Studying American history

[DemocratSinceBirth]

Instead of presenting American history in all its whitewashed glory maybe it would be more productive and truthful to compare it to other modern empires in the way it treated its own people, its own indigenous people, and the people who came under its control.

Some of those empires weren't very nice either but at least we would get the truth.

[Wounded Bear]

1. Indeed! nt

[jmbar2]

3. So true

I've been watching a youtube series on the Fall of Civilizations. It provides an in-depth look at the factors involved in the fall of ancient and not-so-ancient civilizations.

Several themes repeat: wealth disparities, oppression, corruption, climate change, rebellions, and invasions.

One episode on the Sumerians is particularly interesting. It documents the fall of several major cities that collapsed under attack by the Sea Peoples.

No one is quite sure who they were, but in the 15-11thC BC, they were responsible for the collapse of many of the major cities in the Eastern Mediterranean. They would arrive suddenly by boats, in huge numbers loot and destroy the cities, then quickly retreat back to sea, leaving no traces of themselves.

They may have been displaced peoples from climate change, oppression, or other calamities in other regions. The more that the civilizations collapsed, the more people joined the sea peoples.

They left almost no traces of themselves, but were documented in the written and oral histories of the time.

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[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. Does anybody know what I missed from Post Removed?

I suspect the person believes America was perfect. Nobody or nothing is perfect, especially a nation.

[yonder]

7. Just a guess, but Koolaid would be their drink of choice.

[Spazito]

11. I was on the jury, it was a spammer, nothing to do with your OP.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

12. TY

[cbabe]

9. I look forward to

watching this series. I never heard of the sea people.

I also suggest Terry Jones' 2006 BBC series 'The Barbarians'.

Fascinating look at the Celts, Huns, Goths, etc.

Who is the barbarian and who is civilized?

[jmbar2]

10. Thanks! I'll check this out.

I'm slowly working myself through the history of civilizations on Youtube. The Barbarians looks very interesting.

[MerryHolidays]

4. In Russia, WW II is the "Great Patriotic War"

When I was speaking to a very nice person from Russia a few years back, she was amazed to find out that the US was involved in WW II in Europe.

That's when it hit me about propaganda, and it doesn't just happen with folks from other countries.

[cilla4progress]

6. I remember hearing and being taught about "propaganda"

as a PoliSci major in college.

It was taught as theory and accepted reality about Russia, at the time. 1970s.

So, its recognizable to me. Though, not expected in this degree, here!

[JanMichael]

8. I took a course (just because I needed the credits) called Latin American Political History.

I knew a little about Allende and Chile and Nicaragua and the Contras and a lot of the bad faith CIA destabilization activities before the class but to dive in deep was an eye opener.

The class was largely focused on US skullduggery and we had at least 3 or four white males drop it the first week in.

Then I read Zinn and boom.

[yonder]

13. United Fruit Company and our Banana Boat Economics were responsible

for so much of the muckery by the US in Central and South America, yet we heard little about that growing up. It was always an endless "we're #1, we're #1, rah, rah, rah".