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Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Ignoring the Past


Isn't there an old saying about those forgetting the past being doomed to repeat it? Looks like England is doomed, then.
Schools are dropping the Holocaust from history lessons to avoid offending Muslim pupils, a Governmentbacked study has revealed.

It found some teachers are reluctant to cover the atrocity for fear of upsetting students whose beliefs include Holocaust denial.
Their beliefs include Holocaust denial? What does their belief have to do with historical fact? OK- I don't want schools to teach that the earth is round because I'm a flat earther. (No, I'm not really- I'm trying to make a point here). And, honestly, neither side came out of the Crusades smelling like roses, but that doesn't mean that I wasn't taught that in my Catholic school history classes. History classes are supposed to teach about what happened during a certain time period, regardless of whether or not the students believe it.
There is also resistance to tackling the 11th century Crusades - where Christians fought Muslim armies for control of Jerusalem - because lessons often contradict what is taught in local mosques.
That's just peachy. My school taught about the Inquisition, and that's not something the Catholic Church (which I was raised in) is proud of or wants publicized. They also taught evolution, which the Catholic Church also (at least used to) frown upon. Why were we taught it? Well... let's see... The Inquisition happened, therefore it should be in the history lesson. Evolution is a scientific theory and should be taught (along with other viable theories) to explain how we came into being. It's called education.
education: the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.
What kind of education are these kids getting? First, they're learning that you should never offend anyone, especially those who make a fashion statement with an explosive vest. Second, they are learning that there is no objective fact, just feelings and beliefs that very from person to person and should never be discounted. Third, they are learning to cave into every person that whines in their general direction. Oh, yeah... those are lessons I want my kids to learn. T
he report concluded: "In particular settings, teachers of history are unwilling to challenge highly contentious or charged versions of history in which pupils are steeped at home, in their community or in a place of worship."
Last time I checked, pupils in Great Britain could attend private schools or *gasp* home school or tutor. History teachers should teach... HISTORY. Not political correctness. Not some warped view of history. The cold hard facts with some context will work just fine, thankyouverymuch. If you don't like it, pull your kid out of the school and put them someplace where your little skulls full of mush can learn exactly what you want them to learn, facts be damned.



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