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What is happening in Virginia. Is the Governor just having fun or is this a political ploy? Is itpossible to view the celebration of The Confederacy like a huge St. Patrick's day?My question is biased as I am a brain washed Yankee from the Democratic and Liberal NorthernState of New York-- Buffalo--last stop on the Underground Railroad to freedom for slaves.I await enlightenment.
I will mostly hold my tongue and say from a historical standpoint it is a good thing to bring about education on a subject that is misunderstood and get's glossed over in high school and in undergrad studies in college.Most people are on one side or the other STILL. Hard to disconnect emotions from the historical viewpoint.Some feel the same way about celebrating black history month, asian history month, latin history month, etc etc... everyone has their favorite, feel good celebration. Regardless, they should be about the SECOND word in their title, HISTORY, which NONE of them, even the Confederate history month, are. They are about agendas.Again, I could REALLY go on and on about this, but their is no point. Everyone will take a side, and neither will see the others viewpoint.I personally believe we should ban these " History Month" things completely. Wanna celebrate something, how about American History Month. Period.
No.I think he is wrong and justified. I think, IMHO he is wrong in the fact that this is just one more glorified " History Month" along with the rest that are not anything other than public agendas.I think, however, being that every other Tom Dick and Harry get's to have a month to tout their agendas he has every right to tout something that is related to Virginia's heritage.
I will mostly hold my tongue and say from a historical standpoint it is a good thing to bring about education on a subject that is misunderstood and get's glossed over in high school and in undergrad studies in college.Most people are on one side or the other STILL. Hard to disconnect emotions from the historical viewpoint.Some feel the same way about celebrating black history month, asian history month, latin history month, etc etc... everyone has their favorite, feel good celebration. Regardless, they should be about the SECOND word in their title, HISTORY, which NONE of them, even the Confederate history month, are. They are about agendas.Again, I could REALLY go on and on about this, but their is no point. Everyone will take a side, and neither will see the others viewpoint.I personally believe we should ban these " History Month" things completely. Wanna celebrate something, how about American History Month. Period.
+1
This just in--the Governor of Virginia blinked!Now states: slavery existed and was wrong
Now don't we all feel better?
YES--We all feel better now== if he means it.
From they current prospective he means it... today we are aware that the ownership of another human is wrong; go back 140+ years and a significant proportion of the population thought it just fine.Historical empathy means we need to consider what the cultural norm was at the time and place we are considering. Can you dig it? If not the folks we study always are on the filthy end of the stick.
I will mostly hold my tongue and say from a historical standpoint it is a good thing to bring about education on a subject that is misunderstood and get's glossed over in high school and in undergrad studies in college.Loosen your tongue--what do you think ought to be taught about the subject? I am sure that your takewould be of interest.
