/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.6176695]

So post-high school /lit/, now that you are older and wiser, what do you remember taught in high school that was complete and utter bullshit?

I will never forget year after year of reading 1984 and Animal Farm and being told these books were showing the "truth" of Socialism. Yet it wasn't until a few years after leaving high school that I found out that Orwell himself was a Socialist.

Also the complete white washed history taught in school isn't surprising. I would say in general the majority of stuff we were taught in history classes that wasn't related to ancient or Medieval history was basically bullshit.

>Pic related, photo from an actual US high school textbook.

[Anonymous No.6176707]

>>6176695
I like how that text implies that limits to economic freedom are limits on what kind of person can become an entrepreneur, not limits on what an enterprise can do.

[Anonymous No.6176710]

>>6176695
I actually had good teachers in high school, don't remember being taught anything too wrong. By all appearances it's much worse today. I guess we got some bullshit interpretations of poetry probably, and one teacher that was an idiot about Romeo and Juliet, but learning to appreciate having an opinion about that stuff was the real value anyway.

We were under no delusions about Orwell or anything (and I loved him immediately.)

[Anonymous No.6176712]

>>6176695
>nationalism bad
>patriotism for the US is good

ayyy

[Anonymous No.6176716]

>>6176712
The text doesn't actually say that nationalism is bad tho. Also, are you denying the distinction?

[Anonymous No.6176729]

>holocaust was terrible, the holodomer didn't happen
>Socialism works and is the only reason why schools exist
>The average person went from living a good life to being a child slave laborer because of the nasty industrial revolutionists
>The industrial revolution was a net negative for society

Canada here

[Anonymous No.6176731]

Please OP post more of these rage inducing excerpts from textbooks. I enjoy them.

[Anonymous No.6176736]

some of my favorites
>that virtually every great writer of prose has a debilitating fetish
>that MLK's family won a lawsuit against the government for plotting his assassination

[Anonymous No.6176744]

>>6176695
Feels good having went through cynical-analytical British schooling. Also had a great neckbeard lit teacher who assigned us the Wasp Factory.
Nothing hugely off-the-walls bullshit, just the history that was taught was often very basic.

[Anonymous No.6176753]

>>6176729
Dude, Canada even recognizes the holodomor as an act of genocide, not just the fact that all those people starved, so what are you on about?

[Anonymous No.6176758]

When I went to high school, it was in the late 1990s - early 00s and it was during a period known as the "Howard History Wars".

The History Wars still go on till this day, but what they are basically about is teaching a right wing Anglo-centric version of history of Australia vs an actual real academic version of history of Australia.

Howard was as neo-con as it gets, he was Australia's Thatcher and Reagan so the distorted as fuck shit we got taught in Australian history was just insane looking back on it.

First the Stolen Generation was taught as "Good intentions that was carried out incorrectly in hindsight" yes we were taught about kids being ripped away from their families, but we were also taught it was because Aboriginals couldn't look after children correctly so they were put in loving homes where they could get medical attention and education. It was bad they were kidnapped, but it was for a good cause.

The fact we were taught this and that most Australians today still believe this bullshit always has my jaw dropped.

The real reason for the Stolen Generation was to Eugenically genocide the Aboriginal people. They took the kids and then tried to breed them with white people so the Aboriginal blood would be "breed out of existence". Rape, sexual abuse and murder of Aboriginal children was rife, yet all of this was never fucking mentioned when I was in school. Oh also they tried to act like that Stolen Generation was in like the 19th century, nope, it ended in the 1970s.

We were never taught about the frontier wars, we were never taught about Aboriginal and Polynesian slavery and mass murders here in Australia. There are many places in Australia where hundreds of aboriginal or polynesians are buried in mass graves, yet there isn't a single recognition of the area and it's just been developed over, One I've seen has a playground on it.

We were taught about Australian explorers, yet no mention of how it was actually Aboriginals and Afghans that guided them through the outback. Again, just "ANGLO SUPERIORITY!" bullshit.

Australians in general are racist as fuck and can't engage in any historical self-criticism (msm in Australia is very anti-aboriginal still) but holy fucking shit man, the shit we were taught in school holy fuck.

