This idea that history was SO TERRIBLE, that we've made so much PROGRESS and that things the audience are not comfortable with in history are things that no longer happen today is just...wrong.
Agreed so hard. I have a strong aversion to the "arc of progress" mythos. So many of the evils committed by industrialized societies are done beneath the radar of more-privileged citizens, whether it's prison abuses, labor abuses, torture, or environmental destruction.
BUT at the same time, people historically also did good things, and cared for each other.
I wish this were more widely understood, because those stories are every bit as moving as the "heartwarmers" that appear in newspapers. More so, really, because by reading them you're reaching across time to empathize with another human being, which is humbling.
no subject
Agreed so hard. I have a strong aversion to the "arc of progress" mythos. So many of the evils committed by industrialized societies are done beneath the radar of more-privileged citizens, whether it's prison abuses, labor abuses, torture, or environmental destruction.
BUT at the same time, people historically also did good things, and cared for each other.
I wish this were more widely understood, because those stories are every bit as moving as the "heartwarmers" that appear in newspapers. More so, really, because by reading them you're reaching across time to empathize with another human being, which is humbling.