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Post by pieter on Dec 27, 2023 13:07:57 GMT -7
Dear friends,
I talked with a dear friend of mine whom is a Catholic monk and christian. Jesus is a important historical figure and one of the most important figures in his life. He travelled many times to India as a missionary monk and Nortbertine. His travels to India learned him a lot of things and gave him a lot of life experience. We talked about the danger of today that young people, children and teenagers do not know enough about history and sometimes do not know anything about history in many countries. The danger of that is that when you do not know history you can be manipulated, because you do not know about 'human errors', ' attrocities' and 'facts' of the past.
A wise Belgian psychiatrist said on our Dutch quality news program that there are three important things neglected in Belgium and the Netherlands and that is Education, Health Care and Culture. These 3 things are very important in a human society, and this psychiatrist Dirk de Wachter is right on that.
Pieter
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Post by pieter on Dec 27, 2023 13:09:06 GMT -7
Dirk De Wachter Dirk August Jozef De Wachter (Wilrijk, March 3, 1960) is a Belgian psychiatrist and professor.BiographyDe Wachter grew up in Boom. He is a professor at KU Leuven and is affiliated with the University Psychiatric Center of Kortenberg.
Dirk De Wachter has gained fame in Flanders through his articles in various newspapers, in which he was often asked for his opinion after violent crimes such as the stabbing in Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde or road rage. He became more famous in both Belgium and the Netherlands after his book Borderline Times was published in October 2012, which became a success book. In the book the author criticizes the Western world. According to De Wachter, Western society would meet the nine criteria of borderline. In 2008 he wrote about Borderline Times in Psyche: Magazine of the VVGG. In De Wachter's second book: Love. An impossible desire? De Wachter writes about love, which in Western society has, in his view, become part of consumer society. Compared to his previous book, the author uses art and literature to clarify his opinion. He also writes and talks a lot about the psychiatrization of society and has criticized this on several occasions by, among other things, using the term 'verschwabing' (of the world/society), referring to the famous doctor and neurobiologist Dick Swaab.
He says he is very influenced by philosopher Emmanuel Levinas and writer Michel Houellebecq, whom he regularly quotes in his lectures.
De Wachter took on the sponsorship of Child-Help in 2019. This organization is committed to children with spina bifida (spina bifida) and hydrocephalus (water on the head) in developing countries.
In 2022, De Wachter received an honorary doctorate from Hasselt University.MediaSince 2009, De Wachter has regularly appeared in the media as a speaker or as a guest in the Netherlands and Belgium. In 2017 and the following year he was a guest in the Dutch program De Verwondering. He has also given lectures at, among others, the Roma in Antwerp and the Municipal Theater of Nijmegen. He held a debate on the theme of 'happiness' in the Jacobi Church in Utrecht. He was also a guest on talk shows.
In addition, De Wachter has been an honorary member of the Quest for wisdom foundation since November 9, 2016.
In 2019 he was in conversation with the well-known author Herman Brusselmans in the auditorium of the Permeke Library and spoke with him about his new work The Table, his oeuvre and his life story.PrivateDe Wachter has three children with his wife. In 2021 he announced that he had cancer.Comment Pieter: I watched many Dutch language interviews with this great Belgian Flemish Pyschiatrist and bought his book 'Borderline Times'. Borderline Times; The End of NormalityBorderline timesThe end of normalityDirk De WachterThe world through the eyes of psychiatrist Dirk De WachterWe live in borderline times. Borderline is by far the most frequently diagnosed diagnosis in psychiatry today. Moreover, the line between patients and non-patients is razor-thin. Are we collectively on the road to illness and dissatisfaction' Psychiatry is the mirror of the world in which we live. Dirk De Wachter therefore portrays borderline as a social disease. One conclusion is clear: In our Western society, the symptoms of borderline are not far to seek. What's more, they characterize our living environment. We are our brain in time. Fortunately, there are other, more hopeful signals with the prospect of recovery. Our world seems to be at a limit. People expressly resist the symptoms. Attachment, commitment, solidarity and a sense of community are values that are desperately needed to counter the current borderline condition of threatened fragmentation, impulsiveness and meaninglessness.
