I have a cousin, who is a Civil War “buff” and something of an amateur genealogist. He set out to research if any of his (our) ancestors served in the Civil War. Being a Virginian and thus a Southerner, he naturally assumed such an ancestor would have fought for the Confederacy.

Knowing that our family originally came from Eastern Tennessee, he began perusing regimental muster rolls from that area and discovered a man with our surname, and, most likely, an ancestor. Further research revealed that Eastern Tennessee was a Unionist pocket within the Secessionist Southern monolith. This regiment fought for the Union.

This is what we learn from any kind of historical research. The facts don’t always match the generalizations.

Just think about that. We are told “stories” every day. That’s what the news is.

The Daily Story

Doesn’t have quite the same impact, does it? And yet, that’s what we receive, in print, through radio waves, or digitally. We choose the story we would most like to believe. We trust, we hope, sometimes desperately, that the story is factual or true.

Now ask yourself, do you really trust Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, or Chuck Schumer to deliver the truth? Let’s leave Trump out of this. He’s an entire genre of story unto himself. (Readers in the UK, India, Australia,etc., substitute your own homegrown politico).

But that is what we have. Creative Legend Making on a commercial scale, custom-made to validate our world views . AKA, The News.

Moral of story: Cut people some slack why don’tcha?