gone with the wind chapter 5

When I read this chapter on African American racism, I felt that American textbooks do include information about slavery, but the way they present it is problematic. I am sure that they include the conventional descriptions: the harsh working conditions, ruthless treatment by their masters, deprivation of basic human rights. However, textbooks only repeat the information that students already know. As a result, textbooks fail to convey the gravity of slavery. It is presented as facts to memorize, that white Americans considered African Americans to be inferior to them and treated them in ways that one cannot credit as an act of one human to another; however, it ends there. I agree with Loewen that it fails to suggest it as an ongoing social issue that relates to the behaviours of many African Americans in the American society today. I do not want to sound rude, but I used to watch CNN all the time and felt that quite a lot of the suspects of the crimes that were taken up were African Americans. (I just thought of the possibility that CNN might be deliberately doing this because some of the directors may unconsciously be thinking that whites are superior to African Americans. I hope not) Anyways, I think this is a sign that the racism of African Americans has not ceased. The Supreme Court did not allow legal rights to African Americans, the government felt justified in considering African Americans to be inferior, and now textbooks distort the historical facts of the relationship between African Americans and white Americans. This seems beyond unfair.

I had always believed that the South (Confederates) were the ones that advocated slavery while the North (Union) was against it, so the idea that slavery was supported nationally was an eye-opener to me. The image that slavery was favoured only by the Confederates may make America feel less guilty for its past since only half of the country supported it.

One excerpt from an American textbook was filled with elaborate descriptions of Lincoln and Douglas, and I thought this was ridiculous. If it’s a history book about fashion, then it is understandable for the author to take so much care in describing their appearances; however, their choice of clothing is completely irrelevant to the subject that is being discussed. It confuses me why this author even decided to include such as descriptive writing. If the writing is simplified, I am sure it can fit a couple facts that textbook authors deliberately leave out. Loewen said at one point that skin colour itself does not explain racism, and to support this he raised the example that some African Americans were made leaders of the Native Indians. However, his evidence seems insufficient to me. His example is only between two kinds of peoples and it may be differ between other two cultures.

I remember how some of my former classmates were all excited to watch “Gone With The Wind” with their friends on a holiday. I was surprised to know this story presents slavery as the ideal social structure. I wonder why they were so excited to watch this movie: for educational purposes in reminding one of the cruelty of slavery and past mistakes, or for the passionate love story that is presented. Probably the passionate love…