Why do we teach little kids lies?

[Adagio]

Re: Why do we teach little kids lies?

Originally posted by Dan Severn
Why do schools teach children falsehoods which they must then overcome in later grades? Taking the Columbus example, is this because they think a child who can imagine a man going around the world cannot imagine a man wanting to make trade? Is it just me, or does this practice seem entirely idiotic?

Take a look from the bright side: In Denmark, you only learn about the not-important things that has happened in the world... well...actually the history books seldom talks about what has happened outside Denmark. I didn't know much about the Civil War a couple years ago (I only knew, it was the north against the south). A couple years ago, I ddn't know Martin Luther King, and what he did. The main reason, that I know about Columbus, was because of a Mickey Mouse story. Oh, and pilgrims, don't know about those...have only heard the word before, but not what it was about...

[Stefu]

I remember reading from my upper elementary history book that during the American Civil War, the South was mainly populated by people of French and Spanish descent.

[Felch]

Well I had an ancestor who faught for the south, and he was French (Actually from Savoy, but close enough). However, he was in Louisiana. Most of the South was populated by crackers and rednecks.

[Sava]

What I found fascinating growing up was that I was taught about Santa Claus, then I learned he wasn't real. I was taught about the Easter Bunny and shortly after Santa Claus I learned he wasn't real. I then turned my logical thinking to God and concluded he isn't real only to find out all the little kids grow up still believing in that myth

Anyways, kids aren't smart enough to understand exactly what happened. So they are taught a bland easy to swallow version of what happened (however misleading and false). Then as they get older, they learn more about those subjects. Unfortunately, because the facts we read are only as credible as the people writing them, most of what we learn about history isn't what really happened.

[Sava]

Originally posted by Felch X
Most of the South was populated by crackers and rednecks.

was ??

[MrFun]

Originally posted by loinburger
Boris and MrFun both get the "rolleyes" treatment for one-trick ponyism.

Note -- thread is about distortions in history.

The Civil War is one of the most distorted wars in our history (now more so by Confederate flag worshippers).

Therefore, I made my comments about the Civil War in an appropriate thread.


One-trick ponyism does not mean that you choose a topic that is appropriate for a specific thread.

[Kramerman]

What I found fascinating growing up was that I was taught about Santa Claus, then I learned he wasn't real. I was taught about the Easter Bunny and shortly after Santa Claus I learned he wasn't real. I then turned my logical thinking to God and concluded he isn't real only to find out all the little kids grow up still believing in that myth

heh, same here.

The Civil War is one of the most distorted wars in our history (now more so by Confederate flag worshippers).

I have a friend like this, always saying, 'the south will rise again' and **** like that. The funny thing is, i dunno if he even knows what the Civil War was about, and I am pretty sure he believes it happened just a few decades before he was born or smethn.

[johncmcleod]

Last year, in 8th grade, we did a pretest on Anne Frank. Some kids thought WW2 was fought in the 18th and 19th century. One kid thought it was 20 years long. Shows how many holes there are in the education system. And then, after we studied the whole unit, at the final test, one girl said WW2 was fought from 1991-1994. It was very funny.

What?! Santa's not real? [Sniffle sniffle]

jk I hate the santa claus stuff. It takes away the real meaning of X-Mas, JC's birth. Parents do it so the kids will behave. They say, "The elves are watching!" To make me be good, and at that time, I thought it was real and little elves ran around my house and looked through the windows, watching me. Same thing w/the easter bunny. It's supposed to be about the resurection, but nowadays kids just want the candy. And know what's really, really, sad? It has made kids greedy. All they think of X-Mas now is presents. I told my bro who's in 8th grade, "X-Mas is about Jesus' birth." And he said, "No. That was in the old days. Now it's about giving each other presents." It's so sad.

[Ramo]

Why do we teach little kids lies?

Because teachers want to portray a history devoid of injustice and conflict, and where good (always championed by our reighteous government) always wins over evil.

[Lefty Scaevola]

Originally posted by charmon1
jefferson owned slaves really i thought he was againest slavery

Jefferson was a really yin/yang sort of guy. Waint, mayber that was wing/wang sort of guy.

[Thrawn05]

Originally posted by Ramo


Because teachers want to portray a history devoid of injustice and conflict, and where good (always championed by our reighteous government) always wins over evil.

Dark Helmet

Evil will always Triumph, because good is dumb

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

When I was 8, my elderly and somewhat confused teacher revealed to the class that Britain had not lost a war since 1066.

Riiiiiigght....

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Thrawn05
In Texas.... they won't be teaching about the Alamo anymore because it offends Mexicans.

Thank GOD! The rest of the country has had to learn about that unimportant battle just because Texas is the single largest buyer of text books in the country.

[Dan Severn]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara


Thank GOD! The rest of the country has had to learn about that unimportant battle just because Texas is the single largest buyer of text books in the country.

I prefer the Battle of San Jacinto since:

1) We won that one

2) Santa Ana was dressed up as a women when he ran away, IIRC. Maybe that was Jeff Davis...

3) It exposes the folly of Hispanic culture. (A siesta when the enemy is near? Great idea...)

[Kramerman]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara


Thank GOD! The rest of the country has had to learn about that unimportant battle just because Texas is the single largest buyer of text books in the country.

Unimportant how? It wasnt exactly a Runningmeade or Waterloo, but I suppose you arent being serious anyway.