Ponderings
6 May 2005 11:25![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wyntir_knightWith the new War Museum opening, I have been been finding myself pondering.
Actually, I've been pondering for quite some time, but the Citizen coverage of the museum is bringing it to a head.
I know that history is written with the bias of the writer. After all, American textbooks make no mention of the fact that they had their asses handed to them in 1812, Russian textbooks deny the fact that they annexed the Baltics, and Japanese textbooks gloss over the fact that Japan invaded China in World War Two.
The fact that history is biased and a form of propoganda is fact. Just look at Nazi Germany. Goebels actually re-wrote history to prove that the Aryan race decended from the Greeks and not from northern 'barbarians'.
The funny thing is, that Canadians seem to think that they are above this. The new War Museum has even gone so far as to change their portrayal of war. The museum is supposed to have a display on the Japanese-Canadian internment camps of World War Two, and it has displays about battle fatigue/shell shock/PTSD (whatever they're calling it now). They are trying to de-glamourize war, to show the glories as well as the horrors. Personally, I think that this is an honourable thing to do. If we forget the sacrifice and the death we trivialize war. We trivialize those who sacrificed and those who died for no reason.
From what I can gather, this is what the museum directors and curators were thinking when they designed the exhibits. But now, there is anger from some of the veterans groups. They are angry at the fact that the museum is going to deal with the Airborn and the Somalia Inquiry. According to several letters written to the Citizen, the Somalia Inquiry and Kyle Brown should be forgotten. The the paintings about the events that lead to the inquiry should be removed from the museum.
But I ask this, by removing the art, by removing these exhibits from the museum, are we not trivializing Shidane Arone's death? Are we not forgetting him? ... I could go on about "those who forget history are doomed to repeat it", but that is such a cliche at this point.
I will say this. If we only focus on the glories of our past and forget the sins, then we are no better than the countries that we chastize for doing this exact thing.
As an amateur military historian, I'm glad that the War Museum seems to be getting it right.
Actually, I've been pondering for quite some time, but the Citizen coverage of the museum is bringing it to a head.
I know that history is written with the bias of the writer. After all, American textbooks make no mention of the fact that they had their asses handed to them in 1812, Russian textbooks deny the fact that they annexed the Baltics, and Japanese textbooks gloss over the fact that Japan invaded China in World War Two.
The fact that history is biased and a form of propoganda is fact. Just look at Nazi Germany. Goebels actually re-wrote history to prove that the Aryan race decended from the Greeks and not from northern 'barbarians'.
The funny thing is, that Canadians seem to think that they are above this. The new War Museum has even gone so far as to change their portrayal of war. The museum is supposed to have a display on the Japanese-Canadian internment camps of World War Two, and it has displays about battle fatigue/shell shock/PTSD (whatever they're calling it now). They are trying to de-glamourize war, to show the glories as well as the horrors. Personally, I think that this is an honourable thing to do. If we forget the sacrifice and the death we trivialize war. We trivialize those who sacrificed and those who died for no reason.
From what I can gather, this is what the museum directors and curators were thinking when they designed the exhibits. But now, there is anger from some of the veterans groups. They are angry at the fact that the museum is going to deal with the Airborn and the Somalia Inquiry. According to several letters written to the Citizen, the Somalia Inquiry and Kyle Brown should be forgotten. The the paintings about the events that lead to the inquiry should be removed from the museum.
But I ask this, by removing the art, by removing these exhibits from the museum, are we not trivializing Shidane Arone's death? Are we not forgetting him? ... I could go on about "those who forget history are doomed to repeat it", but that is such a cliche at this point.
I will say this. If we only focus on the glories of our past and forget the sins, then we are no better than the countries that we chastize for doing this exact thing.
As an amateur military historian, I'm glad that the War Museum seems to be getting it right.
