This is something I wrote as an assignment for the course I am taking to become a better writer and blogger.  (A new improved blog will be released in 30-40 days using what I have learned.)  The assignment was to take the opposite view of the topic and point of view you want to communicate in your blog.  A devil's advocate kind of thing.  I hope you enjoy.

 

History is Worthless

“History is more or less bunk.”  --Henry Ford

Yay!  Finally someone that gets it (of course he’s been dead for years).  I told my teachers long ago that learning history was not only boring but worthless, but they spouted on about learning from history, how history made us think critically, and why knowing your past is important in understanding the world today.  Blah!  Blah!  Blah!

Let’s start with that bull about learning from history.  Have we?  Folks back in the day massacred each other over greed, power, glory and territory.  Guess what!  They are still doing it.  Dictators, emperors, warlords across the globe are running amuck. 

Robert.  Oh, Robert.

I must be going crazy.  There’s a voice in my head…Mr. Edmundson is that you?  What’s up dude!  Long time no see.  (Mr. Edmundson was Robert’s most excellent US History teacher in 11^th grade.)

Robert, you make some good points, but haven’t we learned something over the last few thousand years?

Heck no!  We’re dumber than a room full of Kardashian’s.

What about democracy itself, and the idea of self-government?  Hasn’t that spread and grown?

Well, yeah, I guess so.

And after 9/11 some Muslim Americans were discriminated against, profiled and a few beat up, but were they herded into detention camps like Japanese Americans during World War Two?

Ok.  Ok.  Maybe we have learned a few things.  But where does critical thinking come in when studying history in school?  Memorizing a crap load of dates, names, events, people—I’m dizzy just thinking about it.  The only reason I stayed awake was Miranda Ramirez.  She sat in front of me.  I can still smell her perfume and envision those fine legs and……

Robert, that’s enough.  I’m sure Ms. Ramirez would not appreciate your impure thoughts.  However, you bring up another good point.  Yes, history is all that memorization stuff, but it’s much more.  What kinds of things did we do in class?

I remember reading some diary accounts or something about the Battle of Lexington.  I couldn’t understand shit because of that old English wording. 

And?

Well we compared and contrasted them to see how they were similar and different.

And?

Hmmmm…we talked about which one we thought was more accurate and why.  We discussed…what’s the word…bias…that’s it.

Aren’t comparing and contrasting, detecting bias, and analyzing accuracy critical thinking skills?

Yeahhhhhh…ok, I see your point.  But come on Mr. E, do we really use that history in our day to day lives.  I mean, yeah, it comes in handy when my buddies and I pull out the old Trivial Pursuit game, but it’s not like you’re going to make any money knowing history…no offense intended

None taken.  You’re a guy that keeps up with politics and the news.  When there’s a story about how ugly and backstabbing political campaigns are nowadays, what do you think?

I think they should study some campaigns of the past.  It was even uglier back then…….oh crap.

That’s right, you put it in a historical perspective.  While most of America watching that same news broadcast or reading that same article takes it for what it says, you know differently because you know history.

As usual Mr. E, you have taught me another lesson.  Touché!

Remember Robert, old history teachers never die, they just fade away; but history is here to stay.  Adios.