Bingo. A lot of people believe world history began the day they were born, and anything before is just to be ignored and be ignorant of.

Was talking to high school kids at a fast food place last Dec 7. I said, “today is Pearl Harbor Day”. Not a one of them had ever heard of Pearl Harbor. They vaguely had heard of World War II, but they could not tell me what century it was in or who fought in it. They knew Adolf Hitler was a Nazi, just like every Republican who has ever lived. But they did not know about the Concentration Camps. When I told them, half were horrified. The other half said I was lying. I don’t fault them as much as I fault the school system.

 

About that, I saw a news story a couple years ago about Hiroshima. The camera crew was interviewing teens at a local mall with the question, “what important event happened here in August of 1945?”

Most knew zero. The history has been largely ignored, and the survivors that had radiation issues were shunned by society.

Strange times we live in.

 

I always find it interesting that it's "Never Forget" about most tragedies in the world, especially the USA.

But bring up the fact that my grandmother's father-in-law was born a slave in this country, was almost killed numerous times following train tracks as he ran away north to New York city, and it's "get over it, move on already, that was ages ago, no one alive now took part in that!"

History is important, even when our country was on the wrong side of it.

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Teach our children that this country is a deeply flawed, terrible and shameful nation. And go from there. Is that what we should be doing?

 

Not to diminish what you said, but your generational gaps must be huge. I'm not a young guy and my great-grandparents were born in the 20th century.

 

Are you referring to monetary reparations? Because I don’t meet people who just blow off the history of slavery.

 

Perhaps you should read what I said. Should the Germans ignore the whole "Nazi" part of their history, or acknowledge and grow from it? Do you feel that we can learn and grow from ignoring our history?


You are correct, I missed a generation. My mistake. My grandmother was born in 1926. Thankfully, she is still with us and in her right mind. She talks of conversations with her father-in-law's father - so it would be my Great- great grandfather. It is still crazy to think that in 2021, my 5 year old daughter can hear a literal second hand account from that time.

I am not referring to monetary reparations at all. Just, attitudes. For example- the sigh and eye roll given by a co-worker once, in a bar, when a commercial came on regarding the movie "Roots." I asked if he didn't like the movie, and was shocked at the response I got. The mentality actually reminds me of CousinEddie's comment, up there.

 

I asked you a serious question based on what is being debated in school boards all over the country right now. Yet you refer to it as my “mentality.” I am all for an accurate and fair presentation of our history, good and bad, to be taught. However, some of what is being proposed has been identified by historians as inaccurate, inflammatory and false.

 

I don’t know who you were talking to, but I don’t buy it as indicative of the generation at large. My kids are teenagers. I can guarantee you they know about WWII, 9/11, American slavery, Vietnam, & the triumphs & failures of their own country among others in the world.

I can also confirm they get fed as much right wing BS as left wing nonsense in school, from their peers, and on social media; as we all did at their age. (Minus the social media for most of us, of course.) The thoughtful ones learn to develop their own opinions, those less so choose a figurehead (e.g., parent/teacher/public figure) & adopt many of their thoughts directly from them. This practice will often continue into adulthood. It’s always been this way. My generation & yours (whatever it may be) are not as different from those ignorant kids you spoke to as you might like to believe.

 

2 pages til thread got derailed. Not bad ¯\_(ツ)_/¯