Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
What do you mean by "liberal", nguirado? I'm always a little confused when I see it appear to be used in American politics almost as though it were an insult. Here in Europe, liberal parties generally espouse moderate left-of-centre policies, somewhere between left-wing labour, and right-wing conservative parties. But schools here aren't in the business of instilling any particular political agenda.
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There are two narratives in American history, both with part of the truth.
The liberal narrative, the ones my 3 kids get in public school, is that American history is essentially the progress the non-powerful have made towards inclusion. It's essentially Marxism (Marxism is a way of looking at history- don't get bent out of shape.), with group against group- the dialectic. The struggle moves from group to group until some kind of final justice, I guess.
The conservative narrative might emphasize the accomplishments of the US. The railroads, businesses, exploration, successful wars, and yes, the country where the most diverse people got along best (except for blacks which really was de jure and de facto injustice).
So, Texas had to decide whether to talk about Daniel Boone (or one of those frontier guys) or Cesar Chavez. One is an explorer and expander and the other is a share the wealth guy. The funny thing is that without the Daniel Boone's Cesar Chavez wouldn't be fighting for his rights in American California (or anybody anywhere else on this continent), but nobody thinks about that.
That's what I mean. I'm aware enough to supplement my kids education with some of the conservative narrative. Most parents, especially in heavily Hispanic areas (l'm Hispanic too) are not.