school textbooks - bunch of bullshit or what?

[truthaddict11]

i remember reading my American History book last year at all the lies and bullshit in it. anyone remember your favourite bullshit from history?

[abstractmentality]

i believe my teacher was a socialist, so he tuned us onto many things that werent in the book in his leactures. but i do remember reading my economics book. oh how i laughed at that one.

[red senator]

i had one economics book that had a comparison of commmunism and capitalism in a few brief areas, and every description of capitalism had the words "free" or "freedom" and every description of communism had the words "oppressive" and "complete control"

[vox]

Truthaddict,

You NEED to read Lies My Teacher Told Me (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684818868/qid=1026798611/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-2425861-5982422) by James W. Loewen.

Loewen is a history professor who analyzed common high school texbooks and debunks many of the most common legends that are taught as the God's own truth in high schools.

Beware, this book might get you interested in history!!!

After that, check out A People's History of the United States (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060937319/qid=1026799072/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/002-2425861-5982422) by Howard Zinn. In Zinn's own words: "My point is not that we must, in telling history, accuse, judge, condemn Columbus in absentia. It is too late for that; it would be a useless scholarly exercise in morality. But the easy acceptance of atrocities as a deplorable but necessary price to pay for progress (Hiroshima and Vietnam, to save Western civilization; Kronstadt and Hungary, to save socialism; nuclear proliferation, to save us all)--that is still with us. One reason these atrocities are still with us is that we have learned to bury them in a mass of other facts, as radioactive wastes are buried in containers in the earth."

Check those out and you're well ahead of most people.

vox

[abstractmentality]

Quote: from vox on 11:02 pm on July 15, 2002

You NEED to read Lies My Teacher Told Me (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684818868/qid=1026798611/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-2425861-5982422) by James W. Loewen.


just bought this one


Quote: from vox on 11:02 pm on July 15, 2002

After that, check out A People's History of the United States (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060937319/qid=1026799072/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/002-2425861-5982422) by Howard Zinn.

just ordered this one.

[vox]

Good for you! :)

Sometimes they're a little hard to read. Not because of the writing but because of the outrage factor. I had the same problem with books about the CIA and cocaine running. Occasionally I just had to throw the book down and rant.

vox

[PunkRawker677]

More ridiculous than the content is the prices.. if your in college and have to pay.. I pay on average $50 per text-book.. its absolutly ridiculous.. and we usually don't use them..

My history teacher, many many years ago, back in middle school, once told me that the reason the "communist" color was red was due to the fact that they liked to cover themselves in blood and run around naked..

I think he was a little retarded.. or something..

[suffianr]

Hahaha..what a looney your teacher was, PunkRawker677! :)

We have to spend a bit on college textbooks, too...As an external student of my college's American Degree Program (yes, I'm enrolling into a state university soon...), we pay exorbitant prices because of the exchange rate, and end up photocopying entire textbooks coz it's cheaper to do that.

But most of my high school textbooks weren't particularly exciting either, especially History, where the entire communist insurgency episode during the 60's was swept under the blanket as a racist civil war, and our country's entire struggle for independence was grossly over-inflated and inaccurate, by modern standards.

[abstractmentality]

Quote: from vox on 2:21 am on July 16, 2002
Good for you! :)

Sometimes they're a little hard to read. Not because of the writing but because of the outrage factor. I had the same problem with books about the CIA and cocaine running. Occasionally I just had to throw the book down and rant.

vox


yes, i have been reading Zinn during my breaks at work, so i only get 30 minutes of reading at a time, and sometimes i get frustrated with what he is saying in just that amount of time. damn book store hasnt called me to tell me the order is in.

also, the guy i bought Lies My Teacher Told Me informed me that that book is becoming standard reading in some classes. which ones, im not sure, but that was a refreshing bit of information.


(Edited by abstractmentality at 11:04 am on July 18, 2002)

[timbaly]

In my 7th grade social studies book it said that racism is a problem of the past and was eliminated completly by martin luther king jr.

[abstractmentality]

Quote: from timbaly on 11:29 am on July 18, 2002
In my 7th grade social studies book it said that racism is a problem of the past and was eliminated completly by martin luther king jr.

oh shit, where is this textbook coming from?

[death b4 dishonour]

I dont really use many of my textbooks now, they just kind of rot in my locker, but my gr.8 geography textbook had quotes from Karl Marx in it, so it was ok.

I had a teacher who was kind of like Punkrawkers. Some kid in my class said that "ink came from octopuses" and he said "oh yes, and red ink comes from communist octopuses" i think me and my friend were the only ones that laughed.

[truthaddict11]

shit is that true with your economics book? i have to take that this year. during the "stock game" i am going to ask my teacher if i can give my "money" to charity.

[truthaddict11]

Quote: from vox on 10:21 am on July 16, 2002
Good for you! :)

Sometimes they're a little hard to read. Not because of the writing but because of the outrage factor. I had the same problem with books about the CIA and cocaine running. Occasionally I just had to throw the book down and rant.

vox


i agree i almost left the classroom when i read about western imperialism and how the us govt can suspend certain parts of the costitution during war time so people couldnt critisize the actions

[abstractmentality]

Quote: from truthaddict11 on 8:56 am on July 19, 2002
shit is that true with your economics book? i have to take that this year. during the "stock game" i am going to ask my teacher if i can give my "money" to charity.


in economics, you can learm about how free trade throughout the americas helps to raise everybodies standard of living, and all kinds of other lies. its loads of fun.

[ComradeJunichi]

I'm taking U.S. History next year. I can't wait to criticize the work. The teacher's are very "Americanized", and also very Christian(I go to a Foreign School in Korea, and its also Christian).

I was reading a textbook last year in class and it talked about Rosa Park. I think its Rosa Park. It said like how she was single, and she was kind of grouchy and angry all the time. It was trying to make her sound like she was a little crazy. It pissed me off, Rosa Park (correct me if thats not her name, the black woman who refused to stand up and move for the white person) was not crazy. She was a very active woman too. Damn liars.

[truthaddict11]

my american history book said emma goldman a anarchist and femminist was dillusional and bad mouthed union and labor strikes and riots

[sypher]

the perfect way to describe a how a history class is taught is by quoting Zach de la Rocha

""the teacher stands in front of the class but the lesson plan he can't recall. The students eyes don't precieve the lies bouncing off every fucking wall. His composer is well kept I guess he fears playing the fool. The complacent students sit and listen to the bullshit he learned in school"

On a positive note my school offers a class where the students discuss curent events for the entire class period. I hope I can shine some lih=ght on these lies and educate some classmates :)

[andresG]

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Quote: from timbaly on 11:29 am on July 18, 2002
In my 7th grade social studies book it said that racism is a problem of the past and was eliminated completly by martin luther king jr.
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The scary part is to think that there are some students that believe every single word in there textbooks.

What can the future bring when children are being educated with books like these?

(Edited by andresG at 5:40 am on Aug. 1, 2002)