Into the Past Prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about people who tell the truth in the face of many lies. Don’t feel constricted to coronavirus or the 1918 flu pandemic, but feel free to use any of the information presented here.
Here is my piece with is about the Second Anglo Boer war which is the focus of my WIP:
A silence fell, and Robert thought again about the Boer from the trench. The man was no different from many of Robert’s counterparts in Mafeking. He was probably more educated than many of the British troops. Robert thought about the pro-war propaganda he had seen in England during his recent trip home and the demonization of the Boers who had gone from being “Brother Boer” to “Dirty Boer” due to the imminent war.
The anti-Boer campaign was part of a campaign by government to dehumanise the Boers in the eyes of the British public. Most of it was lies.
You can join in here: https://carrotranch.com/2020/03/31/into-the-past-the-not-so-spanish-spanish-flu/
roberta-writes.com 
A lot of that going on in the UK and US right now too!
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Yes, I know. We are repeating our past mistakes.
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Sadly, that has been the way throughout history.
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Again and again and again.
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I’m learning so much about the history of your country from your blog. Good response to the prompt, Robbie!
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Thank you, Priscilla. It was my intention with this book to keep this piece of history alive. History should be remembered in order to avoid repetition.
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Nice summary! I had never heard of “Brother Boer” before – that was evidently a pretty effective information campaign!
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Sort of. It worked in the beginning but when the scorched earth policy was implemented, a lot of the British and Aussie soldiers were most unhappy about it.
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Well, “Dirty Boer” is what I heard in history class, for good or ill.
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Really, how interesting. There are always to sides to a story.
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Lies always work in campaigns like that. Nicely done, Roberta.
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Thank you, Dan. Propaganda is very effective, especially when aimed at masses.
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And run with authority.
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Without that demonizing, I don’t think the Every Man would be so willing to kill his fellow human beings.
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No, but the troops who fought in this war chose to fight. It wasn’t a conscription such as you have in the US. Propaganda is a massive took in fueling hatred and hate crimes. History tells us this is true.
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Yes, that’s true.
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What a time. Good story.
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Thanks Jacqui. It was a terrible war.
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Reblogged this on Ed;s Site..
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Thanks, Ed
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Unfortunately all too common…governments must justify their bad behavior. (K)
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That is true, and they must fire young men up to fight for their country.
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You evoke so much in so few words!
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Thank you, John. I was looking at your post about the Chicago river walk. So very beautiful and vibrant. It’s hard to imagine it closed.
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Robbie, it was so much fun to walk down, especially with the iconic architecture all around you…Chicago really is a special place! Thanks for sharing and commenting!
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Sounds so familiar, Robbie. Dehumanizing people is part of war, racism, and poverty. It’s happening today and will happen tomorrow. I hope your book is coming along well! Happy Writing.
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Thank you, Diana. I am nearly at 100 000 words and in the death throws of the story. The ending has changed a bit from what I originally planned but I think it is better.
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Wow. You’ve made great progress. Congrats. Soon you’ll be on to editing. 🙂
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George Orwell, 1984 — ‘The past was alterable. The past never had been altered. Oceania was at war with Eastasia. Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia.’
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Yes, but it was alterable because of human deceit and intervention. The people changed the past. Of course, that is still applicable. I have seen how historical information can be manipulated by governments. It is all in the presentation and interpretation of source data. Thanks for visiting, Doug.
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