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Ladies and gentlemen- a rant
Or
How history works and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something- probably fascism
Or
How history works and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something- probably fascism
An exclusive from the Telegraph kicked all this off. Allegedly (because it’s only one source so let’s hedge our bets) the government is looking to promote free speech and combat cancel culture. They plan to do this by fining those with different opinions and removing funding
This was the phrase that particularly stood out because it fundamentally misunderstands what history is. To explain myself let’s look at an old cliche
‘History is written by the victor’
‘History is written by the victor’
This phrase essentially means that if you win you get to say what happened. The implication being that you are alive and have the power and the other guy is not.
However, it also suggests that there might be a difference between your view of what happened and someone else’s
However, it also suggests that there might be a difference between your view of what happened and someone else’s
The choice of what to keep and what to leave out is therefore a political act, otherwise the victory wouldn’t matter. The events would be recorded exactly the same by both sides if political decisions weren’t linked to projecting a particular narrative.
What is more infuriating is that by telling organisations to ‘keep politics out’ of their work those organisations are being forced to express a political idea. One that wants to exert a specific historical narrative that better supports the world view of one particular party
All history is political. It isn’t saying exactly what happened, it uses evidence to build the best possible understanding of what happened. But even that isn’t simple. Evidence could be bias, or missing because it was lost or destroyed or never recorded in the first place.
Certain groups have lacked the power to have their stories told. That is why it is important to revisit our understanding of what happened to look for the voices that haven’t been heard.
History is written by the victor, but a just society lets the victims make a few edits
History is written by the victor, but a just society lets the victims make a few edits
One for your lot @Brainmage
