I thought the Zinn reading was really interesting because I love history. I was also amazed about how much I didn’t actually know about one of the first history stories we learn about in school. In high school, I had learned that Christopher Colombus was actually a pretty bad person, but I had never learned all of the specifics and this reading taught me the extent of the harm he did. The article mentioned that by 1650 there were no more Arawaks or their descendants left on the islands because they had all been taken and ended up dead. This is genocide and it is crazy to me that we are not taught more about the harm that Christopher Columbus inflicted on others.
It is interesting to think of this in connection with the systems theory readings from last week and see the drastic effects that come from oversimplification. Oversimplification does not only leave parts of the whole story out, but it distorts the story and changes the entire narrative. Christopher Columbus’s story has been so oversimplified in our history that despite the fact that he committed genocide, our country still has a national holiday for him and has statues and other commemorations of him.
What you said about the progression of what you have learned about Colombus was really interesting. Our current education system teaches one thing and then years later we have to re-learn it so we can understand the non-romanticized truth!
I agree that it is crazy that we aren’t made aware in our former classes about the genocide Columbus committed. Do you think all of the harm he inflicted should overshadow the importance of his discovery? I personally have a hard time balancing the two.
I agree it is so crazy how we are not taught the truth when going through primary education. One thing that I found interesting was the fact that textbook writers mention the brutality Columbus caused but they make it seem so insignificant.
I really liked your line, ” Oversimplification does not only leave parts of the whole story out, but it distorts the story and changes the entire narrative. ” I think that perfectly captures the issues with the teachings of Columbus in classrooms, which is what leads to misinformation in the masses about Columbus’ impact on our nation.
I agree with what you’re saying, and it really calls into question why we continue to oversimplify stories, especially in schools. Considering how it drastically changes the narrative, like you said, how much more dangerous is telling the truth over what we are doing now?