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Post by karl on Dec 27, 2023 18:32:49 GMT -7
Pieter
Dr. De Wachter has made some excellent points between general population of closeness between patients and non-patients as well-spoken as a practicing psychologist. Rather myself would agree or disagree is non-pertinent, but to place humans in an exact position of being, is not realistic. For the human mind psych is only relative to a variable set of conditions being relative to mindset, education, outside influences, health, currant thinking and inner self. In short, the human condition is so variable as not to say one way or another is an absolute.
But in conjunction to the above is to use general terms of public agreement of common stimulus of information received, conditions the general public will agree upon is very relative.
What is most important is the leadership provided to the public as a roadmap of what can be expected in their lives and conditions they are/will be exposed to. The general public expect leadership to provide a live map for them to follow to provide the expected quality of life and protection from outside influences that would place their quality of life into Jeopardy.
Pieter, I do realize the above perhaps appears to be as a response as a great amount of hog wash, but it is the only manner I have of past experience with Psychologist such as the respected Dr. De Wachter and his observations.
Karl
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Post by pieter on Dec 28, 2023 15:58:24 GMT -7
Karl,
I started this thread to voice my concern about the lack of historical knowledge, the lack of interest in history and the lack of historical education of young people in Europe. Materialism, consumerism, sport and music heroes, Tik Tok, Selfy photo's and video's, superficial entertainment tv shows (both Public and Commercial channals), the reality of Hollywood, Netflix action movies, Mc Donalds, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Piza Hut, Nikes shoes, computer games and also emptiness replaced historical knowledge and awareness. The lack of historical knowledge of many people lies in their superficial, materialistic and consumerist lives with a lack of interest, connection, culture and community life. And that will create great problems in the near future. Why? Because certain political, Financial and economical powers will use the lack of knowledge, education and historical awareness, by manipulating people through Propaganda and advertisement and indoctrination via Public relations and Communication means.
Why do I consider History, Culture, Musical knowledge, some tradition, some values and some awareness of ones roots and heritage important. The answer is that if you know the past of your parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents and great grandparents and some basic knowledge about the history of your nation, country and state, you have a better stance in life and will feel more self assured, comfortable, rooted and connected to the place where you live. Also knowing the 'shadow sides' of your parents and great parents past can make you aware of the society, Democracy and Place with Freedom and Liberty you live in. I for instance know that my family went through the experience with Nazism, Stalinism and Polish communism, and there for I wouldn't vote for a Political party which advocates Nazism, Communism, authoritarianism, totalitarianism or despotic rule.
I see around me that many young people do not have that experience, knowledge, information, historical awareness and cultural roots. These younsters without any interest, historical knowledge and awareness could easily vote for a Nazi, Stalinist-Communist, authoritarian, totalitarian or despotic political party or movement, because of their lack of knowledge and information.
Cheers,
Pieter
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Post by pieter on Dec 28, 2023 17:24:37 GMT -7
Why Is It Important to Study History?In my Pieter understanding of history during my primary school history lessons, high school history lessons and my vocational university History teacher study in Amsterdam, the importance of History study is to learn about the past of human beings, Homo Sapiens, the Spieces we belong to, the Human race, from the beginning to the end, our present day world. I learned about The Big Bang ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang ), Evolution, Biology and Geography, the Christian Bible and the Bible story (from both Roman Catholic and Protestant bibles I have), Bible class at school (we had a three way school, with a Secular, Catholic and Protestant section and I belonged to the Catholic section in the sense of Catholic education, for the rest I was in a mixed class of Protestant, Catholic and Secular children), the dynasor age, the time of the Neanderthals, the emergence of the Homo Sapiens about 160,000–60,000 years ago, and then later the Stone Age, Iron Age, Bronze age, the development of agrarian communities and from that the First Civilizations. I learned about the Old Greeks, the Roman Empire, the Etrusks, the Egyptian Empire, the Persian-, Babylonian- and Assyrian empires, the Germanic and Slave Heathen tribes in Northern-, Western and Central-Europe, with their Polytheist religions, the Goths, the Huns, The Viking Civilization of Scandinavia and their conquest of Europe, Dzengis Kahn and his Mongol and Tartar Warriors that burned large part of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland and the Middle East during their conquest. I learned of the Split up of the Roman Empire in three separate empires ruled by the emperors sons whom became emperors of these 3 empires,, the The Carolingian Empire (800–887), the Middle Ages with it's Romanesque and Gothic architecture, art (sculptures and paintings), the Cathedrals, churches, castles and monastries, the Renaissance Age (Michael