[Anonymous No.6176763]

>>6176753

maybe that guy wanted to hear a a lectern pounding assertion that stalin and those damn commies were every bit as bad as the nazis

[Anonymous No.6176764]

>>6176758
>an actual leftist aussie
That's a rare breed in this region of the internet.

[Anonymous No.6176769]

>>6176731
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzTOX1xo8sgpN2JmYWRjOGEtYjhlMS00NzMwLTljNWEtNTdiZTJkMDZlYWRh/edit

Here is an entire book about how bullshit US history textbooks are.

[Anonymous No.6176776]

>>6176763
He can rest assured that the destruction of Dresden, the fire-bombing of Japan, and the first two theatre detonations of America's first strategic-use nuclear warheads count equally in the vain of global catastrophe statistics for the cost mankind bears upon itself; not to speak of radical-establishment martyrs during the 19th century fighting industrialism in the name of freedom. Or the modern drove of rotational-gulag labour that daily drains and robs human beings of their own lives.

[Anonymous No.6176793]

Weekly great home school textbook reading feature here:

http://wonkette.com/571832/sundays-with-the-christianists-ernest-hemingway-will-lure-you-to-hell-or-key-west

Link will be of extra amusement for /lit/

[Anonymous No.6176799]

1/2

[Anonymous No.6176801]

>>6176799

[Anonymous No.6176808]

[Anonymous No.6176815]

>>6176801
>Socialism - defined as a centrally planned economy
The apocalypse isn't far away now.

[Anonymous No.6176817]

[Anonymous No.6176828]

>>6176695
Only thing that comes to mind is that we were taught that banks lend out deposits (made by other customers) to lenders. It was understood or implied that banks can only lend out money that it has in its vault. It turns out that this is not true at all.

[Anonymous No.6176832]

[Anonymous No.6176835]

>>6176815
So what do you think socialism is? You mistake socialism with social democracy.

[Anonymous No.6176839]

>>6176832
>Karl Marx, Lady Gaga and the labour theory of value
Jesus, what's that book called?

[Anonymous No.6176840]

>>6176801
>Lenin was the true architect of socialism

pls kill me
I don't hate Lnin, I appreciate his early work, but saying that the late NEP-Lenin was the architect of Capital S Socialism is just wrong.

[Anonymous No.6176858]

ITT seems to see lots of anon displeased that communism is being shit on.

>>6176832
that is an odd choice for titles, it doesnt seem like a school textbook.

[Anonymous No.6176866]

In 7th grade my computers teacher tried to explain to us that Mac computers are superior products.

I called him a tool.

I regret nothiiiiinggg

[Anonymous No.6176872]

>>6176799
>>6176801
>>6176808
>>6176817
>>6176832
Explains why most Americans I ever engage with online are about as intellectual as a brick.

[Anonymous No.6176888]

>>6176858
/lit/ contains disproportionally more communists than any other board.
But I'd say that most anons are angry about the completely unscientific and unserious approach to Socialism and Communism.

[Anonymous No.6176890]

>>6176695

What the fuck? What state is that from? That's got to be like Alabama or some weird private Christian school, right?

I'm Canadian and our social studies curriculum was, um... Fairly left-leaning, I guess. Well actually, I dunno. I guess by today's standards you could say that some of the stuff we were taught wasn't totally leftist. We definitely got the whole "democracy and liberalism are better than fascism and communism" bit, the implication being that communism is an extremist movement. It wasn't laid on extremely thick though and an individual student wouldn't be ostracized for being communist like he would be for being fascist.

I remember what we were taught about social issues was not SJW. Out of curiosity, I went back to look at my high school's course offerings just to see if anything had changed. I noticed they were now offering a course in "social justice." I wonder if that's a required course, and if other disciplines have become "social-justicey"?

[Anonymous No.6176894]

Good for you, you went to college and now instead of believing the lies of your highschool teachers you believe the lies of your college teachers
Pat yourself on the back

[Anonymous No.6176896]

>>6176894

[Anonymous No.6176906]

>>6176896
> anyone who isn't a hardcore communist is a fedora tipper.

[Anonymous No.6176908]

>>6176890
Economics Principles in Action Student Edition, written by Arthur O'Sullivan and Steven M. Sheffrin.

This one is used in Californian High Schools.

