George Polley, US history
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Musings by George Polley 
Denial and the inconvenience of reality
Denial is the refusal to acknowledge an unacceptable truth or emotion or to admit it into consciousness. We use it to defend ourselves from knowing what we do not want to know. If pushed, we may respond with anger, until … Continue reading →