Monday, September 6, 2010
Our Ignorance of History:
During our discussion on Thursday we reflected on the thought that if we do not learn about the past, then we are doomed to repeat it. Just as Hitler's army invaded Russia, like Napoleon, and could not survive the harshness of the Siberian winter. History is one of our most vital classes and should be presented to us without any bias attached. However, this is impossible. It is human nature to present opinion with fact, and I do not expect our teachers to just read to us straight from the books, calling that a lecture. And they cannot even do that, because as was said, we do not even know if our history books are telling us the truth. But on the basis that they are, in the most part, we should make a note to implant major details in our minds so that we do not make mistakes that ruin our lives or the lives of others. For my whole life my parents have been telling me that we "are the future". So we have to work hard and learn from them. From the past.
It has come to the point where I do not know if the past is presented to us with a bias, or without, and if so in which direction. We read that it was leaning to the left, and that needed to be fixed, but how do we know it isnt leaning at all, or that it is leaning down or something? It complicates the whole situation. I want us as a whole to learn from our history as it is now. And i do not know if it is slanted. I do not see how, does anyone? Because I do not feel like it represents any party or race unfairly. But is that because that is how it was taught to us, so that is how we see it? I personally feel like I have a decent grasp on this world, and that I can realize when something is prejudiced or bias. And if that isnt true, I dont know if I want to know that. I dont know if I want to live in ignorance or not. But thankfully I do not have to decide. Because we will never know.
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I had an entertaining time reading your blog. I liked seeing how you were working through a thought process and didn’t mind contradicting your self or admitting how you don’t know what is actually correct in the end. I think you brought up a great point about how we don’ if what we are being taught in history class is biased, and how would we even know. In my own opinion, I believe that we are all taught biased and that it can not be prevented. We are all taught a different view of the past. How are we going to know if it isn’t correct unless someone stands up and shows us the errors in our perception of history. It’s important that we don’t leave out certain people or certain ethnicities struggles from our history, since in their own way they affected the history. I think in the end we all need to be open to the fact that what we have been taught can not always be correct, and that we have to be open to changes that come along. As much as ignorance is bliss, some times the truth will prevail.
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