[Anonymous No.6176915]

>>6176906
Where did I even say that?
You're a Fedora tipper because you believe that college teachers are inherently liars, that there's a leftist conspiracy going on and we're all sheeples for not educating ourselves.

[Anonymous No.6176920]

>>6176915
You said that, not me

[Anonymous No.6177001]

>>6176915

[Anonymous No.6177009]

I was mainly taught according to then contemporary scientific consensus, in a balanced manner. I'm Swedish though.

[Anonymous No.6177032]

>>6176729
>holocaust was terrible
It wasn't?
>>6176817
This looks like a university as well, holy fucking shit. You guys are genuinely retarded, and it's only sort of your fault.
>>6176832
lel


Man, I wish I had some things to share, but I'm from the Netherlands, and our education is actually decent.

[Anonymous No.6177037]

Jesus Christ man how did Americans end up with this retarded shit in their education system? I'm not even leftist but this is atrocious.

[Anonymous No.6177056]

>>6177037
muh freedoms
But it comes from cold war propaganda that has stayed around.

[Anonymous No.6177334]

>>6177037
The Illuminati works with the American government to keep the peasants, ahem, "real Americans," too uneducated to be any real threat to the social order.

[Anonymous No.6177360]

>>6177037
My textbooks were not this bad at all. I don't know how I managed to escape that, as I grew up in upper-middle class suburbia and graduated high school 8 years ago.

[Anonymous No.6177587]

>defending the US from invasions
Who's going to invade, BRs? Alaskans? Canadians?

[Anonymous No.6177815]

>>6176915
>Going to college
>Paying 20K + to MAYBE have a job in the next ten years
>Not a sheep

kek

[Anonymous No.6177829]

In 7th grade my dad told me all about Marxism and how it was an evil idea and encroached on patriotism and good old capitalism, and I wrote an essay about it for History Class

My teacher even showed it off to everyone in the class, even across class periods, because I knew what the word "Marxist" meant, and he was really happy with me and I got an A on it

[Anonymous No.6177856]

>>6177001
>doesn't even tip Fedora

[Anonymous No.6177887]

>>6176758
we were taught about half casts, white aus policy and other shit in highschool (01 to 07 for me) though I do remember the discovery of australia being all about blaxland and wentworth and such without the mention of native australians at all. I remember a game called crossing the mountains (oregon trail set in aus)

[Anonymous No.6177897]

>>6177037

I don't even remember history from high school, but in community college, our American History book was pretty focused on the atrocities of the industrial revolution and stuff like that.

So not unbiased, but at least...factual

[Anonymous No.6177929]

>>6176858

If you're gonna shit on something, at least do it convincingly.

[Muck Bulligan !!ryE2gEjGbpu No.6177959]

>>6176716
schools generally do teach that nationalism is bad, it's a safe assumption.

and the distinction is entirely irrelevant in this case, they're derived from the same flawed rationale.

>>6176695
we read Homage to Catalonia after 1984 in my senior lit class, jesus christ

i do remember everything i was ever taught about socialism, anarchism and other radical politics being completely and profoundly wrong, but i was aware of that while it was being taught.

>>6177037
no incentive for intelligent people to teach, so all of our teachers are fuckwits who got Cs in college

[Anonymous No.6177964]

>>6177959
>and the distinction is entirely irrelevant in this case, they're derived from the same flawed rationale
This is untrue in general, but particularly untrue in the US.

[Anonymous No.6177973]

>>6176758

You're kind of exaggerating the amount of mass killing of natives. Relative to their population it's pretty bad but relative to European wars it's just another day on the battlefield.

[Anonymous No.6178029]

>>6176793
>That whole article

Why are Christians so fucking stupid?

[Anonymous No.6178031]

>>6176817
>>6176808
>>6176801
>>6176801
>>6176799
>>6176695

Ooh, ooh, I have a story. No picture, though.

In one of my government classes, we played a game of monopoly. Then we changed the rules to fit socialist and communist economic systems.

First, under socialism, you played the game as usual, but most of your profits were pooled in the untouchable government pile.

Then, under communism, you set up hotels all along the board. This was the government's. Then you played the game, but you had no way of making profit, and inevitably wound up giving all your starting money away to the government.

Then, at the end, we were asked which system we liked best.

America...

