December Challenge - "Historical Truth"

[Kegek]

I'm afraid this isn't the weird thing I promised. Not to say it isn't odd. And, admittedly, probably also disturbing, but in a more conceptual sense than my previous entry.

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"Historical Truth"

It was twelve years since the death of the Great One. I did not become all misty eyed or mystical about that. I am calm and rational; for I am a researcher by trade. My specialty is the discipline of history. History is a precise science, it is all about adding up cold, unflinching facts.

But the cold fact remains. Twelve years ago Skrain Dukat was buried in an unmarked grave, shot without trial by Benjamin Sisko. (That Fire Cave nonsense is just a lie from Federation propagandists).

That solemn day I was on a transport heading for Kora II. Sitting next to me was a slender young woman. I could tell from her nose ridges that she was Bajoran. She introduced herself: Myr Nella, Lieutenant, Starfleet. "You're not wearing your uniform," I commented drolly.

"I don't wear it all the time," she replied. We talked about inconsequential things at first, but soon we moved to politics and Cardassia's future. She had that typical extremist anti-military stance, so I quickly disabused her of that position. "You are a member of a military."

"Starfleet is not a military." She snapped. She then went on a lengthy diatribe. I responded in kind, naturally. Sure, Starfleet may have other things and priorities, but it still has uniforms. And many of those priorities are related - exploration, a prelude to conquest. Scientific research, essential to weapons advances. This is the kind of doublethink so common in the Federation. They condemn us for having a military and defend their hypocrisy by refusing to acknowledge they have one.

Actually, her arguments were quite skilled, really, most Bajoran - do they not employ such elaborate argumentative styles in interpreting the prophecies of their murderous gods? I sensed she enjoyed testing her mettle against mine, and I certainly felt the same.

I had got her to concede that the method of Federation expansion was a form of conquest, albeit a highly benevolent one. "It was not as terrible as..." She trailed off. I saw it in her eyes.

"The Occupation." I curtly finished. I could see her shudder at the mere mention. The Bajorans had spun their horror tales too well, now many of them sincerely believed it. The truth might become forever lost. "I would expect you to see it that way," - I said delicately - "there has been much misrepresentation."

She reacted most inappropriately, with defiance. "What misinterpretation? The Cardassians brutalized, enslaved and murdered my people. That's hard to misinterpret." She was quite hysterical. I have even seen historians when they present this Establishment view become hysterical, it is to cover up how silly it sounds by being so serious.

"That is one interpretation." I demurred. I would have to be gentle. "But I am a historian. I search for the truth. The facts. I have found another interpretation. Bajorans as a whole were better treated during the Occupation than before. Facilities were constructed, Terok Nor was built, many are still used. There was harsh treatment on occasion, but this is only due to the stubbornness of the terrorists."

"Bajoran slaves built those facilities - and Terok Nor."

"Cardasssians designed it. Without Cardassians, it would not exist. The administration was a farsighted and just one, borne of great love of the Bajoran people. Dukat loved the Bajorans, you know. Yes - I know what you have heard. But he wanted the best for you. It's just a pity you can't see that." She remained silent. "I understand it is hard to accept. You have listened to distortions for so long, it is difficult to accept the truth."

"What I accept is the savagery of Gallitep." She spat it with such raw, irrational hatred, so typical of the Bajorans as a race.

"An exaggeration!" I rejoined. "There were no murders at Gallitep, only an unfortunately high death rate borne from poor mining conditions and circumstances the Cardassian withdrawal. Had there been no resistance, this tragedy could have been averted."

"My mother survived Gallitep. She saw what you did there." It was a flat voice. Cold. Almost as if she took my dispassionate historical analysis as a personal insult!

"Eyewitness accounts are unreliable. They vary. Why," I laughed, "by some accounts the Cardassians were almost demonic!"

"My mother saw them shooting defenceless Bajoran prisoners. Are you calling her a liar?"

She had to so desperately cling to her beliefs, I realised with a sigh. What could I tell her? That her mother was a Bajoran supremacist, who was part of the greatest fabrication the galaxy has ever seen - the myth of the murderous Cardassian? It was an excuse for war, just as the myth of the Changelings taking hold of the Cardassian government was used by the Klingons. So many powers blamed us and held us in contempt for actions never done, making war inevitable - forcing even the Great One into the waiting arms of the Founders. But how could I explain this to her? How could I make her understand?

And so there was silence. She became calm and composed. Like she was trying to grasp something - the truth? Then she spoke up: "You're not really a historian, are you?"

"Of course I am."

"Then where do you lecture?"

"I am afraid my views are too controversial to have a lecturing assignment."

"I'm surprised." She seethed sarcasm. "From where did you graduate?"