Angelo and Leonardo Davinci), Nicolaus Copernicus (19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543), Erasmus (28 October 1466 – 12 July 1536), the Protestant reformers Martin Luther OSA (10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) and John Calvin (10 July 1509 – 27 May 1564), the Enlightenment of the 18th century, the Liberalism, socialism and Nationalism of the 19th century and of course I learned about the enormous tragedies of the First World War (1914-1918) and the Second World War (1939-1945) and the millions of dead due to the totalitarian murderous Nazi and Stalinist regimes and ideologies. The Holodomor (1932–1933) and the Holocaust (Shoah) (1941–1945). In my opinion the Alliance of Great-Britian, the USA, Canada, France, Poland, the SovietUnion, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa rescued the Western Democracy from being erased and destruction, from September 1939 in Poland to the Defeat in Berlin in May 1945. That history lessons and the stories of my parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts made me aware of the past and the dangers my parents and grandparents went through during the War years and in Poland during the Post War Stalinist era of 1945-1956. The end of Stalinism in Poland did not come about even on the day of Joseph Stalin death on 5 March 1953. It only arrived 3 years later, at the 20th Congress of the CPSU, when the new Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, denounced his predecessor and accused him of distorting the system and committing crimes. This history is important to know, because after these terrible dark years of Polish Stalinism (1945-1956) a few years of Gomułka's thaw brought some relief. Gomułka's thaw in 1956 meant a temporary liberalisation, but eventually, hopes for a full liberalisation were proven false, as Gomułka's regime gradually became more oppressive. Nonetheless, the era of Stalinism in Poland had ended.
Initially very popular for his reforms and seeking a "Polish way to socialism", and beginning an era known as Gomułka's thaw ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_October ), he came under Soviet pressure. In the 1960s he supported persecution of the Roman Catholic Church and intellectuals (notably Leszek Kołakowski who was forced into exile). He participated in the Warsaw Pact intervention in Czechoslovakia in 1968. At that time he was also responsible for persecuting students as well as toughening censorship of the media. In 1968, he incited an anti-Zionist propaganda campaign, as a result of Soviet bloc opposition to the Six-Day War.
Władysław Gomułka at the height of his popularity on 24 October 1956 addressing a crowd of people in Warsaw, asking for an end to demonstrations and a return to work.
Leszek Kołakowski, Polish philosopher and historian of ideas. In the course of the 1968 Polish political crisis, he lost his job at Warsaw University and was prevented from obtaining any other academic post. In 1968, Kołakowski became a visiting professor in the Department of Philosophy at McGill University in Montreal and in 1969 he moved to the University of California, Berkeley. In 1970, he became a senior research fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. He remained mostly at Oxford, but he spent part of 1974 at Yale University, and from 1981 to 1994, he was a part-time professor at the Committee on Social Thought and in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Chicago.
The Polish 1968 political crisis, also known in Poland as March 1968, Students' March, or March events (Polish: Marzec 1968; studencki Marzec; wydarzenia marcowe), was a series of major student, intellectual and other protests against the ruling Polish United Workers' Party of the Polish People's Republic, PZPR (Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza). The crisis led to the suppression of student strikes by security forces in all major academic centres across the country and the subsequent repression of the Polish dissident movement. It was also accompanied by mass emigration following an antisemitic (branded "anti-Zionist") campaign waged by the minister of internal affairs, General Mieczysław Moczar (23 December 1913 in – 1 November 1986), with the approval of First Secretary Władysław Gomułka of the Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR). The protests overlapped with the events of the Prague Spring in neighboring Czechoslovakia – raising new hopes of democratic reforms among the intelligentsia. The Czechoslovak unrest culminated in the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia on 20 August 1968. Many Poles were ashamed of the involvement of the Polish army in that invasion and occupation of Czechoslovakia by Soviet, Polish, Hungarian and Bulgarian armed forces.
The anti-Zionist campaign began in 1967, and was carried out in conjunction with the USSR's withdrawal of all diplomatic relations with Israel after the Six-Day War, but also involved a power struggle within the Polish communist party PZPR itself. The subsequent purges within the ruling party, led by Moczar and his faction, failed to topple Gomułka's government but resulted in an exile from Poland of thousands of communist individuals of Jewish ancestry, including professionals, party officials and secret police functionaries appointed by Joseph Stalin following the Second World War. And not only thousands of communist individuals of Jewish ancestry, also non-Communist Jewish intellectuals, professors, medics, doctors, scientists, teachers, university students, professional artists, writers, accountants, architects, Jewish (anti-communist) dissidents (the wife and daughter of Marek Edelman), civil servants, shop keepers and workers. It was a brain drain for Poland, because the Polish Intelligentsia was made of a mix of Roman Catholic, Jewish, Calvinist, Lutheran and Atheist/secular Polish intellectuals.
