- 1 month
The United States was founded on principles of liberty and equality for all.
1 monthWhile I was taught that in elementary school, I was also taught about the 3/5ths compromise as early as middle school. By the time high school rolled around I was being taught about reconstruction and the corrupt bargain of 1877. I guess I’m lucky I got a good education in the north because I am aware that’s not necessarily the standard nationally.
- 1 month
My AP history teacher gave us copies of Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States as a supplemental to our textbooks. She was an awful teacher overall, but I appreciated her trying to make sure we had multiple perspectives.
Then I went to an elite east-coast private college, where I almost failed US History because I called the professor out for teaching Lost Cause bullshit.
- blarghly@lemmy.worldEnglish1 month
I was also taught these things in the south, living in North Florida. As part of a 1 semester Florida history class in middle school, we also went into each of the spanish conquistadors and how they murdered their way across the continent.
- homes@piefed.worldEnglish1 month
Technically, it was founded on the principles of liberty and equality for all. Just not the practices of liberty and equality for all. it was an aspiration, a goal of our forefathers.
But the way they teach it in school is pretty deceptive— as if it was all accomplished magically on that day in 1776, when, even today, it’s a constant struggle— a goal that we’re much closer to, but still remains elusive. that’s the part they don’t teach.
- 1 month
Pretty much every history class not so subtly points you to the conclusion that the US had racism, it was bad, but we defeated it so people complaining now are just spoiled.
…when I was a kid. That shit is probably way worse now.
- 1 month
Most everything that’s taught as the US “defending itself” against a foreign aggressor.
Yes, there are some specific instances the US legitimately needed to defend itself. However, this narrative that the US, especially as its promoted under the guise of “respecting our troops”, is mostly false.
Most wars the US fought were imperial and fought for the ambitions of American oligarchs.
I’d actually argue the narrative that’s central to US propaganda, that “soldiers fight for our freedom” is extremely harmful to said soldiers themselves. Their service and sometimes lives are wasted on the rich, not for freedom. People should really stop joining the military until that changes.
- 1 month
Pictures of the civil rights movement are in black and white even though color photography existed for decades. They’re only in black and white to make kids think it was longer ago than it was.
- village604@adultswim.fanEnglish1 month
Color photos were a thing, but they were significantly more expensive than black and white until around the 1970s. They were mostly saved for special occasions.
Plus, news papers didn’t really do much full color until the 80s. Before the mid 50s it was basically just the comic pages that had color. It was the launch of USA Today in 82 that popularized the way newspapers use color today.
Photographers capturing events shoot a lot of film, and there was no compelling reason to shoot in color at the time.
It’s almost certainly isn’t a conspiracy to make students think it happened a long time ago.
- 1 month
Thanks to everyone pointing out that teaching racism was more expensive if it was in color. Thanks for missing the point.
Edit: There are color photos of the civil rights movements, but my middle school textbooks chose to only use the black and white ones of people getting shot with fire hoses and beaten with billy clubs. Every other page of this hard bound textbook had color pictures in it, so saying it would cost more is a straw man argument. Strange coincidence. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/06/20/fact-check-most-civil-rights-era-images-werent-made-color/3210472001/
- slazer2au@lemmy.worldEnglish1 month
Working hard will get you rewarded. When really you get dunked on with more work.
- corsicanguppy@lemmy.caEnglish1 month
Many countries, like America, had actual economic mobility. There was a time where working hard could improve your economic status.
My family lost everything. Twice. Once to over-leveraging before a mortgage collapse in 83, and secondly to a house fire. We lived in an absolute fleabag of a moldy motel, a stereotype like you’d see on-screen, for about 10 months. The mold was so bad we had tiny mushrooms.
We got back, both times, to a stable home life in a mortgage and a fresh start. Dad paid off his home before retirement, by working his absolute ass off.
That’s just not feasible now, just one generation later.
Anyway, there was a time when hard work did get you something; so treat that as a historical thing and not a falsehood.
Lies of omission count? I was in my 40s before I ever heard of the Tulsa Massacre.
- one_old_coder@piefed.socialEnglish1 month
France: the French revolution was poor people rioting. We are starting to accept that it was rich people killing each other to replace monarchy, and using poor people as a side-effect, kind of like… what we have right now, what a coincidence!
- 1 month
It was “self-made” rich people (bourgeoisie) vs “birthright” rich people (nobility). We still got some cool side-effects though. Some of those bourgeois legitimately kick started what we call left and progressive politics today (Maximilien Robespierre, Jean-Paul Marat).
- 1 month
That homework isn’t discriminatory. Not all kids have lives that allow them to do it. If you can’t cover all the bases in whole ass 8 hours I’m there a day that’s on you, not me. This is only true k - 12, college level courses are voluntary so having some homework could be considered ok.
- 1 month
They still teach the bullshit Thanksgiving story in most schools in the US.
- 1 month
In Germany, a lot of the times it’s taught that we barely did colonialism. Like, “colonialism was bad but it was mostly other countries”. Meanwhile, in reality, German colonialism saw the first mayor genocide of the 21st century.
- 1 month
Oh god, sometimes I feel like my English is pretty good and then stuff like this happens… :D
I read it as the first mayo genocide and was ready to cheer
- psud@aussie.zoneEnglish1 month
That a, e, i, o and u were the only vowels. So what’s the vowel in sky?
I got marked incorrect for answering “a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y”
- 1 month
30 years ago, it was still taught that we Belgians went to the Congo out of benevolence, to help lift up the people there. Not one mention of rubber quota or chopped off hands. Fuck that indoctrination.
- manxu@piefed.socialEnglish1 month
It wasn’t even “the Belgians.” It was the king that owned the place, if I remember right.
- 1 month
Absolutely correct. Curriculum probably couldn’t get into those matters of transition in fear of exposing the rotten stories surrounding it.
I remember in school learning about the different areas of the tongue tasting different things, and then we had an experiment to try it, and everyone was like “wow it works!” but I told the teacher it didn’t work for me, and I got told I was doing it wrong =w=
Anywho, the entire thing about different tastes being localized to different areas is bullshit, so that’s 1 point to me and 0 to the teacher
- 1 month
My daughter and I did this for one of her science projects. I would drop lemon juice or sugar water somewhere on her tongue, and she was able to taste everything everywhere.
It was so long ago I don’t remember, but I hope we got a good grade on that one!
- blarghly@lemmy.worldEnglish1 month
The lesson is to give the authority figure the answer they want to hear so they’ll leave you alone!
Checks and balances in the US government. Government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Constitutional rights being unassailable.
All these are lies. I think it can be fixed, but it won’t be easy.
- 1 month
Listening to authority with no critical thinking will make your life easier.
