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Originally Posted by LG999
I dont see how or why opinions would be changed unless and until schools do. Children are not taught American history or civics in school. How can people vote when they have not been taught how our country actually works and why. I do not know if they are taught world history where they would learn the importance of the world wars. Instead, children are taught to be ashamed of themselves and of the US. Therefore it is reasonable to expect them to dismantle it.
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True story: When my son was in college he was required to go to a tiny local history museum. He needed a ride so I went with him while visiting. He had been raised with good morals & ethics, an honor student in the public schools. There was a little exhibit on the historical contributions of American women which showed inventions, Rosie the riveter, and the hard work & sacrifices of raising babies on the farm, etc. My son turns to me—his Mom—and says, “why did they waste space on this? Women have contributed very little. They should have a real history exhibit, like one about the wars.” I nearly collapsed. He is a caring, respectful (but obviously privileged) young man who did not even recognize how disrespectful, hurtful and wrong his indoctrination was. He explained that his history classes had focused exclusively on important events, especially on wars, because they had been such pivotal events in history. (Insert sad sigh here) I knew he was being accurate & honest but it was still painful to me. We went home & watched “What Women Want” with Mel Gibson for insightful humor.
Our kids’ elementary school tried to teach inclusion for kids with disabilities. Each able-bodied student took on a physical disability for a week then wrote a paper about the hardships & other surprises they encountered. It was transformative and reduced the bullying of disabled kids.
In a very similar way, it’s a shame we don’t better educate policemen about the way they are perceived. Training could let them become compassionate after seeing what it is like for awhile.
History shouldn’t be a tribute to atrocities and bad actors but we need to learn from them. What if we expressed gratitude that we have evolved past those awful times? A living history museum provides a detailed reminder that none of us who is living now can really understand what life was like back in the day so we should be reluctant to judge.
Negativity and destruction won’t incubate positive, lasting change. That’s why leaders like Martin Luther King and Billy Graham are so respected & revered. They got it. Positive change must come peaceably to last.