4 ms·

We had to murder them is still what's being taught in schools today. In the USA, the ends always justify the means. CIA Black Sites? Indefinite detention? E

We had to murder them is still what's being taught in schools today. In the USA, the ends always justify the means. CIA Black Sites? Indefinite detention? Extrajudicial assassination of citizens? Torture? It's okay, these people are terrorists and don't deserve any rights.

salawat 6y ago
I'm sympathetic toward your reasoning; and Floegipoky also makes a good point as well. I've become increasingly uncomfortable with the power that classification confers to the executive branch to shape the national discourse; but I don't know as that will realistically change without an unprecedented shift in Congressional and Executive sentiment. As to the narrative still being taught in schools; I certainly don't have a great answer for that one either. We have to teach them something, and you certainly don't have the most room within a child's worldview for being able to address the type of nuance the historically correct narrative creates without difficulty. At least that is the assumption I'm led to by assuming that there is a compelling reason the "System" has converged on the solution it has (locking the knowledge outside of normal curricula, and requiring extra independent digging to get at the truth of it, notionally done on the student's own initiative once they get older). You run into the indoctrination outcome more often than not; but you should have an eventual consistency effect over the timescale of generations. That doesn't seem fundamentally unreasonable to me. Pain in the ass? Yes. Fraught with hazard to the stability of the national identity? Assuredly. However, if we respect that we the Citizenry represent the standard bearers of national truth, then we must be the ones to change the history books; just as those who came before us did. Keeping society moving along is a lot of work.
- linuxftw 6y ago
  > I certainly don't have a great answer for that one either. Would you be okay sending your children to an education establishment that was pro-Nazi? Probably not. Start treating the system for what it is: evil. Quit letting meaningless current affairs dominate the political dialogue. Speak out against the war criminals.

salawat 6y ago

I'm sympathetic toward your reasoning; and Floegipoky also makes a good point as well. I've become increasingly uncomfortable with the power that classification confers to the executive branch to shape the national discourse; but I don't know as that will realistically change without an unprecedented shift in Congressional and Executive sentiment. As to the narrative still being taught in schools; I certainly don't have a great answer for that one either. We have to teach them something, and you certainly don't have the most room within a child's worldview for being able to address the type of nuance the historically correct narrative creates without difficulty. At least that is the assumption I'm led to by assuming that there is a compelling reason the "System" has converged on the solution it has (locking the knowledge outside of normal curricula, and requiring extra independent digging to get at the truth of it, notionally done on the student's own initiative once they get older). You run into the indoctrination outcome more often than not; but you should have an eventual consistency effect over the timescale of generations. That doesn't seem fundamentally unreasonable to me. Pain in the ass? Yes. Fraught with hazard to the stability of the national identity? Assuredly. However, if we respect that we the Citizenry represent the standard bearers of national truth, then we must be the ones to change the history books; just as those who came before us did. Keeping society moving along is a lot of work.

linuxftw 6y ago
> I certainly don't have a great answer for that one either. Would you be okay sending your children to an education establishment that was pro-Nazi? Probably not. Start treating the system for what it is: evil. Quit letting meaningless current affairs dominate the political dialogue. Speak out against the war criminals.