"I am afraid my views were too controversial for -"

"Did you even attend an academy? No, let me guess. Controversial views." I nodded assent. She could be perceptive at times. "But you're published?" Again a nod. "By whom?"

"Obsidian Press."

She smirked maliciously. "Don't they also publish extremist tracts and pamphlets?"

"My associations are not important. You should focus on my arguments."

"Don't worry. I'm sure actual historians do that already." She beamed as if that trite reply were some kind of triumph. Then she rose and went to go to another seat. It was sad, really: Her worldview would not permit the truth, and so she had bought into a lie.

Tidebrec Donat is a historian specialising in revisionism of the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor and the Dominion War. His books - Skrain Dukat: The Great One, Benjamin Sisko: Emissary of Hate and Cardassian 'Atrocities': The Truth Revealed About the Occupation are available from Obsidian Press.

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Author's Postscript: As those with a passing familiarity of the subject might have gathered, this work was influenced by the very real pseudohistory of Holocaust denial. The incident depicted is loosely based on one that a prominent denier, Bradley R. Smith, describes at length in chapter two of his Confessions of a Holocaust Revisionist. Smith painted a far less flattering depiction of himself there then I gather he realised, and so I thought it was excellent material for satire. I found this online but am not sure if I should link it.

 

[Goliath]

Nice. :thumbsup:

Exactly the sort of allegory that Star Trek does so well.

Just one small point--I thought the explanation at the end was superfluous. Your story really speaks for itself.

 

[Kegek]

Ah.

I wasn't going to include it, but as I closely modelled it off a specific incident I felt I should refer to that.

 

[Mistral]

In every society, in every time there are those who cannot see the truth.

 

[Starkers]

A very interesting tale, although it seems less concerned with the change wrought by the Dominion war, the crux of it seems to go back much further to the occupation.

I feel it was a mistake to suggest that Tidebrec Donat never graduated from any academy. It's just implying he lacks intelligence and many Holocaust deniers are, incredibly, very well educated men and women. I think he'd have been all the scarier for being a man of greater intellect.

All in all a nice take on the subject, especillay relevent since the recent Oxford Union debate.

One typo though, it's Fire caves, not five caves.

 

[Kegek]

Starkers said:
A very interesting tale, although it seems less concerned with the change wrought by the Dominion war, the crux of it seems to go back much further to the occupation.

It's probably less apparent in the text than I intended. Basically, Tidebrec Donat's historiography is a response to the total and utter discrediting that Cardassian militarism has recieved at the end of the war... similar to how Holocaust denial is a response to the demonisation of fascism. You didn't have to deny atrocities in the Old Cardassia, where propaganda was so tight they might as well have never existed.

I feel it was a mistake to suggest that Tidebrec Donat never graduated from any academy. It's just implying he lacks intelligence and many Holocaust deniers are, incredibly, very well educated men and women. I think he'd have been all the scarier for being a man of greater intellect.

That really depends on the denier. Sure, there's Harry Elmer Barnes and David Irving, both of whom were actual accredited historians, but neither of them initially denied the Holocaust - merely posited a version of World War II highly favourable to Nazi Germany, and equated the Holocaust with similar wartime atrocities. It was under the influence of actual deniers that they moved more towards accepting denial.

Many of the others are indeed academics, Arthur Butz comes to mind - but to use that example, he's a professor of electrical engineering. One of the most prominent deniers, who has written key words in the literature, and his relevant academic credentials are zip, nada, zilch, like Donat's.

And it goes essentially without saying that no Holocaust deniers have ever been professional historians of the Holocaust.

One of the most important thing deniers do is give the impression of intelligence and sophistication. Having emmersed myself in the literature for far too long now (context: been writing an essay on it and, fool that I was, chose not to limit myself to the reading list but waded through a few denial texts as well), that impression is frequently at the most superficial.

Hence the chapter this was based on. I find it difficult to read it and see Smith acting as anything other than an inconsiderate, self-absorbed jerk (this satire exaggerates, but not all that much). This is naturally presented in his best 'dispassionate', 'historical' style.

And at a more bluntly dramaturgic level, I wanted to make the point that Donat was not engaging in actual historical research swiftly and bluntly at the end of the text. A similar obfuscation of mine is his terminology - actual deniers tend to tone down the racial slurs a tad, again to give the objective impression.

One typo though, it's Fire caves, not five caves.

Corrected. Thanks for the catch. This story obviously refers quite a bit to 'Duet', the first Star Trek episode to really equate the Cardassian/Bajoran relationship to that of the Nazis and the Jews (up until then it was more comparable to a colonial nation and its former colony). Aside from the obvious one - Gallitep - can anyone catch a more subtle, fleeting nod?

 

[Starkers]

Kora II rings a bell, not sure if that's what you mean though?