In carefully staged public displays of support, factory workers across Poland were assembled to publicly denounce Zionism. At least 13,000 Poles of Jewish origin emigrated in 1968–72 as a result of being fired from their positions and various other forms of harassment
In December 1970, a bloody clash with shipyard workers in which several dozen workers were fatally shot forced his resignation (officially for health reasons; he had in fact suffered a stroke). A dynamic younger man, Edward Gierek, took over the Party leadership and tensions eased.
Later during the Seventies and eighties we saw the arrival of a new powerful and successful dissident opposition movement in Poland against the oppressive Communist authorities, KOR, The Workers' Defense Committee (Polish: Komitet Obrony Robotników pronounced [kɔmitɛt ɔbrɔnɨ rɔbɔtɲikuf], KOR) a Polish civil society group that was established to give aid to prisoners and their families after the June 1976 protests and ensuing government crackdown. KOR was an example of successful social organizing based on specific issues relevant to the public's daily lives. It was a precursor and inspiration for efforts of the Solidarity trade union, Solidarność, a few years later. Solidarność founded in August 1980 at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland. Subsequently, it was the first independent trade union in a Warsaw Pact country to be recognised by the state. The union's membership peaked at 10 million in September 1981, representing one-third of the country's working-age population.
In the 1980s, Solidarność (Solidarity) was a broad anti-authoritarian social movement, using methods of civil resistance to advance the causes of workers' rights and social change. Government attempted in the early 1980s to destroy the union through the imposition of martial law in Poland (13 December 1981 – 22 July 1983 (1 year, 7 months, 1 week and 2 days) and the use of political repressions. Operating underground, with significant financial support from the Vatican and the United States, the union survived and by the later 1980s had entered into negotiations with the Communist government.
The 1989 round table talks between the Communist government and the Solidarity-led opposition produced agreement for the 1989 legislative elections, the country's first pluralistic election since 1947. By the end of August, a Solidarity-led coalition government was formed and in December 1990, Lech Wałęsa was elected President of Poland.
On December 22, 1990, the leader of the Solidarity movement, Lech Wałęsa, became Poland’s first freely elected president since 1926 after defeating Polish-Canadian businessman Stanisław Tymiński in the country’s first direct presidential elections.
Following Poland's transition to liberal capitalism in the 1990s and the extensive privatisation of state assets, Solidarity's membership declined significantly; by 2010, 30 years after being founded, the union had lost more than 90% of its original membership.
In the West, my Netherlands from 1945 was in the Western Democratic camp aligned with the USA, the United Kingdom, Canada, West-Germany, Turkey (NATO Member), Australia, New Zealand, South Africa (historical Afrikaander-Dutch family ties), Belgium, France, Luxemburg, South Korea and Japan. On the Left the Social Democratic Labour Party PvdA (Pro-Western, Pro USA) and the Dutch communists of the CPN Party (Pro Moscow) were enemies (arch-rivals), and the Protestant Calvinst and Roman Catholic conservative christian parties were still influential and powerful. New Left, secularisation, Neo-Marixism, Feminism, de-pillarization, the Anti-Vietnam War movement, the Peace movement and the Anti-Atomic Bomb movement and anti-Nuclear energy movement made the Netherlands a rather progressive and liberal country. Since 911 and the political assinations of Pim Fortuyn and Theo van Gogh the Netherlands has become more conservative, and moved to the right of the political spectrum. The opposite direction of the last Polish election results I would say. In a Polish context you could say that the Dutch version of the Polish Law and Justice (Polish: Prawo i Sprawiedliwość) party won the Dutch elections. While in Poland the liberal and moderate conservative opposition won. Why do we study history?We study history because history doesn’t stay behind us. Studying history helps us understand how events in the past made things the way they are today. With lessons from the past, we not only learn about ourselves and how we came to be, but also develop the ability to avoid mistakes and create better paths for our societies.How does history impact our lives today?Events in the past have displaced families and groups, changing the makeup of regions and often causing tensions. Such events have also created government systems that have lasted generations beyond when they started. And all of it affects each person alive today.
