So you’ve stumbled upon this website and wonder who I am, eh?
Basically, I’m nobody particularly important. I’m Phillip Pollard and I happen to like history. Maybe it comes from a childhood of tromping around museums and battlefields. But I like understanding what happened in the past, how events relate to each other in the past, and what meaning that might have now.
I also find the study of history, historiography if you will, fascinating. We’ve made up stories, edited facts and events, to present a logic and linear history to ourselves. These edits, and these little white lies, and sometimes big ethnocentric and racist lies, of how our history has been written and taught can hide the little, fascinating ideas and moments this website catalogs Finding one of those moments to me it’s like finding a money in a pocket after laundry day.
These little ideas. Edited and swept away over time and by historians, can offer a small view into our very real past. An imperfect, grey-shaded but very human past. If you believe in a linear history with clear concepts of “cause” and “progress”, some facts and events may seem illogical and wrong-headed. But you must remember that no one knows the future. And at the time, no one knew where society would end up in the future.
Personally, I prefer to see my past in all it’s honest and rough-edged narrative.
And humor. There are moments in history that are “funny” to our thoughts and eyes. Irony, timing, wit and slapstick do occur. Historians seem allergic to cataloging this and it often gets edited away. Our historic heros must be dignified, yes? I don’t subscribe to this belief.
So there you go. I’m an amateur historian with an interest in the subject. Which means I’m hopelessly biased in my own presentation and thoughts. If you disagree with me, that right there can be the foundation of great ad-hominem argument. I am interested, however, in “getting it right.” If I’ve made errors in fact or analysis, please do tell me.
Especially when I visit more of the historiography side of the genre, and compare the well written but false stories that persist, I would like to include any dissent along with them as part of “the rest of the story.”
Thanks for your time and I hope you enjoy.