Lies My Teacher Told Me Ch 9

Loewen ch 9

The reason as to why American history textbooks do not mention the Vietnam War in detail is possibly because it is still considered to be a ‘recent’ event. History is in the past, meaning the people who were involved in that particular event is probably dead, therefore there is no need to worry about ruining their reputation, or causing them to live a lie by telling a fake legacy about them.

Never having used an American History textbook, I cannot say for sure, however there is a chance that they do not mention 9.11 in detail. There are many ‘myths’ about 9.11, such as the US government are behind the terrorist attack. Whether it is true or not is impossible to tell, seeing as though the textbooks probably do not mention any gory information.

As embarrassing as it is, I do not know much about the Vietnam War, except for the few famous photos. Although it may seem like a recent event compared to the Second World War, the quantity of people who witnessed the war will gradually fall, leaving the next generation ignorant of the information. As graphic as it may be, there is a necessity to show the students how terrifying a war truly is.

The textbook authors conceal the truth behind the Vietnam War; in other words, the writers are ‘lying’ to the students. Unfortunately, the lack of critical thinking in history classes deprive students from criticizing the facts, brainwashing them into learning lies.

History in any country is simple revision of fact after fact. The information is forced on to the students, which could easily make them dislike the subject and find it irrelevant. There is a need to make students realize how important it is to use the knowledge of the past in order to develop a better future. By changing the approach of the subject, there may be more students who find the class relevant, making them actually ‘attend’ the classes.