(image source: http://www.groundzeromedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Pilgrim-myth.jpg)
As some students have already mentioned, I have always recognized the
confidence of Americans compared to people from other nations. I have never
thought of it as a particularly bad thing, but I believe now that it could be potentially
dangerous as it could lead to the bashing of other countries. I found it
interesting that Loewen states that this kind of confidence comes from the
faulty history education. For example, Lowen states, "Today Americans
believe as part of our political understanding of the world that we are the
most generous nation on earth in terms of foreign aid, overlooking the fact
that the net dollar flow from almost every Third World nation runs toward the
United States." [1] Americans
also tend to think of themselves as “special” as Loewen also notes: “In their
pious treatment of the Pilgrims, history textbooks introduce the archetype of
American exceptionalism-the notion that the United States is different from-and
better than-all other nations on the planet.” [2]I know from
experience that this kind of misconception is common because I also had the same
belief. We are brainwashed by the media to believe these kinds of things.
As I am reading this book, I am
slowly building an interest in history. This is because it is helping me
realize that the way history is taught changes our perspective on how we view
other countries, and ultimately how we view ourselves. If most of the
statements Loewen made are true, then Americans cannot help but become
Eurocentric. Race problems will always exist as long as these concepts remain.
Although it is impossible to write a
completely unbiased history textbook, complete lies cannot be told. After
reading the chapters about Columbus and the Pilgrims, I have come to realize
that not only are the textbooks biased, they are almost fairy tales. I have
never thought about the role of history education. Loewen states that “The
problem is not so much the estimates as the attitude. Presenting a controversy
seems somehow radical. It invites students to come to their own conclusions.
Textbook authors don`t let that happen. They see their job as presenting “facts”
for children to “learn”, not encouraging them to think for themselves. Such an
approach keeps students ignorant of the reasoning, arguments, and weighing of
evidence that go into social science.” [3] Although my interest in history is not so
high, I have always had a big interest in education. Debunking how history is taught
might lead to some clues and answers to the role of education. According to the
statements Loewen makes, it is obvious that history education is not effective
in teaching what actually happened in the past. If the role of history education
is to brainwash students in a manner that promotes radical nationalism, I think
that it could be very dangerous.
[1] James W. Loewen, ‘The Truth About the First Thanksgiving’,
in Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got
Wrong, Reprint (Touchstone, 2007), p. 90.
[2] James W. Loewen, ‘The Truth About the First Thanksgiving’,
in Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got
Wrong, Reprint (Touchstone, 2007), p. 84.
[3] James W. Loewen, ‘The Truth About the First Thanksgiving’,
in Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got
Wrong, Reprint (Touchstone, 2007), p. 80.
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