It's interesting how when I study both history and current events, the facts very frequently-- or, more often than not-- do not align with the narrative. Take today's world leaders as examples.

Starting with my own country, Donald Trump is Bill Clinton 2.0: life-long Democratic populist, with streaks of liberalism in select areas. But the narrative is that he's some kind of nutty one-off. The narrative also says that Vladimir Putin is some kind of insane dictator-- yet every time I've ever heard him speak, his explanations not only are highly reasonable, but consistent with Russia's actions, for example in Syria and Venezuela; seems to me that propping up existing regimes is better for global stability than tearing them down-- Iraq War, anyone?

But then the narrative hasn't much to say about China's Xi, when in fact he's the crazy dictator, having written himself into their constitution-- by name!-- as "President for Life", along with his eerily North Korean Juche-like "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics." When Macron was elected in France, the narrative praised him, and then he went on to brutally suppress populist uprisings with armed soldiers and guards-- Marine Le Pen is some kind of nutjob apparently, when she's pushing for France to merely control its own borders.

And so on.