History, schmistory
On the twenty-second anniversary of the Falkland’s Task Force leaving Portsmouth for the South Atlantic, and the twelfth of Pompey’s semi-final against Liverpool, The Independent reports on the things people believe about history. For instance: “More than 60 thought the Battle of Helms Deep in the Lord of the Rings trilogy actually took place.”
Someone or other is quoted as saying “People associate history with dry and dusty dates and facts. Once they realise that history is about people, the way we used to live and the way we live now, it becomes more relevant and more exciting.” He also said he needed to renew his elbow patches. Meanwhile Andrew Roberts, whom the Independent calls “the right-wing historian” complains that “we have abandoned the teaching of history according to dates and context - if you don’t know that the Tudors came before the Stuarts then you can’t understand anything of that period. Within a generation we are going to lose our national memory and for Britain, which has such a unique and complex history, that is a complete tragedy.”
He’s right of course. In the same survey 52% of those questioned believed Andrew Roberts to be a respectable historian and not a despicable bigot. Worrying isn’t it?
Other Splinters posts of interest:
- Streams of piss
- That scummy little film
- First Class!
- beneath the rubble of history Via wood s lot: t…
- Lethal costume party
