We just shit all over the past

Yeah, you heard me right. We do. When we think about people from the past it’s almost normal to shit-talk them. Why? Because they’re not as smart as us. Modern man, complete with iPods, computers, refrigerators and cars is better and smarter than those centuries of people behind them. Why are we smarter than them? Because they didn’t think of inventing the shit we invented. Hurr durr, you guys must be dumbasses. Any jackass could have invented the internet. Come on, where’s your head at? It’s also not common that people research their ancestors and learn their story. “Who the fuck cares?” goes the common story. Well, are you not like your parents? And are they not like their parents? Chances are, you and your great grandparents would have gotten along at some level. Maybe you would have been friends if you were born in their time.

We don’t give people in our past equal consideration. When presented with the options of going out to party and getting drunk versus dusting off an old book you found in the attic written by your great-great grandfather and reading it on a Friday night, most people would probably go out party. And that book could have been just bulletpoints! It could have been an easy to read, funny and awesome story of your great-great-grandfather’s life condensed down into its most meaningful moments. But no. We’d rather go out party. And a lot of times, people party with people they don’t even like! That is to say that a lot of times people spend their nights not even having fun! But no. We’d rather hang out with our friends. Here. In the present.

Part of me thinks that this complaint against society isn’t really valid. My counter to this complaint is a voice in my head that sarcastically snarls “Wait, wait. So you don’t like how people are treating people in the past unfairly? People who aren’t even here anymore? Don’t you think we got enough inequality going on here in the present?” It’s a valid point. And it’s probably not even true for everyone. I bet some families around here really are proud of their heritage and know their family trees inside and out, even do crazy stuff like trace their origin back to the Mayflower. But learning about your family’s past would make you feel a hell of a lot more secure. Next time your teacher or whatever comes around and wants to do something that gets you down you could roundhouse kick them in the face and say “Fuck you! My great-great father helped Lincoln run for president! I don’t have to stand for this shit!”

I wanna find out all the sweet stuff my family did. I bet my family's got some pretty sweet stories.