From they current prospective he means it... today we are aware that the ownership of another human is wrong; go back 140+ years and a significant proportion of the population thought it just fine.Historical empathy means we need to consider what the cultural norm was at the time and place we are considering. Can you dig it? If not the folks we study always are on the filthy end of the stick.Well! Now you have done it. Pandora's box gapes!Historical empathy leads us down a path where we find it difficult to condemn anything as it was thecustom of the times--slavery, peonage, foot binding, genital mutilations on females, prison for debtors, branding of criminals, decimation for disobedience , enforced conversions, Devil's Island,possession of territory by right of conquest, rape and pillage for successful soldiering, crucifixions,burning of heretics, torture of prisoners, blowing rebellious soldiers from the mouths of cannon--alldone, all justified at various times and accepted as normal practice. As horrible as these things are we cannot call them wrong because our lens looking backward was made in the present and whatis abhorrent or anathema to us would be perfectly acceptable to some our ancestors.There is worse to come. Your fine essay on culture suggested that we also should adopt cultural empathy. There is nothing particularly wrong or immoral about cannibalism and some say itis still practiced today in remote areas of the Pacific. The world is filled with people abiding bytheir cultural norms oblivious to our concern or objection. If a soldier stationed in Afghanistansees a man beating his wife in the street with a cudgel, what is he to do? If they see a man inthe process of killing his daughter (an honor killing) do they understand that it is merely their customand although perhaps against the law is not violative of the mores of the group. You see theproblem. We are trapped by time, geography and our particular culture and our educational systemdoes not prepare us to accept the wild deviations we are sure to see if we venture from these shoresinto societies quite different from our own.I too used to teach that judgment of other times had to be done very carefully lest we stray intoxenophobic ahistorical waters that obscure our vision of truth as seen by our subjects. This wasalways hard to do with all but the very best students. Most clung to the views and beliefs thathad been inculcated by their parents, their religion or the society itself. As you know, a liberaleducation is supposed to introduce you to the banquet of ideas so you need not dine on hamburgerfor the rest of your life. I was always surprised how difficult it was to successfully improve the palate.The only solution seems to be to tell students that what we are going to study is history as it waslived by the people in that time and that any negative views we might have of their practices, rituals or folkways must be held in abeyance as we view from afar and through a glass darkly.Thanks for your essay--it was an ACE!
Well! Now you have done it. Pandora's box gapes!
Nothing to be afraid of here unless one is afraid of Pandora's box... a mythical beast at best.
Historical empathy leads us down a path where we find it difficult to condemn anything ...horrible as these things are we cannot call them wrong because our lens looking backward was made in the present and what is abhorrent or anathema to us
would[I'd substitute could here] be perfectly acceptable to some our ancestors.My point exactly.
There is worse to come. ...we also should adopt cultural empathy. There is nothing particularly wrong or immoral about cannibalism ...world is filled with people abiding by their cultural norms oblivious to our concern or objection. If a soldier stationed in Afghanistan sees a man beating his wife in the street with a cudgel, what is he to do? If they see a man in the process of killing his daughter (an honor killing) do they understand that it is merely their custom and although perhaps against the law is not violative of the mores of the group. You see the problem. We are trapped by time, geography and our particular culture and our educational system does not prepare us to accept the wild deviations we are sure to see if we venture from these shores into societies quite different from our own.
In the sublime world of education and the study of culture we can seek to understand the motivation by using cultural empathy... again trying to see around our own cultural filters (there is a cross-curricular lesson using the idea of lens filters on cameras here) but in the practical world the soldier stops the man from beating the wife (risking his own safety) because that is what we do... we stop the honor killing if we can because it's not part of our cultural baggage and we can't get our mind around it. Life in the wider world isn't at all like what we study in class. Sorry but we often cannot practice what we preach. And in you examples shouldn't....
I too used to teach that judgment of other times had to be done very carefully lest we... obscure our vision of truth as seen by our subjects. This was always hard to do.... Most clung to the views and beliefs that had been inculcated by their parents, their religion or the society itself.
Or rapidly disavowed same when given an option, in my experience.
As you know, a liberal education is supposed to introduce you to the banquet of ideas so you need not dine on hamburger for the rest of your life. I was always surprised how difficult it was to successfully improve the palate.
Or stamp out one dogmatic set of ideas to be replaced by another.
The only solution seems to be to tell students that what we are going to study is history as it waslived by the people in that time and that any negative views we might have of their practices, rituals or folkways must be held in abeyance as we view from afar and through a glass darkly.
Better to compare and contrast the the era / group / society being studied with our contemporary time and see how each manages. Even the primitive (so-called) hunter-gatherer societies that survive today, while considered by many to be only slightly above animals, have won the battle of survival... what they do works for them. Their culture works... is it for us? Not at, all but we can't criticize them based on our culture as our rules don't apply... we'd not last a day in their world.
Thanks for your essay--it was an ACE!
Thank you for the kind words... just one more little try at righting the collective cranio-rectal inversion of humankind.
