Really? So you're saying people shouldn't learn from history? Personally, I disagree. I think learning from history is good. But to each their own, I guess...
Oh. People certainly should learn from history; but that's not the POINT of history either. There's a lot of things about history we simply don't know and will never know and a lot of things we do know that aren't 100% directly relevant. For example we know that some cultures made pottery in the shape of various male genitalia that wouldn't look too out of place in a Spencers Gifts. In terms of historical value that's actually pretty important because it helps paint a richer and fuller view of what the people who came before us were like. But in terms of 'educational value' that's pretty low. My first digsite was little more than a place where some guy stopped for the night to rest and made a few things like arrowheads. Not exactly 'earth-shattering knowledge' there. But it does help us understand more about what our ancestors were really like.
Plus I'm not going to fall into that stupid trap he tried to set. If I said 'learn from it' he'd retaliate that we should be learning to not be a horrible person like Columbus which is not what history is about in the slightest. History can teach us what Columbus did, not the morality of his actions. The reality is that he's asking that people rewrite history to focus exclusively on the negatives of a person to frame it as a political talking point and justification so he can feel good about his actions and hatred. Like, if he's going to set a trap, the least he could do is make it a mouse trap with cheese so I'd get a small snack when I avoid it.
Edit: I do want to point out that one of the major uses of history is to define who we are as a people. Americans have historically held Columbus in a massively positive light due to him being a massive representation of the explorers spirit. As such the narrative-reframing he's suggesting is a serious threat to American culture and would certainly qualify as an attempt to both re-write history and force a massive cultural shift and is EXTREMELY dangerous as a result. You're free to argue we should have better heroes but he is suggesting the very sort of historical rewriting that is extremely dangerous and destructive to history.
That sounds like learning to me. Its doesnt matter how much 'educational value' is has. Learning is learning. What you said makes it sound like the point of history is still learning.
And tbh, I dont see why it would be such a bad thing to learn how to not be like Columbus. I mean, I personally wouldnt want to be a slave trader or whatever just to be an explorer. If you want to learn how to be an explorer, Im sure you could probably find one who is better, even if not perfect...
Also, hes not asking people to rewrite history. The history is already there. But he wants to put the bad there with the good. And I dont see a problem with that. ---
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