This so-called amazing coincidences between the lives of two of America’s greatest Presidents first popped up shortly after Kennedy’s assassination in 1963. I remember a student reading this out at our school assembly when I was in 6th or 7th class.
America lacks tradition, culture or history when compared to the other large important nations of the world and many Americans are aware of this. Hence such “significant” trivia help them to pretend that things that have happened to America are of earth-shaking import and of great mysterious cosmic significance. And being Americans, they ensure that the whole world swallows this sort of nonsense.
About this Lincoln-Kennedy thing, we see some superficial similarities, which have very simple and “non-mysterious” explanations and we tend to ignore the non-similarities that are much more in number and which are in crucial areas. Some of these “similarities” are factually wrong, some are wrong in the sense that they are misleading.
Though I am not a serious student of history, I can, off-hand, remember a few dissimilarities – both serious and frivolous :-
- Lincoln was Republican, Kennedy was a Democrat.
- Lincoln was born in an impoverished Protestant family. Kennedy was born in an extremely wealthy and well-connected Catholic family.
- Lincoln had only two names (unusual in US after the dawn of the 19thcentury), Kennedy was John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
- Lincoln was a struggling lawyer all along until he was elected to the House of Representatives. Kennedy was an inter-varsity star athlete and decorated naval officer before entering politics.
- Lincoln virtually struggled throughout his political career, facing more defeats than victories and his surprise election as President was his first (and last) big achievement. Kennedy on the other hand virtually walked into politics and had a string of successes right from the start.
- Lincoln was bearded, tall, thin, ill-dressed, unfashionable and physically awkward. Kennedy was clean-shaven, handsome, athletic and one of the most glamorous men of his time.
- Lincoln had no known interest in any woman other than his wife (reputed to have been a shrew who probably kept him in tight control!!). Kennedy was well known for a string of extra-marital affairs.
Let me also tell you some of the wrong info here that people miss out.
- Lincoln did not have a secretary called Kennedy.
- Kennedy could not have been with Marilyn Monroe a week before his death because she died several months earlier.
- Lincoln’s assassin was shot by police after being surrounded in a barn in another state several days later (I think about 10 or 12 days later). Kennedy’s alleged assassin (there are still too many doubts expressed about the official version of events) was captured alive an hour later from a nearby movie theatre and was shot by a man called Jack Ruby who suddenly came out of a crowd while he was being taken to court on the second day.
- John Wilkes Booth was not a Southerner. He was from one of the “Unionist” states (I forget which one). And I think his year of birth is given wrongly.
There are also many half-truths among these so-called similarities and almost all the things that look mysterious at first glance have perfectly logical and simple explanations which would show why they are not “mysterious” at all.
But then this email is too restricted an area to explain all that. I’ll explain when we meet next time!
I read an essay on this matter some time ago. If I can locate it again, I’ll send it to you. |
No comments:
Post a Comment