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this post was submitted on 30 May 2025
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Elementary School and High School versions of were so different.
Kids learn a fairy tale, High Schoolers learned about genocide.
Japanese schools censorship of their atrocities during the WW2 is legendary. The prevailing understanding there during their 3 years occupation of Indonesia from 1942 to 1945 is that they're liberating Indonesia from the Dutch and the 3 years were setting up Indonesian independence working with local people.
Here in England, I certainly didn't learn that we were the proud inventors of concentration camps, back in the day. Granted it's forty years since I was in history class, but I doubt that's changed.
It was just what you did back then. By it, I mean colonialism, murdering and enslaving native populations, persecuting literally anyone and everyone. It's just what you did. I almost kinda wish schools took that attitude and went on to describe the atrocities, versus brushing over things. People were savages for a long, long time. Still are. But perhaps if we identify the savagery, we can get better. I do think we are definitely better than our ancestors, and I like to think a few generations down the line will talk about me like old racist grandpa, you know? Because that'll at least mean we did a good job trying to fix it.