[Anonymous No.6178053]

>>6178029
>Another Gawker satire site

ew, nevermind.

[Anonymous No.6178090]

I had a creative writing teacher that taught us that iambic pentameter was just any line that had ten syllables in it.

Thank god I knew better but what the fuck.

[Anonymous No.6178092]

>>6178031

Sounds about right

[Anonymous No.6178118]

>>6178092
You mean that American education being fucking retarded sounds about right, right?

[Anonymous No.6178130]

>>6178092
Yeah, if life was a board game

[Anonymous No.6178144]

>>6176808
This is right though

[Anonymous No.6178166]

>>6177037
each state has different education standards, it's not accurate to blanket this all as american education

but honestly i don't know this shit really is fucking terrible

[Anonymous No.6178188]

Honors English teacher said that Oscar Wilde was English. I raised my hand and corrected her; she said "oh, ok, thanks" in this really bitchy, sarcastic way and a couple of people in the class laughed. Felt like such an autist.

[Anonymous No.6178261]

>>6176758
>muh abbos

[Anonymous No.6178305]

>>6176695
You already put your finger on it: History.

I don't know if it's possible to get a complete history that isn't spun one way or another, and/or doesn't paint those who were essentially fucked by another group (Native Americans) as noble. Imagine an American history that could look objectively at the civil war and not seem to take sides but just spell out what happened on each side dispassionately. Also, history should include the popular media of the time - entertainments, town events and festivals, holidays, etc. Also how they sanitation, ministration, death, illness, etc.


Also, unless you're going to be an engineer, math beyond algebra and geometry is a waste.

[Anonymous No.6178327]

>>6176695
>whitewashed history
>M-muh slavery!
White guiltfag detected. You're the reason college professors get away with spouting nonsense about white privilege.

[Anonymous No.6178336]

>>6178327
none of your words appear in OP's post or picture

>tfw rightards can't even read

[Anonymous No.6178342]

>>6178305

I agree. It's a shame that everything needs to be written in such divisive and political terms...why is it that history books are so prone to that, anyway, I wonder?

>math beyond algebra and geometry is a waste

I dunno about that, differential equations and maybe linear algebra might come in handy sometimes...maybe...

[Anonymous No.6178353]

>>6178305
>Also, unless you're going to be an engineer, math beyond algebra and geometry is a waste
Any computer-based career is going to recommend calculus.

[Anonymous No.6178515]

>>6176695

I don't know about 1984, but Animal Farm was absolutely a satirical deconstruction of the Soviet Union, and I don't know how you could interpret it otherwise.

[Anonymous No.6178594]

It's odd that America's head of state is it's most socialist leader to date, given that all this evil right wing propaganda is being thrown at you all.

[Anonymous No.6178612]

>>6178336
It would be cute if they weren't everywhere being their illiterate selves.

[Anonymous No.6178621]

>>6178594
Obama is not socialist at all

[Anonymous No.6178624]

>>6177037
Capitalism. Seriously, they actually own schools and the government bodies that oversee them.

[Anonymous No.6178637]

>>6178261
something about this took me off guard and made me laugh hysterically

[Anonymous No.6178643]

>>6178594
>It's odd that America's head of state is it's most socialist leader to date
In the sense that he's a center-right liberalist and technically closer to socialism than, say, Pat Buchanan?

[Anonymous No.6178645]

>>6178031
I am so glad I went to a decent American school that didn't do any of this shit. I feel bad for you guys and I now am really beginning to grasp why so many fellow Americans have such an intellectual deficit .

[Anonymous No.6178650]

>>6176731
I have no images to post but I'd just like you to know that I graduated in 2010 and our school only had history books that were published in the 1980s/very early 90s.

[Anonymous No.6178710]

>>6177037

All the education system wants is to produce is capable workers. That's why most people on 4chan believe the meme about how important it is to be useful to society.

[Anonymous No.6178735]

>>6178594
are you serious? Obama is not a socialist president....

