Difference between revisions of "Distorting History"

From civicintelligence
((2) Why the pattern is good (i.e. bad))
((1) Description of the pattern)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
====(1) Description of the pattern====
 
====(1) Description of the pattern====
Distorting history refers to the dark side of historical revisionism.  It is the practice of twisting, misrepresenting, or falsifying historical facts to influence ideology or serve a partisan political purpose.
+
Altering history by the manipulation of stories, facts, and data is an effective means of promoting specific ideologies and agendas.  This can be achieved by creating events that did not happen, altering events that did happen, or omitting events altogether.
  
 
====(2) Why the pattern is good (i.e. bad)====
 
====(2) Why the pattern is good (i.e. bad)====
 
Distorting history is a deceptive practice that is often used to further one ideology while trampling another.  The story of Thanksgiving that is taught to young American schoolchildren is a subtle example of this, as well as an example of how historians whitewash the relationship between European settlers and the indigenous peoples of North America.  The good cowboys fighting the bad Indians is another good illustration of how history is typically misrepresented.  American history books have a long tradition of glorifying the American settlers while vilifying the natives.
 
Distorting history is a deceptive practice that is often used to further one ideology while trampling another.  The story of Thanksgiving that is taught to young American schoolchildren is a subtle example of this, as well as an example of how historians whitewash the relationship between European settlers and the indigenous peoples of North America.  The good cowboys fighting the bad Indians is another good illustration of how history is typically misrepresented.  American history books have a long tradition of glorifying the American settlers while vilifying the natives.

Revision as of 10:24, 29 April 2013

(1) Description of the pattern

Altering history by the manipulation of stories, facts, and data is an effective means of promoting specific ideologies and agendas. This can be achieved by creating events that did not happen, altering events that did happen, or omitting events altogether.

(2) Why the pattern is good (i.e. bad)

Distorting history is a deceptive practice that is often used to further one ideology while trampling another. The story of Thanksgiving that is taught to young American schoolchildren is a subtle example of this, as well as an example of how historians whitewash the relationship between European settlers and the indigenous peoples of North America. The good cowboys fighting the bad Indians is another good illustration of how history is typically misrepresented. American history books have a long tradition of glorifying the American settlers while vilifying the natives.