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Notes -
And that overlaps very much with classical liberalism?
When did you go to high school?
Do they still commonly teach at least the "Hamilton" version of the US, or are we in full-on "1619" territory these days for say APUSH?
I was in high school in a red state like 20 years ago, but I definitely got taught "center-leftish kinda neoliberal but state intervention in the economy is good by default to undo the [exaggerated, imagined] ills of markets" that I know is still all the rage in college and in the Intellectual Elite. So, leaving aside the woke-era Culture War, it was still very much not "classically liberal" on economics. Barely even neoliberal really.
Civil religion was nice when we had it.
Fortunately for my finances, my square footage limits my tendencies here.
Whaddya got going?
My best collection piece is technically a loaner from my father-in-law, an M1917 Enfield. It's sporterized, but otherwise in great condition. My grandfather was a WWI vet, so I really like having it. As a hobby, I got a little too involved in modifying my, uh, three Sig P365s. I'm done now. Definitely don't want a fourth to have suppressed. Luckily, I've been more pragmatic with my AR-15 and AR-10 and not actually got into long-range shooting. I did spend a good chunk of change on a sweet steel target setup my family can use in the desert.
Yes, actually.
I took APUSH only slightly more recently than you. Pre-Hamilton and too dry for that style of pop history. Very definitely pre-1619. Lots of time spent on westward expansion before and after the Civil War. Not particularly apologetic, either, if I recall correctly.
The one that really struck me as institutionally liberal was AP Gov. It was 75% Bill of Rights court cases with a clear admiration for the Marshall Court.
Macroeconomics was incredibly Keynesian in a matter-of-fact way. Here’s the money multiplier, here’s an equation for aggregate demand, don’t worry about it too much. What a strange class.
I would absolutely love to shoot a pattern 1917. I adore my No. 4 Lee-Enfield, which was my first historic gun. I’m working towards a collection of the major service rifles, but somehow let myself get sidetracked by a gorgeous Swiss K31. So it’ll be a while before I let myself fill out the set with a Mauser and an Arisaka.
I also have a real soft spot for the M1 carbine. But mine is a real pain and doesn’t like to feed properly. Haven’t figured out what to do with it yet.
Jealous of your steel range. Some day!
Man, my APUSH class included a lot of leftwing stuff, like reading a good chunk of A People's History of the United States. (And it was not because the teacher was a real lefty or anything--he was very focused on doing what we needed to pass.)
But in general I'd say everything you described was "classic center-left polite society civic religion of the professional class" and not "classical liberalism," even if one can still see the archeological roots. And then I have no idea exactly how bad it's gotten since, but all signs point to "not great" on matters of both economics and the Culture War.
I do think it's oversold how much the Founders got wrong and undersold how much they got right--particularly regarding a limited government as a strong guiding principle. Post-FDR, that's been out the window with only a bit of neoliberalism to at least focus on economic efficiency.
That's a pretty good collection you have going. I'd love to have the ~full U.S. inventory for WWI and WWII at some point (if a replica in some cases).
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