Pre-orders for Barrett Holmes Pitner’s book THE CRIME WITHOUT A NAME are now available. You can place those orders through your local independent bookseller, or any of the following: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com | Barnes and Noble
In the final episode of our American Cycle series, we discuss the era of Redemption. This era is defined by an obfuscation of the truth and the corruption of language orchestrated by the former Confederate States to remake the American South back to a status quo akin to the inhumanity of slavery.
(If you enjoy this episode we recommend that you listen to our previous episodes Founding, Abolition, and Reconstruction. You can also listen to all of our podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Simplecast.)
Due to the progress of Reconstruction, the Redemption era could not use the same racist and dehumanizing language that had been the norm prior to the Civil War, so instead it used non-racist language to create racist outcomes. Seemingly benign terms like “separate but equal” avoided racist language while still having racist intent and outcomes. It is truly an Orwellian corruption of language.
The name “Redemption” does not speak to an uplifting redemption that improved American life, but instead the “redemption” of the South and the normalization of a cultural atrocity. Redemption is actually a dystopian regression, but linguistically we are inclined to believe that it is an uplifting era.
The goal of Redemption was to create a second Founding era, and it accomplished this goal with the creation of Jim Crow. Donald Trump’s campaign “Make America Great Again” echoes the oppressive ideals of Redemption, and clearly shows that America has experienced the second tragic iteration of American Redemption.
As America works to be a more equitable and fair society, we must strive to break the American Cycle. If not we may tragically confront another oppressive Founding era.
Pre-orders for Barrett Holmes Pitner’s book THE CRIME WITHOUT A NAME are now available. You can place those orders through your local independent bookseller, or any of the following: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com | Barnes and Noble
The American Cycle Podcast, Episode 4 - The Redemption Era