Just so you know, if you are talking about the American education system, it isn't true that they avoid talking about the different systems of governments. My daughter has gone through American history just recently- and it was amazingly in depth in its coverage of political thought. She learned about the communist movement in America, the grange movements, socialism (and how FDR bent socialism to fit the American system and thus short circuited our true socialist and communist movements) and some movements I can't even remember. I was interested, but I can't actually remember all the details- because so much was covered. Imagine how little people remember who are not interested.
The problem is not with the history books, or with the teachers, but mostly within ourselves (to manhandle Shakespeare a bit). It is much easier to slip in to the prejudices that might be comfortable for our brain, than to remember, or look up, the true meanings of things. That goes for definitions, and history, and what happened in the news yesterday. Humans distort things to suit themselves, even where the education system functions well. Do you think the Nazis were all uneducated(to take an extreme example)?
I think what isn't taught well enough in school is to look at oneself to be able to see one's prejudices. But that would be very hard to teach- because most parents do not want their children inoculated with skepticism, especially not when it threatens the ability to inculcate parental prejudice (and I am using prejudice here to mean pre-judgment, and the closing off of free inquiry in to matters a family may decide are off limits to free inquiry).
It would be simple if it were all the schools fault- but I don't think it is. |
