I wrote this for the discussion forum on the Richard Dawkins website, and so far a stunning two people thought it was a good idea. I've edited it here for a less geeky audience, for some reason.
It's just a passing thought (as opposed to one of those everpresent thoughts), but might this be a good campaign title? It would make a great T-shirt.
It's kind of borrowing from the Make Poverty History thing, I guess, but it does carry a subtle point. When you make something history, you don't remove it from your society, you simply draw its sting. I grew up in a little English town called Kenilworth, which has its own castle. Probably as a result, I've always loved history, but no matter how many castles I visit I've never felt the urge to ride up north and slay some of those damned Yorkists.
After religion as a belief system is gone, we will still have a heritage to maintain. There will be beautiful churches and cathedrals (and across the world mosques, temples, etc), and I hope Bach will continue to be sung in them. The Bible and the Koran, for all their vileness, contain much that is poetic, and could safely be read as we might read the Iliad without wanting to actually behave like Achilles.
Another childhood memory comes from watching The Sealed Knot society refighting the Civil War battle at nearby Edge Hill. Maybe we could have an Anglican Church re-enactment society? We could call it the Sealed Font or something.
In general, acting like they're historical while they still think they're current carries some of the flavour of a situationist stunt, and makes a point in a humorous way. It would also annoy them, and their pique turns us on [I didn't put that on the website). If we're looking to find ways of translating intellectual ideas into political statements, we might do worse. Any thoughts?
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24/05/07 @ 10:08