 

[Kegek]

Bingo. It's the planet Aamin Marritza lived on.

 

[Starkers]

Ah good old Marritza. Nice guy, a little crazy, but nice!

 

[Jono]

Little nitpick: How did he know about Dukat dying in the fire caves? The only person who knew he was there was Winn and Sisko, plus Sisko didn't realise until he actually got to the caves. Winn died there and Sisko ascended to the celestial temple. I doubt there would be anyone alive who even knows Dukat turned himself into a Bajoran...Damar's dead. So is Weyoun.

Overall I thought it was a very interesting read and I enjoyed it.

 

[Starkers]

I'd imagine there would be a trail. Been a while since I saw WYLB but either Sisko took a runabout, in which case it'd obviously be found near the Fire Caves, or used the transporter, in which case there'd be transporter logs.

 

[CeJay]

Wow, what a great concept and so well executed as well. I'm glad you added the note as I’m not that familiar on the subject and it gives the story some interesting real life relevance.

Again I really liked the concept. A smart Cardassian Occupation 'denier' facing a supposedly unlighted Starfleet Bajoran. That can only spell trouble.

There was one point in this fascinating discussion which wasn't raised and I thought would have been the core argument. What justification can Donat offer for the occupation happening in the first place? Bajor was forcefully invaded by a foreign power taking away the Bajoran’s people freedom and sovereignty. No matter the invaders intentions, any population would have rebelled. Best real life example: Iraq.

 

[Starkers]

I believe the justification was that the Bajorans were 'backwards' and the Cardassians were helping to 'develop' them.

That's why it caused sucha ruck when Sisko proved that Bajoran sailing ships could make it to Cardassia centuries before the Cardassians could do the reverse.

 

[Kegek]

Starkers hit the nail on the head.

Donat comes closest to saying something similar here:

Bajorans as a whole were better treated during the Occupation than before. Facilities were constructed, Terok Nor was built, many are still used.

The implication is that Bajor was better off during the Occupation than prior to it, the Occupation is justifiable on that grounds. He doesn't say it was better to afterwards, but the implication is Bajor's modern prosperity is due to Cardassian intervention, and Cardassian rule would have been a lot better without terrorists. It's a similar argument to the one Dukat, Donat's idol, uses in 'Waltz'.

If I may misquote Rudyard Kipling, it is the Grey Man's Burden.

And rofeta, that's a good point about the Fire Caves. I more or less assumed Sisko has come back or he's at least told somebody about the ultimate fate of those three; at the least people would have the prophecies concerning the Fire Cave and that was probably the last place they were seen et cetera. Something along those lines, Starkers transporter logs explanation is particularly good. I just assumed that somehow the story had come to light.

Of course, the dramatic reason is I wanted it to be plain that Donat was an unreliable narrator by the second paragraph.

 

[Jono]

Oops, I forgot your story was set in 2387. If you follow the novels Sisko returned in 2376 so he would have been able to tell people the fates of Winn and Dukat.

 

[JPSEric]

Hey Kegg, cool story. Smart, intelligent and typically you. Feed the need for more.

 

[DavidFalkayn]

A cautionary tale regarding the 'agenda scholarship' that we see all too often today--Holocaust Deniers being amongst the most egregious violators.

Although, I have a feeling Kipling would have slapped Donat silly--I actually found "White Man's Burden" to be a very somber poem--not at all a paean of triumphalism.

 

[Kegek]

^
True. There's a tired world-weariness in the poem; a kind of cautionary depiction of the tiring price of and utter thanklessness of the imperial project, written the wake of America acquiring the Phillippines.

But it is ultimately a romantic and positive view. Donat certainly would consider the Bajorans "sullen peoples / half-devil and half-child", and that all the good the Cardassians have done for the Bajorans is answered by "The blame of those ye better, / the hate of those ye guard".

 

[trampledamage]

A very good idea. I hoped for more though. I realise this is a challenge and there's only so much you can do - but the argument ended just too quickly for me. I wanted to see what a really persuasive argument for the Cardassian Occupation would look like.

 

[Kegek]

Snow Is Falling said:
A very good idea. I hoped for more though. I realise this is a challenge and there's only so much you can do - but the argument ended just too quickly for me. I wanted to see what a really persuasive argument for the Cardassian Occupation would look like.

Well, I guess I'm straddling a fine line there. In the source material I mentioned Smith's target is not really knowledgeable about the issue and just gets berated. Here I wanted someone smart enough to give a response without being well-versed enough to rip apart his theories, as their falsity isn't really at issue here. (Actually, that's part of the point, as viewers we know that his assertions are false right from the second paragraph). I think an argument about sources and their interpretations would have bogged down the narrative's dramatic flow.

It's an interesting point, though.