RPTM Podcast Episode Twenty-Seven: Drinking, Singing, Bloodshed, and the Disenfranchised

​Pseudohistory uses obfuscation: Words that sound studious but don't make sense. It consists of buzzwords, esoteric language, specialized technical terms, or technical slang that is impossible to understand for the average listener. For example, some historians will throw out some big words and fancy sentences to confuse people about what they mean. Obfuscation obscures the intended meaning of communication by making the message difficult to understand, usually with confusing and ambiguous language. The obfuscation might be either unintentional or intentional (although intent usually is connoted) and is accomplished by talking around the subject, using jargon, and using an ingroup language of limited communicative value to outsiders. There are many historical and contemporary examples, including radar chaff deployed by World War II pilots, Twitter bots that hobbled the social media strategy of popular protest movements. 

What can historians do?

Remove clichés: Clichés are overused expressions that are more intuitive for some than others. Most of the time, they're unnecessary and only take up space. They're fluff. If you can remove the clichés in your piece and still make your point, you should. Eradicate redundancies. Redundancy is unnecessary repetition. It's saying the same thing more than once. Saying the same thing more than once is redundant. Only repeat yourself when you need to make a point. Otherwise, your message loses its effect. When you willingly use a word that doesn't fit your audience, you're failing as a communicator. Practice brevity, if you can say it in fewer words, do it.

Follow the sage advice from one of my favorite authors, Kurt Vonnegut:

“Do not use semicolons… All they do is show you've been to college.”

HIGHLIGHTS

• In the 1820s, Americans drank seven gallons of alcohol per person annually.
• “The Star-Spangled Banner” is the national anthem of the United States.  The anthem’s history began the morning of September 14, 1814, when an attorney and amateur poet named Francis Scott Key watched U.S. soldiers under bombardment from British naval forces during the War of 1812—raise a giant American flag over Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland.
• In the bloody Battle of New Orleans, future President Andrew Jackson and a motley assortment of militia fighters, frontiersmen, slaves, Indians, and even pirates weathered a frontal assault by a superior British force, inflicting devastating casualties along the way. The victory vaulted Jackson to national stardom and helped foil plans for a British invasion of the American frontier.
•  During the winter of 1818–1819, the American School for the Deaf became the first primary and secondary education school to receive aid from the federal government when it was granted $300,000. As a result of its pivotal role in American deaf history, it also hosts a museum containing numerous rare and old items. While it is situated on a 54-acre (220,000 m2) campus, the ASD has a small enrollment — in its history, the ASD has graduated approximately 6000 graduates.
• The Civilization Fund Act encouraged activities of benevolent societies in providing education for Native Americans and authorized an annuity to stimulate the "civilization process." The Civilization Fund Act of 1819 aimed to infuse the country's indigenous people with "good moral character" and vocational skills.  

CHAPTERS
0:37 Intro
3:01 19th Century Alcohol
7:49 The Star Spangled Banner
16:41 The Battle of New Orleans
26:15 American School for the Deaf
28:37 The Civilization Fund Act
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​RESOURCES
How to Eschew Obfuscation & Write Clearly
History of alcoholic beverages
History of alcoholic drinks
Alcohol and Drinking History in America: A Chronology
The Star-Spangled Banner
MORE PROOF THE U.S. NATIONAL ANTHEM HAS ALWAYS BEEN TAINTED WITH RACISM
Battle of New Orleans
Battle of New Orleans - Facts & Summary
American School for the Deaf
American School for the Deaf
Civilization Fund Act Explained
The Schools That Tried—But Failed—to Make Native Americans Obsolete