[Anonymous No.6178744]

>>6178621
>>6178643
>>6178735

>B-BUT MUH OBONGO. MUH FREEDOMS AND MUH GUNZ

[Anonymous No.6178966]

>>6178735
>>6178643
Of course, when contrasted to all the general consensus of this thread, Obama is some sort of centre right psuedo-lefty. This view is taken as it would not fit the profile of a modern liberal to seem pro-establishment. Additionally, as the generations which endured the failed attempts to institute socialism pass, the electorate increasingly espouses politics more aligned with democratic socialism. This therefore should conclude that such incremental conversion of the economic system is a positive force. However this reality conflicts with the tale of right wing (and necessarily status quo) propaganda pervasive throughout American education.

[Anonymous No.6179040]

I remember being taught in 7th grade that communism jus meant dictatorship, but then in AP World in high school clarified that most communist countries are nothing like Marx wanted.

[Anonymous No.6179118]

>>6176695
>the majority of stuff we were taught in history classes that wasn't related to ancient or Medieval history was basically bullshit
Ancient and Medieval history is not an exception. Very little of it is covered at all (since it's hardly relevant at all to any occupation one gets at high school level) but the little there is is picked and skewed in such a way that it fits the general social narrative.

The Crusades is a good example. You generally get the idea that the Crusades were some spontaneous violent outburst of barbarian white Christian men against educated, intellectual, peace-loving Muslims. You don't get any of the context beyond race and religion. You don't get to learn about the Fatimids or the Seljuks, or the incursions of the Seljuks into Byzantine Anatolia, or really much at all about the practical reasons for Europe going on Crusade. You *might* hear about the Emperor Alexios I's call for assistance to Urban II (I did) but you probably don't., nor do you get quite why Catholic Europe chose to send the armies of tens of thousands for a Crusade, rather than just military assistance to the Byzantines like Alexios wanted. You also don't get to hear about all that wonderful looting killing, and pillaging that the First Crusaders did against the Jews before arriving at Constantinople, because they want you to get the idea that the Crusades were about killing brown people.

[Anonymous No.6179136]

>>6179118
>You generally get the idea that the Crusades were some spontaneous violent outburst of barbarian white Christian men against educated, intellectual, peace-loving Muslims.
I didn't get this.

[Anonymous No.6179393]

>>6179118
>You generally get the idea that the Crusades were some spontaneous violent outburst of barbarian white Christian men against educated, intellectual, peace-loving Muslims


What kind of high school did you go to?

[Anonymous No.6179414]

>>6179393
I live in a blue county inside a red state with a pretty low education budget, if any of that that means anything.

[Anonymous No.6179445]

>>6176758
>It was bad they were kidnapped, but it was for a good cause.
Sounds about right.

[Anonymous No.6179536]

>>6176729
You know, in hindsight, I do recall a lot of shit about the industrial revolution being horrible in my Canadian elementary level education. I never really thought of it as socialist propaganda. Was it?

[Anonymous No.6179544]

>>6179136
>>6179414

Not the other poster, but wouldn't a blue county school be more interested in portraying the Crusades as evil Cishet white males killing defenceless Mohammedans than some ferociously evangelical red county?

[Anonymous No.6179545]

>>6179445
Apron, simply apron

[Anonymous No.6179553]

>>6179544
People can't possibly be this delusional
Do you know how moderate democrats are? They're pretty much just republicans who want to tax more

[Anonymous No.6179564]

>>6179553

> Assuming every poster is Amerilard

M8, the only impression we get from your politics is that the Democrats are all bleeding heart transqueers who think black people need to live in golden mansions, while the Republicans are delusional cowboy cosplayers trying to enslave the Mexicans now that they lost the niggers.

Then again
> /lit/
> gommie board

[Anonymous No.6179571]

>>6179545
This is basically the concept of welfare, socialized education, socialized healthcare.
State intervention to improve people's life along some abritrary metric.
Abducting children against their parents' will is just an extreme version of that mindset.

Isn't letting a child live with their drug-addicted, mentally-retarded, violent parents not a form of child abuse?

[Anonymous No.6179579]

>>6179571
Except that these kids weren't taken from "drug-addicted, mentally-retarded, violent parents", in fact, it got worse:

>Most notably, the study indicated that removed Aboriginal people were actually less likely to have completed a secondary education, three times as likely to have acquired a police record and were twice as likely to use illicit drugs.

[Anonymous No.6179597]

>>6179579
They weren't?
What about the current children of Australian aboriginals?

And maybe that removal experiment failed, but that doesn't mean all such experiments should fail and that the premisses are wrong.
Communism can't be a mistake every time it's tried, am I right?