Take the Great Depression, for example—one of the most difficult but impactful periods in American history. The economic crisis put almost 15 million people out of work and sent countless families into homelessness, stealing their sense of security. Many of those people would feel insecure for the rest of their lives.
The government had to learn how to help. This effort gave rise to Social Security, federal emergency relief programs, and funding for unemployment efforts. These changes continue to make life more secure for millions of Americans.
Society today comes from hundreds and thousands of actions like these. The more you learn about how these things happened, the better you understand real life.What lessons can we learn from history?History teaches us about things such as:
- Why some societies thrive while others fail.
- Why humans have gone to war.
- How people have changed society for the better.
History isn’t a study of others. The people you learn about may have lived decades or even centuries ago, but their actions directly affect how we live our lives today. Events that seem like dates on a page have been turning points in the story of our societies.
“Historical knowledge is no more and no less than carefully and critically constructed collective memory.” -William H. MacNeill, former president of the American Historical Association
Historical research builds and codifies these stories. When we study history, we learn how we got where we are, and why we live the way we do. It’s the study of us—of humans and our place in an ever changing world. Without it, we wouldn’t understand all of our triumphs and failures, and we would continually repeat patterns without building forward to something better.
As Spanish philosopher George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” How do past events help us understand the present? The past creates the present. Our modern world exists because of events that happened long before our time. Only by understanding those events can we know how we got here, and where to go next.1. History helps us understand changeHistory is full of transitions that have altered the world’s story. When you build your knowledge of history, you understand more about what created our present-day society.
Studying the American civil rights movement shows you how people organize successfully against oppressive systems. Learning about the fall of Rome teaches you that even the most powerful society can fall apart—and what happens to cause that crumbling.
By learning about different eras and their respective events, you start to see what changes might happen in the future and what would drive that change.2. We learn from past mistakesHistory gives us a better understanding of the world and how it operates. When you study a war, you learn more about how conflict escalates. You learn what dilemmas world leaders face and how they respond—and when those decisions lead to better or worse outcomes.
Historical study shows you the warning signs of many kinds of disaster, from genocide to climate inaction. Understanding these patterns will make you a more informed citizen and help you take action effectively.3. We gain context for the human experienceBefore 2020, most Americans hadn’t lived through a global pandemic. The 1918-1919 flu pandemic had faded from the popular picture of history, overshadowed by World War I on its back end and the Roaring 20s that followed.
Yet within months of COVID-19 entering the public awareness, historians and informed private citizens were writing about the flu pandemic again. Stories of a deadly second wave were re-told to warn people against the dangers of travel, and pictures of ancestors in masks re-emerged.
Through study of the past, we understand our own lives better. We see patterns as they re-emerge and take solace in the fact that others have gone through similar struggles. How do we study history? There are many ways of studying and teaching history. Many people remember high school classes full of memorization—names, dates, and places of major historical events.
Decades ago, that kind of rote learning was important, but things have changed. Today, 60% of the world’s population and 90% of the U.S. population use the internet and can find those facts on demand. Today, learning history is about making connections and understanding not just what happened, but why.
Critical thinking
If you’ve ever served on a jury or read about a court case, you know that reconstructing the facts of the past isn’t a simple process. You have to consider the facts at hand, look at how they’re connected, and draw reasonable conclusions.
Take the fall of Rome, for example. In the Roman Empire’s last years, the central government was unstable yet the empire continued to spend money on expansion. Outside groups like the Huns and Saxons capitalized on that instability and invaded. The empire had split into East and West, further breaking down a sense of unity, and Christianity was replacing the Roman polytheistic religion.
When you become a student of history, you learn how to process facts like these and consider how one event affected the other. An expanding empire is harder to control, and invasions further tax resources. But what caused that instability in the first place? And why did expansion remain so important?
Once you learn how to think this way and ask these kinds of questions, you start engaging more actively with the world around you.
Finding the “So what?”
The study of history is fascinating, but that’s not the only reason why we do it. Learning the facts and following the thread of a story is just the first step.
The most important question in history is “So what?”.
For instance:
- Why were the Chinese so successful in maintaining their empire in Asia? Why did that change after the Industrial Revolution?
