Friday, April 20, 2007

UK is NOT banning Holocaust from School Books!!!

I was wondering what to blog about this morning when I saw this headline:
"E-mails are circulating around the world, claiming that the UK has banned the teaching of the Holocaust in schools."
You can read the BBC article here. I am so disturbed by this and have already read one blogger post on the subject. (I know this is not about N'awlins but I'm so angry that I'm posting on both my blogs!!)

It pains me to think that people (highly intelligent thinking people) actually think that my country would do such a thing. When I was in school in Scotland our History classes were focused on the causes of the First and Second World Wars. I know more German History than Scottish. Why? So that we could learn that we are all susceptible to Germany's mistakes and that our country had a large role in causing the First World War which led to the Second.

We have war veterans who liberated the concentration camps in eastern Europe. We adhere to the Geneva convention. We have a free and very vocal press. If this was true they'd be shouting it from the rooftops!!! And yet people will believe an email!! And not research this wild story!!! I am disgusted. I am angry and I am sad.

Update: The blog I read this on has recanted the initial claim that the UK had banned teaching the Holocaust. [thank goodness because I really like her writing and her blog!!]
I know that it must be very challenging for teachers to teach the Holocaust to some (not all) Muslim students who are taught at home that it never happened but it is a challenge that must be met head on. As Edmund Burke (allegedly) said: "
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

12 comments:

Travis Cody said...

Thank you for posting this and for your email. With all that has happened this week at Virginia Tech, I lost sight of my objectivity and my B.S. indicator went off line.

That's no excuse for not verifying something before making a comment, but it does explain my stupid reaction.

Cursed Tea said...

Thank you Travis - I really appreciate your comment!!

What happen in Virginia was awful - so sad for all involved.

Best Wishes
Kirsty

molly said...

Kirsty, Abject apologies for being so gullible as to swallow that misinformation without checking further. will be sure to triple check next. It's good to know the Brits haven't afterall lost their minds, especially since one of my sons lives among them.

Lone Grey Squirrel said...

Kirsty, I am glad that the story has turned out to be untrue. I apologise if my comment had upset you. As long as there are people like you, we can all rest easy. I have unfortunately witness a lot of re-writing of history for political expedience or in the name of political correctness.

Once again, I am sorry. I congratulate the UK for their continued position on the issue of the Holocaust.

EsLocura said...

I am joining the ranks of those saying "sorry" for commenting first, asking questions later. On the other hand, this blog world is a groovy thing when in mere hours we could unit in right and wrong.

A Paperback Writer said...

The mere fact that some children are taught untruths at home is why I am in favor of public schools (which I believe are called "normal schools" in Scotland, a phrase which strikes me as a humorous oxymoron), where kids can be exposed to all kinds of ideas and learn to think for themselves (as opposed to the highly selective content offered in many private schools).
We certainly teach the Hollocaust and about every kind of prejudice in the school where I teach. Not every kid listens, and we deal with a great many redneck, narrowminded parents, but we are making a dent.
I never for a second would've thought that the UK would stop teaching the Hollocaust "officially." (Not every class can cover every subject, obviously.)

Cursed Tea said...

molly - apology accepted - thanks for commenting - it means a lot to me!

squirrel - thanks for your apology. I have a pretty high skeptism radar - however I was totally taken in by the film "What the Bleep do we Know" until I found out it was all Ramtha - maybe I should write a post on it. We're all susceptible to gullibility!

escolura - again thank you! thank goodness for "comments"!! I knew that HeartinSF would read my comments pretty quick and respond - so yes, the blogosphere can correct things pretty quick!

paprback - thanks for popping by. I actually realised that I can't remember when we were taught the Holocaust at school - we must have a some point - it felt very foreign to a bunch of scottish kids in a northen little town - we didn't know any Jews - we'd heard a rumour that they didn't have xmas - which, as kids we naturally thought preposterous!! But we were as shocked and sickened by what we learnt about the Holocaust as the rest of the world.
If the Palestine/Israeli issue could be resolved I think there would be a lot less holocaust denial - not that that is an excuse but a sad reality.

Thank you one and all
Best Wishes
Kirsty

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Kirsty,

I'm very sorry that I disgusted and angered you, and made you sad. It was never my intention to malign your country, but reading something that purported to be true fact was so upsetting to me that I reacted without checking as carefully as I should have.

I will never make that mistake again.

When you said that I should have known that the UK would never do such a thing, I'm sure that if I were British or had lived in England, that would be so.

But I have witnessed several instances of the US omitting or rewriting history in the name of political correctness in recent years, so it is difficult to assume that any nation would not also give in on certain principles to perceived threats of danger.

After 9-11 attacked my home city, Americans were understandably shocked and terrified. Before long, however, there were those who averred that those horrible events were our own fault, that we deserved what had happened on our soil because of our longstanding support of Israel.

Within that framework, plus the fact that some of my own relatives died in the Holocaust, and some of my friends in the events of 9-11, I had a knee-jerk reaction to even the suggestion that any country would eliminate that most dreadful but important history lesson from its curriculum.

I do hope that you can find it in your heart to understand that my intentions were never evil toward Great Britain or her people. My act was hasty and ill considered, but not malicious.

Rural Writer said...

Would you believe I just got this post in my email, with a slideshow saying teaching the holocaust is being banned in the UK? This stuff lives forever on the internet. It would be sad indeed if such a thing were ever to happen! I was happy when I did a search and this post popped up from TWO years ago to say "it ain't so!"

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Used Textbooks for Sale said...

Good heavens! I just got an email about this... still! I was sure to reply all and link to this blog post.

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