[Anonymous No.6180344]

>I will never forget year after year of reading 1984 and Animal Farm and being told these books were showing the "truth" of Socialism. Yet it wasn't until a few years after leaving high school that I found out that Orwell himself was a Socialist.

But his intro specifically states that that it is supposed to be against totaltarianism. It isn't pro or anti-socialist.

How did you miss this?

[Anonymous No.6180400]

>>6176888

This.

not him
I cant argue against the fact that American education(going through it myself) can be skewed when it comes to these topics, but I dont like how most of this board reacts as bad as Americans do when you talk about capitalism. They become defensive and angry just the same.

[Anonymous No.6181038]

Helen Keller being a "model of American perseverance" when she was actually a Socialist who cheered on the Bolsheviks and argued that the only reason she could do anything was because she was rich. They completely leave that out of the history books though, just like Orwell...

[Anonymous No.6181103]

>>6179571
>Aborginal children
>Necessarily have drug-addicted, mentally-retarded, violent parents

[Anonymous No.6181134]

>>6176729
>things that didn't happen.text

[Anonymous No.6181215]

>>6176695

This thread makes me want to kill myself. Not because of the rampant inaccuracies but because of the way all of this is treated as unquestionable truth. I fear for the future.

[Anonymous No.6181286]

>>6176808
>The American "Political spectrum"

[Anonymous No.6181301]

>>6176832
>Karl Marx, Lady Gaga and the labour theory of value
I actually gagged

[Anonymous No.6181304]

>>6181301

that sounds amazing
why are you such a pleb

[Anonymous No.6181321]

>>6177959
> but i was aware of that while it was being taught.
Yeah only you though

[Anonymous No.6181334]

>>6181301
>not wanting to learn about Marx's influence in Gaga

[Anonymous No.6181384]

>>6179564
Sounds pretty close

[Anonymous No.6181403]

Anthem by Ayn Rand
i said it was a reaction to communism and my pleb teacher said "no it's not". ok.

[Anonymous No.6181432]

>>6178966
I was going to refute you, but then I just decided it would be much less of an effort to call you retarded.

A cop-out, I'm aware, but I wasn't going to change your mind anyways.

P.S. You're such a fucking retard ohmigod

[Anonymous No.6181696]

>>6176801

Aside from the parts about Lenin this is fine.

[Anonymous No.6181728]

>>6178305

>unless you're going to be an engineer, math beyond algebra and geometry is a waste.

Retards >/out/.

Critical thinking and problem solving are crucial for everybody.

[Anonymous No.6181733]

If you all love being slaves so much, why don't you just hop on a one way flight to Havana tell me how much you love it. People aren't equal, deal with it. I'm 10 times more industrious than any of you goddamn nerd faggots and you're all bitter.

[Anonymous No.6181894]

>>6179597
>Aboriginals are violent, retarded, and don't deserve children
>ignoring the attempt at eugenics
>ignoring the rape and abuse of Aboriginals and their children in the program

Yeah, nah, kill yourself.

[Anonymous No.6181898]

>>6181728

crucial for what? Being a whore for your employers?

[Anonymous No.6181904]

>>6181898

-not being a retarded vegetable
-contributing to society
-finances
-planning
-being good at literally anything

Only so many people can work cashier jobs you know.

[Anonymous No.6181911]

>>6181904

>contributing to society

you're literally a whore for the ideological state apparatus

embarrassing

[Anonymous No.6181973]

>>6181911
Algebra is literally an ideological tool wielded by the state

[Anonymous No.6181981]

>>6181973

it has no demonstrative function outside of ideological structures

[Anonymous No.6182006]

>>6176758
>There are many places in Australia where hundreds of aboriginal or polynesians are buried in mass graves, yet there isn't a single recognition of the area and it's just been developed over, One I've seen has a playground on it.

Huh.

[Anonymous No.6182010]

>>6181981

true, guess and check is the only ideology free way to do math

[Anonymous No.6182079]

>>6181911
My state is fucking my society up and down, I want to help my society, therefore I am a whore of the state?

[Anonymous No.6182156]

>>6178029
Honestly here Christian shops are the only one who keep a decent selection of philosophy and literature here.