- Why was the invasion of Normandy in 1944 a turning point? What would happen if Allied forces hadn’t landed on French beaches?
Studying this way helps you see the relevance and importance of history, while giving you a deeper and more lasting understanding of what happened.
Source: www.mooc.org/blog/why-is-it-important-to-study-history
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Post by Jaga on Dec 29, 2023 15:33:15 GMT -7
Hello Pieter and all, history is very important. It is hard to talk about the history of the last 50-100 years because people are very biased still. People in different countries look at the history from their point of view. People in Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Germany, Israel and Palestine. You look at the books in their countries and the history in one country would show the same events in a completely different way.
It is not that easy to compare and judge the same facts depending on who you talk with.
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Post by pieter on Dec 30, 2023 13:50:30 GMT -7
  Mandhata Pandey
Masters in History from Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University, Uttar Pradesh, Northern India (Graduated 2018) There are several disadvantages of not knowing your own history:1. Loss of identity: Understanding your own history helps you to understand where you come from and what your ancestors have gone through. Without this knowledge, you may feel disconnected from your cultural and historical roots.
2. Missed opportunities for learning: History provides a wealth of knowledge and insights that can help you make better decisions in the present and plan for the future. Without this knowledge, you may miss out on valuable lessons that could help you succeed in life.
3. Ignorance of cultural traditions: Culture and traditions are often rooted in history. Without an understanding of your own history, you may not be aware of important cultural practices and traditions that are meaningful to your community.
4. Misunderstandings and stereotypes: Ignorance of history can lead to misunderstandings and stereotypes about different cultures and communities. This can lead to prejudice, discrimination, and even violence.
5. Inability to appreciate progress: Knowing your own history can help you appreciate progress and change over time. Without this knowledge, you may take progress for granted or fail to recognize the significance of important milestones.
Overall, not knowing your own history can limit your understanding of yourself and the world around you, and can lead to missed opportunities for growth and learning. |
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Post by pieter on Dec 30, 2023 14:06:31 GMT -7
History has moved to the front line of social conflict, but rarely has it been so poorly understood and sketchily taught. After decades of declining interest, only 13 percent of eighth graders achieve proficiency in the subject today. The New York Times reports that “about 40 percent of eighth graders scored ‘below basic’ in U.S. history last year, compared with 34 percent in 2018 and 29 percent in 2014.” This phenomenon can be seen across the West. The study of and interest in the past, noted the Economist in 2019, has largely disappeared in the UK. Study of the 19th century, meanwhile, seems to be vanishing from European classrooms. “We are in danger of mass amnesia, being cut off from knowledge of our own cultural history,” noted the late Jane Jacobs in her 2004 book, Dark Age Ahead. When I show my students a picture of Lenin, barely one-in-ten of them recognize it.
quillette.com/2023/09/14/history-matters/?gclid=CjwKCAiAnL-sBhBnEiwAJRGign435iATMpiK_51SLvRp-G1dm76Pt07vGOnhCpPlB3uOASPK7vjQwBoCi8QQAvD_BwE
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Post by Jaga on Jan 1, 2024 4:08:09 GMT -7
Hello Pieter and Karl, the war in Ukraine still the biggest subject of conversation in Poland. My brother hosts a amily from Bachmut. Their house was destroyed. They have no place to go. Poland stands and support Ukraine and people cannot understand another viewpoints. History has moved to the front line of social conflict, but rarely has it been so poorly understood and sketchily taught. After decades of declining interest, only 13 percent of eighth graders achieve proficiency in the subject today. The New York Times reports that “about 40 percent of eighth graders scored ‘below basic’ in U.S. history last year, compared with 34 percent in 2018 and 29 percent in 2014.” This phenomenon can be seen across the West. The study of and interest in the past, noted the Economist in 2019, has largely disappeared in the UK. Study of the 19th century, meanwhile, seems to be vanishing from European classrooms. “We are in danger of mass amnesia, being cut off from knowledge of our own cultural history,” noted the late Jane Jacobs in her 2004 book, Dark Age Ahead. When I show my students a picture of Lenin, barely one-in-ten of them recognize it.
quillette.com/2023/09/14/history-matters/?gclid=CjwKCAiAnL-sBhBnEiwAJRGign435iATMpiK_51SLvRp-G1dm76Pt07vGOnhCpPlB3uOASPK7vjQwBoCi8QQAvD_BwE |
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