Why Are So Many Americans Not Interested in History? (European, economic, years)
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I teach with Project Appleseed. We teach about the people and events of April 19, 1775 when the Colonials of Massachusetts sent the Redcoats back to Boston - empty handed. We teach about the choices those patriots made and why they made them. We teach where and when the first shot of the Revolution was fired and who fired it. We teach about when it was really won. How do we know these things? The patriots of old wrote it down for us with quill pens. We have the documents. We find that Americans are hungry for information about our history because they didn't learn it in "social studies".
We also teach marksmanship because marksmanship made all the difference that day and through the next eight years of war. We were once a nation of Riflemen and we are becoming a nation of Riflemen again.
The relevance of pop culture outweighing history is simply the extrapolation of the phrase
"...let them eat cake". Today, the pop culture driven society demands the "..cake we are
entitled to. We deserve it "!
I think that history is absolutely fascinating. It helps us understand the present, appreciate the progress we've made, and better understand human nature. It also helps us avoid repeating certain mistakes.
Yet, so many people are not into history at all.
Why do you suppose that's so?
Because they're afraid that the study of history will show them that their present worldviews or M.O.'s are flawed and undesirable. It's the same reason why any other person would choose ignorance rather than study. They're afraid of what they're going to learn. They'd prefer to spin history in their own way in their own minds so that they can use it to their advantage in arguments against other people (who are hopefully more ignorant than they).
Many of the skin color/race topics are started by trolls that have been banned here multiple times, from this side of the fence it looks like a small vocal minority gets more recognition than it should.
On topic:
I feel I have to chime in here. I'm Polish, I live in Poland. We've had Panzers rolling through the country, our history is very long and very complex, with many wars and battles and whatnot. In the media, historical topics pop up daily, you really can't swing a dead cat without hitting one... but the people ? The vast majority couldn't care less. They have no education, no knowledge of history. They mix up basic facts. Some are just ignorant, some are dumb, but many intelligent and educated people don't care. They focus on what's in front of them instead of looking back.
What I'm saying is, it's not an American problem, or not only American.
Especially nowadays when everything has to be interesting and simple, when as we know history is sometimes a bit dull but almost never simple.
Yac.
I agree with Yac 100%. History is not a popular topic amongst people in general. Seriously. I've met Mexicans who didn't know their country was originally a monarchy after independence from Spain. Nor could they tell me the name of their first president. Same with Brazilians. I've met Cambodians who said they've never heard of the Khmer Rouge. There are Algerians who can't tell me when their country gained independence. There are Greek people who don't know when their country abolished the monarchy. There are Germans who are unfamiliar with Otto von Bismarck. And on and on.
I love reading about history. If I ever go to a bookstore or library, sooner or later I find myself in the history section. I read about history constantly on the internet too. I don't blame people for not liking history. The U.S. isn't the only place where their educational system has a skewed view of history. Does Turkey talk about the Armenian Genocide? No. Is Brazil big on talking about slavery? No. Does Italy go into depth about their violent past when they colonized African countries? No.
The U.S. is certainly not the only place where you can meet people who don't care about politics. I once had a Mexican woman call me a weirdo because I knew the name of the current president of Mexico. I am being serious here.
I teach with Project Appleseed. We teach about the people and events of April 19, 1775 when the Colonials of Massachusetts sent the Redcoats back to Boston - empty handed. We teach about the choices those patriots made and why they made them. We teach where and when the first shot of the Revolution was fired and who fired it. We teach about when it was really won. How do we know these things? The patriots of old wrote it down for us with quill pens. We have the documents. We find that Americans are hungry for information about our history because they didn't learn it in "social studies".
We also teach marksmanship because marksmanship made all the difference that day and through the next eight years of war. We were once a nation of Riflemen and we are becoming a nation of Riflemen again.
I hope you teach them that the genesis for the AWI was in treaty of 1763 ending the French and Indian War instead of some sillyness about the war being won by citizen soldiers hiding behind trees while the British stood out in the open waiting to be shot.
Even if history is remembered, that does not mean that it will be processed correctly or the proper lessons extracted. As an example, the poster Northern Maine Land Man above provided a link which seems to suggest that the lesson of the Minutemen from 1775 is that we need to arm everyone and teach them to shoot.
That of course may have been appropriate for the conditions which prevailed in 1775, but 240 years later different conditions prevail and our response should be to that, not simply assume that the 1775 solution had a perpetual application to all possible circumstances.
I have devoted a large chunk of my life to reading and teaching history, and I cannot say that it is anything beyond a luxury as opposed to a necessity. You do not need to know history to make history, and knowing history does not automatically mean that the history which you make will be an improvement on the past. The German people were certainly hyper aware of the history of WW I, the German defeat and the humiliation of Versailles. Was the Third Reich the proper response to that? Did it correct that bad history by creating better history?
I don't think it is a problem exclusive to Americans.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yac
it's not an American problem, or not only American.
Has it been concluded that the lack of interest in history is a problem?
Are there any instances or examples from which a lack of interest in history has resulted in a (real) problem? Has anyone ever been hurt because they didn't have an interest in history? Has any country ever suffered because it lacked knowledge in history? (If you respond yes, explain how lack of history knowledge and not lack of resources or something else is the reason for the suffering.)
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. That's certainly not the case where I live.
